N&W in 1910--Office building

[NW Mailing List]

That's a euphuism for tuberculosis sanatorium, I believe.
 
Dave Phelps
 
 
In a message dated 1/26/2010 8:16:49 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:

Anyone  know what a "home for consumptives" is?

Thanks,
Dave  Willis
(blt 1962, c/n 4)

 
____________________________________
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: N&W in 1910--Office  building
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:34:48 -0500
From:  nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
August 13,  1910
 
BLUEFIELD IS LOSING ONE OF ITS  LANDMARKS
------
Terminal Trainmaster Relates History of Old Division  Office Now Being Torn 
Down
    Bluefield is losing one of its oldest  landmarks, the old division 
office, which is being torn down.  A nice  lawn will take its place.  The 
building has been standing since July,  1888, and is almost a part of the town.  
Within its walls the preliminary  plans of the great Pocahontas Division were 
carried out and each room has such  a history connected with it that old 
railroad men stand and watch it coming  apart without even daring to walk 
inside of it, so great is their respect for  the old site of their former 
battles to make the road a success.
    J. M. MeIlhaney, terminal trainmaster, gave  the Daily Telegraph a 
short history of the building last night.  He  easily remembers it from the days 
when this most wealthy division of the  Norfolk and Western was only the 
Pocahontas branch.
    Mr. McIlhaney says the first offices were  maintained in the present 
freight depot.  This was in July, 1888.   About this time twenty-two years ago 
the offices were moved in the building  that is now being torn down.  The 
division at that time was called the  Radford and Pocahontas division and 
John A. Hardy was superintendent.   The road at that time went to Powhatan, 
while branches ran to Pocahontas,  Goodwill and Simmons.  The Clinch Valley 
division was not in operation at  that time.
    The official family at that time was John  A. Hardy, superintendent, 
Captain D. H. Barger, trainmaster, R. E. Winters,  chief dispatcher.
    The yard office was located in the  northwest room on the first floor 
while the trainmaster's office was overhead  on the second floor.  The 
dispatcher's office was in the north bay  station.  The waiting room for trainmen 
was on the first floor in the  northeast room, while the timekeeper occupied 
the room above.
    The supervisor, or roadmaster, as he is  known occupied the southwest 
room on the second floor while the reading room  for trainmen, out of which 
grew the Railroad Y. M. C. A., which now has a  large building of its own, 
recently erected on Pulaski street, occupied the  southeast room in the old 
building now being torn down.  The yard master,  who was either a man named 
Wright or Joe Collins, occupied the other room on  the south side.  The attic 
at that time was used as a bed room by the  trainmaster and other men, the 
dispatchers many times turning in to sleep  there at that time, which was 
long before the present regulations as to hours  of work went into effect.
    It was hard at that time to get a house in  this city and the first 
house completed by the railroad was the building on  Princeton avenue, recently 
owned by Weslie Wilkes, which was first occupied by  J. M. McIlhaney, who 
was at that time a train dispatcher.
    Since July, 1888, many changes have taken  place in the Norfolk and 
Western but the old building was occupied as an  office until about a year ago 
when the offices were moved to the old Bluefield  Inn building, which was 
remodeled for office purposes.  This building is  one of the most imposing 
structures in the city and at one time Thomas F. Ryan  wanted to purchase it as 
a home for consumptives.  The Norfolk and  Western, however, would not 
consent to the bringing to this city of a home for  consumptives.
    The destruction of the building removes  another of this city's 
landmarks and for years to come the few men who are  left on the road who were here 
in 1888 will look to where the building now is  and feel that something is 
lacking.
[I wonder if the wooden building in the attached  picture from Neg. 21413 
in the Virginia Tech image database isn't the division  office described in 
the article.  It has a bay on the north side as  described for the location 
of the dispatcher's office.  Also, the  article states that the building will 
be replaced by a "nice lawn," and  vintage photos show a lawn east of the 
passenger depot where the  parking lot was in later years and about where the 
building in question is in  this picture.]
------
Gordon Hamilton

 
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