Story: The Original MC Conductors -

Only Four Of Them Left - in 1892

One Interesting Reminiscence of Those Early Railroading Days

From the Detroit Free Press, Marcy 27, 1892

Ersley Ferguson, the well-known truck owner, is one of Detroit's self-made men. He was born in Oneida County, New York over seventy years ago. In 1826 he came to Michigan and in the following year went farming with his parents in Oakland County. In 1831 he came to Detroit, remaining here a short time and went at farming again outside the city and near it. In 1839 he gave up farming and commenced driving teams in the town.

In 1840 he hauled the logs used to build the celebrated log cabin, which stood on Jefferson avenue near Randolph street. The following winter he made three journeys with his team and wagon from Detroit to Chicago, conveying the passengers and freight, saved from a Chicago-bound steamboat, which was partly wrecked on Lake Huron late in the season.

Each of the journeys occupied from nineteen to twenty-six days. In September, 1844, Mr. Ferguson entered the employ of the Michigan Central Railroad as night watchman, receiving seven shillings per night for his services.

"The road was then owned by the state," says Mr. Ferguson, speaking of his railroad experience, "and the depot stood on the ground now occupied by City Hall. The road extended only to Kalamazoo, and had no branches, so you can judge it did not cut much of a figure then.

After working for a time as watchman, I was put into the freight house wheeling freight. Of course there is no comparison between the methods in use then and those of to-day. The freight cars were only half the size of the present-day cars and ran on four wheels. The locomotives were small, light Baldwin engines with two drivers, and a train of twelve cars was considered good size.

The passenger cars were equally as crude and were very small. The seats had leather cushions, but there were no backs or springs to them. How did the passengers sleep? "They didn't have to. There were but two trains daily between the two points, leaving from either end simultaneous in the morning. They started in the morning at 7 o'clock, and if on time arrived at their destinations at 6 in the evening. Otherwise their trips extended far into the night. You can thus see there was nothing particularly rapid about them. Twenty miles an hour was considered fast time.

"But I wish to tell you something about the rails. They were of the old-fashioned strap variety. The rail was a bar of iron three inches wide and three-quarters of an inch thick. It was anywhere from fourteen to eighteen feet long and was spiked to a stout piece of oak timber. There was no such thing as a frog and the ends were merely laid as closely to each other as possible and there spiked.

"Constant use soon loosened the spikes at the ends and they would curl up into the air and form what we called 'snakeheads'. The car coming in a direction opposite to that assumed by the curled rail was in great danger.

"If the curl was not above the center of the wheel they passed over it and flattened down again.. If above the center the rail would be shoved up by the wheel until it penetrated the roof. Derailment was usually the result. I have often heard of narrow escapes from death on the part of the passengers, but I have never known one to be actually killed by a 'snakehead'."

Neither passenger nor freight cars were equipped with brakes. "The only brakes on the train were beneath the tender. From these brakes was a lever which ran along the side of the tender to the fireman's side of the cab. He was the operator, and according as he put the whole or part of his weight on this lever were the wheels retarded."

"Double tracks? On, no. Trains passed each other over switches. The engines had no pilots, merely an unprotected front with a cheap light for a headlight. When the engine struck a cow either one or the other had to leave the track, sometimes on, sometimes another.

"About this time the road was sold by the state, and a party of eastern railroad men came here and took good charge of it. J. W. Brooks was the superintendent; C. H. Heard, general freight agent; R. N. Rice, assistant superintendent, and W. D. Thompson, master of transportation. When owned by the state the road was poorly operated. The employees went in and out of office as each political party gained control of affairs, and as a result incompetent men were often placed in important positions.

"But the new officers changed all this, and soon had the road in better working order than it had ever been before. There were no yard engines in those days, and the freight trains were made up by horses. Mr. Brooks heard I had a knowledge of horses and requested me to do the work of switching. The man then at it, [was] being cruel to his horses.

"Although I did not like the prospect, there was nothing to do but obey. The trains did all their running in the day time and were loaded and unloaded at night. All my work, therefore, was done after dark, and that, too, without a light of any kind.

"I had to work in all sorts of weather, and many a time I have labored away in mud kup to my knees trying to get my work done.

"After a time, in '48 or '49, upon recommendation of Mr. Heard, I was promoted to baggage-master. At that time there were no railroads between here and Lake Erie ports, and passengers were brought up by boat. As an accommodation, a passenger car was coupled to the end of a freight train and this was run out to Kalamazoo, whenever passengers required it. I was placed in charge of this car. There was never any demand for it returning from Kalamazoo, so I always came back as a 'passenger'.

"Soon after this I was made a substitute conductor, taking the place of either Spalding or Tillotson, the regular conductors, when [they were] off duty. After that, I became a regular conductor, and served as such ten years, when I was made depot master, in charge of the train dispatcher, conductors, brakemen, etc. I resigned my position in January, 1875.

"Before I left the road Mr. Brooks became president, Rice superintendent and W. K. Muir assistant superintendent. Mr. Heard left in 1870. In 1873 the Great Western Road gobbled up the Detroit & Milwaukee and made a big bid for freight business. The Hendries came in here and did all the road's trucking.

"Then Shedden & Co. commenced trucking for the Grand Trunk, which had a station at what is now West Detroit, sending its cars into the city on the Michigan Central tracks. Mr. Joy, who was now president of the Michigan Central also had control of the Lansing and Bay City roads, saw he was losing a good deal of freight because he had no city trucks of his own.

"The truck companies working for the other roads not only carted their freight but drummed up trade for them as well. Also, while I was still depotmaster, Mr. Joy came to me and asked me to do the work. I had to consent, and went ahead. During the first two years I did not make a dollar. Mr. Heard's nephew, who had gone in with me, emptied his pocket and had to withdraw. I stayed and am glad I did. The business has now grown to large proportions.

"Afterward I took the Flint I& Pere Marquette's trucking in addition and do it still. Last fall, seeing I would have to increase our capital stock in order to continue the trucking for the Detroit, Lansing & Northern Road, I dropped it and now work only for the other two roads named. My son has charge of the office and all correspondence, and my two foremen D. D. Thompson and William Thorpe look after the outside details. I have not participated actively in the business for three months, but it goes on just as well as though I saw to everything in person."

Mr. Ferguson has also been interested in a number of hotel enterprises, among them the old Cass Hotel and the Johnson House, but has given up every venture outside of his trucking. He is the head of a large and interesting family and lives in an elegant home on Second avenue. He is truly a self-made man, and now ranks as one of Detroit's most substantial citizens.

[DFP-1892-0327]