| From the The Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) |
| |
| May 13, 1905 |
| |
| Sudden Death of Major Myers |
| The Railroad President Passes Peacefully
to His Last Rest |
| Career of Activity and Usefulness |
|
Railroad Offices Draped -- Flags at Half Mast --
Institutions in Which He Was Interested Pass Resolutions of Regret --
Sketch of His Life. |
| Major Edmund Trowbridge Dana Myers,
president of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad, and the
Washington, Southern Railroad, and a distinguished ex-officer of the
Confederate States army, died suddenly at his residence on Franklin and
Belvidere Streets, yesterday morning at 3:45 o'clock in the
seventy-fifth year of his age. |
| The end came with little warning, and so
quickly that neither his sons nor daughter were able to reach his
bedside before he expired. |
| He was conscious to the last, and so
rational that Dr. Robert F. Williams, who spent the night in the house
had no idea that the end was near. Shortly after half past three, Major
Myers asked the nurse to bring him a glass of water, saying that his
throat was very dry. Dr. Williams came to the bedside and saw at once
that the end was very near. He left the room to call Mr. Libburn Myers,
Mr. E. T. D. Myers, Jr., and Mrs. Preston, the sons and daughter of
Major Myers, who were in the house. Before his return, before any of his
children could reach him, he died with only the nurse to watch his
spirit take its flight into eternity. |
| His was a peaceful death, quiet and
gentle, without lingering pain or undue suffering. It was the end that
he had hoped and prayed would be his, for not many days ago in
discussing the death of his intimate friend, General Fitzhugh Lee, he
said: "That was the way to die, quickly and without pain. I hope my end
will be as quiet and peaceful." |
| His end was, indeed, like that of the man
beloved and there is not a little pathos in the fact that his suffering
and anxiety during the funeral of General Lee, was in a great degree
responsible for his fatal illness. |
| A well known physician who knew him well
on yesterday said: "Jamestown killed Fitz Lee and Fitz Lee's funeral
killed Ned Myers." |
| No sooner had the news reached Richmond
that General Lee's condition was critical, than Major Myers hastened to
Washington to offer his services to Mrs. Lee, and to place the Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac Road at the disposal of the family. |
| On Monday evening he was stricken with
heart failure while playing whist with three of his friends at his own
home. Dr. W. T. Oppenheimer, who was present, attended him and Dr.
George Ben Johnston, his regular medical adviser, was sent for. Later
Dr. Robert F. Williams was called in, although there was no reason to
believe that the illness was of an alarming nature. |
| Major Myers, always modest and striving to
repel public notice, requested that his illness be kept secret and that
the newspapers be asked to make no mention of his indisposition. His
condition did not grow worse and, indeed, late Thursday evening a
telegram was sent to one of his intimate friends stating that his
condition had greatly improved and that there was no cause to be
alarmed. |
|
Depot Heavily Draped |
| The Union Station, in which was located
the offices of the railroads of which Major Myers was president, is
heavily draped with black, a broad band running around the entire
building. |
| In the offices, employes talked in lowered
voices yesterday, and an air of gloom that almost could be felt
permeated the departments. Major Myers's office, desk and chair were
covered with black and there was not wanting marks of the affection in
which he was held by those under his authority. Mr. Warren Taylor,
general traffic manager of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac and
Mr. W. D. Duke, general manager, both of whom were as sons to Major
Myers, declined to talk about their friend and president. Mr. Taylor
said: "I feel as though I had lost my father, and then, too, I could
never say all that should be said in praise of Major Myers. He was the
friend to all of us here, and there is not a man in the service who does
not mourn his death." |
| Colonel William H. Palmer, who from
boyhood, had been his intimate friend said: "No one who did not know him
intimately, appreciated his kind and generous heart. His charity was
wide and general. His aim was always to conceal the good he did and his
dislike for notoriety was marked. He was a lovable man, who endeared
himself to all who knew him." |
| Back in the year 1882 there was formed in
this city an organization known as the "Squirrel Club." There were but
thirteen members, who met once a week for the purpose of social
enjoyment. All through the years the club has met, and although the
ranks have been thinned by death, the remaining members, drawn closer
together, hold their weekly meetings. Of the thirteen, there remain now
but four, Major Myers having been the last to say "adsum." |
|
The Notable Thirteen |
| They were a notable thirteen -- Major
Lewis Ginter, Mr Charles Worthan, Major Fred. R. Scott, Dr. Edward
Robinson, Major Robert Archer, Mr. John Pope, Major Thomas Peyton,
Captain Chamberlayne, Major E. T. D. Myers -- al of whom are dead, and
Colonel John Montague, Colonel Alexander Cameron, Dr. O. A. Crenshaw and
Major Stringfellow. |
|
Wrote Clever Poem |
| When the club was first formed Major Myers
wrote a clever poem that has been used as the club roll call ever since. |
| The four surviving members were seen on
yesterday, all of whom spoke in words of affection and esteem of their
late comrade. |
| These are some of their expressions of
regret: |
| "The shock and grief caused by the loss of
such a valued friend as Major Myers, almost unfits me for any expression
suitable to the occasion; but in all the relations of life, as a
patriotic citizen, as the head of a family, and as a gentleman, he was
the peer of any man. Gentle as a woman, he was brave, generous and just.
His varied benefactions were known to but few, even of those who loved
him, and he strove to avoid publicity, content to "do good by stealth."
He was firm in the performance of the duties of his high office, but
commanded the respect of all and the love of many of those who served
under him. |
| "All who knew him well and appreciated his
loveable character will long mourn the loss of one for whom day by day,
they felt a growing affection. |
| "J. H. Montague" |
| Another comrade writes: |
| "In the death of Major E. T. D. Myers
Richmond has lost a noble man and most distinguished citizen. None but
those who knew him intimately could appreciate his noble qualities;
generous, just and considerate, and charitable to a degree, and hiding
his goodness from the public gaze. |
| O. A. Crenshaw" |
| Following is an intimate friend's tribute: |
| "He was a man who got around my heart in
such a wonderful way that I can't say enough of my love and affection
for him. His friends were many and all those who knew him well loved him
well. I knew him intimately for forty years and I always found him kind,
helpful and unselfish. His advice was greatly sought and his place will
not easily be filled. |
| Alexander Cameron" |
|
A Useful Citizen |
| Major Stringfellow writes of his friend: |
| "I have known Major Myers for some forty
years or more, but I believe that my intimate personal acquaintance with
him began in the fall or early winter of 1881 or '82, when, shortly
after I came to Richmond to make my home here. I met him at a little
card party at the home of Major Lewis Ginter, who then lived on Cary
Street. As well as I remember, and I think my memory is perfectly
accurate, the gentlemen present were Major Ginter, Major Fred R. Scott,
Mr. R. O. Archer, Dr. E. T. Robinson, Charles T. Wortham, Captain F. W.
Chambers, Alex. Cameron, John H. Montague, Dr. O. A. Crenshaw, John Pope
and Colonel P. T. Morris and the writer of this note. The little parts
thus accidentally formed continued and has continued to this day without
any formal organization, as a gathering of friends, drawn together
simply and solely by the ties of personal friendship and regard. |
| The death of Major Myers leaves but four
of us remaining, and I propose to say only a few words as to the last of
this dear old coterie of friends who has crossed over the river to rest
in the shade of the trees on the other and further shore. |
| Major Myers was a brave and true
Confederate soldier; true to himself and to every obligation imposed
upon him during that fateful war, until, by overwhelming force, further
resistance was impossible, when with extraordinary good sense he
recognized the necessities of the situation and did all that any one man
could do to bring into morn day, the passing interests resulting from a
war unparalleled in its bitterness and intensity. |
| He was a man of broad and varied learning
-- not, indeed, a classical scholar, but a man who had carefully studied
and was well versed in all the questions of interest in the pressing
affairs of life, and therefore a good adviser and a useful assistant in
all of the practical matters which enter into the progress and
advancement of municipal and State affairs. Sometimes somewhat brusque
in his dealings with outside parties, to his subordinates in his
railroad relations he was kind and generous to the last degree. |
| Only those who enjoyed his confidence knew
what a wonderfully kind and generous heart was hidden under a
comparatively cold exterior. |
| He was a very big, a very brainy and a
very practical man, who loved the city in which he lived, the people who
made it what it is, and was ever anxious to advance its real interests.
He was a very true and loyal friend, a very broadminded citizen, devoted
to the best interests of the people amongst whom he lived; a man who
never used his official position for the interest of himself or family,
but always and only when with an eye single to the best interests of his
city, his State and his country, to the best of his ability discharged
his duty fearlessly in the sight of God and man. I would that we had
more left of his kind and calibre. |
| Chas. S. Stringfellow |
|
"Fair and Just" |
| Lieutenant-Governor Willard, who was a
close friend of Manor Myers, in answer to a telegram notifying him of
his death, wired from Roanoke that he would return for the funeral, and
added: |
| "Major Myers was one of the fairest and
justest men I ever knew. It was a privilege to have known him. |
| "He was full of kindness and good deeds,
but diffident and modest that only his friends appreciated his noble
qualities. I feel a bitter personal loss in his death, and I know the
community has been deprived of a useful and valued citizen." |
| The Old Dominion Steamship officers
throughout Virginia received telegrams yesterday from Mr. Gillaudeu,
president, ordering flags to be lowered to half-mast over all the
company's properties. |
| The directors of the City Bank, of which
Major Myers was a director, met and ordered resolutions to be prepared.
These will be submitted to the board today. |
| The State's proxies of the Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad met yesterday afternoon and passed
formal resolutions. The following members wee appointed to attend the
funeral in a body: |
| Judge A. L. Holladay and Messrs. H. H.
Wallace, of Fredericksburg; H. M. Tyler, John A. Broadnax, of Henrico;
C. Lee Moore and E. L. C. Scott, of Hanover, secretary. |
|
Many Telegrams Received |
| A great number of telegrams, more than a
hundred, indeed, have been received from prominent people. |
| Major Myers was greatly esteemed by the
heads of the great railroad systems, who appreciated the work he had
done on his own road. |
|
An Active Career |
| Major Myers was born in Richmond, Va., on
the 13th of July, 1830, in the home of his father and grandfather, at
the corner of Twelfth and Broad Streets. He was the son of Samuel Myers
and Eliza Kennon, his wife, and his paternal grandparents were Samuel
Myers and Judith Hays, the latter being of the Boston family. On the 2d
of December, 1856, he married Frances Colquhoun Trigg, the daughter of
Lilburn H. and Barbara Trigg, of Richmond, and sister of the late
William R. Trigg. Mrs. Myers died on August 8, 1899. Major Myers leaves
surviving him three children, Lilburn Trigg Myers, Edmund Trowbridge
Dana Myers, Jr., and Eliza Kennon Preston, widow of William C. Preston,
and six grandchildren, all residing in this city. He is also survived by
his only sister, Mrs. Caroline Cohen, widow of the late Edward Cohen, of
this city. |
| Major Myers was educated to the profession
of civil engineering. He entered railway service in January, 1848, since
which he has been consecutively, to March, 1849, rodman, surveys
Richmond & Danville Railroad, March, 1849 to June, 1849, assistant
resident engineer of the same road; June, 1849 to April, 1853, assistant
engineer of the Blue Ridge Road of Virginia, under the late Claudius
Crozet; April, 1853 to March, 1854, assistant engineer Covington & Ohio
Railroad, now the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway; March, 1854 to July, 1856,
assistant engineer of Richmond & York Road; July, 1856 to June, 1858,
chief engineer of same road; January, 1858 to January, 1860, assistant
engineer of the Washington Aqueduct; January, 1860 to February, 1861,
engineer and surveyor of Georgetown, D. C.; February, 1861 to May, 1861,
principal assistant engineer of the Washington Aqueduct. |
|
Went to the Army |
| In May, 1861, like so many others in the
service of the United States Government, he surrendered his position at
the call of his native State, Virginia, and with difficulty ran the
blockade. Arriving in Richmond, he was appointed to the engineer corps
in the Confederate States army, and assigned to the duty of erecting
defenses at Jamestown Island. He was afterwards with the engineer Corps
of the Army of Northern Virginia, with which he remained until the close
of the war {Many errors in this accounting -- see
documents above}. From January 1, 1869 to January 1, 1870, he was
engineer of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad; January 1,
1870 to date, general superintendent of the same road; November 18?9 to
date, also president same road; also general superintendent of the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. From 1901 until the date of his death he
was also president of the Washington Southern Railway Company. |
| Major Myers was for three terms president
of the American Railway Association, and was consequently chairman or a
member of many of its most useful and active committees. He was a member
of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and was also closely
identified with many other institutions in his native city. He was a
member of the Standing Committee of the Mutual Assurance Society of
Virginia, chairman of the Building Committee, and felt great pride in
the construction of his magnificent building, which is nearing
completion at the corner of Ninth and Main Streets. He was a member of
the Board of Directors of the City Bank of Richmond, of the Retreat for
the Sick, of the Memorial Hospital, and of the Colored Reformatory
Association of Virginia, and a former member of the Board of Police
Commissioners of this city, of the Prison Association of Virginia. |
| He devoted the last years of his life to
the great work of reconstructing and doubletracking the line of railroad
from Richmond to Washington, and it was his great wish to live to see
this work completed. |
|
Funeral This Afternoon |
| The funeral will take place this afternoon
at 5 o'clock, from Holy Trinity Church, which Major Myers always
attended. Pallbearers and friends will be dismissed after the services
at the church. The interment will be in Hollywood. |
| The following gentlemen have been invited
to be pallbearers: |
| Active -- W. D. Duke, Warren P. Taylor,
Samuel B. Rice, R. H. Wright, Joseph E. Cox, C. W. Culp, Norman Call, W.
F. Kapp, Caspar W. Haines, Captain Enders Dickenson, L. Redford, Jr.,
and W. T. Bryant. |
| Honorary -- Colonel W. H. Palmer, John H.
Montague, Alex. Cameron, Charles S. Stringfellow, Dr. O. A. Crenshaw,
Judge W. J. Leake, Thomas Atkinson, Wm. L. Royall, Judge James Keith,
Chas. E. Bolling, Thomas Bolling, Jr. Richard M. Bolling, Dr. A. C.
Palmer, Dr. Jacob Michaux, Dr. M. D. Hoge, Dr. George Pen Johnston, Dr.
W. T. Oppenheimer, Henry L. Cabell, Levin Joynes, Dudley McDonald, J.
Caskle Cabell, Andrew H. Christian, Colonel T. M. R. Talcott, Colonel W.
E. Cutshaw, Wm. G. Ferguson, Barton H. Grundy, Barton Haxall, Colonel
Jo. Lane Stern, T. L. Courtney, Frank J. Duke, James B. Winston, J.
Taylor Ellyson, Decatur Axtell, Colonel Archer Anderson, Egbert G.
Leigh, Jr., B. Rand Wellford, Joseph Bryan, Legh R. Page, Colonel A. S.
Buford, F. W. Christian, Judge George L. Christian, H. H. Carter,
Coleman Wortham, Colonel John B. Purcell, James N. Boyd, Judge A. L.
Holladay, Major Robert Stiles, Charles C. Walker, John P. McGuire, R. A.
Taylor, R. O'Brien, Judge B. T. Crump, Hon. Jos. E. Willard, E. A.
Catlin, N. W. Bowe, Colonel Morton Marye, E. L. C. Scott, H. G.
Buchannan, John L. Williams, John P. Branch, A. W. Harman, E. B.
Addison, Preston Cocke, Henry Taylor, Jr., Pelham Blackford, Ashton
Starke, C. D. Langhorne, E. B. Valentine, Dr. James P. Roy, James M.
Ball, John B. Young, Oveeton Howard, Hon. Carlton McCarthy, Blair
Bolling, St. George R. Fitzhugh, of Fredericksburg; J. R. Kenly, of
Wilmington, N. C.; Samuel Rea, and S. M. Prevost, of Philadelphia;
Samuel Spence, of New York; Robert Pitcairn, of Pittsburg, Pa.; Colonel
Francis L. Smith, of Alexandria, Va.; Hon. Alexander Hamilton, of
Petersburg, Va.; Norton Riddle, Jr., Savannah, Ga.; Colonel John
Cussons, Glen Allen, Va.; Colonel Walter R. Taylor of Norfolk, Va.;
Major R. M. Sully, of Petersburg, Va.; Colonel H. S. Haines, of Detroit,
Mich.' Colonel Thomas H. Carter, University of Virginia; Thomas Nelson
Page, Washington, D. C.; John L. Campbell, of Lexington, Va.; S. D.
Crenshaw, C. E. Doyle, John O'Brien, Judge L. L. Lewis and George W.
Tiller, of Richmond, and W. G. Elliot, of Baltimore; Sol. Haas, of
Washington, and J. O'Brien and R. G. Erwin, of New York. |
|