1921 Duluth & St Louis County MN, Van Brunt.pdf - Garon.us

DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY 857
commissioned a second lieutenant in the Aviation Corps, and saw four
months of active service in France. He received an honorable discharge
on F'ebruary 21, 1919.
Lester Waldo Hayes. The career of Lester Waldo Hayes, of
\'irginia, Minnesota, general superintendent of the Mesaba Railway,
has been one in which the homely virtues of industry, fidelity and perseverance,
combined with developing ability, have won the reward of
well-merited success. Mr. Hayes was born at Odell. Illinois, April 26.
1871, seventh in a family of eight children, of whom four are living.
His father, Nicholas Hayes, in early years a farmer and later a grain
buyer, was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, and his mother, who
bore the maiden name of Lucenthia Blake, was born in Vermont and
was about the same age as her husband.
Lester Waldo Hayes attended the graded school at Odell until thirteen
years of age. at which time he left home to go to the home of an
uncle at Wahoo, Nebraska. There he worked on the nearby farms and
ranches for about a year, subsequently returning to his Illinois home,
where he was employed on his father's farm until fifteen years old.
During the next year he served an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's
trade, but gave this up to go to Chicago, where he was variously employed
imtil 1888. In that year Mr. Hayes went to St. Louis and secured a
position with the Missouri Street Railway Company as "hill boy." The
duties of this position were to drive an extra horse down the hill and
attach it to the cars in order that sufficient motive power might be
applied to allow the car to "make the grade." At the end of a year
he was promoted to track inspector on the Olive street cable line, a position
which he filled satisfactorily for three years. In 1892 "he was made
assistant cable splicer, resigning in about two years to become a conductor
on the same road. In 1896 Mr. Hayes went again to Chicago,
where he spent the winter at odd jobs, going in the spring to southern
Missouri, where he remained occupied iti various ways until 1897.
He next entered the employ of the Cincinnati & Hamilton Electric
Railway as assistant to the master mechanic, and in the fall of 1899
accepted a similar position with the Cincinnati, Lawrenceburg & Aurora
Electric Railway, then under construction, which ran between Cincinnati,
Harrison, Ohio, and Aurora. Indiana. His headquarters were at Cleves,
and there he met Miss Ada Smith, with whom he was united in marriage
May 29. 1902. Mrs. Hayes was born at Cleves. of American par-
entage. In January. 1905. Mr. Hayes took a position as assistant to
the master mechanic of the Indianapolis & Northwestern Traction Company,
which is now a part of the Terre Haute. Indianapolis & Eastern
Traction Company, one of the largest individual electric systems in the
L'nited States.
In January. 1907. Mr. Hayes accepted a position with the Galesburg
ik Kewanee Electric Railway as master mechanic, and held that positioti
until lune, 1907. then returning to the Indianapolis c^- Northwestern Trac-
tion Company as master of mechanics until 1915. He then came to the
Range as master of mechanics for the Mesaba Railway, with iieadquar-
ters at Virginia, and January 1. 1917. was promoted superintendent, suc-
\\'. Reynolds, who had entered the service of the (Government
ceeding R.
for the World war. His work in this position has been highly satisfactory,
and he has tlu- full confidence and esteem of his superiors and
fellow officials, and the esteem and good will of the men under his
supervision.