Source:Ridgway-died/content
Frank Ridgway, director of the department of public safety, died at the West Penn hospital at 12:46 o'clock this morning. He had suffered for several weeks with typhoid pneumonia. At his bedside at the time of his death were two sisters and two brothers.
Director Ridgway is the second appointee of Mayor George W. Guthrie to die in office. James W. Clark, director of the department of public works, passed away about a year ago. Temporarily Police Superintendent Thomas A. McQuaide will be public safety director.
Mayor George W. Guthrie and other city officials were immediately notified of the director's death and expressed great sorrow. Funeral services have not yet been arranged but will be in charge of the Masonic order, deceased being one of Pittsburgh's highest Masons, the thirty-third degree being conferred upon him a year ago.
The career of Director Ridgway was an active and eventful one. After receiving a common school education, by hard and earnest work in the government service, he advanced to several responsible positions.
His parents died when he was young. Being the oldest of seven children, the duty fell upon him to keep the family together, and he proved an ample provider. He saw that they all received good educations and that they began life in the right direction. Since then he has always been looked upon as the head of the family, and has continually taken a fatherly interest in the welfare of his three brothers and three sisters.
Famous as Indian Fighter.
In the early eighties he figured in the Indian troubles in New Mexico and Arizona, when he was a young man in the employ of the Government as a member of the signal corps. The old Apache Indian chief, Geronino [sic], who was the cause of the disturbance in those days, was an acquaintance of the late director. Many years later, when Chief Geronino [sic] was in Washington, the two met and renewed their old friendship.
While in the West during the Indian wars, Mr. Ridgway was a heliograph man under General Shafter. After this he was transferred to the weather bureau here. The last Government position held by him was as local weather forecaster, with offices in the Farmers bank building, and he was granted leave of absence to accept the position he held at death.
Until entering upon his duties as director of public safety of this city, he never took a prominent part in city politics, although he had been a resident here about 10 years. In Masonic circles he was very active. He was a thirty-third degree Mason. When the Knights Templar held their convention in this city he was a member of the staff of Grand Master La Rue Thomas, and continued so during that man's term of office.
Works for Uncle Sam.
Frank Ridgway, was born on a farm in Gloucester county, N. J., in 1859, and moved to Baltimore 10 years later, where he received a limited education, mostly in private schools. He entered the United States signal corps in 1879 as a private, and was placed in charge of a military telegraph line in Arizona and New Mexico, where he remained until his term of service expired in 1884, having been promoted to sergeant in 1880.
After he came East he re-enlisted in the signal corps in 1885, and remained until the service was transferred from the department of war to the department of agriculture in 1891. He was stationed in Washington, D. C., until the latter part of 1885, and then was sent as observer to Cape May Point, N. J. After this he was transferred to Cape Henlopen, Delaware breakwater, as sergeant in the signal corps, having charge of the military telegraph line between Cape Henlopen and Chincoteague island, and was sent thence to Sandy Hook, N. J., and from there to Manchester, N. H., where he remained until September, 1887.
He was then ordered to Atlantic City, N. J., where he remained a short time and was transferred to Washington, D. C., being occupied there until May 31, 1888. Mr. Ridgway was then transferred to Harrisburg, Pa., where he remained until June 9, 1896, when he came to Pittsburgh.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of this city.
Makes Record at Harrisburg.
Mr. Ridgway went to Harrisburg from Washington to reconstruct the weather bureau at the Pennsylvania capital, which had been in a morbid condition. He soon made it one of the most important stations in the service, and he was regarded as one of the most efficient men in the bureau. Mr. Ridgway was exceedingly popular with all classes in Harrisburg and the greatest regret was expressed when he left that city in 1896 to take charge of the Pittsburgh bureau.
Mr. Ridgway was a member of Robert Burns lodge No. 464, Free and Accepted Masons, having become a member October 16, 1890. He subsequently became a member of Perseverance Chapter No. 21 and of Harrisburg Council, of Royal Arch Masons. He joined Pilgrim Commandery of the Knights Templar in April 1892, and did not sever his connection when he left Harrisburg.
In 1896 Mr. Ridgway was elected Eminent Commander of Pilgrim Commandery and was a past Eminent Commander of that body. He subsequently withdrew from Harrisburg consistory to join the Pittsburgh consistory. He was regarded as one of the most popular masons in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Ridgway was made director of public safety by Mayor George W. Guthrie, his personal friend, on April 1, 1906. There was no politics in Mr. Ridgway's appointment. He and the mayor had been close friends for years. While he was noted in the weather bureau for his affability and kindness to the men working under him, nevertheless he was a strict disciplinarian while on duty.
After he became the head of the public safety department he maintained the same reputation.
His three sisters reside in Beaver in a home provided by him. Catharine is a trained nurse, Frances a teacher in this city, and Lilah, the youngest of the family, who was an infant when her parents died, is a student at the State Normal school at California, Pa. She is a member of the class of 1908.
The same number of brothers survive, Edward, of Beaver, Pa., connected with the American Bridge Company, at Ambridge; George, physical director of the Young Men's Christian association, at Harrisburg, Pa., and the third brother at Ashland, Ky.
Director Ridgway resided at Craig street and Center avenue. He was taken to the eWst [sic] Penn hospital December 6, suffering from what appeared to be an attack of grippe. Later it developed into typhoid fever and was followed by pneumonia. First reports from the hospital were very favorable for his recovery and to the West Penn hospital December 6, he would pull through.
Forecasting river conditions was the department of weather bureau work in which Mr. Ridgway took special interest. He organized and systematized the work of the department for the benefit of river men. The present reports of future fluctuations in river stages are the result of the interest he took and his realization of their importance to shippers.
Saves Merchants Money.
His careful study of weather conditions in Western Pennsylvania resulted in a recognition of his services by the department heads at Washington. It is claimed that if the value of river bulletins established by him were estimated in dollars and cents, it would run into millions. Little attention was paid to river conditions by the Pittsburgh weather office until Mr. Ridgway took charge in 1896.
"Mr. Ridgway was held in the highest esteem by the service in general and by authorities in Washington," said Forecaster Henry Pennywitt yesterday. "The value of his work had long been recognized and methods indorsed by him have been retained. He won the respect of the community for the bureau by his modesty and efficiency and has left behind him indelible traces in the department."
At the time when Director Ridgway became ill he was making arrangements for a police law school of instruction for patrolmen and officers and was about to have city councils consider the question of having the city bear the expense of uniforms, his idea being to make the police department thoroughly military in every respect. The director was to have weekly instructions for policemen. This had not been announced, but he was waiting until preparations had been completed.
The men were to assemble once a week in a hall, where lectures were to be delivered by the district attorney, city solicitor and as many prominent attorneys as could be induced to speak at the meetings. In that way the policemen would ascertain just what they were permitted to do by law under various circumstances.
Wanted to Aid Officers.
The director said he realized that many policemen were not familiar with criminal laws, that frequently a person was arrested and the wrong charge made against him. This, he contended, was an injustice both to the accused and the department. One of the subjects to have been taken up was when a policeman was privileged to break into a house and when he was not. They were also to be taught what circumstances permitted them to lock up a person who was under the influence of liquor, how much circumstantial evidence, how much direct evidence and how much any sort of evidence justified an arrest on a criminal charge.
The director did not hope to induce the city in the beginning to purchase all uniforms, but his intention was to ask that Pittsburgh furnish each man with one uniform a year, probably the winter uniform. He argued that uniforms were of practically no use to the policemen except when they were on duty. It was the city that required them to wear uniforms through no desire of their own and if the city wished them to wear a certain kind of clothes, the city should be fair enough to pay for them.
Mr. Ridgway's relations with the police department were always of the most friendly nature. It was his policy never to interfere with the superintendent in directing the force. He became director of public safety April 1, 1906. The following day Thomas A. McQuaide was promoted from the position of captain of detectives by the director and met Mr. Ridgway for the first time.
Tribute From McQuaide.
"None of his friends regrets his death more than I," said the superintendent. "He was a brilliant man, a scholar and a gentleman. The improvements he made in the police force have converted it into the finest of the country. We are probably the best organized of any in the world, for that matter, and the credit nearly all belongs to the director. His latest innovation was the cornerman's whistle. When he ascertained the metal whistles were cold and inconvenienced the men, celluloid whistles were ordered. But his first and most notable achievement was to separate the police from politics entirely. His reason was that to do his duty fairly and impartially, policemen should be under no obligations. He also took great interest in the military exercises. At our last competitive drill three army officers in attendance told me they were surprised at the precision and accuracy of the companies and that their military training was equaled by no other police force. The director held schools for officers for military instruction. He instituted the mounted force.
"The director was one of the most fair-minded men living. He insisted on cleanliness and neatness, and was frequently heard to say that a policeman should not wait for an annual inspection to make himself presentable; he faced an inspection every day; he was inspected by the public in the streets; that was more important than the regular inspection. When a complaint about a policeman was made, he had a close investigation made before threatening the man's record with so much as an official charge. If the investigation showed that the policeman was in the right, the complainant was informed of the fact. When a man on trial pleaded guilty or was convicted, Mr. Ridgway would always seek for mitigating circumstances. If the accused was charged with neglect of duty, for instance, he would inquire whether the policeman was sick at the time of the offense and have every detail of evidence on both sides brought out. I have no doubt that every man on the force keenly regrets the death of our superior officer and friend, Mr. Ridgway."
