Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-02-03
RAILROAD MAGNATES.
4 SAN FRANCISCAN WHO OuTRsNNs
The NEW WORKERS.
GeorS. Alfred Tow Report OF ar
Interview with One of the Best
Informed Railroad Men in
New YORK
[ ,inelnnati ENQUIRER Letter.

i-|ttc+-4
whom do you consider tie first railroad
Han in tie United Siates:7
we rather look at {. p Huntington as a
the head OF the American railroad system
he entered the field late. escaped the genera
nisfortunes OF ths Isn:on Pacific railroad, Il
which his company was the complement. anC
with Its earnings he has built complete rali
road system from San Francisco nearly Il
Mexico. thence across the desert and Iexa'
t. New Orleans, and he has finished his rail
roai from Hampton Roads TO Memphis, and
Is thought To be the controlling spirit in the
new railroad from Memphis TO New Orleans
Therefore, be is the only American who con
trois line from ocean 10 ocean
Where is Huntingdon home nowr
In the city OF New York You see, be
OWLS the American line OF steamers from
New York to New Orleans They are al
american vessels, tuilt at " imington. Del.
ami well adapted Tor their purpose A
branch OF this steamship line runs 10 Vera
Cruz huntington also has steamship facill
ties from New York 10 his initial railroad
point at Newport News. | would not lie al
al surprised, said m; friend, ito see Hunt
LnSton one Of these days complete his rail
road system 10 New York city. He he.
officers, and has Just bought her 4 very ex-
pensive piece Of ground on Fifth avenue,
New York He delights in paintings, AMI i
pretty good judge Of them, while a modest
man in his claims to artistic knowledge
How 90 you rank Jay Gould as rail-
read MANI
Gould does not operate his own railroads
he secures the best talent be can get for that
purpose. For much Of his life lie has been a
consoiilator and Spectator in railroad
property, and therefore does no. belong 10
the mechanical element III tie railroads. but
he controls hardly les railroad than Hunt
insto.i, and good dea. u: 1t Is profitable.
You sec, he began nj Il Paso, or rather ends
there, and does not have that long haul
across the desert wiica Huntington makes.
MI t''u'd sweeps through northern Texas,
the lest portion Of TvXa', and inha bitei by
tie best People there. lie reaches New
Orleans by the same railroad, and runs
through southern Texas by parallel routes,
taking him h Galveston AMI lare 10. lie
then has Iarall,l roads from Texas 10 the
Missouri river, AMI from Texas 10 the
Mississippi. In hiS - stem ar, some $50
miles, not counting the Wabash system,
which has gone into liquidation and is Loo
miles longer
How much Ii in Huntiuston's railroad
system all together:'
Nearly 300 miles. Some 80 miles Of
ihiS Is IN river steamboats, on the Colorado
and Sacramento riv rs lie has about / ayG
miles ia his Contra. Pacific road, about
1899 i'll the southern Pacific, some l.2JJ
miles III his Tex2s ,ySteIa. and he l. also
building into northern California
How do you rank Vanderbilt Il railroad
mann
~ andcrbilt Is simply "A capitalist who has
ln..eritcl wealth III railroads, ami has shown a
disposition at different times to get more
rsir, al property or to get rid Of the respon-
siLility for all that he has, There seem; TO
bo III him speculative tendency combined
with a tinidity which at periods become, al
most rash He VIII buy some huge system
hAe ths Michigan Central. or No.tA-
western, or the Omaha, AMI before you
know much about IL he Is selling il out again
Sometimes We think he !, a littl. of crank.
ami act, according Il his stomach an d his
III olls AMI his IDEAS OF death and If. He
has however, some very a1ie Assistants
men who are laugh: to urins home returns
il money, whether they please the ;invel.n,
pubic or not. Ii You pa; together all the
p1isrt.e' Vanderbilt controls ia one form
IT another, lie IS the eastern Huntington
lie may lie said to control a railroad from
Boston To New York, ID Iusssss the New
York Central system. the Mich saII Central
Lake Shore tho Nic5lo Plate, with very
lar-,e intereat-;r ,!.s Ra-,iinS ami in tie
new Fenlsylvan.a system. Ii owns the
Harlem railroad, or contr us 1t, AMI has a
pretty strong hand in the NvTthwe7tsrn an
other systems. Now, the Northwestern sys-
TEN alone Is almost GOO mlI.s long
The Michigan Central i, another
large OUIcern, which stretches from
Buffalo 10 Chicago ami from Toledo
ami Detroit to thu traits of Macknaw
There are at least so miles IN this system
The Lalse Shore system Is tremendous
affair, reaching from Buffalo TO Chicago
into the oil regions nearly to Pittsours aai
into various parts Of Michigan The main
stem Of this line j. nearly 90 miles long.
Then the Be Line, which ri /, from C,eve-
Ian Ia -. Louis, nearly so miles. with
branches. and t. Cincin iati as well, has
every intimate connection with Nanderbilt's
Vropertie' Mr.. Vanderbilt Is not distinctly
felt IN al the c properties Sometime lie
seems TO he the ruling spirit Of it. AMI then
a gain he announces that lie has nuthiH. L.
do with it, and must he counted out You
can define him, however, 10 b, & capitalist
and the heart Of railroads /; Is. perhaps. n
gooi thing for the intel states that Van
derbilt is not a man Of Huntingdon strong,
grasping nature; that lac becomes al tim.
Indifferent and tired. and SELL cut. Euat-
inston hardly ever sells anywhere