Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-31
RAILROAD MAGNATES.
A SAN FRANCISCAN WHO OUTRANKS
THE NEW WORKERS.
George Alfred Townsend's Report of an
Interview with "One OF the Best
Informed Railroad Men in
New York"


"Whom do you consider the first railroad
man in the United Statess'
I'VE rather look at c. p Huntington as al
the head of the American railroad system
He entered the field late, escaped the genera
misfOrtunes of the Union Pacific railroad, to
which his company was the complement, and
with its earnings he has built a complete rail
road system from San Francisco nearly
Mexico, thence across the desert ard Texas
to New Orleans, and he has finished his rali
road from Hampton Roads to Memphis, and
is thought to be the controlling spirit In the
new railroad from Memphis to New Orleans
Therefore, he is the only American who con
trois line from ocean to ocean"
"Where is Huntington's home nowF
"In the city of New York You see, hf
owns the American line of steamers from
New York to New Orleans. They are al
American vessels, built at Wilmington, Del
and well adapted for their purpose.
branch of this steamship line runs to Ners
Cruz. Huntington also has steamship faclli
ties from New York to his initial railreaG
point at Newport News Iwould not be a
all surprised" said my friend, ITO see Hunt
ington one of these days complete his rail
road system to New York city. He ha
married the widow of one of his railroad
officers, and has just bought her very ex
pensive piece of ground on Fifth avenue
New York He delights in paintings, and
pretty good judge of them, while modes
man in his claims to artistic knowledge"
How do you rank Jay Gould as rail
road man!'
"Gould does not operate his own railroads
/ He secures the best talent he can get for tina
| purpose. For much of his life he has been
| consolidator and speculator in railroad
| property and therefore does not belong +
| the mechanical element in the railroads, bu
| he controls hardly less railroad than Hunt
| ington, and good deal Of it is profitable
You see, he began at Ell Paso, or rather end
there, and does not have that long hau
across the desert which Huntington makes
| Mr. Gould sweeps through northern Texas
| the best portion of Texas, and inhabited b.
the best people there. He reaches Ne'
| Orleans by the same railroad, and run
| through southern Texas by parallel routes
| taking him to Galveston and Laredo. II
| then has parallel roads from Texas to tn
Missouri river, and from Texas to tn
| Mississippi. In his system are some :, 80
miles, not counting the Wabash system
which has gone into liquidation and is LOO
miles longer"
How much is in Huntington's railroa
system all togetherf'
Nearly 5000 miles. Some 500 miles Q
| this is in river steamboats, on the COlorad
| and Sacramento rivers. He has about !, ~
miles in his Central Pacific road, abou
1900 in the Southern Pacific, some l %
miles in his Texas system, and he is ais
| building into northern California
| How do you rank Vanderbilt as railroa
| MANI"
Vanderbilt is simply capitalist who hs
| inherited wealth in railroads, and has shown
| disposition at different times to get MOI
railroad property or to get rid of the respor
sibility for all that he has. There seems I
be in him a speculative tendency combine
with a timidity which at periods becomes a
most rash. He will buy some huge systeI
like the Michigan Central, or NorSi
western, or the Omaha, and before 20
know much about it he is selling it out aSail
Sometimes we think he is little Of a cranl
and acts according to his stomach an d b
moods and his ideas of death and life b
has, however, some very able assistants
men who are taught to bring home return
in money, whether they please the travelin
public or not. If you put together all Il
poperties Vanderbilt controls in one forl
or another, he is the eastern Huntington
He may be said to control a railroad fror
Boston to New York, to possess the Ne
York Central system, the Michigan Central
the Lake Shore, the Nickle Plate, with yer
large interests in the Reading and in tt
new Pennsylvania systems. He owns til
| Harlem railroad, or controls it, and has
pretty strong hand in the Northwestern an
other systems. Now, the Northwestern sy
TEN alone is almost 5000 miles Ion,
The Michigan Central is anoths
large concern, which stretches frol
Buffalo to Chicago and from Toled
and Detroit to the tr7its of Mackinav
There are at least l., 500 miles in this system
The Lake Shore system is a tremendor
affair, reaching from Buffalo to Chicag
into the oil regions nearly to Pittsburg an
into various parts Of Michigan The mai
stem of this line is nearly 600 miles lon,
Then the Bee Line, which runs from Clev
land to ST. Louis, nearly 500 miles, wit
branches. and to Cincinnati as well, has
every intimate connection with Vanderbilt
properties. Mr.. Vanderbilt is not distinct
felt in all these properties Sometimes
seems to be the ruling spirit Of it, and the
again he announces that he has nothing
do with it, and must be counted out. YC
can define him, however, to be a capitali
and tho heart of railroads. 1t is, perhaps,
good thing for the United States that Va
derbilt is not man of Huntington's stroni
grasping nature; that he becomes at time
indifferent and tired, and sells out Hun
ington hardly ever sells anywhere