New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-05
SOME NEW-YORK RAILROAD MEN.

OF the men who in recent years have been engaged
In surface railroad schemes In this city, d. Conovoi
IA probably the most striking in appearance. Although
he Is probably considerably beyond sixty years. MS
erect carriage, his face rosy "a boys ana MS
complexion as clear. give him a much younger look
His most notable feature however, IL MS snow "he
hair and full heard and mustacho Mr.. Conover mas
al the do AMI vIgor Of man OF thirty hthorgn
he has Just retired from the presidency OF The Forty
second st Manhattanve and st. Nicholas ave- Rail-
road Company, he retains lively interest In the
road for which he began fighting away back in 1872.
A'tr setting his charter twice through the Lceisla-
twe. Dan" as his associates famllarly call him.
IAN foul each time Of an executive veto.
These vetos Mr. Conovcr has always attributed to
his arch enemy, Jacob sharp. Whenever Mr.. Conover
has hid railroad scheme foot. he has found this
foe directly in bis path. Mr. Sharp, now seventy
yerrs old has taken lease Of life. presumably
from his famous milk bottle. and makes daily pill
rrimaqe TO his Office in the Williamsburg Fire Insur-
ance Building He, too. has now ridy hue: his
methods are slower than those OF Mr. Conover: both
Of them never let up" II Is said that MFR conover
contenp'a'es with serenity the broadway lnvesuga-
ton, willie Mr. Sharp his side wonders what may
turn IN about tho Forty second st. road and Its
81, 100000 ri hit of way"
Charles p. Shaw is the third of q remarkable trio
OF surface railroad The other two run by morse
Mr. Shaw goes by cable. utterly regardless OF lawson
n Fuller. MIR a little man. but he has brains
through his glasses Hcrcely when heated but he Is
full of the milk OF human Kindness. He uses the
English language with extreme nicely. and at times
with volcanic energy; TIE later taNing pace when
he is denouncng william G. Whitney and the Phila'
dclphans. Mr. Shaw lays the blame OF the famous
eecton 10 Of the General Surface Railroad act OF 1894
III on the shoulders of Mr. Sharp; yet the cable men
saw that the horse man "a all enemy That one KNOWS
always wieIe to find MI shaw has nan ,ne who're
cable fight on his shoulders. and has shown discern
ment in securing as his personal counsel senator
william Evarts who has appeared before the
higher tribunals.
Passing to underground railroad schemes one nat
uraly first comes across Melville c. Smith, the pro
ector pusher, promoter and general manager OF tho
Arcade as il IL commonly called for short. II there
"a n buster man in New-Yorb it would be hand to find
i'm Mr. Smith is a man OF fine figure, with broad
and high brow and an eye which can LOOK clear
through a stone wall. He has the reputation OF being
uble to be in ten places at once and OF talking 10
about as many men az many phases OF Arcade
at the same time His Office in the Boree Building
is o scene of perpetual activity, and In the Arcade
Offices have been seen at times Levi p Morton, Russell
Sage, Cornelius N. Bliss John l. Davenport ex-
Mayor Wickham and bankers and brokers anxious to
take a "fyer" Mr.. Smith has been talking, eating,
drinking and sleeping on Arcade for twenty years,
and is hopeful of realizing his dreams.
His most redoubtabe opponent just now Is Colonel
Rowland r. Hazard, whose "perhax" scheme Tor
shooting under Broadway has come into notice within
wear The Colonel is a slender, wiry man, who
wears eye glasses and talks "perflax" at terrible
speed and under heavy pressure. He has met Mr..
Smith before legislative committees and has only
looked abashed when his antagonist has shown letters
once written by tho doughty Colonel in praise of the
Arcade Mr. Hazard lives on "perfax" as much as
r. Smith on Arcade. The Colonels latest appear
,nce was before the Subway Commission, when he
-red TO prove to Mcsss. Flower. Moss and Hess that
he had solved the subway problem. Mr.. Flower re-
gar led HIN ntently and resigned few days later
han faka
Arcade and s said to have put away at least score
of thousands of dollars in bringing capital into the en-
terprise He has had his eye position near that
of the presidency of the company, but for some occult
cause he has invariably failed in that mission. Ho
is one of the daily sights in Maiden lane and lower
oadway.
O. b. Potter s getting to be known az railroad
man. He has fought the Arcade and has plan OF
his own for widening Em-st. and running road up
that street through Lafayette place and Fourthave
tn the Grand Central Station. Mr.. Potter Is
thodical in all movements, and what is vulgariy
termed n "stlckcr." There are rumOrs connecting
him with a revival OF the old Central Ohdergronna
Railroad scheme but he frowns at all mehtoh Oh IT,