Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-15
THE RAILROADS.
Death of Charles CrOcker of
the s. P.
A SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
The Southern Pacific Depot at Lang's
Burned to the Ground.
General Gleanings.

Charles Crocker, Second Vice-Presi-
dent of the Southern Pacific Company,
died yesterday afternoon at Monterey
1t twenty-five minutes past three. The
following official notice of the fact was
received at the Southern Pacific offices in
this city few minutes later as follows:
1t becomes my painful duty to announce to
ern Pacific Company the death Of the Second
Vice President, Charles Crocker. which oc-
eurred at the Hotel Del Monte at :25 this after
ono oi the founders Of this great property whose
iife has been devoted to its interests from the
beginning, it 10 ordered that the flags be dis
On the and the % ZIP
shall have taken place. at the hour of which all
the Company's business not inconsistent with
the public demands will be suspended" u %nd.
General Manager
In accordance with this, the flag was at
once run up at the masthead near the
round-house, and created good deal of
attention, the railroad men flocking at
once to the Office to ascertain who was
dead. The event was not unexpected,
- the telegraphic dispatches published
in yesterday mornings papers indicated
that the end was near at hand.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
Charles Crocker was born at Troy, N.
Y, on the 18th day Of September, 1922.
Of his parents and early career very
little is known, his history commencing
1t the time when he landed in California.
That was during the mining excitement
of 40, and Crocker proceeded to Sacra-
mento, the headquarters for the encamp.
ments that were scattered in the country
about. Although only 81 years of age he
gave evidence of that business sagacity
which distinguished his after years, fol
in spite of the fabulous fortunes that
were being made in the gold fields he saw
that the best way to get rich was tt
remain in the town and supply the many
wants of the miners. With that end in
view he opened small dry-goods shanty
ON ] street between Eighth and Ninth
and devoted all his energies to that bust
ness. Those who knew him in those
days describe him as bustling, indus
trious young man, who in spite of the ex
travagance of those by whom he was sur
rounded, always kept in view the worth
of q dollar. As his business increased sc
did his methods for accumulating riches,
and he put on the road number of sup
ply wagons, which visited the mining
camps and peddled their wares. His
BtOck-in-trade having increased very con-
siderably ,Crocker built large store on the
site of his former premises:land shortly
after this he entered into negotiations
with the firm of Huntington, Hopkins &
Co., for the construction of the Central
Pacific Railroad. The story of this CO.
lossal venture has been often told and
the plucky manner in which its projec-
tors crossed the Sierras, surmountine
difficulties greater than Napoleon me,
with in his passage of the Alps, can never
be too highly lauded. In 1862
Mr.. Crocker was appointed Gen
eral Superintendent OF the roaG
and on the formation of the Southern Pa.
cific Company of Kentucky in August
1884, he became its Second Vice-Presi
dent. He led al active life throughout
the times when the company needed
pluck and energy to pull it through, but
of late years, since the accumulation ol
his vast fortune, he resigned most ol
his business cares to his son, Col. Charles
f. Crocker, who was born at
Sacramento in 1854, and was
trained to the railway service
from youth. Mr.. Crocker had host
of friends throughout the country,
and his death will be universally
regretted. OF the famous quartette
who manipulated the most successful
piece of enterprise the world has eve,
seen but two are now left to gaze upor
its wonderful results, and the world will
lose couple of its greatest citizens
when the names of Leland Stanford and
Coils P. Huntington are also added
to the roll of the silent majority.