The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-14
A RAILROAD FOUCHE.
A Pen Picture of the Boss of the New
York Elevated Roads.

| IOTk Gl0NdI0Q EtOdQ5s
NEW YORK, May 12.-The other evening
about II o'clock a short, well-knit man,
with trinity clipped moustache and Vene-
tian military bearing, stepped into Del
monico's uptown establishment, seated him
self at one of the side tables in the bril-
| liantly lighted room, fit for a resort of
kings and princes, and was soon discussing
a light repast, set off with a bottle of apol-
linaris Nearly everybody seemed to know
him and he had a friendly word of greeting
for each. 1t was Col Franklin K Hahn,
the general manager of the elevated rail
roads of New York. He is SO years old,
but like most light complexioned men,
carries his years well, and if he were wild
over would probably pass himself off as
40.
"He is one of the lightning men of this
| town, - said banker in referring to him.
He came from Stouchberg, Berkshire
county, Pennsylvania, and began his rail
road career in his seventeenth year as
, machinlst's ap 0rentice on the Philadelphia
and Reading Railroad. When his time of
service was finished he entered the Engineer
| Corps of the United States navy and be-
came a second assistant engineer, resigning
| in 1868 to become a draughtSman on the
| Delaware, Lackawanna and Western at
Scranton, Pa. Leaving that employment
in March, 1864, he acted as a master me-
| chanic on the Eastern Division of the
Philadelphia and Erie road, at Lock Haven,
| Pa, subsequently becoming superintend-
I emit of motive power on that road. From
January, 1867, to June, 1874, he was in the
service of the Baldwin Locomotive Works,
| and it was during this period, by the way
that he introduced anthracite coal burning
locomotives upon the railroads of Russia
| Later on be was connected sue essively with
the Erie road, general superintendent of the
Keokuk and Des Moines, and of that branch
of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific,
and then in 1880 he became the general
manager of the New FORK elevated roads
| He is live man"
He was formerly colonel of a Pennsyl-
vania regiment. He talks in a Short de-
cisive, yet not unkindly way, and makes
good speech. He has no children, and like
most childless mon of mi Idle age, is par
ticularly fond of the children of others.
| He shows the most ingratiaung side of his
nature in the interest which he takes in the
pupils of the public schools. He instituted
the custom of presenting flags to the public
schools and to individual pupils for excep-
tional excellence in tie competitive records,
and he often addresses the schools on public
occasions. He is intensely patriotic, and
thinks the proudest testimonial that can be
presented to a school or a scholar is an
| American flag.
Despite a noticeable touch of bluffness in
his manner, characteristic frequently of
self-made men, he is not without a certain
| skill as diplomat His attitude in the
engineers strike on the elevated road several
years ago was exceptionally adroit Rail
road engineers are not ordinary workmen
Many of them are naturally far more in
telligent than the fat witted rich who hold
stock in the roads on which these men
| H. ,ori,, at,1
| firemen likely to become engineers was no
slight task. When the committee waited
on him, he said briefly but kindly:
'Now, | will look into your complaints,
! and if find we are wrong we will fix it. If
you are proved to be in the wrong, you will
do what is right, won't youp
Eyes, answered the men, and the issue of
| the investigation of the strike was mutually
satisfactory. Then the engineers gave a
ball in Tammany Hall, and invited Col.
Hahn to attend. He did so, greeting the
| men with whom he was acquainted with
| "Hello. Tom or How are you, Jimw
and hearty grasp of the band. 1t was
very little to do, but he had been me-
chanic himself and knew how the mon felt,
and if there were more practical mechanics
in power in the administration of railroads,
| and fewer of the class that look askance at
workingmen, regarding them simply as SO
many spokes in a wheel, there would be
fewer strikes and less of the suffering caused
by this Anticipated method of settling dis
| putes with capital. Chief Arthur has COM
mended Col. Hahn.
His office Is at 7 Broadway, in the same
building where Russell Sage sells calls"
when he thinks the market is going down,
| and puts when he thinks it is going up.
Jay Gould had his Office there when he was
in partnership with Washington E. Conner.
IL 'overlooks Trinity churchyard, with its
antique headstones and gravel walks, and
besides being hive of brokers and lawyers
it is an elevated railroad station, an asphalt
paved hallway leading through from Broad
wav to the station at Church and Rector
streets Behind his desk Col. Hahn has
keyboard by which in an instant he can
learn the location of any train; or even any
detached car on the Second, Third, Sixth
and Ninth avenue lines.
At irregular intervals he leaves his home
in the splendid Navarro fats about mid
night. to be absent till daybreak inspecting
the several lines of the New York elevated
railroad system He wishes TO see per-
sonally whether the employees are properly
attending to their duties, and no one could
be more keen in detecting delinquencies.
There are telegraph operators at every sta
ton, and when he began his midnight inves-
LEGATIONS along the lines the telegraphers
spotted him and flashed warning ahead
from station TO station, all around the city.
Col. Hahn soon learned of this, but over
came the difficulty by commencing his tour
at some lonely station far up town. down