Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-07-20
GEORGE NJ. PULLMAN.
SKETCH OF THE PALACE CAR
BUILDER.

|
BUILDER.
Owner Of a VAST Concern Which
the Ambitious Cabinet.Makel
Thought Out and Perfected-No
for Charity but Business.
The income of George NJ. Pullman
is generally placed at about $40, 900,
600 year. This circumstance woulC
make his name familiar even though
it were not emblazoned on lf,rJ0 carr
that roll almost everywhere there is 6
rail for them to roll on.
Just now the name is more familiar
than ever. The sleeping-car made the
owner famous, rich, and won him from
King Humbert title that he does
not use. When a Chicago man feels
particularly facetious he speaks of Mr.
Pullman as the Markee.
AS it was Mr.. Pullman's genius
that built up the vast concern OF
which he is still the executive head
the brains and most of the body, so il
was word from him that precipitated
the strike that at present ties up or
hampers the operation OF thousands
of miles of railroad.
A man who has accomplished so
much as this great car-builder has OF
course an interesting personality. Mr..
Pullman is now sixty-three years old
hale, clear-eyed and suave. He dresses
invariably in dark colors. A black
coat is buttoned across an ample chest
and black trousers meet blackcloth
shoe-tops. In his attire he is immac-
ulately neat, as though just from un-
der the touch of one OF his own por-
ters. His same neatness permeates
everything about him. Disorder he
abhors. Mr.. Pullman's hair is nearly
white and there is no scarcity of it.
On his chin is tuft OF whiskers. His
face is a healthy pink and free from
wrinkles. Care sits upon him lightly.
Like many other multi-millionaires
Mr.. Pullman is easy to approach and
usually averse TO talking about himself.
He does not pose as a philanthropist.
Business is business with him, and yet
his methods, having done much in
certain instances to alleviate the con-
dition of his employees, are often
viewed as directly due to a yearning
in this direction, instead of an inci-
dent.
But others talk for Mr.. Pullman.
Only few weeks ago a preacher in
the church owned by Mr.. Pullman,
and the town whose title is similarly
vested, preached on his services to
his age, his country aud humanity"
taking for a text the passage: "Thou
hast crowned him with honor and
glory" He made many pleasant re-
marks on the theme and intimated
that "1f Christ came to Chicago" Ga
remote contingency then under dis
cussion) the visitor would view the
labors of Pullman approvingly.
The life Of Mr.. Pullman has been
devoid OF wild excitement. He was
born in New York. became a cabinet
maker and saved his wages. Then he
took house-moving contracts along the
Erie canal. Later he went to Chicago
and astonished the natives by raising
brick and stone buildings without so
much as cracking the mortar.
In the mean time Mr.. Pullman had
taken trip to Colorado in search of
gold. In the early fifties he was en-.
gagged in placer mining in Clear Creek
canyon, near the site of Georgetown.
Then he did not wear faultless trous.
ers, md such as he did wear were
rolled as high as he could get them
while he stood bare-legged in the
water wrestling with Dame Fortune
and catching some OF her yellow flecks.
He did not catch enough to suit him
and went East again.
1t was while riding into Chicago in
1858 that Mr.. Pullman conceived the
idea of building such cars as now 20
with all first-class trains. The idea
bumped into his head as it lay un-
easily on a hair sofa pillow in the
bunk of one of the sleeping cars known
in that day. This car had upon
either side triple tiers OF hunks. The
hunks were narrow and hard. The
cars were unventilated. There were
no conveniences, no shadow of luxu-
ries. So Mr.. Pullman set to work
cantriving the sort OF car he wanted.
"Did you dream then of the great
city that was to arise and be known
as yours?" he was asked recently.
Mr.. Pullman smiled. "No," he
answered, "I am not a dreamer. l
suppose that if had been dreaming
then l would be dreaming yet"
The modern sleeping car known as
the Pullman is entirely the concep-
ton of the man after whom it is
called. He thought out the general
scheme and every detail. even to the
style of hairbrush and the rack in
which to place it. The first car, used
on the Chicago and Alton, cost $751;
600. The average cost of the ones in
use at present is several thousand dol
lars more. Before building this pio-
neer car Mr.. Pullman had expert.
mented by remodeling two old passen.
ger coaches.
The town of Pullman is totally de.
void of the element of charity. The
founder bestowed a library upon the
place, but the people who use it have
to buy tickets, 80 that the institution
pays its own expenses. The model
houses rent for as much as similar
houses elsewhere, they must be va
!