The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-27
PRESIDENT HENRY B. PLANT.
THE NAN At THE HEAD OF An IN
ursTRIAL ARMY OF $4,000 MEN.


The Celebration of Plant Day at the
Atlanta Exposition Tomorrow on
tbe occasion of MIR. Plants 76th
Rirthday-The Part He Has Taken
in Developing the south by His
Great Enterprises and the Results
which Have FOIIOwed-The story
Of His Life.
~ more important day will be cele-
b-4- during the present Cotton States
ami International Exposition than to-
morrow, which has been set aside in hon
o- ~ 9Tr Henry b. Plant, the head Of the
great Plant railway and steamship lines
III. Importance Of the day will spring
-s. only from the successful life Of which
7r-. Plant is an example, but from the
4e- that above any other man living he
r-.re=ents the great industrial revolution
vr..h has come over the face of the
southern states and which marks the
success Of free over slave labor.
This recognition which will be given Mr.
Pant tomorrow but follows one Of a
most extraordinary character, which was
given To- him thirty-fiye years ago by no
less hand than that of President Davis,
the head of the then young confederacy.
The story which led up to that mark Of
r--9a1ition is one Of engrossing interest,
camp.mentary to the frankness Of Mr..
Plant and to the magnanimity Of Presi-
dent Davis.
d. was but six or seven years before the
oreuiug of the war between the states
that the Adams Express Company, which
had already covered the entire north and
west. sought to push its ramificatons
nj.
his Youth been connected with the ex-
press BUSINESS in the east, was sent down
to Augusta, Ga, as the headquarters
from which to operate the southern
branch Of the new business. 1t was but
u few months until the success of his
labors was apparent and his interest in
all manner of transportation was such
as 10 make him a man to be sought after
By those who were interested in business.
When the clash between the states
came it threatened the wreckage Of the
business built up by Mr.. Plant and 1t
was at this point that with rare frank
ness he made his way to President JEFF
ferson Davis. To him he told the story
Of his struggling venture, of the interests
involved, of the necessity of the business
of which he was the head to the people
that he in no manner sympathized with
the political movements which sought to
rend the states, yet it was his desire to
remain and conduct the business ven
lures of which he was the head, without
prejudice to political or military move
ments. President Davis admired the
frankness Of the man and gave him a
pass which entitled him to move hither
and tMther at Will, through army head
quarters or wherever else he pleased. 1T
is but seldom that any man can carry
such mark of personal confidence, but
the INTEGRITY of Mr.. Plant fully justified
the trust President Davis placed in him.
To-day Mr.. Plant might be called
an international developer. OF this,
however, the story of his life will be the
best witness. On tomorrow he viii have
completed his 10th year, forty-one of
which have ben spent in the south and
during which time the twin powers of
steam and electricity have wrought Won
ders in the conditions Of life. To-day he
is the president of a railway system which
embraces twelve different corporations
and whose mileage extends to 1871, with
a list of employees numbering 5,5O6. He is
also president of the Plant Steamship and
Steamboat lines, the one covering the
coasts of the Gulf and going to Cuba and
Jamaica, the other slSirting the coasts of
the north, running from Boston along Nova
Scotia to Cape Breton and the maritime
province of Canada In addition to these
interests he is still president OF the South
ern and of the Texas Express Compa-
MES, which do a business as express for
warders over "a, 40 miles of railway; have
lines in fifteen states, employing 6,60S men
and using l,46S horses and SS6 wagons
AS a compliment to the handling of rail-
roads and the sailing of ships and the
expressing of freightage, Mr.. Plant has
erected four winter resort hotels in Flor
ida, one of which, the great Tampa Bay
hotel, is probably the largest winter resort
hotel of its kind on the continent. 1t will
thus be seen that this great man who is
TO be the toast at the exposition to-nor-
row does service under three flags, those
OF America, England and Spain.
Such DEVELOPMENTS as these are enough
to make his life history of interest to the
Old and of profit to the young, as show
Ing the vast possibilities which our coun-
try affords and the immense rewards
which come to industry, tact and intelll-
gence.
Henry Bradley Plant was born in the
village of Bradford, Conn, Oct. q 1873.
His ancestors were among the early sell
tiers of that state, coming from England
IN 1886. Among them was John Plant, the
pioneer, whose branch of the family has
lived continuously in the town of Bran
ford, Conn, ever since. They are sturdy
people, intelligent, industrious, orthodox,
upright and useful citizens in every way.
AIR. Plants great-grandfather on the pa
ternal side was attached to Washington's
army as a private when that gentleman
was stationed at Newburg and was one
90 the guard of the unfortunate Maj.
Andre at the time of his execution. His
t-grandfather on his grandmother's
al he same time.
Ar. Plants education, like that of so
many other men who have met with emil
lehL success, was limited and was confined
largely to the common schools and to pri-
Ndte Instructions from the late Rev. Tim
Otny i. Gillette, Congregational clergy
man, and was finished at the Lancasterian
school of New Haven, under the tuition
q the late John Z. Lowell. His school
GAYS over, like almost every other younS
man IN New England, he had an ambi-
loA 10 enter into business. This led him
li1 the service of the New Haven
Steamboat Company in 1887 shortly after
M.i.a he was placed in charge of the ex-
-l-s business upon the steamboats, be-
tween New York and New Haven ana
ul'.t the New York and New Haven rail-
41t.- The freedom of this life gave him
l.e spirit of adventure which has since
l5.-et his life. he remained in charge
~ ne business until the formation of
luc Adams Express Company, when he
sane south, and it was in the autumn OF
l41 mat he was appointed superintend-
T-lt ot the southern division of the Adams
--A'fess Company, with headquarters at
Ia, Ca This position he held until
when the company was reorganized
ID ID ne southern states to the Southern
iAIfess Company, and of this he has
president continuously ever since
- .aet he became president of the Texas
less Company, of which he is stil