The San Francisco call., 1896-02-05

overHorking himself, and nervous pros
trar.on followed. His colleagues say that
Mr.. Lansing broke down at the Railroad
Commission trial. A few days before his
death he began to recover and was re-
garded as being convalescent, when at
tackled by a hemorrhage which carried him
off suddenly, so the news of his passing
away was shock to the railway officials.
Mr.. Lansing was born in Detroit, Mich,
April %, 1850. He was educated in the
Northwestern University of Illinois. In
1869 he entered the railway service, and
since that time has been consecutiyely
clerk and chief clerk in the general aud
pany, from 1885 to 1887 assistant con-
troller of the Southern Pacific Company,
and on January II, 1888, was promoted to
the important position of secretary and
controller of the Southern Pacific, which
he held TO the last. He worked his way to
the top in twenty six years, learning
every minute detail and attaining full
mastery of the railroad s executive depart
ments. While in the Office of T.. II. Miller
the secretary of the Central Pacific when
that company operated the other lines
under lease, he was educated in the
finer points of railroading. When the
Railroad Employees Mutual Benefit Asso-
citation was organized, May 8, 1880, he was
elected its first secretary; and he was also
the first secretary of the Southern Pacific
upon its organization.
In the light of his ability and accom-
plishments as railroad man Mr.. Lansing
stood with the leading railway officials Of
America. A forcible and convincing
writer, he contributed largely to railway
literature. Numerous railway articles,
presenting powerful arguments for the
railroad s side. and some excellent treatises
on the subject of justice to railways
against the popular demand for relief from
Among the pamphlets left by him are
The Right of the Railroad to Reasonable
Rates. read before the Chit-Chat Club in
Decembe 1898; 1.-The Central Pacific Rail-
way Company in Account With the United
States; the Thurman Act Final Settle
ment," published in December, 1889, and
Relations Between the Central Pacific
Railroad Company and the United States
Government; Summary of Facts" This
last production was brought out by let
ter from Senator Stanford, the president
of the company, requesting Mr. Lansing to
outline the situation as to the relation be-
tween the Central Pacific and the United
States. All Mr.. Lansing's books were re-
garded by railway men as standard works
and can be found in railway libraries
throughout the country.
Mr.. Lansing was highly esteemed by the
Southern Pacific Railway officials for his
rare abilities and his courteous department
contact. 1t is said of him that although
he was genial as a rule he offered no
quarter to any one whom he suspected OF
irregular acts. By many OF his associates
he was supposed TO have been of retiring
and uncongenial disposition, but those
who knew him best knew also that beyond
the actual work demanded by duty his
thought for years dwelt upon science and
other serious considerations of the
scholar. He was a man of deep and
wide knowledge. and like the scholar
was always above parading it in pub
lie. His faYorite study was natural
history, and in particular ornithoiogy,
which bent of his gave the Academy OF
sciences many specimens OF local birds,
truthfully mounted and preserved for
study. lie joined the academy shortly
after coming to San Francisco, and for
years after in his trips through the coun-
Iry shot and preserved many birds. He
was WAS not member of any fraternal society.
W Deihg man with an absorbing devotion
10 70 n9m me-life, and in his bachelor days to
Tue Dohemian Club. In addition to science,
lust lust ana art largely occupied his spare
or., ior Mr.. Lansing was man OF
tba tI', tIeo tastes, who sincerely appreciated
'nG llue and beautiful in every form.
ne married Miss Mabel Cohen in Ala
meua, october 1, 1888, and one child-a
daughter years of age-was born to him.