The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-12-02
BURT MAY
Be CLARK
SUCCESSOR
Likely to Become Presi-
dent of the Union
Pacific.
SPENDS THE DAY AT
HEADQUARTERS.
Busy FamiIiarizing Himself
With the Affairs of the
Railway.
STANDS VERY CLOSE TO
MARVIN HUGHlTT.
Has Worked His Way to the Vice.
Presidency OF the North
western Line.
Busy FamiIiarizing Himself
With the Affairs of the
Railway.
STANDS VERY CLOSE TO
MARVIN HUGHITT.
Has Worked His Way to the Vice.
Presidency Of the North
western Line.
Special Dispatch to THE CALL


ST. LOUIS, Dec. LIS. H. H. Clark to-
day announced that he had been offered
the presidency of the Union Pacific by the
reorganization committee. but that, ow
ing to ill.health, he had refused the prop
osition.
OMAHA, Dec. president 5. H. II.
Clark of the Union Pacific Railway sys-
tenn did not come to Omaha yesterday, as
had been expected. Ii is not now quite
certain when he will be here, but certainly
not until next week. Since the foreclosure
sale became an assured fact, and until Mr..
Clark's return from New York and the
meeting of the receivers and the reorgani-
cation committee. the only talk of the
presidency OF the company beard in Union
Pacific circles was that the incum bent's
name would be Clark. Several events
that happened in New York and several
things said by men prominent in reorgan-
iZation matters during the last week have
tended to change this widespread opinion.
1t is now generally admitted that Clark
will not again be president. A man un-
usually gifted in foresight regarding rail-
way matters says:
II think that the cnange of the Union
Pacific to its present owners will be fol-
lowed by complete reorg aniZation. The
purchasers of the Union Pacific were
forced 10 pay $13, coo, 600 more for the pop
erty than they had counted on. The only
way they can get that back is to work it
out of the property. To successfully &C.
com plish this tremendous task a rsor-
ganiZatlon of the railroad will be abso-
luteiy necessary. This reorganization may
be grad ual, but it is bound TO come. i do
not say that any of the officials now here
viii go-l hope not-but they are very
apt TO have their authority curtailed by
I he placing OF new men over them. There
is good deal of talk about North
western man to take char ge of the prop
erty.
Il presume this is based on the fact that
Marvin Hughitt, president of the North
western, is the only active railroad man
on the committee having temporary
charge of the road. But Winslow 5.
Pierce, attorney for the Gould interests,
is also a member of that com mittee. To
my mind Jacob S. Schiff, the eminent
financler of Wall street, is the most power
ful mel Der of the committee. What he
says is likely to have the greatest weight"
There has been q great deal of talk
about the probability of the election OF
Horace G. Burt, the vice-president of the
Northwestern, to the Union Pacific presi-
dency. Tho>e who predict Burts election
argue that President Hughitt wants TO
take care of ii. Mccullough, neral
traffic manager of the Northwestern. by
| making him third vice-president, to sue
| coed Mr.. Burt.
1t was no easy matter to get at Mr..
Burt. His temporary offices are located
| in a corner on the fifth floor of the Elk
/ horn headquarters. The attaches of the
| Elkhorn had early been posted, for nearly
all declared their Ignorance of. the fact
| that Mr.. Burt was.in the building or in
| the city. He was there, however, with
his chief clerk, George McDill, and both
! were hard at work.
To Bee reporter who asked him if
/ there was any nth in the report tina he
had been offered and had accepted the
| presidency OF the Union Pacific Mr.. Burt
sad: -.
80, sir; 80 far as am concerned there
/ j. nof . sora Of truth in the report" - =,
! fgl. 4, than this denial he declined TO
ar-s Swsd. ~
- p asiancing SIR. Burts emphatic
d.. tk@Tv are any number OF railroad
mer M Omaha willing to wager small
sg1ns tnat be Will be the president of The
rr0rraRized Union Pacific road. They
Yemem Der thai Mr. Bur- made. a very
positive denial of the report that he was
Ia leave the Elkhdrp just before going TO
S.. Paul TO assume charge of the Chicago,
ST. Paul. Minneapolis aud Omaha Rail.
road. r.
Mr.. Burt arrived in Omaha on Monday
and came here directly from. d trip. of in
spection over the Kansas Pacific Railroad,
the Kansas branch OF the Union Pacific
On that trip he was accom- panied BY j. O.
Brinkerhoff OF Kansas City, general SUI
perintendent of the Union Pacific; lines III
Kansas. On Tuesday morning he was Of
the Union Pacific headquarters bright and
early. He spent almost the entire morn
ing at the Union Pacific headquaF tsrs ia.
miiariZinE himself with Union Pacific
affairs. On Tuesday afternoon he Skipped
| away for while but Wednesday, morn
ing he was hard at work at his tenn porary
headquarters in the United S ates Ma,
tional Bank building. long before the ma.
jority of the FaTnutn.s treet railway men
had come down to WORK. .ClOseted with
his secretary, George. McDin,; he put in
nearly a II of to-day there: rs.
/ The reasons why railroad men thiuk
Horace G. Burt is soingto be the presi-
dent OF the Union Pacific are not re m ote.
They argue that Mr.. Burt Is very we'll
posted on every branch of prsctical rail-:
reading, having come up through 1.-THE
operating department., though originally
a civil engineer. They maintain that ne
Is thoroughly familiar with this part Of
the country, and with the conditions ex-
listing along the line of the Union Pacific.
His home was here for many years, and
he still owns his residence here.
But the most potent reason given for
favoring Burt as the successful candidate
for the big bis that he stands very close
to Marvin hughitt, president of the Chi
cage and Nor thwes tern railway. Marvin
| Hughltt is a power on the committee
| which has temporary charge of the Union
Pacific. The rapid promotlons that he
has given Mr.. BUT, ana the fact that on
his last two trips Marvin Hughitt has been
most closely attended by Mr.. Burt, are
also cited to show the close touch that the
third vice president enjoys with his
| president.
| ST. PAUL, Dec. 1.-When asked about
the report that he was to become presi-