The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-26
copyright. 1851

morning a middle sized young man of
athletic appearance, who seems glad
20 be alive. walks briskly into the tall.
red brick structure cornering on Broad
way and Dey street, New York, tips a
friendly nod To the elevator man and
steps lightly into the car.
This cheerful young mans name is
George j. Gould, monarch by Inherit
ance of all that may be surveyed In the
Western Union building and the prop
critics there controlled. He is one OF
the hardest workers in all New York.
on his shoulders. at "a. rests a heav-
fer burden OF financial and commercial
responsibilities than was ever before
borne by one of no more years. just
now this burden is heavier than usual
by reason OF the fight he is making
with New York's rapid transit commits
sioners for permission To extend the
Manhattan Elevated railroad lines.
Should he win. his prestige in the world
OF affairs will be signally enhanced;
should he lose, his defeat will be no
greater than others before him have
suffered. Undoubtedly he appreciates
the gravity of the situation to the full.
but there is nothing in his looks as he
enters the elevator TO indicate that he
is worried in the least
At the fifth floor he leaves the ver-
teal railway, enters a door on which is
inscribed Missouri Pacific Railway
Company" and, passing through a
series of apartments that serve prac-
tically as anterooms, enters the modest
sized inner office in which he earns his
daily bread. There he throws off his
coat, removes his cuffs, sits down at
his desk in his shirt sleeves and plunges
at once into business. for he knows full
well thar he has a stiff days work
ahead OF him and none too many hours
TO do il in.
The morning batch of letters and tee-
grams is formidable, even after the less
important ones. including most of those
begging for money and other favors,
have been sifted out by "A discerning pri-
vate secretary. But the chief spirit in
the management OF some $1,000 or 16, 600
miles OF southwestern railroads and the
greatest network OF telegraph lines in
existence makes short work OF his mis-
sives by wire and his missives by post
BY the time 30 minutes have rolled
around, or at most at the end OF an
hour. they are all got out Of the way
But il should not be unde. stood that
this is ever accomplished without inter-
ruption. Far fros<Nt Nine mornings
in ten he is broken i1 upon by the tele-
phone before he has been at work five
minutes This does not rufHe him.
however, for neither letters nor tele-
grams bring more important messages
than those sometimes received over the
speaking wire. He can manage a tele-
phone conversation better than 80 men
in a hundred. The attachments to his
desk-which was designed and present
ed TO him. by the way. by General Eek
ert. now and for many years president
OF the Western Union-include elabo-
rate telephone apparatus by which di-
rect communication with any long dis
tance telephone station in the country
may be made without delay or fuss.
When George Gould's telephone bell
rings. he slips metal band receiver.
exactly like those used by exchange op-
orators. on his head. thus excluding ev-
cry outside sound and talks as quietly
and naturally as If the person addressed
were directly in front of him instead of
perhaps a thousand miles away. He
never wastes words. In the course of
recent half hour talk in his office be-
tween Mr. Gould and the writer the
telephone bell jingled repeatedly. In
every case save one the answer was
made in single brief sentence so quick
ly uttered as hardly TO break the thread
OF our own conversation, yet az least
two OF the replies involved transactions
amounting 10 thousands Of dollarA
What remains of Mr. Goud's morn
ings after the mail is disposed OF is
given TO callers, though naturally only
n
mitted TO his office. The policy OF ex-
clusion is prompted solely by necessi-
~, however and no one whose wants
cannot be properly attended to by
subordinate is kept out.
Though he sometimes goes TO the
LAWYERS club, Just across Broadway.
ne generally lunches at the restaurant
in the Western Union building provided
for the officers and directors OF the
Gould corporations. His midday meal
is always simple and almost always
quickly disposed Of for the afternoon
has it's directors meetings, sometimes
following one another in rapid success
sion tin the close OF the business day.
Mr. Gould himself takes the chair at
many Of these meetings. and as pre-
siding officer Is a genuine hustler. his
faculty for Transaction" as spoken OF
by some or his fellow directors, being
decidedly unusual. And whether pre-
siding or not his presence insures rapid
accomplishment Of whatever business is
in hand.
IL would take half a column I'm this
newspaper 90 enumerate the various
companies in which George Gould is in
tercsted as managing trustee OF the
family estate. The most important OF
these corporations. the Manhattan Ele-
waited railway. tho Western Union Tele-
graph company. tho Missouri Pacific.
Texas Pacific. International and Great
Northern and ST. Louis and South
western Railroad companies. are well
known TO the public. But there are lit.
srslly scores II other corporations 20
which he must Of necessity give more