The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-22

helped them to build. o large 70 Hing mill. Thll
done. Blair INDUCED Moses Taylor. william =
Z TOPPER Robert. Marshall O.. Roberts and Rob
ert c. Winthrop TO 90 into the Iron business
his associates bought a road which led from
. Of affair and Mr., Blair insisted upon 'b6naiildina
? # over again. That was the beginning of his
Since then he has. built. either, entirely with
his own capital or withthe CAPITAL OF others as
fSir.y ra TiS 3 eim T Ysss' roads or ia I RS5ifi ds'f tRs
OsweRo and Ithaca; LegRett's Gap; Warren;
Western the Gackawanna and Bloomsbury.
Burlington. Cedar Rapids and Northern part
SIo She F F9Ii9n ana pdol pSE6 SiouT Cb SI = SSS and ndHpHs oTpR!;
western: Chicago. and Pacific Chicago. Iowa
and Dakota; SECTIONS of the New YORK; sus-
bal bangor and Portland; Kansas city and
southern; .Ceyuga and susauehanna. Cedar
n nSplus and d" &. I Paul; Green Bay and steeyyens's
Point; Sioux City and Pacific; Iowa Falls and
m SiSnh 1E!ifkEGoHrnn' ' SR4 Miss %isso Snq N ValisS; Maple
River, Sussex and Mount Hope; Kansas City.
Fro From the the first railroad which he built Mr..
Blair, with others. developed what Is now the
fR + sHs not t dStii Ys56 that s9q he M nnSerto eEksf TsIi:
road building in the West. In that year he
was sent as a delegate to the Chicago Conven.
the Presidency. After the convention he and
other deiesates were invited to ride eyer the
sGssad the the fff fno fSr.R Rtl0l Vest xG and tn fno%in 20
e. sa' to 1 intsr Sa' h & Hef N G sSs Tdsd ni II pGs safS waf H.
looked the road and the country over. liked
| tah%e" ' scheme Oh S%s ON One ue Of the n railroad odhici Ii
man 70 h iook T a1ter h the th SS u Se oi ths BE et tsS n sSss
t soon alter /; Rlf ssst S Mr' b. Bal, sp soof all tn, CON.
built the road. That road is now part of the
made the statement, that he had built every
road with which he had ever been connected
of its, stock on the market to raise money. He
S Sad snso, s sg@. , IL Bis hbs r al q db GpsrS ns s1sb he
In the building of all his Western roads Mr..
Blair secured enormous land grants as pre-
Union Pacific he got j .o00.00O acres OF land in
Iowa: For finishlnHgS the Iowa Falls and Sioux
70 Omaha. and the Blair cut on from Missouri
western. connecting j. with the Union Pacific
at fremont. he got 94O;nOQ acres Of land: He
braska and took the premium offered by the
State OF 10000 acres Of land.
With all this Ian, land on HI his hands, p received Eed as
do something with 1t. he formed land com
panies. and these companies. under his direc-
more than 100 fourishing cities and towns in
the West In his railroad building It was usu.
somebody had begun and failed to complete.
rebuild it entirely or complete It. and then
ing, it with the trunk line. In this, way he
made a profit on the railroad building. az;
GHldfsa m great m 9nsp'1b5, BY selling I'll nal% or iea . 8 e sRs
road he had thus reha6ilitated .,,.
The last aft road that Mr.; Blair built was the
was completed o~nly:last year. and the finishing
touches were put on under a direction other
Blair leased, It to what,railroad men call the
Frisco Line, and the:terms of that lease show
drive. No one else owns a dollar in the road.
The Frisco, Line wanted it for a connection.
was not for sale. but that he would lease it TO
them at a monthly rental Of $1,000 with. 40
Per cent, OF the gross receipts in addition.
oche Junction, with Osceola. No, The, direc;
tors Of the Frisco Line laughed at the old
care a hang whether they took his road or not.
Anv number of stories are told of Mr.. Blair
illustrating the kind of man he is, One is in
reference to the only active part he ever took
Jersey persuaded him to run for Governor.
The campaign is said to have, cost him, $40;
Some of his Republican friends. after the cleo
ton. were talking with him about it and en-
d]eoyqred T. console him for his defeat. They
ali that kind Of thing. and that the Republican
politicians had sim.ly sold him out.
~, Sh' WILL opNu0 SHa'' Saiu III.
the benefit Of a lot Of experience; wouldn't
cost me. You see. / was like the fellow down
In Missouri who raised hogs. He had always
bin, that he could get a good dea! more money
for his hogs in Chicago. So he set out to drive
the market had Just SWITCHED he f9 around and a. IR hoes
were worth, much more in st. Louis. When
he found this out he remarked: Well. if =!
the hogs wasn't elected Governor. it is
true, but l have had the society of the finest
Several years ago Mr., Blair leased one of his
Western roads to another railroad COMPANY:
were to return the road in as good condition
las when they took it, and. in the meantime.
When the lease expired and Mr.. Blair in.
spected the road. he found that its condition
He dema i6dH Il That o the d. damages MAGE a be be i TeFaite y.
The lessees refused and Mr.. Blair brought suit:
The State where the case was tried and
for its freshets. During the trial. while Mr..
B!airs layer IVY was making the Argument for
the court room into the street. 1t was rain
was the spring of the year. or. rather.
Blair thought he saw signs Of an approaching
ireshet 0qqickly retur.ing t. the court
in q low voice, said:
The lawyer didn't understand and Mr., Blair
Withdraw. Give up. Tell 'em we won't
contest"
The LAWYER didn't understand what his
client was getting at. but he knew Mr.. Blair's
wis hes We're not TO be dIsoheyed and so he
made a little speech to the court In which he
said that his client was a peaceable man that
hp was getting along in years. and that he de-
iendanis didn't know. what to make Of it, but
the. suit was discontinued and they were In
high feather. That night the floods descend
sd and the winds blew. and one OF the worst I
freshets ever known in that part of the coun- {
occurred. Whole sections II Mr.. Blair's !
were washed AWAY Ties trnpEG and
all. Much of the rolling stock. even, was de- '
The result was that Mr.. Blair got l
n new road and a LOT of new rolling {
stock at the expense of the lessees. |
At one time the late John B. Alley was as !
in business with Mr.. Blair. Differ l
noes arose between them and they separated. q
Then Alley sued Blair to recover S2.50O.OOO. I
v hen the case came to trial Mr., Blair was not I
nent. The request was granted. but the court e
directed that the defendant furnish a bond for !
iouble the amount Of the sum in DISPUTE, |
When the announcement was mnda Elair |