The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-20
VERSATILE RAILROAD MAN.
SIR WILLIAM c. VAN HORNE OF
THE CANADIAN PACIFIC.

GeolOgfst, BOtanist and Stu
dent of History-T4is Great Capac-
ftyx for work, His FOndness for a
Practical Joke and His PrOdigious
I Memory-A story or Two.
Montreal, May 1S.-They say Of Sir Will
lam C. Van Horne of the Canad an Pacific
| Railway that had he not decided to be
king of transportation he might have wo1
fame and fortune through his artistic abil-
tiles, and they base the saying on the fact
that he not only sketches cleverly, but Is
also an expert with the brush, both in oils
and water colors.
ut might also be truthfully said that he
could win his way to the front, as an ar
chitect or a civil engineer or writer, for
he has proved his ability in all these
| lines and many others. His knowledge o.
the geology of the Queens dominions in
America is profound. aud his collection OF
Canadian rocks and fossils is rot sur
| passed by any private collection in all Can
| ada. He is a recognized authority on
botany. He is fond of historical research
| and has gathered vast amount of IN
| formation concerning the early settlements
| OF British North America. In short, he is
| undoubtedly the most versatile railrcai
| magnate in America, the only one VITO
| rivals him in any appIeciable degree Being
James J. Hin of the Great Northern,
which, like the Canadian Pacific, unites
| the populous East with the Pacific coast.
| Curiously enough, Van Horne was born in
the United States, while Hill was born in
| Canada.
Van Horne is a big man. physically, and
| he impresseS you as a man of immense
| vitality His color rIl16V his skin is
clear, and his eyes are pentrating. He is
tremendous worker or he would never
| have found time TO perfect himself in the
accomplishments which give him 50 well
| founded a reputation for versatility, and
his capacity 10 accomplish things is almost
doubled by the fact that he requires not
more than four or five hours OF sleep in
| each twentyfour
Plays as We'll as Works.
But heis quite as fond Of pay as he is
of work. In the privacy OF his home he
| is as lignt-hearted and sportive as s-ho
| boy. In his own house he once startled
a guest by shutting rapidly across the car
| pet after which he hastily slapped piece
of blotting paper against the wall TO sae
! if enough electricity had been generated TO
| hold it there. He is fond Of games Of all
sorts, and plays everything well. His
sense of humor is well developed, and he
| sometimes perpetrates practical jokes,
| though never of the coarser sort.
Years ago he was prone to aIparticu,ar
| form of practical joke, which he used 10
| play on the Montreal reporters who called
| upon him in search of railroad news On
one of his trips in the Hudson bay district
| he had picked up a lot OF Gig RS, made of
| native tobacco, which were almost
| rank to think about. Whenever a news
| paper man called to ask about something
| which Van Horne did not wish to discuss.
| he would hand out one of those cigars.
| Nine times in ten the third puff at the
vile weed would drive the news-gatherer
| out of the Office and Van Horne would get
| out of being interviewed without having
| to refuse 10 talk. That pretty little
scheme worked only a little while, how
lever The repor ters compared notes, and,
| being satisfied that Van Horne had been
| guying them, each promised never to VEN
ture into the presence again without
| freshly lighted cigar in his mouth.
One of the practical jokes which he play
| ed years ago when a train dispatcher on
| the Chicago and Alien is still retailed by
| the employees of that railroad. Somehow or
| other he learned that on a certain night
run some of the trainmen were in The habit
of taking cushions from the coaches 10
make themselves comfortable in the bag
| gage car. Late one night at about the
| time he thought the men would have taken
| the cushions he wired the head trainman
! of the crew a message, which was deliver
! ed by the agent at a small way station. 1t
! contained only these four words: Put
| back those cushions hut it filed the
| hearts of the men with CONSERVATION, not
| TO say awe, for how, unle@s he was blessed
with the gift of second sight, could the
| dispatcher know they had meddled with
| the cushions? II is hardly necessary to say
| that they never molested them again.
An Adventure in the Mountains.
| SIR Williams job as executive head of
| the Canadian Pacific has never been
| sinecure; when he began service with the
| road his task was almost superhuman,
| inasmuch as 1t combined the financing of
the company and the overcoming of the
| physical problems incident to the opera
| ton of line through a mountainous re-
| gion, where snow and ice were common
much of the year. Like every other suc-
/ cessful pioneer railroad president, he de-
| termined 10 study these problems at
short range and work out their solution
| himself He went here, there and every
where seeing things with his own eyes,
| and dealing with The situation on the
| spot Naturally in the circums tances he
has had his share of hardship and adj
venture.
on one occasion he was out with sur
veying party in the Canadian northwest.
| They were TO meet another party which
was to bring stores and supplies, at a CIV
en- point. But there was some miscalcula-
| ton and the other party failed to appear
| Van Ho ne and his men were far removed
| from any center of civilization, and they
4 waited for day or two, hoping for relief
| but none came. At last 1t seemed that the
| only way out of the trouble was to push
| on 10 the nearest settlement, several days
travel away Fatigued as they were and
with scant supplies, that was no easy
| task.
Still as they had guns and plenty of
ammunition and were in territory abound
ing with game, they concluded to try 1t.
| Crossing a stream, however, their pack
| mule stumbled and fell their little food
supply was swept away by The swift cur
rent and their ammunition was soaked in
| the waters of the stream Their matches,
| too, were wet so that they could not light
| a fire, even IL they had food to cook. IT
was with rueful countenances that they
| scrambled out Of the stream and took ac-
| count OF stock. All that was left in the
| way of provisions was some loose flour,
| which had spilled in the bottom of a sad
| dle-bag II was net very clean, either and
| nothing but the most dire necessity would
| force them 70 eat IT, But necessity watts