The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-06

Philadelphia. He is now 81 years of age
and is engaged in reconstructing the
underground lines of London. He was
early speculator and when very
young man was in business as a broker.
Removing to Chicago, his energy,
tact and foresight enabled him to
quickly forge to the front By process
es known to the successful manipulate
ors of capital Yerkes came into control
of the city railways of Chicago, and
after years of almost superhunan labor
succeeded in uniting in one great sys-
tenn the lines which today absolutely
gridiron the city A man of indomita-
Bile will. with unbounded ambition and
forceful character. Mr.. Yerkes has COM
PEELED natural obstacles and human
will to yield before him until at last he
has achieved his ambition
Mr.. Yerlzes has a magnificent resi-
dence i'll New York and a thousand So
cial ties in the United States, but he
seems to consider it his duty to teach
the Londoners a lesson in American
methods of rapid transit.
This account of men who have be-
come prominent through the exploita-
ton of city surface lines would of
course be considered Incomplete with
out mention of unique Tom johnson of
Cleveland. In a certain sense he is a
national character through his services
in congress and his strenuous and per-
sistent advocacy of the single tax idea.
He has come before the public in recent
years also as a street car owner and
manager and q persistent preacher Of
cheap railway fares for the common
people. II fact, he made this cent fare
advocacy a successful warcry in his re-
cent mayoralty fight. while his brother
Albert, recently deceased, showed
through the press what vast benefits
would be conferred upon the public by
consolidation of existing lines between
great cities, like New York and Phila-
delphia. Both Tom and Al began life
as unassisted sons of an impoverished
Confederate soldier, but both had a rep
utation as "hustlers'' from the very
first. Until the lamented death of his
brother Tom johnson was usually asso-
ciated with him in his many railroad
schemes. Now Tom is a millionaire,
and, although he has retired from &C
tive business, not long ago he employed
more than 10000 men in his various en-
terprises and owned the electric roads
of Allentown, Pa, Cleveland, O., and
Indianapolis, besides having large rail-
way interests in Detroit, Brooklyn, etc.
| Although the city of New York still
runs three-fifths of the obsolete horse
cars contained in the United States. its
vast population makes its territory a
rich field for exploitation. H H. Vree-
land president of the Metropolitan sys-
tenn who rose to his present high post
from the ranks. has recently accom-
plished the transformation of a portion
of his road from cable to the under
ground electric at a dead loss of about
! IS 900 000 This amount of property, and
probably at least s4,O00000 more, the
Metropolitan deliberately threw over
board, being sure of quickly recoupine
itself from its vast earnings.
President Vreeland estimates the to-
tai earnings of New York city's surface
roads last year at SIS, 600 coo, Brook
lyn's at S11,000,000 and Philadelphia's at
$40 900, 900.
! CLAIMING A BARLOW.