The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-17
WESTERN MAN CHOSEN.


New York World
At hfty-six Edward p. Bryan has come to
New York from the West to be the most i'm
portant street-railway executive in the
world. This man, for whom an army of
able competitors were turned aside. is the
railway figure of the hour. He is the new
conner among New Yorks big men. His
first act when he took charge last week of
the Manhattan L." which is to form but
a segment of his ultimate responsibilities.
indicated the reason why he was chosen,
man from the country and fifty-six years
old, TO fill one of the most difficult and COM
pick positions in the modern railroad world.
The act was the simple exercise of little
wholesome common sense and justice
whereby threatened strike that would
have tied up the system was averted. The
man from the West went about 1t in a di-
rect way that instantly convinced the men
that he could be trusted
This his friends say is the Rey 20 his sue
cess. The men below trust and believe in
him. He had labor troubles in the West
and settled them. The day he took charge
of the Manhattan IL" he announced:
There will be no strike" and his tone
betrayed confidence not warranted by the
popular aspect of affairs at the time.
MI. Bryan is announcer OF the men VINO
rose from humble life. The first job he ever
had was as telegraph operator at Lebanon,
Ky. He considered himself lucky TO get 1t,
for he had not enjoyed the advantages of
wealth or of city training. He was both
operator and station agent, and he was only
eighteen when he began. He was liked in
the village and by the farmers. He was
accommodating and he was democratic. 1t
is Characteristic of the new manager Of the
great marlborough system that he was
always liked by men, whether their station
was high or low, for he treated all alike.
The young operators work attracted the
attention of the Louisville & Nashville
officials. and they transferred him to Frank
fort. the capital, and later to Louisville. AS
comparatively young man he was superin-
| tendent of the system. In Louisville he
made his railroad reputation. There, by his
| tracted the attention of the Belmonts, who
| then controlled the Louisville & Nashville
| system, and IL is through this fact that he
was later chosen for his present chosen.
Mr. Bryan developed genius for hand
| ling traffic at congested points, and for
| time he was superintendent of the
terminals at Louisville. He was appointed
| his skill for handling trains and getting
them rapidly out of the way of one another
| that first marked him as peculiarly fitted
railways of New York city.
He did his work so we'll that he was
| called to St. Louis after four years to
manage the terminal company there. He
was made vice president and general man.
| ager. and he was faced with a problem
which was not without its difficulties. He
had charge of the great bridge over the
| Mississippi, which is the connecting link
| of all the great transcontinental lines. In
| four years time he won a prominent po-
sition among the foremost men of st. Louis.
| 1t was by a strange combination of chance
| and fitness that when the promoters of
| the colossal transit scheme which was TO
unite the lines of greater New York into a
| homogeneous system began to look the world
| over for a man capable of graphing with
! the tremendous problems the choice should
| have alighted on the Westerner managing
| the traffic over the big bridge at st. Louis.
The available army was tremendous The
magnates of rapid transit could have had
their pick of all the world. New York
city teemed with men who had given the
problems peculiar to the traffic in this city
| long study. After the field had been all
loked over August Belmont said: Il have
| the man."
| Age was no objection. Bryan had so pre-
| served his health by temperate and COM
| nonsense living that he was a young man
| at fifty-six. The fact that he was not a
| New Yorker and had not been trained In the
| conditions existing there were ignored.
L He has the brains and the stuff In him, y
| said Belmont. So it was that while the
railway world looked or in surprise, a
| West to teach New Workers how to run
| their traffic. Still more he was to inaugur-
ate the greatest single interurban system
in the world-the pioneer of its kind In
| America.
He was engaged on five years contract
for 100000. He was to receive $2O.Oo0 a
year and more than half the term of the
| contract was to expire before the system he
| was to manage had even run train.
For nearly two years he has been study
| ing fitting himself for his duties when the
| subway in a few months will be opened.
He has visited every subway system in
| operation and has gained all the ideas
that may help i'm his work here. He made
special trip abroad with Mr.. Belmont,
John Is. Mcdonald. Chief Engineer Deyo
| and several other officials or the subway,
and inspected the systems of all the lead
ing European cities. Some idea of the mag
| nitude of the system he is to manage may
| be gained from the fact that the signaling
and interlocking system alone cost 81 100000
The cars cost 100000. This for the SUBJ
| way alone.