The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-01
GEORGE G0ULD'S PERSONALITY


some Facfs ABOUT the WAN w NO mas
Built Up a Great Railroad system.
| Brooklyn Eagle.
| On all great enterprises many brains arc
required 10 plan the details that go TO make
up the whole work. But back of all there
must be one head-there must be the gen.
eral, the master mind The most prejudiced
must admit that in the building up of the
Wabash and the Missouri Pacific systems
there have been displayed remarkable head
work and keen foresight. The big transcon-
tincntal scheme was not the ebullitiol of a
dreamer who because he had millions at his
beck and call, believed that he had to but
express his imperial will and his desires
| would be put in execution. He knew that 1t
| takes something besides mere money to
| build railroads across continents. Every lit
| tie objection and every possible hitch was
seen intuitively in advance. First the OBJ
stacles were considered and then ways to
| overcome them were devised. No expert
| chess player ever planned a game so far
] ahead as this wonderful game OF railroads
was planned.
George Gould, without question, is the
head and the brains of the Gould system.
| "He has had the greatest men in the coun-
! try about him." said close associate to the
| writer. linen who have guided him in all
| his big operations with their advice and
| helped him with their fortunes, but Gould is
the man. He has the most wonderful grasp
of details OF any one in the railway world
| to-day. Recently he made a journey cover
1 ing the entire Gould system for the purpose
! of inspecting everything in connection with
4 it. He knows the mechanical as we'll as the
| financial side of every road-big or little-in
/ the whole system. His father was wonder
| full man, but in organizing ability and Tor
| adrotness in planning into the future and
| skill in circumventing all who oppose him,
| he never in all his railroad experience APP
| preached his son.
| The personality of George Gould is inter
esting from the fact that he has been more
| or less in the public eye since he took charge
| Of the affairs of his fathers estate. He has
| settled determined manner and an un-
| usually serious turn of mind. In height he
| is medium, rather inclined to a sturdy
| frame. with a well sloped head, firmly set
| on broad shoulders. His eyes are bright and
snappy. but not large. His nose is small and
| straight, his chin firm and jaws square and
unwavering. His feet and hands are small.
He dresses always fashionaby, but in the
| best of taste.
| Gould was graduated from Columbia Col
| lege when he was quite young. He will be
forty years old next February. After his
| studies were finished he took a tour of Eu-
| rope, and on this trip purchased the schoon-
| er yacht Hidegarde, owned by the Prince or
Wales: On ms return nome, wniG IN was on
| at once the Office Of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company as a>clerk There he devei-
| oped such an aptitude for detail that his
| father depended upon his assistance more
and more. The young man put in eight ana
| ten hours a day at his desk, and sometimes
his Office light was burning far into the
night. During his long hours at the Office he
found time to master the art of telegraphy,
becoming an expert at the keys. telegraph
| instrument is placed in his city and coun-
try houses, always keeping him In close
| touch with the Office
When Gould was young man all his
pleasures had tinge of business in them.
| When he bought riding horse he bought
| him at the lowest possible figure, and al
| ways calculated on selling him at neat
profit when through with him; He never
| was much of q talker, but what he SAID was
always TO the point.
II don't believe George Gould ever told
| funny story in his life," said an old friend
of his to the writer, but don't hold with
others that he is utterly lacking in apprecia-
| ton of humor. There were certain stories
that were favorites of his, and his attitude
toward story was the same as toward
| friend-he never grew tired of either. know
| in college there young fellow who
once told story about German running to
| catch a ferryboat. The student told 1t with
| the German accent and with great particu-
larity. He related how the German went
tearing down the street. knocking over baby
| carriages and stumbling over dogs in his
efforts to catch the boat before it pulled out.
Finally the man got TO the pier just as the
ferryboat six feet from the dock and
1 WITH ~ SupeTHuIluu SpIiuS icdpSo Jul ONti
the tide, landing on the deck and knocking
over the captain.
We'll, by chmminies vos make dot boat
anyways" cried the delighted German all
out of breath.
but the captain. picking himself up and
brushing his clothes, swore like pirate and
exclaimed:
"'You crazy idiot. the boat is just coming
in
.Ten years after George Gould left college
this same man told the same story one night
at banquet at which George Gould was
present. George laughed as heartily at 1t as
he did the first time he heard it. i always
did like that story said he.
Another thing that illustrates his grasp
of details far as his roads are concerned
is a little incident that occurred in the Office
of the Missouri Pacific one day. Gould hap
| when one of the clerks was asking another
the name of a certain employe in minor
station along the line Gould stopped for
the other man did not know the employe' S
| name Gould gave the information quietly
and went into his private office. will ven-
ture that he knows the names of more en-
| ployes i'm subordinate positions on the differ
| ent roads in his system than any other per-
| son connected with the companies. He is a
great stickler for accuracy and he requires
| all of his men, when they are asked ques-
| ton. TO know what they are talking about
| when they answer. Guess work will not do.
If a man does not know. he wants him TO
say so frankly. But he is a most just to
| work for. The proof of this is that in the
1
| who worked for years for the elder Gould.
George Gould never speculates personally
on Wall street as ii was necessary for Jay
| Gould to do in order to protect his property
| by some great coup on the Stock Exchange.
The sons interests rest on 4 much firmer
| foundation than the elders, and he has a
| much larger circle of rich associates to rally
to his aid in times of f1urries on the street.
Whatever business is necessary to be done
| on the stock market is performed by brok-
ers Although surrounded by many old and
| trusted employees George Gould works hard
ct than any of them. and the long hours of
his youthful clerical days are still continued.
He reaches his office promptly at 10 each
morning. About l O'Clock his luncheon is
brought to him and is eaten in the Office.
The luncheon is always modest. Frequently
il is ordered from the unpretentious restau-
rant in the Western Union building patron
lied by the employees.
While Jay Gould was fitting his son to fill
his place in the business world he took care
to educate him in all the branches that
would be useful 10 him in after years While
he did not want him TO be a Spectator. IL
was necessary for him to obtain thorough
knowledge OF the ways of the street For
many years Jay Gould had been partner in
the brokerage business with Washington T..
Common. In 1855 Jay Gould Withdrew from
this partnership, and George Could took his
place. There he remained until ne became
conversant with the ms and outs of the