Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-01

81 way king. He Is always Ameri-
&4Ek& can and almost invariably he has
- been evolved from a poor boy. He
is the practical man to whom American
cities are looking for solutions Of their
transportation problems. and he is the
man who is spending millions upon millions
in his efforts to meet the demands Of con-
t~inualiy increasing centers OF population.
Representative Of his class are Fl. Fl. Vree-
land of New York, Charles T. Yerkes of
Chicago. Murray Werner and Judge J.
Widener and William L. Elkins OF Phil
adelphia.
But although the transportation problem
is far from solved in this country the
American street railway king is already
reaching out into foreign fields. Charles
T. Yerkes is going to give London a mod
ern underground system; Murray Werner
is laying electric railways in the capital
Of the car, st. Petersburg. and nearly
every European city that can boast of up
to-date systems Of transportation has to
acknowledge that American money and
American brains have figured largely in
the consummation.
Mr.. Werner is typical of the American
railway magnate abroad. Like the major
ity of his fellows. he started with nothing
except an indomitabIe determination to
dhhOuhl " ocllitObhy bbIhC udy. II was MS
ambition that sent him from his fathers
farm in Western Pennsylvania to Pitts
burg. where, after knocking around for
several weeks looking for a job, he seized
on an opportunity to become a horse car
driver. His knowledge of horses, gained
on the farm, stood him in good stead, and
1t was soon noticed that his car was hardly
ever behind it's schedule and his. horses
always in good condition. This led to
young Verner's transfer to the car barns
as stable boss. Here he remained for sew
eral years, saving his employers thousands
of dollars in horsehesh.
AS a reward for this piece of business
he was graduated into a more responsible
position. where, in the words of one OF his
old employers, Murray did the work Of
two men in half the time they would have
taken to do it," Then, gradually, step by
step, ne advanced until finally he became
superintendent of the line. He was still
young when this happened. but he had
not been in his new position twelve months
before the road was placed on a paying
basis. something hat former superintend-
ents lad strived' in vain to do for years.
Mr.. Werner had made the road a good
investment simply because he had learned
the business from a to q, and it was not
long before this fact was recognized.
Then, when the era of the trolley car
came, men of capital interested themselves
in Mr.. Werner. and pretty soon were found
to be backing him in his purchases and
electrifcation Of rundown street RAILWAYS
throughout the central states.
In every case Mr.. Werner gave the lines
personal attention, with the result that
they we're transformed into profitable prop
critics with almost lightning-like rapidity.
After he had amassed a fortune of
$3,0OO.GOO from this sort of work Mr.. YER
ner concluded that he would see what could
be done toward giving European cities
better transportation facilities. With this
object in view he went abroad. After
looking over Paris, Berlin and several
other continental cities. he travelled to st.
Petersburg to visit a friend, who took him
homo in one Of the rattle-trap tram cars
that have been fixtures Of the cars capital
for generations. Mr.. Werner was so dis
gusted with that mode of getting around
that he said, jokingly, to his companion:
"I've half a notion to come to this town
and give it electric railways"
The friend took the remark seriously.
"If you can get the proper concessions
from the authorities" he said, you'll
make a mint of money"
That remark made Mr.. Werner prick up
his ears, and, whereas he had planned 10
remain in st. Petersburg scarcely a week.
he stayed two months making investiga-
tiOns and talking to oficiaIs. When ne
departed he carried back to Pittsburg an
agreement between himself and the cars
representative for modern transportation