The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-31
oouLD's PERSONALITY
Some Facts About the Man Who Has Built Up a Great Railroad System.

l 'S ASfeHSu bo pldH tIe OeIdllS tHdt bu
 to make up the whole work. But back
 of all there must be one head-there must
 be the general. the master mind. The | most prejudioed must admit that in the | building up of the Wabash and the Mis- | souri Pacific systems there have been | displayed remarkable head work and
 keen foresight. The big transcontinental
 scheme was not the ebullition 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 it takes something beside mere money to build railroads across | continents. Every little objection and l every possible hitch was seen intuitively | in advance. First the obstacles were con-
 siiered 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 l planned.
 | George Gould, without question. is the head and the brains of the Gould sys- ! tenn. He has had the greatest men | in the country about him." said a 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. Re- gently he made journey covering the entire Gould system for the purpose of inspecting everything in connection with it. He knows the mechanical as well as the financial side of every road-blg or little-in the whole system. His father was a wonderful man. but in organizing ability and for adroitness in planning
 into the future and skill in circumvent-
 ing all who oppose him, he never in all
 his railroad experience, approached his son.
 The personality of George Gould is in-
 teresting 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. Hes has a settled, determined
 manner, and an unusually serious turn
 of mind. In height he is medium, rather
 inclined to a sturdy frame, with a well
 sloped head, firmly set on broad shoul-
 ders. 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 fashionably, but in the best of taste.
 Gould was graduated from Columbia
 College when he was quite young. He will be 40 years old next February. Af- ter his studies were finished he took a tour of Europe. and on this trip pur- chased the schooner yacht Hildegrade, owned by the Prince of Wales. On his | return home, which was on the day be- fore he became of age, he entered at once the office of the Western Union Tel egraph Company as clerk. There he
 developed such an aptitude for detail
 that his father depended upon his as- sistance more and more. The young man
 put in eight and ten hours 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 in strument is placed in his city and coun- try houses. always keeping him in close | touch with the office.
 l When Gould was a 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 always calculated on selling | him at neat profit when through with
 him. He never was much of a talker, | but what he said was always to the point.
 l q don't believe George Gould ever told | a funny story in his life" said an old
 friend of his to the writer, but l don't
 hold with others that he is utterly lack | ing in appreciation of humor. There were | certain stories that were faVorites Of his, | and his attitude toward a story was the | same as toward a friend-he never grew | tired of either I know in college there | was a young fellow who once told story | about a German running to catch a fer-
 ryboat. The student told it with the Ger | man accent and with great particularly.
 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 IL | pulled out Finally the man got to the ! pier just as the ferryboat was six feet I from the dock and with superhumah | spring. leaped out over the tide, landing | on the deck and knocking over the cap l tain
 "yell by chimminies I vos make dot boat anyways" cried the oeilshleu "0 man all out of breath.
 But the captain picking himseli up and brushing his colthes, swore ike pirate and exclaimed:
 You crazy idiot the boat is just com
 ing in. "Ten years after George Gould left col | lege this same man told the same story one night at banquet at which Gould
 was present. George laughed as heartily
 at it 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 so far as his roads are | concerned Is a little incident that occur
 red in the office of the Missouri Pacific
 one day. Gould happened to be passing l through the outer office when ono of the clcrks was asking another the name of a
 certain employe in d minor station along
 the line. Gould stopped for a minute to 1 hear the other mans reply. But the other man did not know the employees s name. Gould gave the information quiet
 ly and went into his private office.
 will venture that he knows the names of
 more employees in subordinate positions on | the different roads in his system than any other person connected with the com panies. He Is a great stickler for &C.,
 c'lracy and he requires all of his men
 when they are asked a question to know
 what they are talking about when they
 answer. Guess work will not do. If
 man does not know. he wants him to
 say so frankly. But he is most just
 man to work for. The proof of this Is
 that in the employ of the Gould roads are
 many men who worked for years for the i elder Gould"
 George Gould never speculates personai- l " on Wall Street. es 1t 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 a much frmcr foundation than the elders. and he has a much larger circle of rich associates to rally to his aid in time of furries on the street. What ever business is necessary to be done on , the stock market is performed by brokers.
 Although surrounded by many old and |