The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-08-14
RAILROAD WORLD.

The deal consummated Wednesday by
which the Rock Island-Frisco interests
acquired control of the Seaboard Air Line
continued to be the absorbing theme of
conversation in railroad, financial and
shipping circles yesterday. All shippers
in this district take the same view Of
the new eombination-it is a great thing
for all parties affected. the Frisco. the
Seaboard and the city of Birmingham.
Some of the newspapers state the mile
age of the Rock Island Frisco much too
low. They evidently got their figures from
out-of-date reports. The lines controlled
by the Securities company, styled the
Rock Island company total more than
1900 miles. The Frisco. with its recent
acquisition, has a mileage of nearly 6O00
and the Seaboard operates a mileage of
little more than 1900.
B. F. Yoakum president of the St.
Louis and San Francisco railroad, COM
monty known as the Frisco, who was the
leading spirit in the Rock Island deal
and also in the Seaboard deal is about
81 or 81 years old. He spent three days
in Birmingham last fall, and while he
was here made the acquaintance of
large number of prominent citizens. He
is tall, handsome man or pleasant man
ners, and every one who met him liked
him.
Mr.. Yoakum has been in the railroad
business pretty much all his life. He was
poor boy and worked his way up from
''the bottom" For several years he was
poorly paid clerk in a railroad office in
Texas.
About twenty years ago he had risen
to the position of industrial agent of the
International and Great Northern rail-
road, which was part of the Gould sys-
TEN. A few years later he became gem
eral freight agent of tho San Antonio and
Arkansas Pass He was soon afterward
made general manager of that road and
became one of its receivers. From the
Arkansas Pass road he went with the
Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe, as vice
president and from the Gulf road he
went with the st. Louis and San Fran
cisco as vice president and general man
aged. About three years ago he was
elected president.
The Constitution of yesterday contains
the following racy sketch:
Undoubtedly the chief mover in this
lin Yoakum, late of Texas.-7IIe is the
man who started out to build the San
Antonio and Arkansas Pass railway in
Texas with only IS bill in his pocket.
He worked like a convict under the lash
of his ambition and suffered discourage
ments that would have made Sisyphus
sit down to laugh at him, but his bull
dog persistency won. He saw the road
built and reach its present >extent of 6S7
miles, spreading out Into steel hand
over the heart and lungs of Texas. The
town of Yoakum was built in his honor,
and there he lived like a prince, where in
the early days of his struggle he could
hardly buy his family provisions day
ahead of his needs.
Then he got in with the crowd that
controlled the Frisco and became its pres
ident At once he set his brain toy work
/. figuring out a system to cover the south
west and in January last realized his
dream by seeing the practical consolida-
ton into one system of the Chicago,
Rock Island and Pacific roads with those
of the Frisco system. This gave COM
bination reaching from Chicago to Ell
PaSO ann '-~-4 Denver 10 blrmlllBHdTl
Ala.
But Yoakum could not content his am
bltion with so much. He envied the hold
ers OF the south Atlantic ports If ha
could only figure to capture some of the
best of them he would be the railroad
liking of the world" He could give a
merry ha-ha! to that expatriated Amer
lean, Sir William Van Horne of the Can
adian Pacific, make the Vanderbilts look
like trade dollars" give George Gould
a cramp in his polo wrist and even make
the car of Russia take his old trans
Siberian system to a seat south Of the
salt
When the Seaboard Air Line began to
figure on its new line between Atlanta and
Birmingham to reach the iron works. Col
onel Yoakum saw things that made thrills
run over him and goose bumps grow on
his body. Here was the chance of his
nfe-the chance of an epoch In civili
cation. So he set to work to get control
of the Seaboard Air Line. Like Jim
Bludsoe on the prairie Belle" Yoakum
''seen his duty and he done It,"
Particularly at this season Hoods Sar-
saparilla sustains the strength and pre-
vents illness
III Iii.