The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-04-16
Began Life as Poor Boy and is Now the
Head of Great Engineering and
Construction Company.
He is Young Man, But the List of His
Notable Accomplishments in This
Direction is Long One.

rlouS recur with greater frequency as
New York leaps nearer her manifest
destiny as the greatest city in the
wrold-thcrc arises out of the busy cir
Gle Of ccaselcss toilers ever at work
on the upbuilding Of the city's material
progress some one man whose person.
ality, comparatively unknown before,
becomes of absorbing interest to every
one of the four millions Of New York
crs, says the New York Herald.
For the period when the city awoke
to the realization that a t last real rapid
transit was in sight, and that men were
actually at work with pick and shovel
and hammer and machines on the
building of the road the man of the
hour was John B. Mcdonald. Around
him when he appeared as the single
individual who was to create q monster
addition to the city's possessions was
all tho interest and glamour that per-
tains in the mind of the every day citi-
zen to the man who does big things
becomes a nations ruler or a nations
defender or who makes grow two
blades of grass where only one grew
before.
Now that all New York is awaiting
with tranquility the opening of the
rapid transit railroad and preparing to
throw up it's hat with the 100000 pub
lie jubilation that is planned, another
man who docs things has come into
the glare of the public limclight. This
man, John Il. O'Rourkc, is bringing
the New York Central railroad into the
city on vast spread of tracks sunk be-
low the street level, and he is about to
bring into the city another great trunk
line, the Pennsylvania, through Il tun-
mel under the Hudson river
Figures will not lie, and in the cases
of both these contracts the figures have
not been given out, but it is generally
understood that the O'Rourke Engi-
necring Construction company is doing
a $7,5OO,OO0 job of work for the Van
dcrbilt system and that it's contract
with the Pennsylvania amounts to
$15,0OO,OO0. And never word has ap-
pcared in the newspapers about diff
Guilty and vexatious delays ana unforc-
seen bitches caused by the require
ments of bonds and forfcits ana money
guarantees that the work will be done
satisfactorily ana on time 1t will be
recalled that the signing of the rapid
transit contract required many confer
ences in Wall street and the city hall
and as much time and minor legislation
as would have the signing of a treaty
of peace had the city been humblcd ut
the menace of hostile navy.
Though very well known to the men,
bcrs of the American Society of Civil
Engineers, to the congregation of st.
Patrick's cathedral and to the men who
have financed the building Of most of
the lofty downtown skyscrapers, the
name of O'Rourke is less familiar to
the average New Yorker than that of
NaughtOn Il Co., whose wagons and
slantics and toolhouses have been
scattered along the streets for years
whenever one set Of tracks was torn up
and another laid or cable or horse pow
er gave way to electricity as motive
power for surface railway.
Mr.. O'Rourkc is n young man and a
modest one. But he has so proved his
ability to accomplish great engineering
enterprises and his capacity to build as
well as plan that without any fuss Or
noise at all a dozen business men whose
names represent capital and credit
enough to finance small nation got
together less than two years ago and
said in effect to the engineer, "Go as
far as you like; we'll back YOU"
He is a short, blue eyed, ruddy faced,
light haired, well dressed man who
would look perfectly in place on the
floor Of the Stock Exchange or in the
gold room at the Waldorf-Astoria and
who requires a stretch of the imagina-
ton to picture him before draughting
board, pencil and dividers in hand and
surrounded by countless tables of