The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-16
SPROULE GOES
A step HIGHER
Freight Traffic Manager of
Southern Pacific Accepts
Offer of Guggenheims.
GETS PRlNCELY SALARY
LEAVES HARTMAN ROAD WITH
REGRET.

San Francisco, Aug. 15.-Freight Traf-
fic Manager William Sproule of the
Southern Pacific company has been of
fered and has accepted what is proba-
bly, the highest industrial traffic position
in the country. Oct. 1 next he assumes
the traffic management Of the American
Smelling Refinery. the American Sme,t-
ing Securities company, the Shelters
steamship company and score of small
er corporations, including railways in
Nevada and Alaska and smelters and
mines on both continents Of the western
hemisphere. On the Pacific coast alone
these companies own smelters at Tacoma,
Everett. San Francisco and Selby. Their
properties in Utah. Colorado. Nevada,
Mexico and South America are immense.
Their holdings in South America are val
ued at hundred million dollars or more.
Came Up Step by Step.
Sproule has been regarded as the fore
most freight traffic man west of Chicago
since j. 9. Stubs was taken east and
made traffic director of the Hartman
lines with their 10000 miles of rail and
steamer lines. Sproule entered the SER
vice as a clerk in the freight department
in 1882 and leaves 1T In the highest traffic
position in the west after twenty-four
years Of continuous service, having Occu
pied every round OF the ladder from the
bottom to the top. 1t is known that Pres
ident Hartman and Traffic Director
STUDIOS were extremely reluctant TO &C
cept his resignation, though 1t is said that
Mr.. Hartman is. with Joseph Schiff, his
associate in the Hartman lines. large
stakeholder in the smelter properties Of
and therefore has not altogether lost
SprOule's services.
PrlnceIy Salary.
The position offered Sproule gives him
jurisdiction over the relations with car
riers of probably the largest volume of
traffic controlled by one organization and
makes him traffic master OF several rail-
roads and steamship lines owned by the
Smelter companies. 1t Is said that the
offer made SprOuls is most flattering and
though little information on that subject
can be secured directly it is believed car
ries with 1t salary of $4,000 per year.
His headquarters will be at Il Broadway,
New York.
Sproule will be greatly missed in the
commercial circles Of the coast and par
ticularly in San Francisco, where he was
leading member Of many important
! commercial organizations and known as
an unexcelled after-dinner talker. He
said tonight:
Could Not Refuse the Offer.
1.-The nature of the offer from the com
panies under the direction of President
Guggenheim is such that one can hardly
refuse, and is the only reason for my
leaving. Service with the Southern Pa
cific for twenty-four years with two such
master minds as c. P. Huntington and
Z. II. Hartman controlling its destiny.
has been most interesting and agreeab BILE,
and 1 break my present business and
personal associations with the keenest
regret. Under Mr.. Huntington I saw the
development of California follow upon the
construction OF the railroads wherever
traffic promised; under Mr.. Hartman
has come a second and greater era of de-
velepoment- coincident with the spending
of many, many millions in the recon
struction of these roads at the vital per
/ iod when commerce existing and soon
| to exist demanded greater facilities. Cal
/ ifornia has been very fortunate in having
| a man like Hartman at the head of it's
| greatest transportation lines In the pres
| ent crisis. This is will realize more and
| more time goes on. but ] doubt if the
| producers and business men of California
/ will ever fully understand how important
/ a factor in the development of the state
| has been Mr. Harriman's bold expendi-
| lures to improve the transportation ser
vice. The rail lines of ten years ago
| could not at all give the necessary ser
vice to the California of today. I would
| like to stay in San Francisco and grow
| up with the city again-but If l cannot
/ 1t will always have my best wishes and
| hold my keenest interest"