Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-19

Because he was always '1earning
things on the side" and storing up his
Information for possible future use, ].
y. Harahan is today president Of the
Illinois Central railroad, one of the
greatest transportation properties in
the west. This Is the key to the sue
cess and progress of the man who
started In the railroad business as q
switchman and climbed up and UP un-
til he reached the highest executive
position of the road with which he
had been Identified for fifteen years.
Mr.. Harahan is an example of the
old school railroad man, whose
knowledge comes from rugged ex-
perienoe in the field and from a habit
of close observation. He Is not of the
old school, however, in that he sticks
to old methods. Methods are to him
only means to an end The end, the
result, Is the important thing. If his
own experience convinces him that his
way Is best, that is the way he goes.
II observation proves that some one
else has improved on his program he
seizes the new idea quickly and puts
1t to practical use.
Mr.. Harahan believes in technical
education. He advocates the best sci
entifc training obtainable in the engl-
neering schools of the day. He did not
have the advantage of these schools
III ldylDk tHt IOuUudllOn lOI Ills OWH
success but he was one in a million
in his ability to extract mental equip
ment from the great school of ex-
perience.
Every day Mr.. Harahan tried to ex-
pand the horizon of his information.
He learned things on the SIDE" When
he was a private in the ranks
during the Civil war he was not con-
tent to walt for orders from his su-
periors. He made a study of the tao
tics Of warfare and tried to anticipate
what the next order would be. There
must be q good reason for every move,
he thought, and he watched the game
of war as played by the masters as
the aspiring young chess player ana
lyzes every advance or retreat of the
postgraduate in that game.
Because of his reaching out for in
formation beyond his own little sphere
in the early days of the war, the cur
rent of Mr.. Harahan's life was turned
toward the railroad business. When
he was not engaged with his gun In
action he was observing the working
out of the other problems connected
with warfare. He became interested
particularly in the transportation of
supplies from the base to the front,
and in the operation of trains for that
purpose.
Unknown to the young man, men
him and overhearing his remarks on
the subject of transportation ques-
tions. They kept their counsel, but
detailed him for work on the railroad.
They had not mistaken their man.
Mr.. Harahan, then short of his ma
jority, showed such an aptitude for the
work and so much ability that he was
given his discharge from the army and
was employed by the government in
train work in Alexandria, Va. He was
yardmaster there for time and then
went out on the line of the Alexan-
dria and Orange road as brakeman.
In that capacity Mr. Harahan per-
formed his own duties admirably but
he did more than that He learned
all the duties and the angles connected
with the position Of conductor. He
became fireman, and when not throw
ing in coal he was studying the parts
of the engine and watching the ma
neuvers of the engine driver. 1t was
only short time until he was running
the engine himself, and doing it we'll
Mr.. Harahan accumulated an ex-
perience in those trying days of war
that is vouchsafed to few railroad men
in these days of peace. He had to
contend against the guerrilla work of
Colonel Mosby, whose men more than
once riddled with bullets the cab in
which young Harahan rode as he han
died the levers of the locomotive. Per-
haps it is due to the harassments of
Colonel Mosby's men more than to
any other one thing that Mr.. Hara-
han owes his tenacity in the carrying
out of a purpose, and his genius for
overcoming unexpected obstacles.
Dodging Guerrilla Bullets
'Guerrillas did not confine their opera
tions to shooting from ambush. They
tore up railroad tracks, burned bridges,
destroyed switching appliances and re-
sorted to all kinds of devices to wreck
trains, ruin supplies and kill crews
Mosby picked out the Alexandria and
Orange road as his particular object of
attack. One of his favorite works was
to draw spikes and bolts from a rail
so that 1t was entirely free and yet
still in it's place. In the bolt holes at