The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-04-08

Gould lines. In that capacity he at
tracted the attention of Mr.. HoXie, the
founder of the Missouri Pacific, and was
employed by him as the immigration
agent. He associated himself with Uriah
Lott, and in 1884 he built his first rail-
road, the San Antonio and Arkansas Pass
from Waco, in the center of the state,
straight through to the gulf of Mexico.
When d. b. Robinson became president
he made Yoakum his assistant. In this
capacity he did so well that In 1893, when
Robinson went to the Santa Fe he took
Yoakum with him and put him in charge
of the Texas division of that road as gen
eral manager In 1897 Robinson became
president of the Frisco lines and took
YoalSum with him as vice-president and
general manager. Two years later Mr..
Robinson died and Yoakum succeeded him
in the presidency.
At that time the Frisco system COM
prised only 1120 miles. 1t now has a mile
age of 6016 Two years ago 1t allied itself
with the Rock Island lines Yoakum Is
chairman of the executive committee
which has control of more than 1905
miles of railroad making it the largest
system that is or ever was under the per-
sonal influence of one man. These rail-
| roads and their tributaries are spoken of
| everywhere Familiarity as the "Yoakum
| lines"
Mr. Yoakum is not buying up railroads
and creating trust; he is building rail-
| roads. He is not seeking to establish a
monopoly for any one line he is, on the
contrary, trying to make two or more
| railroads penetrate into territory where
there is as yet but one, or perhaps none
at all
| 1t should be understood that day by day
and week by week, each and every one OF
the 'Yoakum lines is being extended and
its mileage multiplied just as fast as the
| slight grading over the rich alluvium of
| this country can be accomplished and the
| steel rails laid
| During the last eight years Mr.. Yoakum
has planned and carried on the construc-
, ton of 1900 miles of railroad, at cost
| with equipment, of more than 600 per
mile, which Is more new miles of railroad
, than have been built by any man in
America. There is now under construction
by him in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma
| more new construction than is being done
I by any other interest (the 800 miles of the
| Western Pacific, under construction by
/ Mr.. George Gould being the next largest
new mileage now being built. All this
construction has been through a section
of country which has needed the new
railroad to aid in its development and
has been accomplished by Mr.. Yoakum
In a quiet way and with little fuss.
| To complete and round up the system of
railroad building by which he hopes to
attract millions of agricultural and in
dustrial people to the west and south
west within the next decade, Mr.. Yoakum
has comprehensive plans He expects to
construct 1000 miles of additional tracks
st. Paul, Mimi. and WATERFOWL, S. D.,
are now the termini of the Rock Island
Frisco lines in the north; Eel Paso and
Denver in the west and New Orleans and
Brownsville, Tex, in the south. The
Yoakum lines will give through tracks
from st. Paul to New Orleans, to Browns
Vile and Eel Paso, Tex. From Browns
vile, the southernmost town In the Uni
ted States, at the mouth of the Rio
Grande, there is now completed a line
along the gulf coast northward to Gal
weston, pa miles.
This line, known as the Gulf Coast
Line, constitutes one of the most striking
examples of Mr.. Yoakum's empire build
ing, and of his faith in the future of the
Rio Grande valley, which 1t is the pur-
pose to develop now that 1t Is possible to
make 1t highly productive by irrigation.
1t used to be standinga joke to say all
that was needed to. make Texas a pleas
ant place to live in was society and wa
ter. IF | owned hell ane Texas, ia rent
Texas and live in hell" phil Sheridan
is credited as saying.
He would not say so today" declares
B. F. Yoakum. Texas now has society
a-plenty and it has water too"