The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-01-17

I Those three words seem to explain
Mr.. McCrea's rise to power. There
was opportunity for big thinking in
the railroad business at Pittsburg and
westward dozen years ago, as there
was in the eastern section. That Mr..
Cassatt thought big also is proved by
the vast terminal system now being
completed in and around New York
city, which the other big thinker from
the western end will be privileged to
operate.
A Genius In Managing Big Things.
Railroad men called Cassatt a great
constructor, and they call McCrea a
great operator. The genius Of McCrea
lies largely in administering and man.
aging big things. Mr.. Cassatt has left
him legacy Of the biggest things now
on earth in certain spheres Of railroad
ing, and it is the general expectation
that Mr.. McCrea will measure up to
the requirements of their administra-
ton. Substantial and large as his
former work has been, he now has in
prospect the biggest work Of his life.
President McCrea is now engaged in
getting acquainted with those Of his
subordinates in the eastern section
whom he does not know already. 1t is
told Of him that he knows personally
every man in the service west Of Pitts
burg, from train dispatcher to general
superintendent. Mr.. McCrea is credit
ed with having an "understudy" sys-
TEN throughout all the divisions that
have been under his management. This
Is something uniquely interesting. For
instance, suppose the train dispatcher
at Popup Junction should resign, die or
get discharged. Mr.. McCrea already,
in that big thinking brain Of his, has
the Popup dispatcher's successor Sc
lected Though the man does not know
it himself, he has been serving as un-
derstudy to the regular dispatcher.
McCrea has had him there for that
purpose. So in the case Of q general
manager or other high official. The
McCrea understudy, "unbeknownst'' to
A1AASCAA VI SAC pA1ASApoA, 10 ACouJ "
take the chief role at moments no.
tice and carry on the work. Thus
bitches are avoided, things run smooth
~ and trains do not run off the track
because of a mixup in management.
No Friend of Sinecures.
Mr.. McCrea is an enemy Of sine
cures. He does not see any reason for
man holding job unless there is q
reason for it. In the latter part of
1878 he was sent to Jersey City to
take charge Of the New York division
as superintendent. He stayed four
years. When he first reached the Of
fees he saw a group of men and asked
them what they were doing. "We're
dispatchers," they replied. In another
room was another group, who gave the
same reply to the same question. A
third group replied similarly.
''Well, if the lightning doesn't reduce
the number of dispatchers around this
place before I get to work I'll do it. -
remarked McCrea. He did it too.
Among railroaders McCrea Is called
a man of energy. That means much
in railroading. Opportunities are great,
but competition is keen. President
McCrea has become so accustomed to
hard work and pushing methods that
he considers work recreation. he
has been known to spend nearly all
night at work over the affairs Of his
western division while riding home
ward in his private car from a days
work in the directors Offices at Phila-
delphia. He has no use for men who
do not see work to be done without be-
ing led up to the work with a halter
and hitched to it with a chain. Under
him, it is said, a man who works is
sure to be rewarded.
Mr.. McCrea is known as the patron
of young men. "Watch the young
men, is his favorite motto. The old
timers tell of an occasion when he Wis
tied the president Of one of the Penn
sylvania's subsidiary lines which was
under his management A certain
Tommy Blank was in this lines EN-.
ploy. Mr.. McCrea asked the president
of the line how Tommy was getting
along. The official never had heard of
Tommy.
"You watch Tommy" said Mr.. Nc
Crea. "He is doing fine work for you,
he has the stuff in him, and he is a
coming man. Keep your eye on Tom
N.Y."
Tommy Of course was merely some
body's understudy.
Consistent Foe of Grating.
The one thing about President Nc
Crea which will cause the rest Of the
United States to offer him the glad
hand and congratulate him upon his
promotion is that he is q consistent and
persistent foe Of grating. That is his
record. He is quoted as saying re-
Gently:
II can forgive an outright thief or a
burglar or q safe breaker, but hate a
CRATER, a man who betrays a trust,
who leads one life and acts another,
who wears a hypocritical smile while