The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-12

old road. he secured "a leave of abb
| sence and went to line then known
as the Columbus & Sa41dusky Short
Line, later known as the Columbus
| Sandusky & Hooking raairoad, and on
| the Goth day of April, 1894, he was
/ promoted to a position as locomotive
engineer, not being twenty-one years
old until the nineteenth day of the fol-
| lowing month. This made him the
youngest locomotive engineer in the
state of Ohio, and the third youngest
| in the United States, there being one
younger on a branch line in Pennsyl-
vania, and another on some line in
Texas. He continued to be an engi-
| neer on the G. s. & H. until 1896 when
! he was compelled to resign on account
| of his eyesight. He then engaged in
the lumber business with his father
] in Columbus, Ohio, and held a prOmi-
nent political appointment under Gov
ernoraBuShnen. While he was an en-
gineer he was a favorite among the
officials and two years after he re-
signed in 1898, while standing on a
platform of a small station on the c.
J S. & H. railroad, William T. Thorn
burg, who was then general manager,
stopped with his private car and asked
Mr.. Taylor to accompany him to Co
lumbus. During this trip Mr.. Taylor
accepted a position as a statistical
agent, handling the paper in regard to
the cost of operation. This position
he held until the railroad was finally
absorbed by the Pennsylvania railroad.
He then purchased a few country eIe-
vators and started into the grain
| business, being very successful.
While in Pittsburg, Penn, settling
up some grain business he was ten
dered a position in large grain house
there which he accepted, still retain
ing his country elevators, but after
one years service he decided that COM
petition was too strong, and reading of
the great wheat crops in Kansas he
decided to sell out and come west and
start into the grain business for him
self.
Therefore on the 18th day of
March, 1902, he opened offices in To-
peka in the rooms now occupied by
Geo. NJ. Noble & Co. In the follow
ing winter he purchased what was then
known as the Capital elevator in North
Topeka and began to do a general ex-
port grain business. but, in the year
1903 met heavy losses in the great
Kaw Valley flood. That fall, how
ever, he was exceedingly successful,
and handled the third largest amount
of grain through the port of Calves
ton. The following year he discov-
cred that the Topeka mills were dis
eliminating against his wheat, and he
decided to enter into the flour bust
ness, which led to the building of the
New Curator flour mill in North To-
peka.
Mr.. Taylor has been active in tho
Commercial club work of Topeka.
president of the Topeka Commercial
club, he made Mr.. Taylor chairman of
the transportation committee, which is
considered the most important COM
mittee in the club. 1t was during his
administration that Topeka received
a reduction in the coal freight rates,
and an adjustment of the jobbing
rates. Mr.. Taylor is Well-known and
well-liked by all the railroad officials
and he maintains that there is only
one way to get along with a railroad
corporation, and that is by friendly CO.
operation. 1t was during Mr. Holli-
days first administration as the presi-
dent of the Commercial club, that Mr..
Taylor was put in charge of the To-
peka Eskridge & Council Grove rail-
road. The whole matter, was turned
over to him to handle it in his own
way, and he set about at once to Sc
cure the proper information so that he
could present it to ca pitalists intelli-
gently. This required several months
of hard labor in gathering statistics
securing right of way, etc. After he
had gathered these statistics, he went
to New York and presented them to
one of the best known bonding houses
in New York, which resulted in them
sending Mr.. H. NJ. Herbert here to
make the examination.
In discussing this matter Mr.. Tay-
Tor says, There is only one way to
handle any proposition, and that is the
right way. and if anything is not worth
ALL
That seems to have been his repu-
tation While in the railroad service In
speaking of Mr. Taylor as a Iocomo-
tive engineer, Mr.. P. T. Bancroft, who
was master mechanic of the c. S. & H.
at the time Mr.. Taylor was engineer,
while visiting Mr. Taylor not long ago,
remarked that Billy had three hob
bies or speciaIties and they were the
book of rules train orders and .au-
tomato air brakes. We had not
man in our employ who could touch
him on any of the three specialtfes.
He was by far the fastest runner and
took better care of his locomotive than
any other man we had. He was a fav-
orite among the E1ks and other or
CARNATIONS of Columbus, who ran
their annual excursions to Sandusky
City,