Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-12-19
20
sIDELleHTs ON Mr.. HARTMAN

keeping their private personality so
thoroughly hidden as did the late Ed
ward H. Hartman. The story of his
life is a narrative of successive achieve
ments in railroading and finance that
leaves little space for the human side.
A writer in the New York Tribune
has however, collected few anecdotes
that afford real glimpsas of Hartman
the man" from which the following are
selected.
A visitor at Mr.. Harriman's boys
club asked one of the members, IA
year-old boy, what he thought of the
clubs patron.
Mr. Hartman" replied the youngster,
lis a great man. He is president of
a railroad and worth a couple of thous-
and, anyway. He comes in, sees
Mr. Taber, the superintendent, and
goes on right about his business. He's
a quiet man and never tells any one
anything about his business. He amt
what l would call a fine-looking
man, but l bet he could put up a great
fight But he amt stuck up over 1t.
He comes down here and says to Willie
Schmidt: Hello, Bill and Willie says,
Hello, Mr.. Hartman, hows your
self?"
Mr.. Hartman spent $25O,OOO building
a clubhouse for these boys on the low
er east side. and he once said he got
more satisfaction out of his work with
the boys than he did with his railroads.
The Yankee financier made an inn
preston on at least one man at Bad
Gastein last summer That was the
manager of his hotel AS soon as he
was we'll settled he summoned that
functionary to his room.
Take a chair and sit down. l want
to talk to you" said Mr.. Hartman to
his visitor. First, want to say 1 am
very comfortable here. Next, | want
to know whether 1t is any use to bring
nv automobile here"
There are some exceedingly pretty
drives in the neighborhood of Gasteln,
and the hotel manager was naturaly
eloquent in his description or them.
"That's enough" he said. send TEL
egram at once to vienna W sehu my
car here at once"
"At once. sir" replied the manager
who had already learned that "Mr.
Hartman ALWAYS wanted everything
done at once" The manager or the no
tel was rushing away to send that tel
egram when Mr.. Hartman called MIN
back. 49, 1900.
await one minute" said he. "I expect
taken NV first thermal bath had the
hest sleep I've enjoyed for two years
Now tell your chef to bring my ap-
netite hack again and I'll be all right.
THE last meal I really enjoyed was
two wears ago. when I was with my
how hunting in the mountains in Amer
ica and cooked my breakfast mysel1.
II was a fine breakfast, I remember,
with bacon, green corn and beans: IL
was the last meal I really enjoyed
The manager was retiring TO senu
that telegram.
Just one thing more" said Mr.. Har-
riman. Tell the people with rooms
above nv terrace not to throw cigar
cites and things on my head when I'm
reading there. Finally, If you can or
der a little more sunshine I'll be very
much obliged to you"
"He never waits for anything" COM
mented one Bad Gastein visitor. speak
ing of Mr. Hartman. HE never even
waits for the lift, but goes upstairs
himself. In fact, everything has to
be done for him right away"
Mr.. Hartman had a sense or humor
Al well as supreme confidence in NM
self. Once a newspaper that mad mace
some bitter editorial attacks on the
railroads methods sent a reporter 10
ask him who, in his opinion were the
greatest two railroad men in the
world.
"Tm one." he flashed back. land the
other. in his own estimation, is the
editor of your paper"
Early in 1898 Mr. Hartman mace a
trip over the Union Pacific, or when
he had recently come into control.
Things were in a pretty thoroughly
run down condition and one delay ar