Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-10
Harriman's Wealth
Too Vast to Count

NEW YORK, September 1O.-No trust
worthy exact estimate can be made OF
the wealth Of Mr.. Hartman. Probably
he did not himself know within several
million dollars what he was, worth. One
of the reasons why he accomplished more
than any other man in the world in the
past few years was explained in single
phrase by his intimate friend, Jacob H
Schiff Of Kuhn. Loeb &. Co.. who said
Everybody who goes in with Hartman
makes money
That is why Kuhn, Loeb & Co. put be.
hind Hartman the untold wealth Of the
German investors whom Kuhn, Loeb &
Co. represent in this country; why Speyei
& Co. became the hackers of Hartman
why the young scions Of the houses OF
Vanderbilt and Goelet were glad to fol-
low him, to sit In his boards of directors
and to do his bidding like clerks.
The vast stream of wealth of the great
life insurance companies was put al
Harriman's call without reserve. because
in the end he heaped up the riches In
their vaults. And even the King of Eng.
land, fascinated by the stories Of profits
made by Harrimans followers. invested
| largely in his enterprises.
Not Money Mad.
Yet 1t is doubtful whether the mere
acquisition Of money was ever the gov
erning motive In Harrimans mind. He
was Unsuitable and relentless in the pur-
suit Of new fields to conquer, in getting
ahead OF rivals, in mastering opposition
| in making himself the ruling power in
the railroad industry. AS he succeeded
In doing these things. great wealth fol-
lowed as q matter OF course.
Forever unsatisded-never dissatisfied
uaS one Of his notices
Morgan, who was master in the rail-
road world before the rise OF Hartman,
commanded the legtons of money. but
knew little about the practical operation
of railroads. James ]. Hill. Hartman
greatest rival as a traffic man and rail-
road builder, knew less or the banking
side. Hartman, who began as specu-
lator in Wall street, knew the stock ex-
change as we'll as Morgan, and after
fifteen years Of unremitting study as vice
president and member OF the executive
committee OF the Illinois Central he
learned the operating side of railroads
as we'll as Hill.
the mastery OF money and the genius OF
operation. He could add together three
different railroad systems whose COM
bined traffic separately amounted to, say
$125, 600 COO q year and make them earn
500, 10000 year. So great was his
genius for money-making that he seemed
able to prove that and and s. when
added together df they were his prop
erties) made. not 10. according to the
old railroad arithmetic. but 20.
A Hint Of His Vast Wealth.
AS to his exact wealth, statemen,
made by him week before his departure
for the German baths last summer is
interesting. He was shown the proof
| sheets OF an article containing a statemen,
that Mr.. Harriman's personal wealth wa
not colossal; that 1t amounted to only 9
fraction OF the wealth of Rockefeller or
Carnegie or any Of the elder Rothschilds,
bu. that he had amassed fortune In the
last twenty years probably as large as the
Gould fortune, and had made three OF
Tour times his own wealth for other men
We'll" said Mr.. Hartman. when this
paragraph was read to him, 'I wish you
would cut that out. AS a matter Of fact
don't mind telling you that have more
money than Gould ever had. or would
have II he lived a hundred years"
1t Is. OF course. matter Of record In
the supreme court of New York that the
(Continded on Eleventh PaEe)