Evening journal., 1909-09-10
.
HARRlMAN's LIFE IN 4 NUTSHELL,

Edward Henry Hartman, who by the
sheer force OF his indomitable will merged
and made himself king OF the ties and
tho steel raiis--65.ooo miles OF American
railroads. himself In an inter-
view once ss "self-made man"
Beginning life in cottage OF poverty.
he ended IL IN palace Of affuenee.
Edward Henry Hartman never enjoyed
a real meal IN his life. As a child he did
not have them; as a man he was too busy
to eat them; as multi-millionaire his
constitution was too weak 20 stand them.
Hartman was born in the rectory OF
the little old, ramshaekled Episcopal
church at Hampstead, l.. l., few miles
from New York. His father was the late
Orlando Hartman, Jr., rector Of the lit
tie village church. His salary was stipu-
lated I'm the contract with the church at
! 5000 a year; tho salary was not always
paid. on this promised sa,ary OF less than
81 week, this goodly minister sought
to bring up a family OF six sturdy chil
dren with normal appetites. Often times
bread and water made up the meal OF the
family
To-day tho little church Is replaced by
a magnificent edince. richly endowed. It IS
Edward Henry Harrimans monument 70
his pious father. and his hard working
mother.
When Edward il. (he was always called
Henry" by the members Of his family.
was years old, and pinched faced. hun
cry looking youth he was, pastor Hartman
moved over TO Jersey City and with
him went his wife. his four boys, Mel
son. Orlando III, Edward II. and VIII
liam, and his daughters, Lily and
Annie.
Up to the year 1859, Rev. Hartman
had hard row to hoe" as Edward
II. declared. but in that year he was
given a better paying parish in New
Jersey, whose parishoners we're liter
ally better paying" and the burdens
Of the mother, who found life a strug-
gle even then. we're lightenod consid-
erably.
The four boys attended school FOR
two years at various intervals, and
when their old father showed signs
Of failing health. the boys struck out
into tho world 10 make fortunes for
themselves Young Edward secured
a position as a messenger In the Office
OF a small broker in Wall street. lie
4 was an under-s sized, weak-looking
near lighted, bespectacled youngster
! repellng confidence. even as he did II
later years. and making few, II an
real friends.
In four years this messenger hal
made himself so invaluable 10 tn
little brokerage office that he wa
y made a clerk, and given a small shar
In the profits.
Hartman spent little; he live
meaRerly. He set about to learn tn
& Wall street game. This was in th
early seventies. and his teachers an'
preceptors were 'old jay" Gould
"Jim" giske and Jay Cooke, truly q
trio Of financial names TO conjur,
with. IT was a hard game 10 learn
but the weak-looSing clerk learned 4
we'll. He learned all these bis
financiers could teach him, and ther
drew on his own imagination for more
In short, he learned more than hil
tutors knew.
lie speculated wisely as a young
g man. At % he had enough 20 buy q
r seat in the New York Stock Exchange
10 They were not worth then the si00,oo'
I, they bring to-day, but il took nearly
every cent young Hartman had &C
n cumulated TO close the deal.
r. So young Hartman went on thu
81. floor Of the exchange as a trader
trading for his clients and for him
Is self.
" L. II. Hartman was studying rail
le roads; studying them as no man ha'
p studied them before. No detail wa
d, too minor for the young banker L
master; for by this time he had openei
a his own brokerage and banking bust
Ia ness under the name Of E. II. Harri
ne man and Company, which to-day
&c regarded as one of the leading finan
I'd cial institutions in America
'o Then Hartman, having convince
H. himself he knew everything abou
IN theoretical railroading that he coul
r. learn. began to work out the dream
nd Of all these years; the mastery OF th
Sc railroad world. 1t did not take hir
'St long to realize that money--great sum
~ Of money-would be needed for III
fulhllment OF his set purposes. II
couldn't buy railroads on promise
So Hartman set about establishing
90 credit" He interested silent part
IT. ners. men with large sums of cas-
Of at their disposal. who wanted 70 merc
es ly live on their income, and were viii
es ing to have someone else look afte
H. their investments; millionaires VIII
were ready TO turn over to some bank
= ing house the handling OF their fund
. provided they got in return a fixe
M income.
Stuyvesant Fish was interested in Il
Illinois Central Railroad. Of 1000 mile
making a living" but little more IIa
riman needed Fish. and he culuvat,
him. Fish. in turn. admired tho your
banker, and made him a director in Il
M Illinois Central. It was ar Hartman
suggestion; Hartman was completii
his railroad education.
In 1857 Fish made himself preside
OF the Illinois Central and promoted IIa
riman 10 be his vice-oresident. Workii
with Fish, but as the prime mover, IIa
E riman did not cease until he saw the
iinois Central one OF the most powerf
railroads OF its day, with 5000 miles
trackage and in a hourishing condit
financially.
In 1889, while still an unknown" IIa
riman consummated one Of his mo
daring railroad deals. The Chicago &
ton. with 100 miles OF track in b
S physical shape, was one OF the best mo
ey-makers in the country. Harrimi
81 wanted It. SO did the Goulds, the Stan
ard oil people and other big intedests.