The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-10-21
RAILROAD
. WHO BEGAN AS LABORERS

with r%ailroading. From this he was
promoted to tho post of trainrnaster.
Gradually he made his way, steadily,
irresistibly. Many rivals. with better
social connections. perhaps. and GER
ltainiy more, wealth, coveted the post of
chief official OF the road, but none Of
them had the practical equipment
which n post SO completely dictates.
new president had to be chosen it was
the former telegraph operator who
went into the place.
The president OF the New York Cen
trail has Know what 1t was to come
from the ranks.
People down in The comparatively
small town of Shreveport, La. prob
ably never expected to see Bill New
man president of a great railway. for
down there in 1896 he. was only a sta
ton agent. Blu that process of civil,
service which seems to operate auto
matically in the railroad business
brought him steadily up from obscur-
ity. He served in various capacities
until now as William II. Newman he
IL one OF the foremost railroad men in
wealthy e York Central.
Eben Briggs Thomas was II anything
O. little lower down in the employment
scale than any Of those mentioned. He
was My a coal weigher: But a
knowledge of coal n coal problems
was pretty good preparation for a "a
Who was destined to become presi-
dent of u great coal moving railroad.
In fact, Mr.. Thomas, after his full
training had been completed, didn't
stop at being the chief executive of one
railroad, for he has been the ruler Of
a number. Since 1902 he has held the
place Of supreme power over the Lee
high Valley.
Frederick d. Underwood, now pres
ident of the Erie railroad. began to get
himself ready for the job by making
himself a brakeman on the Chicago,
Milwaukee & ST. Paul railroad. But
he couldn't long be kept at that kind
OF work. He knew too much, and now
he makes as much in week as he used
to make In the entire year.
William III. Truesdale, president Of
the enormously wealthy Delaware,
Lackawanna & Western railroad, was a
Rock Island & st. Louis railroad. He
had a genius for working hard. He
made an early dent and soon promo
tons began chasing him. He didn't
sidestep any that 0 good, and to-
day he is in a position hose rewards
are enough to make a Croesus get a
little bit envious.
Another telegraph clerk who made
an impressive success OF r%ailroading
was Albeit j. Earring. He worked the
Keys at a station on the system Of the
SAA ~ oAs i Cd4s Dul liz OOcSIl I
need to do that now for he is presi-
dent of the Chicago. Milwaukee and
st. Paul.
j. I. Hanrahan. who Hartman
forced into the first place in the Illi-
nois Central, when his feud with Stuy-
vesant Fish resulted in sending the. lat
ter to the wall, was foreman Of a con-
struction gang on the Louisville &,
Nashville when the men above him
first began to size him up as material
With potentialities for the future MAX
ing of great railroads..
Stuyvesant Fish himself, though the
son of wealth md aristocracy, found 1t
necessary to begin at the bottom in or
der to make a way at the top. He en-
tered the service of the Illinois Central
as a clerk, progressed to the presidents
secretaryship, and wound up as presi-
dent himself.
Lucius Tuttle was 81 years working
his way to the top. He entered rail-
way service in 1865, held various posi-
tons. became president Of the Boston
& Maine railroad in 1893, and president
OF the Maine Central in 1896. He has
held the latter post ever since.
Darius Miller was at first a. stenog-
rapher. then he served through various
clerkships, until he became vice pres
ident OF the Chicago, Burlington e.
Quincy.
w. G. Brown. senior vice president
Of the New York Central. was a sec
ton hand; George b. Harris. president
of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.
was a paynaster's clerk, and Edward
II. Hartman started as a boy of IS
to study railroad stock problems in a
! brokers' office.