Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-01-29
AND ROADS
SHOULDCO-OPERATE
NO ROAD CAN GIVE GOOD SER
VICE WITHOUT THIS Co-oPE.
RATION, SAID MAGNATE IN A
TALK AT PIEDMONT.

hAIION, SAID MAONAIE IN n
TALK AT PIEDMONT.
'If you should fall, Mr. Hartman,
there wouldn't be grease spot left of
you when you hit the ground"
So said Asa G.. Gambler to the greatest
railro Dad magnate in America as they
leaned against the parapet Of Atlanta's
tsllest building Tuesday and looked down
upon the city that shone and hustled
/ under the monday sun. A party of
twenty-five or thirty business men were
with them. 1t was the final hour of the
unpretentious yet cordial hospitality they
had been showing the visitor since 8
O'Clock IN the morning
Don't worry" somebody replied. ''sfr
Harriman's feet viii stick; they always
stick s7
Tie conversation was typical of the
welcome Atlanta gave the railroad King.
| He was entertained In manner befitting
his own simple, unconventional PERSONAL
ity. 1t would be difficult to carry out any
other sort of entertainment for Z. H.
Hartman. Unless you strip the word
king of all it's outward show and lofti-
ness and reduce 1t to its elemental mean
ing of power. It is a silly rlisnOnier in
his case. People generally wonder at
HarriInan's capacity for doing complex
things. But he Is more remarkable in
his capacity for being simple man. Per-
\ haps IL Is because he has done so much
that he Is so simple in his speech and
manner and dress. He could not be more
I so If he were an apprentice switchman
on the smallest line of his fnuItitudihous
l'systems. He would probably not be as
much so. = s. '- ~ s5- t7
But here is the story of how he spent
the time in Atlanta Tuesday from 9
O'Clock until ] 80. aes s.@ - -
/ 20 starts His Tour
| At the former hour he started from the
Terminal station for an automobile ride
over the city, accompanied hv a commit
tee of twenty-four men from the chamber
of commerce. Major J. F. Hanson big
red car headed the line Of, six auton1o-
| biles. In it were Mr. Hartman, Asa c.
jlCandler, president of the chamber or
commerce; John d. Little and Major
Hanson, The route,was down whitehall
street to PeachtFee, street.. Then tire ma
chimes took a sprint out past Ansley, park
| to, Broolwoed, The, air was brisk. the
isky blue; every tree and house along the
way seemed to- have just been washed in
sunshine. sfs Ifss4sB s-.aE Fzt.t sftscs
/ This feels goedP said Mr. Hartman,
iunbuttoning the collar of his gray-aoyer-
coat. --..-,i-. .af III sss.-Esy y
J Then the party detouredg ana sped out
J Ponce de Leon avenue to Druid Hills;
thence back to the city through Inman
park They crossed the long vfaductS to
Washington street and shortly after IL
to'clock were at the Piedmont hotel.
! Here a public reception was held until
shortly before noon. on first reaching the
! hotel Mr.. Hartman was taken to suite
of rooms on the second. floor, the same
rooms, by the way. that President-elect
Taft slept in on his late visit to Atlanta.
SO far as any one knows, there were no
telepathic misgivings or jars when the
railroad king went IN and sat down in
the same Morris chair that Theodore
Roosevelt's- big apostle had lounged in.
Mr.. Hartman was literally applauded.
I Then, after shaking hands with others
who had come to meet him. he walked
over to the Gambler, building, accompanied
by the committee of a. The final feature
of his entertainment was a luncheon CON
sfsting of soup and quail on toast Ia the
! grill room of the Mechanical and Manu-
facturers' club on the top floor, Of the
Gambler building. r.,..,
Bird's-Eye View of City
Before going into the, luncheon, however.
| he was taken to the roof of the building
and given "a bird's-eye ofzAtlanta. Il was
here that Mr. Gambler made his frank. OBJ
servation relative to the grease spot. He
and Joel Hurt and Mayor Maddox and
Secretary Cooper, of the chamber Of com
merce sauntered around the roof Of the
skyscraper with Mr.. Hartman In their
midst and the remainder Of the COMMITTEES
close around. ~ 4 r.
"over there" said Mr.. Gambler. pointing
eastward. els Stone Mountain, Mr.. Harri-
man. and / want to say that there 5
| enough granite and gravel among those
hills to build all the railroads yoa'i ever
1 want to- -sc-T-r'. s'fs' '7t71,oc'f q 7.
This remark had plainly been brewing
since Mr.. Harfiman's reference to road
| bed material In his talk at the hotel.
| Everyone laughed and the magnate, too
laughed in his way. He WIS 'reticent,
however, for the most part, as he strolled
| from one corner OF the roof 70 the other
and had the sites of famous battlehelds,
| and railroad shops and public buildings
/ pointed out to him. Once he inquired with
Interest OF the A., B. & A, railroad.
OF understand good dealTOf Atlanta
capital is behind IT," he remarked.
Then ne asked what IL was that made
Atlanta from the outset the railroad CEN
| ter 1t has become. j,srt.
..TyRo things answered Joel Hurt, 10
| cation and elevation. 49,. .----.-
Then he and Mr.. Hurt talked quietly
FOR i've minutes, Mr.. Hartman appearing
to be much. interested. In the course q
the rarnble about. the roof John Little toe
An amusing story or two. 1t is notable
fact that Mr.. Hartman would never
Laugh until he had grasped the precise
noint of the story. Then he would 'chuekle
| merriiy enough.
Shakes Many Hands
| Down stairs a crowd of some two 1r
itthree hundred merchants, bank presl-
dents and members at large from tne
chamber of commerce had gathered. Dl-
rectly Mr. Hartman came in he at
tracted no, particular attention as ne
walked through the hotel lobby 20 toe
parlor. He is not what photographeIs
consider a good pose. Stationing himselI
near the southern end of the room ne
shook hands one after another with the
men as they filed past him and were m
troduced by Mr.. Gambler and Mayor Mad
dox
| This continued for about Is or 20 min
utes. Then Mr.. Hartman consented to
saw a few things>to those who had come
to greet him. 1t was not a speech; sim
| ply a kind of conversation WITH him do
| ing che talking.
| Afr Harrinnau Talks