Evening journal., 1910-11-28
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Railroad President Who
Was TriCked by Progress
BV 0HOIIaBd.1
BY "HOIIand."

i used to be a saying among the
railway men who we-c brought into
] intimate association with Marvin
Hughitt. who recently resigned the
presidency Of the Chicago and North
western railway, after serving in that
capacity for twenty-threc years and
/ being with the road thirty-eight years
altogether in active management, that
only once TO their knowledge had Mr..
| Hughitt made an erroneous prediction
| touching on matters appertaining to
! the great property which he directed.
Some of Mr.. Hughitt's prophecies in
regard to his rail-oad were remark
able in their forecast. Elsewhere, /
recently told Of the manner in which
! he took ali excursion party over an
! extension of the Chicago and North
western to Pierre, in South Dakota,
nearly a thousand miles of new rail-
road built, much of the way, over an
uninhabited prairie; and when the
railroad men with him asked where
he expected to get the business. he
| replied: 1T will follow the rails. "
Within two years it was following the
rails.
In 1880 Mr.. Hughitt became vice
/ president, as well as general man
ager, Of the Northwestern AS was
! the case with almost all Of
railways Of the United States
until within comparatively re-
cent years, the steam in the North
Westerns locomotives was then gem
Grated by means Of wood fuel, and
one Of the serious problems that Vice
President Hughitt had to face almost
as soon as he took that Office was that
Of securing ready and sufficient sup
ply of fuel for his locomotives.
At last he discovered i'm Northwest
ern Illinois. within convenient dis
tance Of Chicago, several thousand
/ acres Of land heavily covered with the
/ kind Of timber regarded as especially
valuable for steam producing pur-
/ poses. He began negotiations for the
purpchase Of this tract, and having
secuted title 20 it, he took some OF
his subordinates and other railway
friends on tour Of inspection of the
forest. Here he said, proudly. as
the party entered the woods, lis a
property which Will put the North
western out Of all danger of emba =
rassment because of a lack of proper
/ fuel
How long. Mr.. Hughitt, do you
] tAAtAAh AnAN supply VI M0Ou VIII AdnL
one of the party asked
Well" was the reply estimating
/ IN normal growth Of the railroad busi-
ness and the Increase Of locomotives,
l figure that this forest will fu nish
US enough wood to drive all our loco
motives for the next twenty-five or
I thiry years. And il the forest is
properly cultivated, young growth will
! spring up. so that when, at the end
| of the period ! have Just mentioned,
we have cut off the last of the present
/ & owth. we shall then have a fresh
supply Of fuel"
The railway men looked upon this
transaction as another evidence of the
ability Of Marvin Hughitt, and they
were persuaded that his prediction
that the forest would furnish an am
pie supply of fuel for his road for at
least O quarter of a century was cor
rect. But
Three years later the general SUI
perintendent of the Northwestern
found it necessary to report TO Vice
/ president Hughitt that the road s
growth of business had been so great.
and the consequent increase of loco
motives so large. that it would be
necessary speedily to make arrange
ments for a sufficient fuel supply for
the motive power.
why" replied Mr. Hughitt, 1--WE
have wood enough in our forest to
take care of all our locomotives for
years to come, haven't we?"
"M-. Hughitt" retorted the superin-
tendent, 81 have been out looking ai
that forest of ours, and tell you now
that you have got there Just about
enough fuel TO furnish us wieh sup
ply Of kindling wood for the engines
for about two years"
That statement Mr. Hughitt, on per
sonal investigation. found to be abso-
lutely correct. The growth of the west
and OF the railway business there had
far surpassed his most enthusiastic
expectations, and eaten up that g-ea.
forest in way he had never dreamed
of even in his fancy-free movements.
Copyright. 1910. by e. J. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o.
~ Trio of COiucidencoS of Raflroo,