Evening journal., 1910-07-29
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Lost Opportunity that
GFieVed a Vanderbilt
BY "HOlland."

1T has always been my impression
that William H. Vanderbilt grieved
more over an opportunity which came
to him and which he lost, and felt
more greatly humiliated thereby by
the sense that he had madsa mistake,
than over any other event in his expe-
rience as the successor of his father,
the Commodore, at the head of the
Vanderbilt railways" So said to me
the late George c. Bangs, who in the
seventies became to all intents and
purposes the creator of the country's
fast railway mail service and who had
as his assistant in the work Theodore
N. Vail, now head Of the great Bell
telephone system of the country.
AS the superintendent of the rail-
way mail service, and especially the
fast mail feature of It, wlaich had been
established practically under my direc-
tion," continued Mr.. Bangs, Il was
brought in very close touch with the
managers of the important railway
lines running from the Atlantic coast
TO Chicago | knew better than the
public did how intense was the COM
petition between. the New York Cen
! trail and the Pennsylvania. The fast
railway mail service was established
at about the time rate cutting was at
its height, the very time when, as it
was afterward proved, the Standard
Oil Company was getting very large
rebates from the railroad companies.
Now. one of the things which might
serve to advertise these railroads, and
to aid them in their competitive strug-
gle, was the ability they showed to
maintain what I'm those days were very
fast railway mail services between
New York or Philadelphia and Chi
cago.
I'm the spring of 1878 I happened
to learn that the famous theatrical
managers, Jarrett and Palmer, had
made contracts with the Pennsylvania,
the Union Pacific and the Central Pa
cifc by which those railroad COM
panies pledged themselves to haul a
special theatrical train from New York
TO San Francisco in three and one
half days time. Il also came TO my
knowledge that the attempt was to be
made to deliver by the same train
mail which left the New York post
Office in the early morning in Chicago
on the evening of the same day.
Immediately | made an appoint
ment by telegraph with William II.
/ Vanderbilt and ran over from Wash
ington to New York to see him. Mr..
| Vanderbilt / said to him when we
met, do you know that the Pennsyl-
vania is to take a mail at Jersey City
at one o'clock in the morning, on the
special theatrical train, under contract
to deliver that mail in Chicago by nine
o'clock I'm the evening of that dayY
They can't do it, said Mr.. Wander
bilt.
"'Yes, l think they can and will,
Mr. Vanderbilt l replied. OF course,
it's going to take some very fast rum
ming Itll be a magnificent feather in
the Philadelphia railroads cap
II saw that Mr. Vanderbilt was in
tensely interested and that he realized
how great a card IL would be for his
powerful rivals If they were able to
fulfil the contract
Now, Mr.. Vanderbilt I went on to
say. you can beat them by three hours
I will see TO it that a special mail is
made up and delivered TO you If you
will have a train ready at four o'clock
i'm the morning, and will promise me
that you will deliver that mail in Chi
cago at nine o'clock in the evening.
1.-The thing is impossible Mr. Van
derbilt exclaimed.
=" L beg to differ with YOU replied
IF the Pennsylvania, with its heavy
grades. is able to make the run be-
tween New York and Chicago In
twenty hours. you could certaSnly dc
It in three hours better time We will
keep il a perfect secret; nobody shall
know anything about it until we de-
liver a mail by your road in Chicago
at nine o'clock i'm the evening. Their
we will announce that our train lef
New York three hours later than the
Pennsylvanias.'
"Mr. Vanderbilt got up and paced
nervously back and forth; once h
went and looked at the map. Then h
made a computation of the running
time. For an instant he seemed abou
to be ready to accept my proposition
but at last shook his head.
at would be a great thing, but
don't feel like taking the responsible
ity.' he said. No, won't do it. and
don't believe tho Pennsylvania viii
make Chicago in twenty hours time
either.
But when Mr.. NanderDlu learne
that the Pennsylvania did do it, an
after he had talked with some of hi
operating force and found that the
had no question but that the NeN
York Central could have made the ru
. in three hours less time, he felt deep
ly chagrined and humiliated. An
long after he said to me, the though
Of the lost opportunity still rankin
In his breast;
Bangs, am sorry did not accer
your proposition. II ] had We woul
have taken a feather from the Penn
sylvania's cap and put It our own
Copyright, 1910. by r. ]. Edwards
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell q
"1he Democrat Who AstOunded PreSl
dent Cleveland