New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-03-17
JOHN B. MCDONALD DEAD
Famous Contractor Succumhs
After Long and Hopeless Illness.
BUILT THE PRESENT SUBWAY
Jerome Park Reservoir Another
Monument TO His Success
in Engineering Feats.

in Engineering Feats
John r. Mcdonald. the famous contractor
who built the subway and who had neen
| critically i'll for weeks. died At the Dakota
/ early this morning He was conscious 20
/ the last and AZ the bedside were his WIFE,
his daughter and son-in-law. Mr. and Mrs.
! Henry y. Reed. his physicians and his
/ nurses
| Bartholomew Mcdonald the contractors
father. came 10 this country in Iai from,
! County Cork Ireland ahoI' the time his
son John was born there Three Years
later the family followed and found Bar
tholomov settled in upper Manhattan
working as q day laborer digging cellars in
that now neightorhood. Tie hoy passed
/ his bovhooG near the site e the Jerome
| Park Reservoir. which he was himself 10
/ build At sum exceeding 100000
! Meanwhile the father prosrered and IN
time became wen known West Side con
/ tractor. For many wears he represented
| the old 18th District in Tho Board of Al
| dern,er The hoy had finished common
! school education. when. a. tho age Of
eighteen his fathers political influence
obtained for him his first ioo, , small post
! ~ the office OF the Register of Deeds. Tne
| rlace was no sinecure. and for year the
/ future contractor received schooling ~
! hard work Then the father got him
! ioh q tin1ekeeper on the Povds Dam con
tract 4 part Of the Crotor water sN stem.
and ne soon became foreman. For
/ time he vas Inspector Of masonry in the
/ New York Central tunnel The contractors
| were suhlettire sections Of the work. and
Young Mcdonald. backed by his father. put
| in q lid and won It. That was his first in
| dependent work
! After his fathers death ne went m with
! The business He was for a zine a partner
/ cf Cornelius /. RYAN. but that partnership
was dissolved in 1895 La -er he went into
partnership with Onderdonk, with Offices
at 40 I Broadway They parted when
the building Of the subway VAS begun.
His name became known in connection
with some Of tho most important ra'lroa
construction contracts % tho generation. His
work can be soon on the Vos' shore Rail
road. in the Potomac VALLEY. on tho extern
SION If the Illinois central from Flgin 20
Wisconsin. the Trenton cutoff on the Penn
syivania the Akron junction IN Ohio. no
extension Of the Baltimore Ohio from
baltimore 70 Philadelphia and many others
lie was 4 sub-con'rsctor for the Boston.
Hoosac Tunnel & Western Railroad. on the
I Canadian Pacific Railroad and on The OK
tension of the Delaware. Lacka wanna &
Western road from Binghamton to Buffalo
When the Vest Shore Railroad from New
York TO- Buffalo was projected Mr. MELON
aid. with Cornelius RYAN as partner. took
q $500. GOO contract His next contract was
] Ia RI
ton. He projected and built TN" famous
underground Baltimore Belt Line at cost
Of IS. 600. 900 II was A work nj enormous
idiTcultv. and its completion put the con
tractor ~ the front rank Of his profession.
His next great contract involved the con
structinu Of the Jerome Park Reservoir.
which was 81 many years In progress. and
+, is The only work of Mr McDonald's that
has ever been seriously criticised. DIS
charged CRY enpioye attacked the work and
ldoclared tha; the specifications 81 the So
600. 900 Job had been violated. \ commits
sion Of engineers. the foremost in the land
ianpolnted nv the Mayor Of tho cit" Of New
Yoork declared the charges unfounded and
the work we'll done
Mr. Mcdonald won the contract IN Janu-
iarv. 1900. for the present subway by bid
n
Inc after tho RAPID Transit Commission had
been trying vainly for years 10 get re-
sDonsible bid for the undertaking. lie was
an officer In the marlborough Rapid Transit
CONSTRUCTION Companv. which Mr.. Belmont
formed to finance the undertaking. ana NJ
had general oversight of tn" work ~ inc
time Of its completion. About the time the
subway was ready 30 he opened for tra'lc
however Nj Mcdonald confirmed reports
that b. and Nr Belmont had disagreed
eavine hluntIv: Wall street has no use for
tho contractor after IN" dirt r. "f his
shovel"
When the Nc'ropoliton interests began f.
compoto with the peterborough for new sub
WAYS Mr. Mcdonald severed all connection
with tho marlborough. and he and h's
friends ACQUIRED a block Of Metropolitan
Securities stock 10 enable him 20 become an
officer and q director Of tho Metropolitan
Securities COMPANY II was announced then
that air. Mcdonald would he a. the service
Of tho Metropolitan in the construction NJ
now subway. that tho Metropolitan might
he able IN build with tho consent If tn
Eapid Transit Commission
In 1901 he was associated with W. j.
oliver In a bid for the con struction Of the
Panama canal. which. " course. fell
through when the government decided TO
90 the work itself
Mr. Mcdonald was quiet. Hnas-nin'hE
man. short and stocky. man with h'te
10 sav. bat . great listener lie was 4
man ~ great executive ability. and attend
cd personally 10 any work he bad on hand
His chief pleasure vas IN his work ana
be was a. II almost increasingly. lie mar
ried in 1864 Miss Georgia strang. 70"
wears ago their son. who wns IN business
with MS father. died While on = honey
moon trip in the South
CHULhLONGKORN cREMATED.