Evening journal., 1911-07-26
new NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Real Father Of Modern
Railway Consolidation
By Holland.

Il suppose that most Americans who
know anything at all about the matter
believe that Commodore Vanderbilt
was the father Of modern railway coll
solidation. but my opinion is that that
honor belongs not to the founder Of
the Vanderbilt fortune and the great
Vanderbilt railway system, but to
Dean Richmond, a man whose name
even, is now practically forgotten ex-
cept by few of US old timers"
So said, a few years before his death,
which occurred in 1901, Commodore
Alfred Van Santvoord, the organizer
and at the time of his death the owner
of the largest steamboat line plying
upon the Hudson river. In the course
OF his long career as president and di-
rector of important steamboat lines,
Commodore Van Santvoord, whose
father had large interests in the Erie
Canal boats from 1880, five years after
the canal was completed, to about the
beginning of the Civil War, was
thrown into intimate personal rela-
tions with both Commodore Wander
bilt and Dean Richmond, who was,
from the early forties until his death
In 1866 the most prominent business
man in Western New York, and for the
better part of that period the most in
fuential Democrat in New York State
from the party organization point Of
view.
Dean Richmond gained fortune in
business I'm Buffalo in the early days OF
the Erie Capal' continued Commodore
Van Santvoord "He dealt i'm western
produce and shipped IL to the east by
the Erie Canal While he was making
himself the greatest produce merchant
of Western New York different com
panies We're busy building railroads
across the State from Albany 10 Buff
falo. There were seven I'm all. You had
to change cars five times in going from
Albany to Buffalo
"One day, while Dean Richmond was
riding upon an Erie Canal boat from
Batavia to Syracuse. the thought sud
denly occurred 10 him that the Erie
Canal boats We're towed directly from
Buffalo TO New York city or Albany:
whereas, the seven railroads which
paralleled the canal did not offer con-
tinuous passage either for passengers
or freight. That is bad situation for
the railroads. said Dean Richmond to
himself. Why not overcome it by
stringing these railroads together?
Why not join them and make one line
out of them? Then We can run pas
senger cars through from Albany to
Buffalo, and greatly shorten the time
and inconvenience of the trip. We
ought also to be able to run freight
cars through. If we can do that, then
We can compete with the canals.
"As soon as Richmond reached Syra-
cuse, he set about the work of con-
solidatiOn. He secured control of the
stock I'm the various railroads and then
went to Albany and easily got the con-
sent of the Legislature to make one
system out of seven. When he did that
he was made, in 1853 vice-president of
the line, which he called the New
York Central Railroad, and later be-
came president. He died about two
years before Commodore Vanderbilt
undertook the greater consolidation
which was the basis of the Vanderbilt
/ system have always felt certain that
II was from Dean Richmond that
| Commodore Vanderbilt got the hint fol
his great consolidation, which resulted
In the Vanderbilt system. and I hav1
often wondered whether had Dean
Richmond lived. Commodore Van.
! derbilt would have secured con
troll of the New York Central Rail-
road. ] confess that can't decide that
/ question. / know, however, that Dean
/ Richmond, In consolidating those
seven railways that ultimately became
so important a part of Commodore
/ Nanderbilt's system, took the first steT
in those colossal railway consolida-
tions which we're made after his
death"
! Copyright. 1911, by r. ]. Edwards. All
Rights Reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell OI
"The Man Who Discovered the POIiti
cal Value OF the Railroad Pass.-