The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-03-09
HOW S.P. OFFICIAL
WAS "D|SCOYERED'
Especial to Silver State)
(From F. ]. DYER.)

lFTOm r. u. D1 En-
WASHINGTON, March 9.-There
seems to be some mistake about the
theory that the men of the south lack
energy and the ability to hustle. At
least, San Francisco was given such a
battle in congress by New Orleans for
the exposition honors that the Golden
Gate city is still wondering how the
southerners did it. But the south has
not received the credit that is it's due
for accomplishing things.
For instance, take one of the best
known railroad men in the country
Julius Kruttschnitt. A prominent
western member of the United States
senate, chatting in the lobby of a
Washington hotel, told Interestingly
of how that great railroader, Coils P.
Huntington, discovered Kruttschnitt.
! 81 don It think it is generally known
/ that Kruttschnitt is southerner.o
| The senator s cigar smoke drifted
up to the gold ldincrusted ceiling of the
lobby and wreathed around the mas
sive capital of the marble monolith.
Huntington prided himself on his
unerring judgment of men. He was
always on the lookout for men of
ability who had also a genius for
work.
GAS the story goes, he was travelling
in the vicinity of New Orleans in the
early eighties when his special was
halted by a washout. The railroad
magnate got out and went to the scene
of the disaster.
Where's the superintendent
Huntington s eyes roved around, but
4 bo xxybo fn ho m
command.
" There he is,' was the answer,
there, up to his waist in the water.
"Sure enough, there was Krutt-
schnitt, right in the midst of the tur-
moil, directing, showing, taking a
hand when things did not move fast
enough for him.
It Won Huntington.
50 Hump, there's one man who ism It
afraid of his job, Huntington re-
marked. When he got back to his
office he promoted Kruttschnitt, and
ever since then promotions have come
pretty regularly to this railroad
man.
Mr.. Kruttschnitt was born in New
Orleans, and studied civil engineering
Five years after his graduation he en-
tered the railroad service as resident
engineer in charge of construction on
Morgan IS Louisiana and Texas rail
road Then he became roadmaster
and late general roadmaster and chief
of engineering. He was discover
ed' by the Southern Pacific 8 Atlantic
system, which includes all of its lines
east of El Paso. Then he became gen
eral manager from 1889 to 1895, and
then he was advanced to the office OF
general manager of the entire South
ern system, serving as such from 1895
to 1904, being also fourth vice-presi
dent from 1898, and later assistant to
the president. Mr.. Hartman had as
/ high an opinion of him as his pre-
decessor had, and he put him in charge
of maintenance and operation OF
the Union Pacific, Oregon Short Line
and Oregon Railway and Navigation
company with offices in Chicago
Kruttschnitt practically rebuilt the
Union Pacific. In fact, it is as a con
structor that he shines, although he
seems to do everything well. 1t is said
of Mr.. Kruttschnitt that he has an in
finite capacity for detail. When he
goes out on trip of inspection he has
the division superintendents on the
borderland of nervous prostration. lie
seems to know the diameter of the pipe
feeding every water tank; the number
of fishplates and the quantity of bolts
in every mile of track; the size OF
timbers in every culvert; the date
when every siding was put in. He
asks all manner of embarrassing ques
tions and he keeps his staff on edge,
nut he maintains a high state OF
efficiency and he has reduced the num-
Der of accidents, by his system of in
vestigation and publicity, to sur
prising degree. And reducing acci.
dents saves money to the road and in
public.
A Stage Effect.
When the last session of congress
opened Champ Clark entered the
house of representatives Immediately
after the invocation by the blind
chaplain, while reverent silence still
hung heavily over the chamber. His
entrance was made so notable by the
circumstances, and the general knowl-
edge that he was to be the next speak
er, that he was greeted by a spontan-
eous outburst of applause on the mi
nority side. The handclapping was
taken up by the Republicans and
quickly swept through the galleries.
Mr.. Clark was totally unconscious at
first that he was the cause of the dem
onstration, but when he reached his
seat and became aware that it was a
tribute to him he looked both surpris-
ed and abashed.
The secret of the somewhat spectac-
ular reception was very simple. Wal
lace Bassford, who has been private
secretary to Mr.. Clark for some IL
years, and whose one ruling passion is
to see him elected president of the
United States, "even if he should
drop dead himself the next minute,
as he confided one day to an intimate
friend. arranged the little scene. 1t