Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-06
Famous co'sn.ps
By Ha,U1ey

was a paper :llanufa ctu-er. At 16 he
set out for New York City with car
pet bag and change of linen. He be-
gan walking the streets for a job.
When he found one 1t wasn't at all
important. He became messenger for
the Erie railroad at 81 per week. He
himself said that he saved SO cents out
Of the 81, but perhaps that isn't i'm
portant.
From the Erie he went to the Ohio
and Mississippi, where he got So a
week. Later he got job as bill Of
lading clerk with the Rock Island at a
slight advance in salary. Always he
saved trifie out Of the weekly wage
and began TO invest it in railway stock.
Il bought some railroad stocks
cheap" he said, but 1 bought them
outright. l had only a small sum OF
money and knew l could not afford
to take any chances with it,"
BY the time he was 81 a freight COM
bination known as the California Fast
Freight Line needed a man in New
York as contracting agent. Young
Hawley got the job, which brought him
into close contact with high officials OF
the Southern Pacific, notably with the
late c. P. Huntington, then the big man
in western railroad control.
Huntington took TO Hawley and said
to him one day: You ought to be
working for me. You know how to
keep Your mouth shut" HaWley hadn't
the slightest objection to the arrange
ment and transferred his allegiance,
naturally at an increased salary.
This connection with the Southern
Pacific was Of the utmost Importance
to his career. He studied Huntington's
methods. which were decidedly grim
and keen and effective. In few
months he became general eastern
agent Of the Southern Pacific and later
assistant traffic manager.
1t was in 1898 that Huntington first
came into collision with Mr.. Harri-
man. In that year Hartman acquired
the Union Pacific. He needed also the
Central Pacific which ran from Ogden
to San Francisco and had originally
been laid out as part of the Union
Pacific. The Central Pacific was leased
to the Southern Pacific. Mr.. Hunting
ton recognized its strategic value and
refused to sell. The battle had been
Joined when Mr.. Huntington suddenly
died.
With the stock he himself held and
with that he controlled Mr.. Hawley
held the key to the situation. He open
ly advocated the sale of the Southern
Pacific, which carried with it the lease
of the Central Pacific, to Mr.. Harri-
man. The firm of Speyer & Co..
which had been the Huntington bank
ers, opposed the sale, but Mr.. Hawley
won. In reorganizing the road MT.
Hartman made a fatal blunder. He
omitted naming Ha~ley as director
Of the Southern Pacific. Mr.. Hawley,
sharply resentful, proceeded to get
even.
He bought up all the stock of the
Chicago and Alton he could lay hands
on and by meaiassCf an alliance with
the Rock Island group obtained control
of the Alton While. Nj. Hartman was
in Europe Mr.. Hartman heard rum
crs and rushed home. but the damage
was done He vas voted out Of the
Alton, which ceased to be Harri-
man line.
One of his mos. conspicuous coups
was his sale of TIE Colorado ana
Southern railroad to James j. HILL
People smiled when Mr.. Hawley began
20 buy Colorado and Southern stock
They said ne was buying a lemon. He
paid $500, 00C for the road. He i'm
proved it: the gross earnings doubled,
and the dividends rose
Ten years later he sold it to James j.
Hill for 81 o00,0 coo, and people saw that
what he had bought was not lemon
at all but a melon. 1t had only looked
smali because II lay in the Colorado
Rockies rather far from Wall street.
No sooner had Mr.. Hawley sold the
Colorado ard Southern than he took
over the control Of the Chesapeake and
Ohio and railroad men began to sus-
pect that he was dreaming vast
dream With the Alton in his control
and a strong understanding with the
Rock Island, he seemed to be preparing
the way for a transcontinental line
such as the Gou!ds had dreamed Of IN
vain. It was then that Wall street be-
gan to understand that Mr.. HaWley
meant to be power Of constructive
sort in the railroad world. When the
railroad men quietly took stock OF his
holdings a that time, they found that
he controlled a total Of 1870 miles Of
road.
For man who welded such tremen-
dous power Mr.. Hawley presented an
exceedingly small mark to the para
graphers and human interest writer's.
He was immersed in business and
cared for little else; he didn't even
have time to marry. His attitude 10
sentiment may be inferred from the
following anecdote:
One day during the Suily cotton cor
ner of 1904 he rode down town on
car with Sully. sully said that he had
just bought $4,000 bales Of cotton.
What for?" demanded Hawley.
"Oh. for sentimental reasons"
That day Mr.. Hawley, who had been
in on the corner, sold and the corner
collapsed with enormous losses to
Sully. When asked why he had sold.
Hawley explained: II felt that senti-
ment had no business in q big deal"
His single recreation WAS poker. and
at that game even Bet Million
Gates was by no means his master. 1t
is said that on one occasion Hawley
was setting out for a trip Of inspection
to San Francisco. With him was Gates.
A game of draw poker was started and
the stakes were perilously high. Pres
emily Gates and Hawley drew hands
which each thought invincible. The
| bets rolled up.