Norwich bulletin., 1912-04-26
Hundreds Attended Memorial Service
Final Tribute of Respect Paid New London to Charles Mel vile Hays, President of The Grand Trunk-Aranged By Central Vermont Employees Flowers Strewn on Waters of The Thames

Rev. c. Harley Smith, pastor of the Federal Street Methodist Episcopal church, then read the hymn, Nearer, My God, to Thee. which was taken up and sung by the assembly. As the words of this hymn, which was the requiem to which the Titanic sunk when played by the band on the steamer, floated out over the water, many eyes were dimmed with tears. The services were brought to a close with a benediction by Rev. Joseph A. Elder, pastor of the Huntington Street Baptist church
 Following is a brief sketch of Presi- dent Hays:
 Sketch of Charles Melville Hays.
 Charles Melville Hays, president of the Grand Trunk and the Grand Trunk Pacific railways, was born at Rock Island, H., May 16, 1856. In 1873 he entered the service of the Atlantic & Pacific railroad at St. Louis, as a clerk and in 1877 was made secretary to the general manager of the Missouri Pa cific of which road he became nine years later the assistant general man. ager. In 1887 he became general man ager of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pa
 
 the Wabash Western. and when the Wabash lines were consolidated he be- came the vice president and general manager. At that time he was a di- rector of many other middle traffic lines. In 1895 he left the Wabash to become general manager of the Grand Trunk at Montreal, and during the next five years at that post he reor- ganized the Central Vermont Railway Co.,. subsidiary of the Grand Trunk; completed the Victoria Jubilee open span double track bridge across the St. Lawrence at Montreal, and the single span steel arch bridge replac- ing the old suspension bridge at Nj agara Falls. Under his management the Grand Trunk was double tracked for SIS miles, making at that time the longest stretch of continuous dou- ble track under one management in the world. The Southern Pacific rail road called MT. Hays to it's presidency January 1. 1901 and he moved to San Francisco, but resigned in the fall of ! the same year and returned to the i Grand Trunk as vice president and | general manager. In 1902 he con- ! ceived the project of the Grand Trunk i Pacific railway, the building of which made possible by laws passed at the 1 instance of Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the i government, is still going on.
 l MT. Hays was elected to the presi- 1 dency and a directorship of the GranC i Trunk Railway Co. January l. 1910 also to the presidency of all the sub. sidiary lines. which includes the Cen tral Vermont railroad with a tota trackage of about 14,000 miles. anC had sole charge in America of the af fairs of the company, the director! and most of the stockholders of whicl live in England
 Although at the head of railwa! most closely connected with Canada MT. Hays never resigned his American citizenship, even when he might thu have gained knighthoOd. Speaking O him at a gathering of the Canadian club in New York city, Sir Wilfrit Laurier said: He is beyond question the greatest railroad genuius in Can ada," and in referring to his death il the foundering of the Titanic, one whl has known him intimately since h was IS years of age. said: His jos is irreparable to the Grand Trunl railroad and to the world at large"