The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1912-02-21
HAWLEY
WAS A GENIUS
Called Successor Of Hartman
as Railroad Chief.
NOT A STOCK MANIPULATOR.
His Method Was to Build Up Railway
Properties That Had Become Run
Down-Wss sixty-one Years Old
and a Bachelor.

and Bachelor.
Edwin Hawley, who died recently In
New York. was the dominant factor In
more than dozen railroad companies
and was regarded as one of the five
biggest fnanciers in Ame,ica. He was
sixty-one years old and bachelor.
Edwin Hawley followed in the foot.
steps of the late Il. Ii. Hartman as a
constructive railroad magnate. He did
not manipulate stocks, but built roads.
He bought cripples and made them
whole. In this way he made his specu-
lations dead certainties and in the do
ing he amassed millions. Among the
railroad companies he practically con-
trolled are the Chesapeake and Ohio.
the Colorado and Southern. the Mime
apolis and St Louis. the Iowa Central.
the Missouri. Kansas and Texas. the
Hooking Valley. the Iowa Central and
the st. Louis and Western.
His career was just another Ameri-
can romance of the poor boy who
worked his way up to the pinnacle of
success by unfagging energy.
A Railroad Builder.
He was born in Chatham, N. Y, in
1850, the son of poor farmer. When
he was sixteen years old he crowded
his personal effects into carpetbag
and went to New York to hunt job.
He got one on the day he landed and
began his career as messenger for
the Erie railroad at a salary of 81
week. He remained with the Erie until
he got chance to work for the Ohio
and Mississippi railroad for 50 week.
His next shift was to the eastern Off
ces of the Rock Island road as bill of
lading clerk at $14 week Soon after
ward the California Fast Freight line
needed n contracting agent and Haw-
ley got the job
Here he first came in contact with
Coils L. Huntington. then the big man
in the western railroad field. Hunting
ton liked Hawley because, as he said.
HE could keep his mouth shut" He
soon became assistant traffic manager
of the Southern Pacific.
Following the death of Huntington.
e. ii. Hartman picked out Hawley as
the man who could help him get con-
troll of the Southern Pacific railroad.
Hawley turned the trick for him. but
Hartman turned him down when he
sought TO be made director of the
Chicago and Alton railroad Hartman
gave James Stillman the place. but he
did not succeed in keeping Hawley out.
Hawley bought all the Alton stock he
could get through an alliance with the
Rock Island and then took the railroad
away from Hartman. This was the
only big defeat scored against Harri-
man throughout his railroad career.
Held Forty Directorships.
Hawey continued to develop as
railroad magnate until he finally con-
trolled the Minneapolis and st. Louis,
the Iowa Central. the Chesapeake and
Ohio. the Chicago and Alton and the
Toledo. ST. Louis and Western. with a
total mileage of 4.SIO. But these roads
merely formed the nucleus for his big
ger plans. He was Il director in more
than forty corporations when he died.
At the time of his death he was de-
voting all his energies to the weaving
together of chain of railroads from
Winnipeg to the gulf. The consumma-
ton of this scheme would have placed
him In the same rank as j. ]. Hill as a
railroad builder.