The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-05
BUSH, RAILROAD PRESIDENT,
 IS 52 YEARS YOUNG TODAY

There was a time when the Missouri Pacific Railway carried on not a small proportion of it's activities at Jefferson City, Mo, and other capitals of States in which the Gould trans portation system operated. and when the man who best represented the spirit of the road was d certain party who sucked eggs, but did not hide the shells." Since then Missouri Pa fife has had a change of heart, and the gentleman who stands for the new attitude toward the travelling and shipping public is Benjamin F. Bush, now president of the Missouri Paci- fic.
 Under the old regime George Jay Gould was the nominal head of the road. While perhaps he did not ac- cept the public be damned" theory his distinguished father. MT. Gould was more proficient in finance than in real railroading, which consists in get- ting people and things from where they were to where they ain't. Hav- ing won his struggle to retain control house of Gould decided that the road was entitled to bona fde "road" railroad president, and not mere stock jobber or office clerk. Benja- min F. Bush filled the bill and go the job.~
 
 his fifty-second birthday, but, if he is no older than he looks, he is enti- tied to be called a young man. He began his railroad career as rod- man, and reached his present position by push rather than pull What he does. not know about s.the Street. is quite lot, but of actual transporta- tion problems he has little to learn He gets $100.000 a year, but wears old clothes and circulates among the boys in station, yard and train on terms of equality He is big and that probably few if any other rail- way presidents ecan equal. Six hours night he devotes to sleep, and he takes occasional horse back jaunts by way of recreation. At most other times he is working, either with brain or hands, or both simultaneously. He is big and hearty, powerful and, com- polling, a masterful man, yet without any affectation of superiority in his ealings with his underlings.
 The president of Missouri Pacific was born at Wellsboro. Pa, on July 5, 1860. his father a German and his studied surveying at the Pennsylva- mia Normal School at Mansfield. His first lob was as a rodman on the Northern Pacific. Tn that humble ca pacity he showed a disposition and ability to >Q6llVert the SOOUS IudL won rapid advancement, and he was locating and division engineer for the Northern Pacific when he left that system to become division engineer in Oregon and Idaho for the Union Pa cific. For seven years he was general superintendent of the Oregon Improve ment company. which had large coal properties along the Pacific coast: Next he became general manager of. the Northwestern Improvement com pany. which operated the fuel proper ties of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Nine years ago Mr. Bush began his connection with Missouri Pacific as fuel agent, later taking charge of all the Gould coal properties in the Southwest. Tn 1907 he assumed the of the Western Maryland Railroad, with headquarters in Balti- more. Tn 1908 he was made receiver for that road, and having pulled it out of the financial slough into which he had fallen. became the president of the reorganized company. Then came the call to the presidency of the Mis- souri Pacific.