Evening journal., 1913-12-18
NEW MEMS OF YESTERDAY
Commodore VanderbiIt'S
LsOk IntO'the Future
By Holland.

A remark was recently made by a
very high expert authority of Great
Britain. who is regarded as a master
Of the history OF European railroads
and Of the economic principles npon
which these roads are operated
Whether by the state or by private
capital which brought to my mind a
conversation ! had about twelty
years $50 with the late Charles c.
Clarke for many years vice-presi-
deat OF the New York Central Rail-
road Company. IN charge of its finan-
ciai department. Tie English rail.
road aut1 Ority AID expert STATED that
Ia hls opinion. railway managers in
The United States were TOO timid so
FAR at least as track construction Is
CONCERNED. In his opinion. the tima
is at hand when, instead of double
tracks or four tracks. the greater
American railroads must lay down six
or even eight and in one or two cases
ten tracks, IA they are TO be able to
handle the business which within a
few years will be offered with exon
profit
IL never shall forget said Vice
President Clarke "a talk wlich I had
with Commodore Vanderbilt one
afternoon about two years before his
death, IN 1876
The commodore came into my Of
flee chucklins Tha- was q pecu la
mannerism of his. 1t WAS indescriba.
bic. never'hie /, was always re=Og-
nizou by The commodOre's subO.di-
mates as "a m9nner'sm which made il
clear that he was feeling particu'arh
good and especially good with hims ,lf
He said to me. Charlie some o.
my friends think I am all kinds of a
fool because ! have been telling them
that We didn't raise money enough a
few years ago when our line was
double-tracked because ii we had
raised the money we needed then to
ley down six tracks between Albany
ana Buffalo we could have done it
cheaper than We can nov aud we
would have run our trains with q
good deal less cost than our four
track lines have made Inevitable
81 said to him, Commodore. do you
think that the investment of the
money needed 20 put down two ad-
ditional sets of tracks between Al
bany and Buffalo viii be justified?
There will be a good deal OF inter-
est to pay directly or indirectly. on
that Investment. Are we going 10
nave traffic enough to earn that IN
teres. and TO give us some profit be-
8idcs9
THE commodore looked at me in
tently for moment or two and then
be said:
Charlie, if were twenty years
younger should feel sure that
should live 10 see six tracks on the
trunk lines between Chicago and
New York. J am too old man to
see that done But / make this pre-
diction The way things are going
Out West, the way they are begin
ming TO raise wheat and beef aud
corn, the way the country is beng
Opened up there Is going to lead 10
tremendous traffic over the trunk
lines. A good deal of their wheat
their corn. and their beef. viii have
TO be sold Ia Europe double-track
railroad cannot accommodate traf-
iic that will be offered That is the
reason why ! am having six tracks
lald down between Albany ana Bui-
falo. The day is coming. IN my Opin-
ion, when tho great trunk lines will
have TO put down eight or ten tracks
in order io handle the traffic that
win be offered and I tell you an
other thing we are going to carry
inst about as much freight TO the
Wost as we shall bring from the
West to the seaboard but it will be
of a different kind
81 was not sure then" said Mr.
Clarke, that the commodore was
rot shooting beyond the mark when
he spoke OF eieht-track and ten-track
railroads. but am now perfectly con
vinced that the time Is not distant
when the great trunk lines VIII be
hauling their traffic ever eight tracks
or even ten tracks. and II our pros
perity increases IN the next genera
tion as il Is increasing In the pres
ent, even ten tracks VIII not be
enough
Copyright. 1918. by E. J.. Edwards
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell