Evening journal., 1914-01-28
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
ChaunCey DepeW'S Expert
eHCe With q Railroad
Col. Sellers
BY Holland.

Many Of those who served as
presidents Of American railroads
more than twenty years ago. and cs-
pecially at the time Just after the
close Of the civil war would be able
TO write a story of their experience
from the human-interest side which
would contain i'm the highest degree
the quality of humor." said ex-sen-
ator Chauncey M Depew 10 me re-
Gently. Il know that i'm my own ex-
perience as a railway president my
burdens were sometimes lifted mo-
mentarily by some Of the funniest
experiences that can be IMAGINED
nave often said that had there been
some man of Dickens power to sketch
character he could have found in the
Offices of the American railway presi-
cents from time to time many Micaw-
bcrs
Ihis Is not so much the case at
the present time, for today the heads
OF our American railroads are almost
without exception men who have
worked their way up from positions
as telegraph operators or surveyors
assistants or section hands
Let me tell you one of my expert
ehces There came into my Office one
aay a tremendously impressive person.
re staggered under the weight of
Sreat load. but with a skill worthy
or a slcight-of-hand performer he
happed the roll out with a single
tWitch of his wrist so that it lay ex-
posed on my floor, completely covering
an Ofiice rug. Then he addressed me.
Ills point was that the railway man
ayers OF Chicago and the west were
gong TO combine in such manner as
ic throttle the Vanderbilt system.
Il looked very seriously al the
man and | suppose my manner reveal
ed an intense interest. which I really
iclt. IL was not an interest i'm the
mans plan, but II was confined to his
personality. With a raise of his hand
he Identified upon tho map an mag
merry railroad. lie told me that the
construction of that railroad would
save the Nandorbilts and prevent their
being bottled up. In the most matter
of-fact manner he intimated that il
! could prevail upon Mr. Vanderbilt
TO give him an advance of thirty mill
lion dollars the road would surely be
constructed and the vanderbilts would
be saved
This man was intensely in earnest.
! really felt sorry for him when |
told him that il would be impossible
for me to recommend his plan TO Mr..
Vanderbilt
"He stopped over and began to roll
up his map. When he had got IL
about half rolled up he stopped and.
standing before me with great dignity,
said: You had better give my plan
further consideration. 1t certainly
will prove to be the saving of the
Vanderbits'
Il told him again il would be inn
possible for him to lay his plan be-
fore Mr.. Vanderbilt He went on
rolling up his map. When he had
at last finished rolling and had begun
to tie the map up he said. Mr..
Depew can't you report this plan? Is
this your final answer"
Again ! told him that / could not
consider the proposition. Straighten-
ing himself up and looking at me
very sternly as though lie were a
man of utmost Importance. he said:
Well. Mr.. Depew, at least you can.
in view of my trouble and of my
interest in the Vanderbilts. provide
me with free transportation back
again to my home
II gratified this supplemented Col
onel Sellers by securing for him the
free transportation which he asked"
Copyright 1914, by L. J. Edwards
All rights reserved).
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell OF
Senator Frye's Study of Tobacco
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