The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-09-02
DARIUS MILLER
Railway Age Gazette

.se Gazette
, M. Msilex was as skIiisuI as anybody
, IN usinS the older methods. his sue
scees as = traAlc man always was due
mainly to hfs ciesr-headed recognt
zion OF the fact that railways profits
are cerired chiefr. not from the
business which IT ~ressx from III
competitors. but from the business
which IT develops on its own lines;
and it was es creator OF trzndce
fhat he first established himself with
TINT greatest Of AL trafhc creators
MF. Hill
Hin reputation - tr4nc oNce,
was Saeh that some curiosity was felt
as 20 how successful pfesiden. ne
would make. That curiosity was soon
satisfied The Burlington property
under the presidency OF George B.
Harris, With Daniel Willard AZ vice
president Il charge OF traftc. had been
put In ma shape Coming to Mr..
Miller, - president. IN this condition,
II presented him with a rare oppor-
tuaity. and he and his able Heuten-
ants took advantage of that orpor-
ity TO the fullest extent Mr. Hill
was the father Of the tonnage system
on American railways He must,
therefore. have regarded with sAfis-
faction the advance IN the Buriing-
toa's rerenu: freight uainload from
3sl tons in 1910. the nrst year OF Mr.
Mi,ler-s administration, TO 4sf tons In
1918. an Increase IN three years OF leS
tons, or IS per cent.
M Miller had q marked capacity
for impressing on those who reported
to him exactly what he wanted done
and for then leaving them free hand
TO do it. While he seldom tnterferad
with them, he watched the results OF
their work closely and keenly. and his
influence was felt II every depart
ment Certainly. If his az years adj
miniztration As president is criter-
ion he Was one o. the Abiest railroad
administration that this country has
had Few other railroads have come
through the last four years OF bust
ness stress and strain as well off
physically and financially as the Bur
Iington, aud the remarkable increase
in its average freight trainload, with
the economies in operation which II
represented. is one of the chief ex-
plantations OF its present relatively
strong position
A man with Mr. Miller's personality
was bound TO be popular with his
business associates But mis- circle OF
warm friends and admirers extended
far outside to other railways. to other
businesses, and embraced men in
every walk OF life
Burlington he served for years on the
trafiic committee Of the Chicago NJ
soc1ation OF commerce When the
Chicago association of commerce COM
mi.tee OF Investigation on smoke
abatement and electrification Of rail-
way terminals was appointed he was
designated as one OF its railway mem
bers- His railroad activities extend
ed beyond his own lines. He was
chairman OF the executive committee
OF the Kansas City Terminal Railway
company, director OF the Union
station company of Chicago. a direc-
tor in the Union Station company OF
Denver and a member OF the commit
tee of presidents having charge OF the
work OF the bureau OF railway econ
omics at Washington His tact and
influence were largely instrumental
In securing finally the passage OF the
Union Station ordinance in Chicago
last spring He was a director in the
Continental Commercial National
bank and the Union Trust company
of Chicago.
He was self-made man in the hest
sense Born at Princeton, Ill, on
April 3, 1889. he was but fffy-fire
years old when he died. He entered
railway service at eighteen as a stem
ographer In .he general freight Office
of the Michigan Central. From June.
1880. to February. 1881. he was q
clerk in the general freight ONCE OF
the St Louis. Iron Mountain &
Southern: from February. 1881, TO
October. 1883. chief clerk to the gen
eral manager of the Memphis e Lit
tie Rock. and from October. 1853. to
June. 1887. general freight agent and
ticket agent Of the same road From
June. 1887. to July, 1859. he was gen.
eral freight and passenger agent OF
the St Louis, Arkansas & Texas, and
from July, 1889, to December, 1890,
traffic manager OF the same road. be-
ing, Ii viii be noted, only thirty wears
old when he was appointed traffic
manager. From December. 1890. 70
May. 1893, he was traf1c manager OF
the Queen & Crescent; from May.
1893. to September. 1896. he was traf-
fic manager OF the Missouri, Kansas
& Texas system; and from September,
1896. 10 November. 1893, vice presi-
dent He then became second vice
president of the Great Northern.
James J. Hill himself was then. and
for some years later, president OF the