New Britain herald., 1915-09-11
SIR VAN HORNE
 WAS RAILROAD KING
Leading Figure in Canadian
 Finance Dies Today

Montreal Sept. 11.-Sir William Van Horne died at 2:10 D. m., today
 Sir William has been seriously ill at the Royal Victoria Hospital for more than two weeks. He went there on the recomme endation of his doctor, for an operation for abdominal a5- scess.
 Sir William Van Horne was 72 years old. He was born in the United States.
 Rose From Foot.
 Sir William Van Horne rose from the foot of the ladder to wealth and fame as one of the so-called empire builders of Canada. Although he was born in the United States in Will county, Ill.,, Feb. 8, 1S43 and gained railway. experience through many years connection with railroads in the central and western United States, it was after his moving to Canada and becoming general manager of the Ca- nadian Pacific railway in 1882 that he achieved his most notable triumph by pushing the railway to completion across the continent.
 All the rest of his active life he was one of the heads of the Canadian Pa cific, being vice president from 1884 to 188S, president from 1888 to 1899, and chairman of the board of direc- tors from 1899 to 1910.
 Son of Lawyer.
 Sir William was the son of Cornell jus Covenhoven Van Horne, who was a lawyer at Joliet, III. The death of his father left young Van Horne to fight the battle of life when he was only thirteen years of age. It ap- pears he was fascinated from the first with the life of a railway man, for his first job was in the railroad yards. He soon afterward became telegraph operator for the Illinois Central, and his strides ahead in var ious capacities with the Michigan Central Railway and the Chicago and Alton brought him up to his first inn portant executive position as general superintendent of the St. Louis Kansas City and Northern in 1872. Before going to Canada he also served as general manager of the Southern Minnesota railway and general super intendent of the Chicago and Alton
 
 Paul.
 He superinended the extension of the Canadian Pacific to the Western coast, and was present at the driving of the last spike on November 7, 1885. The total mileage which later came under his control was over $500. He was said to be the Hill and Harri- man" of Canada.
 Master of Finance.
 Aside from his fame as a railroad builder, Sir William became a master of finance and was often pointed out as one of the score of men who formed the foundation of Canadian money. He was interested as an off cer or director of a large number of corporations in Canada, the United States and Cuba. In the latter place he formed the Cuba Railway com pany with a capital of $8,0O0,00O. He was knighted by Queen Victoria in May, 1904 in recognition of his re- markable work in Canada, which in cluded not only his railway and in- dustrial interest, but semi-public ser vice as a governor of McGill univer- sity, the Royal Victoria hospital and numerous other institutions and not dDl0 tO IuS Nduduldu store of art treasures. The latter, which filled his mansion in Montreal included paintings by many of the old masters and collections of Japanese art objects which altogether repre- sent a fortune.
 During the advocacy in 1911 of reciprocity between the United States and Canada, MT. Van Horne was con-
 
 the idea. One of the illustrations with which he drove nome his point was this: -
 Our trade is $97 per capita; that of the United States is $33. In other words the water in our mill ponds stands at 97, theirs at 33 and they want us to take away the dam.'