Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-30
CLUB MEMBERS
HONOR MOHLER
Retiring Executive of Union
Pacific Toasted by Two
Hundred Banqueters.
WIRELESS IN DECORATIONS

With rows of over 100 electric
lights, red, white, and blue blazing
from the stately rectangular arrange
ment of the banquet tables, with wire
less apparatus buzzing, roaring and
popping in the middle of the room,
bringing bonafide messages of regret
from friends and associates of A. L.
Mohler, the big banquet of the Com
mercial club In honor of the retiring
president of the Union Pacific was
held at the club rooms Wednesday.
Over 200 we're present. Ellsworth
Pryor, steward of the Commercial
club, had been losing sleep in his eff
fort to Guido all his previous records
in the matter of correct and tasty ap-
pointments at the banquet.
Recalls Former Banquet.
Just ten years ago when the club
welcomed President Mohler with
banquet in the old club rooms at
Sixteenth and Farnam streets, Pryor
had charge of the dinner. At that
time diminutive trains ran on tiny
rails round and round the great line
of tables, furnishing an attractive
spectacle. Last night, red, white and
blue electric lights blazed from the
center Of the table in great rows that
made a beautiful appearance. Nap
kins were folded as one might have
thought human hands could not fold
them, until they described a perfect
letter m" The caviar canape was
decorated with tiny red M" The
initial OF Mr.. Mohler was kept con-
stantly before the banqueters, and
when the ice cream was served, be-
hold: 1t came deep chocolate, mold
ed in the form of perfect little loco
motives. $685.. 7
But the dinner had no more than
started when the wireless receivers
began to roar, DR.. F. H Millener
had arranged his wireless receivers
in the banquet room, bringing wire
down from the apparatus on the roof
through a skylight. The kilograms
of regret from invited men all over
the country who were unable to be
in Omaha at the banquet were re-
ceived at Uunion Pacific headquarters
and then relayed by wireless to the
Commercial club rooms where the
POSTMASTER, Ward Burgess, read
them as fast as they were committed
to writing.
kilograms of regret came from
John w. Hay of Rock Springs,
Wyoming, from Alex Millar Of New
York, secretary of the Union Pacific
road, from George w. Holdrege, gen.
eral manager of the Burlington, and
from c. ]. Lane, general freight agent
of the Union Pacific.
POSTMASTER Commends Mohler.
, In his Introductory talk Toast
master Ward Burgess said with re-
gard to wireless development:
Ten years ago Mr.. Mohler decided that
in addition to the block signals. more safety
on the Union Pacific, In casting about for
some one to do the work, he selected DR..
Milener.
Experiments have been carried on during
this time with more or less success with
the wireless telegraph and telephone. For
some months there has been installed on
the Union Pacific headquarters wireless
station. Before the end of the week one
will be installed at Grand Island and COM
munication maintained on trains between
Omaha and Grand Island. -
1t was Mr. Mohler's pet scheme to
utilize system of wireless telegraph for
the protection Of lives Of passengers on
moving trains. Like every other true
railroad man, his thoughts were constantly
on the alert devising further schemes by
which the accidents should be brought to
a negligible minimum.
Tonight at the Union Station there is a
special car equipped for wireless telegraph
and telephone which will go to Grand
Island tomorrow. A movable telegraph Of
fee on land Offers the same results as a
ship at sea, BY the system to be used
telegraphic or telephone messages may be
exchanged between stations and moving
trains or sent from one moving train to
another. The patents covering this work
are owned by DR.. Milenef and the Union
Pacific. And the work has been done in
Omaha and by Omaha men.
Not a Farewell.
w. S. Wright, w. F. Gurley, N. H.
Loomis, H. H. Baldrige and Frank w.
Judson were the speakers.
DO not get the idea that this is a
farewell banquet" said Mr.. Wright.
This is but a commencement. Mr..
Mohler is just now coming into his
own. He has worked and toiled in the
heat and the cold, he has had his trials
and tribulations, and he is just now
coming into the position where he can
enjoy the fields and brooks. He is
going to be real farmer"
Going farther, Mr.. Wright said
"You may always depend upon the
man who rises from the ranks. Some
one has said that you may be safe in
buying stock in any company or cor.
poration, if the men who have control
of it have sense enough to choose a
man from the ranks to take charge
and manage it."
Personality in System.
w. F. Gurley said that when Mr.
Mohler came to Omaha he impressed
the power of his personality into the
arteries of the community and that his
influence for development here had
been wonderful. ut is in Wall street,
he said, where the money is centered
which makes possible the great enter
prises; but when the plans are once
ready and the money is invested, they
search the mountain and plain for the
man to execute the plan" He quoted
Lord Lytton as saying, There is il
genius ever something Of the boy,
and declared that this was to re-
markable degree true of Mr.. Mohler
Mr.. Gurley closed with little jinglins
toast he stole from Eugene Fields