The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-07-21

Canada has grown with her rail-
roads. When you do something big
in Canadian railroading you do
something big for Canada. The
mother country recognizes this and
takes delight in showing honor to
the men who are developing Canada
through her railroads.
So it came naturally that in King
Georges latest list of birthday hon.
ors Sir" was prefiXed to the name
of George Bury.
Sir George Bury, K. c. NJ. G., is
vice. president of the Canadian Pa
cific Railway company and director
of all operations, which include more
than $4,000 miles of rail. 100000
miles of telegraph and the company's
steamships which ply the waters of
British Columbia's lakes. rivers and
coast, as well as the Great Lakes,
He Is distinctly Canadian Pacific
product. In the forty-four years of
his business life he has never spent
one day outside the company's SER
vice, except when he went to Russia
recently at the request of Lloyd
George to look over the situation and
return recommendations as to what
was most needed to make Russia's
transportation system effective.
Sir George is a Canadian. He was
born March 6, 1866, and educated in
Montreal. He entered the service of
the company in 1883 in an obscure
clerical capacity. His alertness and
adaptability caught the attention of
Sir William Van Horne, that remark
able American who is credited with
having laid the foundation for the
Canadian Pacific's colossal success.
Soon after entering the company's
service he was transferred to the
purchasing department under Thos.
G. Shaughnessy, now better known
as Lord Shaughnessy, president of
the Canadian Pacific railway. He
wrote for several years as secretary
to Sir William Van Horne and
through his ability not only won the
confidence of the big boss but the re-
spect of a lifelong friend. The same
Is true of Lord Shaughnessy, to
whom Sir George recently paid a
sincere appreciation in saying that
he owed every advancement he had
received in this world to Lord
Shaughnessy, who. had pushed him
along step by step.
The Connanght tunnel, completed
and put into operat ton last winter is
a tAloSANA pAGIC VI WCDLCAn llllG UtllCE-
ment on the Canadian Pacific rail-
way. The successful planning and
carrying out of this project is large
ly credited to Sir George Bury. The
finished bore represents an expendi-
ture of $6,500,000. and is the long
est, mountainous, double tracked
railway tunnel in the western hemis-
phere, being FIVE miles long from
portal to portal. Its operation
eliminates four and one-half miles
of snow sheds and shortens rail dis
lance more than four miles. 1t drops
the peak of grade more than 500
feet and does away with Rogers
Pass, which was one of the most
costly pieces of road on the entire
Canadian Pacific to operate. The
tunnel is driven under Mount Sir
Donald, a peak with an altitude of
10000 feet. 1t cuts down maximum
grades to almost nothing. Sir
George and his assistants, cooper
ating with Lord Shauhnessy, the
president, worked out the scheme for
this tunnel several years ago. Work
on the tunnel was started before the
beginning of the war, and was car
ried on increasingly despite the fact
that railroad construction thorough
out the country has been minimized
as far as possible and practicable.
The Connaugh tunnel was COM
pIeted in record time and before the
day specified in the contract All
records for speed in like constitute
ton work were smashed.
Sir George has made 1t a practice
to know all there is to know about
his job; although graduating from
the clerical side of the railway SER
vice, he is just as competent on the
He not only knows how
all things pertaining to his depart
faents should be done, but knows how
to do them. He can run an engine
or work q key as well as he can
dictate policies. IT has been said
that he is better man in any job
than any man I'm his employ.