The New York herald., 1921-12-04
The Last Continent Spanner
Lord Mount Stephens Death Recalls the Men Who
Built the Railroads Linking the Atlantic
and the Pacific.
By LOUIS A. SPRINGER.

| 1898. In the meantime Canaua nae
been building her first great east and
west railway, the Canadian Pacific
which is in true sense continental
line, in that it runs from Atlantic
tidewater at Montreal to Vancouver
and Pacific tidewater.
In the building, financing and early
operation of these transcontinental
lines there appear the names, be
sides those already mentioned, OF
men who had most vital part in the
railroad history of this country
Among the engineers there were Ed
win F. Johnson, still held in esteem
as one Of the greatest Americans OF
his profession; w. Minor Roberts
the Philadelphian, who made the
early surveys of the Northern Pacific,
and Albert A. Robinson, the man
who saw the Atchison through to the
Pacific.
The financing and operating OF
these roads elected the interest OF
Jay Gould, once in control of the
Union Pacific, the head Of the Mis-
souri, Pacific and the reorganizer OF
the Erie, a road that became an i'm
portant link in reaching the eastern
seaboard; OF BENJAMIN Cheney OF
the Atchison, Henry Willard of the
Northern Pacific, Jay Cooke, the fis
cal agent of the same road |:
Stuyvesant Fish of the Illinois Cen,
trail, an important affiliated road /:
Charles J. Gleed, an active force in
the financial reconstruction Of the
Atchison, and A. j. Cassatt and
others of the Pennsylvania group. e.
H. Hartman brought the Union Pa.
cific out of bankruptcy into pros.
perity, and his struggle with James
]. Hill and others for control OF
great Western lines brought about
the liveliest contest for railroad su'
premacy in recent years. Harri
mans vision was Of great trunk
line from the Atlantic to the Pacific
coast; while he did not live to see
this, he had a strong influence In
improving the continental service of
the country.
The conception of the Canadian Pa.
cific dates back years before 1880,
when George Stephen and Donald
Smith became its constructive power
1t had been fought over in the finan.
cial and political circles of both
Canada and England. Finally, when
on the morning Of November z, 1885,
the lines from the East and West
met at Craigellachie, B. c., Canada s
great transportation dream became
reality. A man whose hair was
snowy white drove the gold spike
into the last cedar tie laid. That man
was Donald Smith, afterward Lord
Strathcona. "In the terrible five
years from 1880 to 1885," says a re.
port of that day, ''he had changed
from strong, black bearded, sturdy
man to white haired veteran"
These men who spanned the Ameri
can continent with iron tracks came
of hardy stock, and despite their
years Of arduous labor they lived to a
good old age. Huntington died in
his eightieth year; Hill was eighty
three; Lord Strathcona was ninety
three and Lord Mount Stephen, had
he lived until next June, would have
been ninety-two. All left fortunes
all started in life as poor boys. Hills
first job was as clerk, huntington
selling clocks; Lord Mount Stephen
was q shepherd and Lord Strath
coma a farm boy on few acres OF
bleak Scottish land. When Lord
Strathcona was asked the secret OF
success he gave full credit to hon
esty, hard work and frugality, then
he added Il prepared myself for my
work." He cited the struggle of all
great builders to improve themselves
mentally, told Of Hill spending all his
spare money for books and his spare
time in study, of his own efforts and
those of Lord Mount Stephen to
make up the deficiencies Of their
boyhood education. II, he said
there is one essential for success
which he would impress upon all
young men. it was the necessity OF
an honest and thorough preparation
for their work. 1t was better than
capital; it gave surety of purpose
and a basis for confidence and sin