“All this I did, and, on my return to the president, he said, ‘Take
this letter at once to Admiral Peyron, of the French fleet (then lying
in the harbor on a visit of courtesy to this country), and this to
General Hancock, on Governor’s Island. They contain invitations to
each to dine with me to-morrow night at home in Garden City with their
staffs. Get their answers, and, if they are ”yes,“ return at once
to New York, charter a steamer, call for them to-morrow afternoon,
land them at Long Island City, arrange for a special train from Long
Island City to Garden City, take them there, and return them after the
banquet. I leave everything in your hands. Good day.’
“I suppose this might be considered a rather large job for a common
brakeman, but I managed to get through with it without disgracing
myself, and apparently to the satisfaction of all concerned. For some
time thereafter, I was the president’s special emissary on similar
matters connected with the general conduct of the business, and while I
did not, perhaps, learn so very much about railroading proper, was put
in positions where I learned to take responsibility and came to have
confidence in myself.
“The control of the Long Island Railroad again changed hands, and I was
again ‘let out,’ this time for good, so far as that particular road
was concerned,—except that, within the last two or three years, I have
renewed my acquaintance with it through being commissioned by a banking
syndicate in New York City to make an expert examination of its plant
and equipment as a preliminary to reorganization.
“This was in 1881, or about that time, and I soon secured a position as
conductor on the New York and Northern Railroad, a little line running
from One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Street, New York City, to Yonkers.
Not to go into tedious detail regarding my experience there, I may say
in brief that in course of time, I practically ‘ran the road.’ After
some years, it changed hands (a thing which railways, particularly
small ones, often do, and always to the great discomposure of the
employees), and the new owners, including William C. Whitney, Daniel
S. Lamont, Captain R. Somers Hayes and others, went over the road one
day on a special train to visit the property. As I have said, I was
then practically running the road, owing to the fact that the man who
held the position as general manager was not a railroad man and relied
upon me to handle all details, but my actual position was only that of
train-master. I accompanied the party, and knowing the road thoroughly,
not only physically but also statistically, was able to answer all the
questions which they raised. This was the first time I had met Mr.
Whitney, and I judge that I made a somewhat favorable impression upon
him, for not long after that I was created general manager of the road.”