Volume 19    Number 3    April/May 1989

Heritage - Lords of the Line a Very Enjoyable Refreshing Read

Montreal - every day, hundreds of people pass beneath the steely-eyed gaze of George Stephen. The monumental statue of Lord Mount Stephen, Canadian Pacific's first president and the financial mastermind during its formative years, looms over the waves of commuters who scurry through Montreal's Windsor Station.
 
Many have heard the name; few recognize the man.
 
With the publication of "Lords of the Line", a little more light has been shed on this shadowy and enigmatic figure who wielded enormous financial power during a critical period in the shaping of Canada.
 
Taking up the story where Pierre Berton left off in "The National Dream" and the "Last Spike", his bestselling books about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Cruise and Griffiths' "Lords of the Line" provides new insight into the character of the men who steered the company through more than a century of growth and change.
 
Stephen, unlike the image that emerges from the standard Canadian textbooks, is revealed as a master of financial and political manipulation, on a scale that even would have made the Morgans and Vanderbilts blush.
 
While outwardly pledging his personal fortune to prop up the financially-troubled C.P.R., Stephen amassed one of the largest fortunes in the Empire, through his astute investments in American railroads that were often in direct competition for traffic with the company.
 
William Van Horne, on the other hand, would let nothing come before the interests of the C.P.R., and became embittered toward the end of his presidency when he realized the extent of the collusion between his confidant, Sir George, and his arch rival, James J. Hill, general manager and driving force of the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad.
 
More remarkable yet are the revelations during the era of Sir Thomas Shaughnessy. While the C.P.R. was expanding into one of the world's most extensive and prestigious transportation systems, it was also acquiring the reputation as a feudal empire where the president ruled with an iron fist.
 
While most of Shaughnessy's quirks are largely forgotten - he always had an elevator held for him at Windsor Station in the morning, and would not allow anyone to ride in it with him - some reviewers have wryly observed that his almost fanatical attention to detail is the basis for a tradition of "nit-picking" and "bean-counting" that has continued until today.
 
For employees of CP Rail, however, the most interesting chapters concern the years when Sir Edward Beatty, N.R. "Buck" Crump, and Ian Sinclair were at the helm. Though relatively few can remember the imposing figure of the handsome and athletic Beatty, many can recall the fascinating years of expansion and diversification under the equally impressive figures of Crump and Sinclair.
 
Crump, in particular, is given credit as a knowledgeable and able railroader in the same ranks as William Van Horne and James J. Hill. "Crump commanded respect because no one, from track laborer to engineer, doubted he could do their job as well, and probably better, than they themselves".
 
Crump is also credited with the post-war rescue of the "decimated CPR"; the "repatriation" of the company to Canadian shareholders; the launching of "one of the world's great transcontinental trains", the Canadian, in a last valiant attempt to revive interest in passenger rail travel; and most significantly, the transition from steam to diesel locomotives which changed the face of Canadian Pacific's operations.
 
Another of Crump's contributions which does not go overlooked is his support for his eventual successor, Ian Sinclair, during a period of profound change in the organization and focus of the company, when many within the rank-and-file were not quite sure what to make of the free-wheeling and relentlessly acquisitive style of the heir apparent.
 
Despite the strengths and shortcomings of the men who ruled from Windsor Station - variously described as Marble Hall, Peacock Alley, the Holy of Holies, or, to some at rival Canadian National, the Kremlin - they were invariably the right men for their time.
 
The early chapters have benefitted greatly from the authors' marathon study, over a two-year period, of the executive correspondence collections housed in Canadian Pacific's corporate archives. While the Van Horne and Shaughnessy papers have been available to researchers previously, the entire collection of Edward Beatty letter books was added to the archives microfilm library during the research phase of the project.
 
Apart from the academic sources, the authors have acknowledged the ready assistance of "hundreds of present and past Canadian Pacific company directors and employees", who provided their own reminiscences and opinions about "their" company.
 
Although there may be those who object to a smattering of innuendo and gossip, "Lords of the Line" is a thoroughly enjoyable read, and a refreshing one when placed alongside the many sanitized biographies that have appeared previously.
 
Though the authors emphasize that the story is not always pleasant, it is often "a story of great courage, foresight, and self-sacrifice, with all the attendant humor and eccentricities of the human spirit".
 
Dave Jones