Description
Book SynopsisVanderbilt, Hill, Morgan, and Harriman were Americaâs industrial princes, planning to link American railroads and a shipping cartel with a railroad line through China and Russia, then into Europe, and create: the Transportation Kings. Poised for great accomplishment, their story ends in the sinking of the Titanic and bitter failure.
Trade ReviewThis is a well documented synthesis. Steve Gittelman has a profound understanding of individuals—their passions and motivations—he weaves a unique tale while breathing life into his characters—providing an in depth view of the actions and their consequences to the players who ranged gigantic at the birth of the twentieth century. It is a dramatic story of business titans toppled by the enormity of their dreams. -- Carole Hart, director, Greensboro Historic Museum
After impressive historical detective work, Steve Gittelman has revealed a fascinating, untold story. His cast of bankers, railroad tycoons and politicians may have failed to create a global shipping monopoly, but their gigantic endeavor is one more illustration of how fearless optimism and audacity in the early 20th century marked America’s rapid rise to become the world’s greatest economic power. -- Lance Reinheimer, executive director, The Vanderbilt Museum
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue 1. Early Shipping 2. American Shipping Consortium 3. The Corner 4. Economic Expansion 5. Community of Interest 6. Vanderbilt 7. Marc Hanna 8. The Creation of Political Leadership 9. Roosevelt 10. The Business of the Presidency 11. The Maritime Subsidy Bill 12. Roosevelt Rises 13. A Rift Between Friends 14. The Subsidy Bill Under Debate In Congress 15. Opposition in Congress 16. The Loyal Opposition 17. Pan-American Exposition 18. A New President 19. An Uninvited Agenda 20. The Anti-McKinley 21. Hanna’s Last Hurrah 22. Financial Contributions to an Incumbent 23. Harriman and the Far East 24. Competition in the Far East 25. Global Interference 26. The Panic of 1907 27. Roosevelt is Denied the 1908 Race 28. Hill and the Far East 29. Historic Rivalry 30. Free Ships 31. Breathing Life into the IMM 32. The American Invaders! 33. Cunard 34. IMM 35. Lusitania, Aquitania, Mauretania and Titanic 36. Investigation and Aftermath 37. Legacy 38. The End of a Dream Afterword Notes Bibliography Index About the Author
