Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-04-10


TnK LATE SAMUEL zimmerman Remarka-
bic men ara not always men who make thu
most noise in she world. Private worth
may in fact be more important than public
applause, and such IL man as the lato sam
uel Zimmerman, whose name would have
hardly attained even so much as u newspa-
per celebrity, that easily acquired fame had
he not been the victim of Che lute accident
on the Great Western Railroad may afford
tie food for u moments reflection.
Our Canadian nelghbOr,, in default of
great men, seemed TO have adopted Mr..
Zimmerman, and no doubt many thought on
hearing OF the death of the Canadian million
airo, that this lumented gentleman was Ell
ther subject of Queen Victoria imported
to order or the descendant of some recent
emgrant. On the contrary he was born in
huntington Co., Pennsylvania. in 1915, and
only removed to Canada in 1912. OF his boy
hood and early life, wo know nothing Tex
cept that he was by trade a blacksmith }
but cannot doubt that from the first no show
ed tho same energy, torcthouSht and supe-
riority, which distinguished him in after
life But at tho ugc of p when he first
came to Canada, it is said that his worldly
goods consisted OF a gray horse and buggy.
This was all the outside capital Samuel
inside capital he had the Yankee enter
prise, the seli-reliance and the audscity
which distinguish his countrymen, and
which led him at the start to enter into u
contract to build four locks and an acque-
duct on the " elland Canal, to cost one mil.
lion of dollars. In this gigantic undertak-
ing, as it may be truly called, where the
success was to depend solely on the charac-
ter and resources of the mau. he a. matter
of course succeeded. If be had failed Mr.
Zimmerman could not have built afterwards
100 miles of Great Western Railway "a con-
tract Of COO UO0, nor the first Suspension
bridge ut Niagara Falls. nor the Great Rail
road Bridge az the game point, in all of
which undertakings he must be considered a
most important influence. Bssidss these
things inear bis own houso,) ho built the
Coburg and Pcterboro', the Port Hope,
Lindsay und the Erie and Ontario Railways
in Canada. Such was the force and public
spirit of this native OF the Key Stone State,
who may be said to have almost originated
the enterprise Of Canada.
1t was not only in those things that he
was 80 fortunate and distinguished. Every
one who has spent a night at the Clifton
House, Niagara Falls, and admired the
beautiful grounds, the magnificent buildings
and grand arrangement. Of this truly prin-
ecly establishment, even if he knew it not,
was In debt to ths same Samuel thinner
man. The beautiful little park of titty-two
acres in front of tho Clifton Iiosse, so adni-
rdbly kept and enclo >ed, the grand fountain
in the same, tie finest in America which he
constructed at a cost of fifteen Thousand
dollars. was his work llalfa million would
he II low estimate Of the Clifton House and
its appurtenauces. Near the hotel was his
private residence, and here he was carving
out the plans ut the time OF his death, for y
new princely residence, the foundations of
which were laid. 1t WAS to he of Cleveland
sandstone and Canadian brick, to cost
Sl7j 900, and tho stables, which were com
petel, had been built atan expense Of S4S,-
900. The splendid site of this grand man
SION, laid out on such n prncely scale,
would have commanded direct view from
the intended pOrtico, of the American Fall.
We name the wor,i in money of these
undertakings, to show what in fifteen years
II Yankee could do in 50 unprl mising q
country as Canada. At Elgin, Mr. thinner
man sold last ycar his property for $500
OOO.-at Toronto he owned estates valued
at $500 600, ut Hamilton one that is valued
at 300 900 On Lake Ontario, the steamer
Zimmerman was his, and half the steamer
Peerless, valued at 800 900 When he died
this cnterprising man had just completed
the arrangements for building IL new rail
road to the West, parallel to the Great
Western, but on shorter and better route,
ihe cost OF this was 100000 600.
Such were some OF the public undcrtak-
ings of this man, who in lS42 WAS the own
er Of a horse and buggy, and in 1857 dies
the owner, US it may be said, of the greatest
public enterprises in Canadl. With all
this, Mr.. Zimmerman was not a narrow,
grasping, ayaricious man. just the contra
ry of that,-he was a generous, open, plain
public spirited man, large beneyolence was
one OF his marked attributes His educa-
tion $50 far az books were concerned) was
limited. Intercourse with men, and the
need Of relying upon his own resources
made up ior his eaily deficiency. His
manners were those of gentleman and his
temper noble and amlable. His history
shows what indomitable perseverance, and
good management can accomplish, he died
at the age (42) when many business men
have scarcely begun TO live.