The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-09-19

From the New Orleans Times.l
Let us show how a gigantic and in
teresting manufacturing interest, the
pride and boast of Philadelphia, took
it's rise. We allude to "the Baldwin
Locomotive Works, a manufactOry of |
engines, not only challenging but
eclpsing any other of its kind in the
world" :.. .. 81 ...- -.. s. L
In 1926 the founder, NJ. W. Baldwin,
had served his time as apprentice to q
jewel1er who carried on that business |
on his own account, but trade being |
dull, he joined with a machinist in the |
manufacture of bookbinders' tools and |
cylinders for calico printing. Finding
their business rapidly increasing they |
used steam power, but the engine they
purchased not answering the require !
ments, Baldwin himself designed and
constructed one which should answer
the purposes Of the shop. His object
was to combine great power in as small
a space as possible. He successfully
made an upright engine on plans hith-
| ertO unknown, which met the object
| he had in view so well that the fame of
| it was spread abroad. He was called
| upon to build engines of the same kind
| for other parties, and orders coming i'm
rapidly, left him no leisure to attend to
anything else; so he devoted his at
tention entirely to build stationary en-
| gines. At that time the tramways, or
short lines of railways, were operated
mostly by horse power. What few
railway engines that in the country
had been imported from England.
These formed the models for Baldwin
| to commence the manufacture, for the
first time in this country, of steam en-
gines for railways. The first one built
was a miniature engine ordered from
! him by Peale, the proprietor of Peale's
among his collections. This was in
1881. ,-f --......s .l'...., ....,. 80 ..-..
It was about this time that the Phil
adelphia, Germantown and NorristOwn
Railroad was completed, horses being
used to draw the cars. The company
gave Baldwin an order for locOmo-
tive and under great and depressing
obstacles he commenced the work.
Baldwin's early training here came into
| play his self-reliance, his energy, and
determination above all, his knOwl-
edge that the. great Creator had en-
doWed man with faculties to overcome
all obstacles, if when saying: 81 will"
hetmeant it; brought him success. He
completed the first locomotive built in
the country, having to imprOvise near
ly all the tools necessary for the work,
directing workmen in this or that cast
ing by verbal description rather than
drawings, for f0rges and tools at that
day were, as general rule, inadequate
for large castings.
His courage, however, never fors0Ok
him, and eventually the engine was de-
livered to the company. It was not q
success until the alterations that were
suggested by q trial were made. It af-
teTWard was run regularly over the
road Except on rainy days" as we are
told by an advertisement of that time,
"When horses would be attached to the
train" 1t was FROM this small begin
ming that the Baldwin Locomotive
Works have grown to such huge dimen-
sions. Their locomotives are to be met
with not only ON nearly ii, not all the
railroads in our country, but even ON
railroads of Continental Europe, par
) ticIllarly in Russia,
We have condensed the foregoing
record from an extended article in a
contemporary. We feel that there is a
deep significant lesson in it which the
people Of our city should heed. There
can be no doubt that the great growth
and vast strides made by Philadelphia,
rivaling New York, although but a
short distance from that great metrop-
: terests. How most of them were com
menced let the account we have given
above tell. 1t is a fact patent to all
who observe these things closely, that
manufacturing interests grow up from
small beginnings and become success
full, like other pursuits, by energy, de-
termination and personal attention tC
the details of the factory. A CONNER
cial city, depending alone on its com
!: merce, can never hope to win a perma.
nent resident population. 1t is out foi
the common run to expect men of com
merce, who, of necessity, are c0smOpOl
itan, to become honest residents; thell
business calls them away once or twice
lIDOn them. Not SO the artisan or me
n chanic, and the manufacturer; thei
ties are where their business calls them
The wares they turn out are taken il
hand by the merchant who Introduce
them in the commercial world.
5 Hence the larger the number Of me
chanics andmanufacturePs acity can EN-
ploy, the more rapid its growth. New
York, If dependent alone upon its belnl
the great commercial centre Of tn
country, would have been left benin,
In population and wealth by Philadel
phia, The great need we have In on
city is manufactures of various kindt
not begun as most of those have bee,
ID which nave failed, full -fedged, with
large capital and large salaried officers
ID but begun in a quiet, determined way
q by one or two practical men, with sfnal
q capital, who viii wait for success, an
y win it by assiduity and economy, an
" by manufacturing articles of such quail
. ity as will make them sought aftel
y There is room here for epless snla
ware manufactures. Take up any pa
Der published in the centre of the man
ufactory interest of the North or Yves
= and see the advertisements. Plan
works, marble works, slate mantel
:. lithographers, bricklayers, carpenter
r stair builders, springmakers, mil
nd wrights, gaspipe makers, carriage mai
ss as ers, paras0l makers, match manufaetr
= rers, in fact every conceivable kind {
!. manufacturers advertise themselyt
{ and their wares, along with the con
mereial people who do the same Il
3 their business. Most of these manufal
- tories are ON q small scale, they al
he generally in the hands of only one pc
son; and that is the true secret OF sul
cess. We do not want to be unde
= stood. as some carping critic with gre
gE CAB has put it, that We advise an abal
BY donment of the agTicu uItnral pursuits
en cotton, sugar, and rice. to take up otl
e er industries; we are simply intent III
. on pointing out 10 the people IN tue
= interest, and the interest OF the sta1
y the means Of varying their pursuits
8 go which we can grow 10 d pPosperOuseol
nj {IitiOn, based on d solid foundation
which by the way was never the eond
i.