The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-07-05
a MILLIONAIRE INVENTOR.
The Career Of winans, Rsltsmore's Ee-
centric Engineer.
Baltimore Correspondence of the New York
Inn II

centric Engineer.
Baltimore Correspondence of the New Yorl
Times, June IL.
Thomas Winans, of Baltimore, die
this morning at his resideuce ut New
port, r. l., of pulmonary cOnsump
ton. He left Baltimore a few week
ago in the hopes of restoring his health
which had been rapidly failing fO
some time, but recently his condition
became critical, and on Saturday
night inflammation of the bowels Sc
in. SFOr many years Mr.. Winans has
lived very quietly in Baltimore, anC
since the death, a few years ago, Oi
his wife, to whom he was very much
attached, has been seen but very little
in public. He was a son of Ross
4 Winans, of this city, who died in
April of last year, and who was the
inventor of the cameI-back engines
first used by the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company. He received a
good education at the public schools,
although he never went to college,
and after leaving school his father
taught him the trade of a machinist.
| His mechanical and inventive abiIi-
ties soon proved to be of high order,
and when his father received a con-
| tract for the construction of the Mich
OLAF Railroad, between st. Petersburg
and Moscow, young Winans was sent
out in charge of the machinery and to
superintend the building of the road
| Other American engineers, among
them Messrs. Eastwick and Harris On,
of Philadelphia, had also entered into
contracts with the Imperial Govern
ment. On the way out Mr.. Winans met
with Mr.. Eastwick, and the two deci-
ded to go into partnership after their
arrival in Russia. They entered into
a number of contracts which were
very successful. During his stay in
| Russia Mr.. Winans married a Russian
lady, and when he returned to Balti-
more he was reported to be the
wealthiest man in the country. He
purchased and entire square of ground
Mt the intersection of Baltimore and
HOllins streets for fifty-two thousand
dollars, and proceeded to erect on it a
very large and beautiful mansion.
The grounds surrounding it were Or
namented with the choicest flowers,
and groups of statuary added to the
artistic character of the scene. Some
objections were however made to the
statute of the "Dying Gladiator" and
other studies from the antique, and
the City Council passed a resolution
requesting their removal. Mr.. Wi
mans retaliated by building a brick
wall about twelve feet high around
his property, and though often peti-
toned to pull it down, steadily refus>
ed, and it still remains standing. At
the time the house was built it was al
most in the suburbs of the city, but the
locality is now densely populated. In
the construction of his house, MIR. Wi
mans brought all his knowledge of
mechanics and peculiar scientific theO-
ries to bear upon it. To develop his
theory of ventilation, he caused to be
erected tall brick tower, about 100
feet high, and pierced the floors of
some of the rooms with holes, which
were covered with an intricate Venti- |
lating apparatus. He seldom entered |
into society, his time being spent in
intercourse with immediate friends |
and in maturing new inventions and |
mechanical projects.
When the war broke out he built a |
huge steam-gun of peculiar cOnstruc- |
ton, which he claimed was of most |
destructive character. His sympa-
thies, as also of his brother, were |
largely with the South, and the gun |
was offered to the cOnfederacy. 1t |
was shipped to Harper's Ferry by the |
Baltimore and Ohio railroad, but was |
captured by Gen. B. +. Butler at the |
Relay House, about nine miles from |
this city. Shortly after this, Mr.. |
WinanS and his brother went to Eu- |
rope, the latter remaining there. At
ter his return to Baltimore, Mr.. |
Wipans continued his experiments. |
He built a oigar>Shaped steamer with !
an iron hull, and ship-rigged, and |
claimed that when the principle on |
which it was worked was perfected, |
the Atlantic could be crossed in four !
days. The first trial trip, however,
was failure, and the steamer now lies |
dismantled at a wharf in South Balti- |
more. Several of these steamers were |
also England, Mr.. Winans making tre- |
quent visits to that country in their in |
terest, but thepr0iect was finally aban-
doned. Several Years ago he began !
the construction of large organ at his |
house in Baltimore, building having
been especially erected for its reception, |
1t IS not yet completed, although one of
similar character was built at his villa
in Newport and finished two years
ago. He also patented an invention
for notching the tires of carriage
wheels, by which vehicles could be
turned off of street railroad tracks
without danger of an accident. He
was very fond of horses, aud his ELL
glish drag and four-in-hand attracted
much attention when seen on the
streets. About year ago he pur-
chased team of Russian stations in
New York, the magnificent pro-
portions of which excited much aGmi-
PATTON;
AS showing Mr.. Winans' peculiari>
ha nnI hof fnff For. I,
fire in the Brooklyn Theatre, he caus-
ed the door to be made through the
solid wall opposite the pTiVate box
which he rented at Ford's Opera>house
so that in case of fire the inmates of
the box could make their escape into
the adjoining yard. His leisure mo-
ments were, in fact, constantly spent
in the study of art, literature and eX-
perimental philosophy, and he always
had number of wOrkmen and ma
chidists in his service, building accord
ing to the mOdt Il WHICH he furnished.
although not known much in public,
he was a very charitable man, He
purchased a Methodist chapel in the
neighhorhoOd of his house prior to
1861, Furnished il with the necessary
appurtenances, and gave largely every
day to the poor, 1t became known as
Winan's sOup-hOuse, and retained that
name until it was torn few years ago.
Mr.. Winan's fortune is estimated at
about $1,000, 900, principally Invested
in real estate in baltimore city and
COUNTY. He leaves a son and daugh-
ter tQ inherit it-ROss, a widOwer, and
Ella unmarried. His three brothers,
William, Walton and Clinton, are
still in England. His body Will be
temporarily entambed at Newport to-
morrow, and will be brought TO Ball
timore for final ldterment in the fall.
The Wilderness Campaign.