Morning journal and courier., 1881-06-27
Price Four Cents
Sflas c. Herring. From the New York Herald. l

9A1@b Cs heff1n&s From the New York Herald Silas c. Herring, widely known as an in- ventor and founder, died suddenly at his home in Plainfeld. N. J., on Thursday night in the seventy-eighth year of his age Active earnest, enterprising and zealous, MT. Her. ring made name and fortune two gem erations ago, and his fame outliving him is
 his best obituary. He was born in Brook
 field, Mass, in 1904, and after the usual ex-
 periences of 8 country lad went when seven
 teen years old to Albany and entered the en- ploy of his uncle, a grocer. After six years
 service young Herring aided his uncle much in establishing lottery business, in which in
 few years he netted as his share about
 $10,000. Success attended every effort, and
 at the death of his uncle the lad continued
 the business until 1884, when at a compara-
 lively youthful age he closed his business
 and came to New York seeking an invest-
 ment. He soon found an opening, and start ed wholesale grocery store at No. 8 Front
 street. the firm name being Herring &
 Greene. In 1885 he was burned out, and,
 though fully insured. got nothing from the
 general wreck. The firm failed, started again.
 and in 1887 participated in the ruin of mer-
 cantile interests and went by the board for
 good.
 Having tasted the bitter frnits of unsuc
 cessful endeayor for three years Mir Herring
 met, in 1S40, an odd genius named Enos
 Wilder who possessed the secret of the non
 ,o!1!l conauet1ng power of plaster of paris, and utilized his information by applying if to
 safes, called the Salamander The i1nova, ton upon the old order of thinps yras tba subject of much ridicule among business men and the makers of the old iron and wood
 lined safes in particular. Wilder, however,
 had faith in his invention, knew just what it
 could stand, and at last boldly challenoad a
 public test. This took place in 1840 at Cof-
 fee House slip, at the foot of Wall street
 All the leading freproof chests as safes were
 then called, were subjected to crucial tests bv
 fire in the presence of a multitude of people.
 and all were destroyed save the salanander,
 which passed through the fiery ordeal
 successfully, preserving the books and pa-
 pers which had been deposited in it. Nr
 Herring, who was 8 witness of this trial.
 negotiated with Wilder; was appointed bv
 him agent for the sale of the Salamander
 and commenced business in 1S41 Three
 years later, such had been his success that he
 was enabled to purchase the sole right to
 manufacture the Wilder safe, paying Wilder
 a royalty of one cent per pound as a part of
 the agreement. Mr-Herrings first manufac
 tory and salesrooms combined were situated
 at the corner of Water and Depeyster streets.
 Through long and expensive experiments MT
 Herring finally added Improvements to the
 Salamander which, he claimed, rendered it
 superior to anything manufactured in the
 United States, and he backed his confidence
 and claims by issuing challenge to all the
 safe manufacturers of the country to test
 their safes with his Franklin. DeIano and
 Gayler, of Brooklyn, and Scott, of Philadel
 Phia were the other principal safe makers of
 that time, and they accepted the challenge
 An immense brick furnace was put up at the foot of Wall street, in which the safes of the rival makers were placed and were subjected for many hours to the heat of raging fire. The other safes succumbed to the intense heat, but the Wilder safe resisted the flames to the last, and when 1t was opened it's con- tents were found intact The triumph of the Salsmander spread far and wide, and in con- sequence the demand for it was largely in creased. Among the interested spectators of the great safe trial was Horace Greeley
 "What regard as my first and most sub- stantlal test of the Salamander," said Mir. Herring recently in commenting upon the ups and downs of his business life, twas the great fire of 1S45, in which the Tribune building was destroyed. In this building was one of my safes containing books pa- pers securities, etc, of great value. At that time I lived with my family in Abingdon square, and I vividly recall the anxiety I felt concerning the result, as this was in reality the first real fire test to which it had been subjected. My family too, shared in my anxiety. The night of the fire was bitterly cold, water freezing almost instantly after leaving the nydrant, and the firemen had terrible time. The safe was covered with several thicknesses of brick after falling among the ruins, and although surrounded with an intensely hot fire, water froze on the brick forming it's cover at the top. Two or three days afterward when cooled of, the safe was taken out and opened, and everything in it was found to be pre- served. The discovery lifted a heavy load. off my mind, and as you may well imagine it ss, added greatly to the reputation of my house." As time wore on the business and its profits jumped into millions, and among the most substantial structures of the city is the man. moth Herring building corner of Hudson street and Ninth avenue, where over six hun dred men are constantly employed and whence a $50, 900 safe is turned out as easily as in 1s49 $50 safe was made It is mar rated that in 1850 Mir. Herring paid heavy sum to Philadelphia chemist who had dis covered that sulphate of lime was superior to any other substance then known as a non- conductor of heat and resistant of fire year later appeared the first safe in which the substance introduced. This safe was entered at the London exhibition of that year, and challenge was issued to safe makers of all Europe to fire test. This offer was declined. Then MT. Herring placed S1 ,0OO in the drawer, and announced that any one who opened the safe could have the money. Mir. Herring went to Paris for a month, and returned to find that the safe mad resisted the attacks made upon it by the most skillful workmen and the most perfect sools. The Wilder patent expired in 1852. In four years MT. Herring had paid $154,- poo royalty
 But Silas c. Herring was not an idle citi- zen, content to leave affairs of general mo- nent in the hands of professional politicians In politics he was old line, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster whig, and subsequently, re- publican. He could have been in office all the ime during fifty years past, but declined as rule. While he lived in Albany he was ap- pointed by Governor Throop as paymaster if the Fifth regiment of artillery, State mi tia, and was subsequently, promoted to be Is colonel. In 1S47 he consented to run for assistant Aldermen in the Ninth ward of this ity, and the next term he served as Alder ian. These were the only occasions in mich he acted as public official. He was 'yal Union man during the war, and sent his To sons to the front, one of whom, Silas F. [erring, fell at Murfreesboro. MT. Herring as one of the incorporators of the Juvenile sylum, and has been connected as director ith the Broadway and the Importers and raders' banks, the Manhattan and Broad ay Savings banks, the Manhattan and NR- onal Life Insurance companies, the Park ire Insurance and the Firemen's Fund com anies. As 8 man he was prompt and hon st in settlement. thoughtful and considerate dealing benevolent to the poor, hospita- le and generous in all that pertained to one. He had 8 robust and commanding hysique and pleasant face. He will not e especially missed in business, as of late ears he has delegated active duty to others ut at home and in social and general circles is death creates an unmistakable void.
 The Newspapers Man.
 The reason why so few men comparatively lcceed ln journalism, says a sensible ex- hange, is because so few have for it the tem-