The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-16

Peter Cooper the New York Philantho'
pist, entered upon his ninety-second year
on Sunday last the 18th. The writer Of
these lines was present u few weeks ago at
the National Tariff Convention that met In
tho hall Of the great Institute in New York
City founded by this venerable man and
donated by him to the free use Of tire public
for literary and scientific purposes. He
listened to the reading Of m address to the |
convention by Mr.. Cooper, and found 1t
difficult to realize that the well preserved
and gorld locking old man standing on the
raslrum Of the convention had seen nearly
three generations OF his fellow men pass
away since he himself had come upon the
theatre OF existence. Yet SO it was, that
this man who seemed to have such an ex-
traordinary use Of his faculties, who could
still think clearly, compose well, and Gu
unciatc quite distinctly before large con-
yeption, dated his birth back to the 9Th
day Of February, 1891. He stood there Us
historic monument before body Of the
representative business men Of the United
States reiuting the iallacies Of free trade
and recounting his own experiences as a
manufacturer under oil the various admin
istrations and policies Of the Government
since early in the present century. The
convention could only look at him and
recall the words OF Webster at Bunker Hill,
Memorable mani You have come down
10 us from another generation" Yes, from
Two generations
MIR. Cooper lived before the days Of
steamboats, - before the application OF
steam to any sort OF machinery in this
couutry-and he himself built the first To-
comotiye ever constructed in tho western
world-the tiny and crude machine that
was first put on the rails Of the Baltimore
&Ohio road about the year 1928, when the
road ran by horse power as far as EliCott's
mills.
OF course the birth day anniversary o.
such man US Mr.. Cooper did not pms.
without observance on the part Of his nu
merous friends and admirers in New York
The Herald gives the following account o
the observance OF it:
The ntnety.tirst anniversary Of Mr..
Cooper's birth falling on Sunday this year
it was celebrated yesterday. Mr.. Cooper
was hale and hearty and in the best posi-
bic spirits. In the morning he made his
customary morning visit TO the Cooper
Union, and after seeing the doingS there
busted himself with signing leases for thu
tenants. Then he returned to his home n
No, o Lexington avenue, and Tor the rest O.
the day was INT home" TO I'LL who called t
congratulate him on his entrance upon hi.
Old year. These were many, and among
them were the best known and most highly
priced New Workers. He said he had not N
any time in all his long life been freer iron
aches and pains, although in his time he
had suffered from complication OF trou
bles, in part due to his spirit Of inquir,
into the hidden forces OF nature; and here
he related his experience in IN effort t
and power greater than that Of steam
There was an explosion, and he wa.
severely hurt, and the experiments werl
abandoned. At the time OF his bith, il
Little Dock street NOV Water street, nea,
Cocnties slip, the region within radius q
ten miles Of the City Hall did not contain
10000 inhabitants; now it has abou
100000.
Mr.. Cooper recalled his Apprenticeship
ut coachmaklng, his success in making ma
chimes for shcaring cloth ut the time o
the war with Great Britain, and his strug
giles us grocer in little shop near til
noble pile that he has given the working
men and women OF New York. He dwell
upon his career us an inventor, and re
called his Joy in riding out Of Baltimore a
the builder Of the first locomotive eugtu
ever built in the Western Hemisphere.
With yet greater pride he spoke OF tn
great institution upon which he had ex
pended more than million dollars, am
this was yesterday nearer his heart thai
ali things else. He was led to creating III
Cooper Union alter long experience as nj
officer Of tho public schools Of New Yorj
was wanting, and then he resolved to giy