New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-12
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.


County, Mass. April 27 1918. and tho descend
ant OF Puritan family that came to America in
| 1855 Ills father died there few years go at
| the age OF nearly one hundred years. Al the age
| of seventeen years the boy Amasa be-
camo an apprentice to builder, and two years
| later be went into business for himself engaging
| in the erection of dwellings. When twenty years
| old he built church cdifce in East Brooktield,
| Mass On reaching his majority ho engaged extern
sively in raj way and bridge building in Massschu-
sets in which business he very successful. In
1889 and 1910 he was engaged with William howe
building bridge across the Connecticut RIVER al
Springfield, Mass, tor the Western Railroad Com
| pany. Mr Howe had just secured patent for
what is known as the Hove Truss Bridge" For
several years Mr. Stone was engaged in the
work OF building railway bridges and
depots In 1912 Mr.. Stone and AzaTiah
| Body purchased from Nr. Howe his bridge
patent for the New England States, paying there
for $40, 900. This was considered to DO large
SUN i'll those days. The firm was known as Body.
Stone & Co.. and the business to be done was the
construction Of railway and railway bridges The
mechanical portion OF the work was to be under
the control of Mr.. Stone. After few
years there were found to be defects
in the Howe patent which were likely
to materially interfere with its success. Othor
plans proved superior, and the investment of
Body. stone & Co. was likely to prove a losing
one Mr.. Stones inventive genius enabled HIM TO
improve the patent in several important particu-
lars. and thus enabled him successfully to compete
with his rivals
HIS SUCCESS As A RAILWAY BUILDER AND MANAGER.
In Is45 Mr.. Stone became superintendent of tho
New-Havcn, Hartford and Springfield Railroad
and in the following year he performed the re-
markabe feat of designing and building a railroad
bridge over the Connecticut River at Enfield Falls
in 40 days. 1t had been destroyed by a hurricane
The new one was onc-quarter of a mi long and was
built in the most substantial manner. The rail-
road passed resolutions complinentng M Stone
and gave him check for $1,000. In 1917
the firm of Body. Stone & Co. was
dissolved Nr. Stone taking the States covered by
the Howe" paent-Massachusctt Connecticut
and Rhode Island. He then formed a partnership
with D. L. Harris, which continued until 1si9. In
1s4s, IN company with Stlllman, Witt and FIcder-
ick IIarbach, he contracted with the Cleveland,
Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad Company TO
construct the road from Cleveland to Columbus.
Part payment TO be taken in the
stock of tho road. This deemed by
many TO be a hazardous undertaking and
one that was likely to result in pccuniary loss II
was carried through, however. and the stock
proved to be a good investment. In 1850, i'm
mediatcly after the completion of the railroad, Mr..
Stone was appointed It's superintendent This in
duced him to remove from Springfield, Mass, where
be had lived for ten years, to Cleveland. Thence
forward ho continued to reside in Cleveland
until his DEATH for many years past
occupying Of tho finest residences
on Euclid-aye. Before his removal to Ohio the
tracts in which Mr.. Stone was interested called him
into ten different States
Mr.. Stone and Messls. Witt and Harbach con-
fha s.f.rtIa
Railroad of which Mr. Stone became the superintcnd
entin 1882 and the presidentin 1857 Mr. stone and
Mr; Nitl also punt and equipped the Chicago and
Milwaukee RAILROAD, Of which Mr. stone was for
a time the president. Mr.. Stone also took pTOlnl-
nent part In other important industrial and man
ufacturing enterprises, having founded rolling
mills, woollen mills and car factories in various
Western states. Ia 1862 Inc was requested by Pres
ident LnGO 10 Dniid r military Isll
of cumberland Cap and he was gwen a brigadicr-
generals commission for that purpose The chang
ing CONDITION OF the campaign, however, caused the
plan TO be given up.
In le6S, on account of l-health. Mr.. Stone went
abroad and was absent for year, When he re-
turned, IL 1853, he was made managing director of
the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad,
with the fortunes Of which he had been connected
more or loss intimately for several years. In 1876
he resigned tho managing dictatorship in order TO
devote himself to the of his large estate ecOn-
tinued. however, TO be director of the Lake
Withdrew from the Board because he was strongly
opposed TO the policy which led to the purchase of
the Nickel Plate" Railroad. During his long
career q railroad ana bridge builder Mr. Stone
invented several valuable Improvements III railway
construction and machinery.
Mr. Stone besides being connected with yar1ous
railway enterprises, also largely Interested III
various other concerns. He at time a large
owner of the stock OF the Standard Oil Company,
and sold il at large advance over its cost lie
was for several years director OF the Western
Union Telegraph Company, declining reelection
ia 1852. lie WAS also one OF the directors OF the
IInlon Trust Company lie one of the largest
stockholdersof the Union Iron and steel Company of
Chicago a director OF the Merchants National
Iank the Bank OF Commerce the Second National
Rank the Commercial National Bank, and the
Cleveland Banking Company,a of Cleveland: For
several years hs was tue president vi tho Toledo