Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-04-02
HOW A YOUNG DOOTDLACK INVENTED A
PUMP,
pittabnrrh Disnaich.

Pittsburgh Dispatch.
Down in the lobby ofthe MOnon-
gahela house, there may be fonnd
at chance times, slender built
little lad, with light hair, and a
keen expressive blue eye-a boy of
not more than II or - years Of age,
plying the vocation of q bootblack.
Just few days ago, Mr.. Thomas
b. Atterbury, the well.known glass
manufacturer, passed through the
lobby, and had his boots blacked
by the urchin mentioned, and while
he was "shiniDg 'em up the gen.
tleman fell into conversation with
the sinner. "I'm not goin' to shine
shoes very long. Fact is, Pm tired
of it, and am goin' to live on my
money!
hy, how much have you gOtp
quelied the gentleman.
"Fve got just S28,OOO," replied
the boy.
The amount being so large, and
the circumstance so peculiar, Mr..
Atterbury inquired how he came
to possess such a large sum of
money.
"It's a kind Of long story, said
the boy, as he piled the brush
vigorously, "but III tell you it.
You see the first thing | ever knew
when | was little was that woke
up one morning, and everything
was green around me. That was
when | was found in the Allegheny
park, and | guess was two years
old. was taken to the Allegheny
mayors office, ard then a woman
named Mrs. Armstrong adopted
me and raised me. I've been a boot.
block since was quite young, and
my name is Jimmy Costello. Well,
one day last summer | was down on
the wharf here, and see some men
pumping the waller out OF barge.
| thought it took them an awful
long tine to pump that water out,
and | got to thinking. By and by
thought could make a pump,
and | drew ont on stone what |
thought. | tell you, mister, when
| looked at it | shivereG, and the
more looked the more | shivered,
as | knew | could pump out that
water better than those men could.
~ saved up my money, and first
goes to a timer on Wylie avenue,
named Schaefer, and | gets him to
make me a long, round, air.tight
tin, just like big tomato can. l
didn't tell him what | wants 1t for,
but goes to another timer and gets
him to make me a couple of tin
pipes"
"What did you 60 to the second
timer for :"
"Why, you see, | was afraid be
might find out what was doing.
When / got those pipes | got some
more, and then, one right when the
folks at home goes to bed, / just
put them pipes and things together
and | emptied tub of water with
il in one minute, and tell you that
made me shiver mOre'n It did when
! lawed it out on the stone. Then
ycrt an got an Ak, and | chopped
up that there pump into little bits,
because | didn't want anyone else
to know what was a doing. |
went on saving up my money, and
when thought ] had enough / told
a man named Reilly, whose boots
used to shine, that wanted him to
get me a patent. why says be
to me, 1T will cost money. | just |
told him had it, an gave him
Sl2 an he got me patent. | tell |
you it was a mighty pretty thing,
with a great red seal an pretty rib
bOns on it, an then l knows | was
all right.
"One day,lnot a great while ago,
man came up to our house on
Fifteenth street, an he wanted to
see me, an when he began talkin'
about my pump 1 knowed what he
was after. You see, when got my
patent they had to have guardeen
appointed for me, an Mr.. Reilly
was the man. Well, this man as
was talking to me asked what l
would take for that patent, an l
just thought $4,000 would be
good price, and l told him so. He
said he would give me $4,000, but
| just got him up to $2S,000. His
name is r. Morehead, and he told
me he was from Washington
That's just why Pm going to quit
shining, as l will get 5000 every
year. / know that some of the
money is down IN that bank with
the big lions in front of it,"
"Won't you make drawing for
me of your pump?' asked the gen.
tleman.
The lad was furnished with pen
Gil and paper, and made the draw.
ing, displaying a wonderful me-
chancal knowledge. The gentle
man then asked for the date of the
patent, and proceeded to make an
investigation, and ascertained that
a patent for a pump which com.
bines the vacuum and syphon prin.
ciples had been granted on Noyem-
ber II of the past year. Such IS
the story of bootblack's beginning
-, A.,