Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-03-06
Il SHTNEh'S STORY.
How Young BootblaCk Struck an Idea on
Pumps and the Results of 1t.

From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
Down in the lobby of the Monongahela
house, there may be found at chance times,
slender built little lad, with light hair. and
keen expressive blue eye-a boy of not more
than II or II years Of age, plying the vocation
of a 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 urchn men,
toned, and while he was Shining 'em up"
the gentleman tell into conversation with the
sinner. "rm not goin' to shine shoes very
long. Fact is, Pm tired of it, and am goin'
to live on my money"
"Why, now much have you got?" queried
tho geutlemon.
i've got just SIS OO0," replied the boy.
The amount being so large, and the circum-
stance so peculiar, Mr.. Atterbury inquired
how he came to possess such large sum of
money.
" lbs kind of long story" said the boy,
as he piled the brush vigorously, " but III
tell you it. You see the first thing j ever
knew when ! was little was that woke up
one morning, aud everything was green
around me. That was when l was found
in the Allegheny park, and | guess
to the Allegheny mayors office, and then
woman named Mrs. Armstrong
adopted me and raised me. I've been
"A bOotblack since | was quite young, and my
summer | was down on the wharf here, and
| see some men pumping the water out of a
| barge. l thought it took them an awful long
| time To pump that water out, and l got to
| thinking. BY and by ] thought / could
make pump and ! drew out on a stone
| what thought | tell you, mister, when
| looked at II | shiVered, and the more l
| looked the more i shvered, as / knew /
could pump out that water better than those
| men could.
"l saved up my money, and first goes to
| timer on Wyiie avenue, named Schaeier,
and gets him to make me long, round,
| air-tight tin, Just like big tomato can.
| din't tell him what wants it Tor, but goes
to another timer and gets him TO make me a
| couple OF tin pipes"
"What did you go to the second timer
for?"
"Why, YOU see, | was afraid he might find
| out what | was doing. When | got those
| pipes got some more, and then, one night
when the folks at home goes to bed, just
| put them pipes and things together, and
emptied tub of water with it in one minute,
and | tell you that made me shiver more'n n
it did when | drawed it out on the stone,
Then ! went an got an ak, and l chopped ur
that there pump into little bits, because l
didn't want anyone else to know what was
a doing. | went on saving up my money,
and when ! thought had enough i told a
man name Reilly, whose boots / used Ia
shine, that i wanted him to get me patent.
why says he to me, 1t Will cost money
l Just tuIu MN l ndu III, an gave nun Sf-
an he got me patent. ! tell you 1t was q
mighty pretty thing, with great red seal an
pretty ribbons on II, an then l knows was
all right.
"One day not a preat while ago, mar
, came up to our house on Fifteenth street, an
he wanted to see me, an when he begaI
talkin' about my pump l knowed what h'
was after. You see, when got my paten
they had TO have guardeen appointed fo
me, am Mr., Reilly was the man. Well, thi
man as was talking To me asked mo what
would take for that patent, an just though
$4,000 would be II good price, and i tol'
I him so. lie said he would give me 81, ,00O
, but Just got him up TO s2S,0O0. Ills nam
= is r. Morehead, and he told me he was fior
Washington. That's just why Pm going I
: quit shining, as | will get 5000 every yeal
| / know that some of tho money Is dow
! in that bank with the big lions in front {
| | it,"
o "Won't you make drawing for me {
: your pumpp asked the gentleman.
/ The lad was furnished with pencil an
I, paper, aud made the drawing, displaying
r Wonderful mechanical knowledge. The gen
tleuan then asked for-the date oi The paIan'