Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-10-25

The Remarkable Rise OF Millionaire
George Pullman.
Brains and Energy viii Go to the
Front.

Mr.. George M. Pullman, the founder of
the world famed Pullman palace car sys
tenn, was born in Chautauqua county,
New York, March 3, 1881. AT the age of
IA he entered a store at Westfeld, n. Y,
at salary of $40 per year. When II
years old he, With his brother, began the
business OF cabinet making IN Albion n.
Y, where his family resided. Before no
had attained his 22d year his father died,
leaving Kim almost the sole support OF
his mother and five younger brothers and
nsteIa.
The struggle under such a load was q
sey.re one for young Pullman, but il only
serv I 10 develop his indomitaoie pluck
and natural abilities He found the cab
net making business too small for the
support Of so large a family and trans
ferred his operations to a wider business
field. The ealarge of the Erie canal
furnished him with the desired opportuni-
ty and he contracted With tbs state of
Nav York for the removal Of large
number Of building which neoessitated
the widening OF this waterway.
The venture 81 2 contractor proved
succossful and the result netted him sew
eral thousand dollars. With this as the
nucleus for tho colossal fortune he was
finally TO accumulate, ne came west and
located in Cnicago in the year 1859, and
at once engaged IA the the then novel er-
terprisa OF raising entire blocks OF brick
and stone buildings; IN which business
he had signal success.
Prior % his coming west, in the year
1858, he saw, while riding over the Lake
Shore railroad, one of the primitive
sleeping cara, Just then introduced. Mr..
Pullman was impressed with the feast
bility of developing the crude itoa en-
bodied in the construction of this car
into a vehicle of comfort and luxury for
day and night travel. During the year
1859 he fitted two ordinary passenger
cars on the Chicago and Alton railroad
into slespers which were decided i'm
proy6ment over other sleepers of mat
date, and so erected and established the
demand for improved travelling ancomo-
dations.
Mr.. Pullman in the meautime had en-
gagged in merchandising and mining in
Colorado. But in the gear 1868 he dis
posed of his interests there and returned
to Chicago, determined to devote his
energits and the means he had accumula-
ted TO perfecting sleeping and parlor
ing them on through lines Of railway. Ia
that year, 1854, he began the first Pull
man car, now known as the Pioneer" in
the old repair shed in the yard of the
Chicago and Alton company.
The Pullman Palace Car Company was
organized ia 1867, with Mr.. Pullman as
president, and now operates more than
1900 cars over mo- than 10000 miles of
railway in America and Europe, and has
com pletely revolutionized the methods of
modern travel. In the manufacturing
gud repair depar monte, including the
operating departments, 1t employs over
5000 men.
Ia 1880 Mr.. PGllmsn began what he
considers the greatest achievement of
his ljte This was the building near this
city pe The model manufacturing town
which bears his name, and which, in
the short space of less than eight years,
has become ono Of the most widely
known ce7ters OF Industrial activity in
the world.
Thu employees of this city are more
prosperous and happy than the employees
of any similar industry IN the world.
Il comprises ten manufacturing estab
iishments, all of them nearly allied TO
the parent enterprise, the Pullman Palace
Car Company. Ii numbers population
of about 10000, of whom 600O are men
employed IN the allied industries.
The average earning of each Pullman
operative are $5S6.85 per annum, a higher
average, it is believed, than that OF OPP
eratIYes in any similar set OF allied in
dustriaa in the world.
Mr Pullman's chief characteristics are
a strong individuality entire Islt-reliance,
absolute integrity of purpose and
loyal devotion TO the work in hand. MIR.
Pullman is in the prime of life and his
equable temp permanent, not less THAI his
temperate hpbits, give promise of length
OF days. His head Is massive, his fore
head high and his broad feos free from
lines of care.
His eyes are brown, with an expires
sion OF genial kiudliness, his hair, tinged
with gray, is carefully brushed, and his
chin whiskyrs ara kept carefully trimmed
His face ia strong without severity,
gentle without weakness-tuli Of reserve
fierce. He has great repose of manner
and speaks distinctly, but slowly, as If
Weighing every word, and IN voice soft
but penetrating and rather persuasive
than psremutury.
In his domestic relations MIR. Pullman
Is most happy; he is surrounded by
charming family 70 every ode of which
he il dcvotelly attached.
When Lucy Larcom Was school Ma'am,
"What wa- the most remarkable thinE
that happened in the log SCHOOL, asked