New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-10
His name IS Honest John

builder, Tott placed the wagon In procession
of the Fair OF the American Institute which con-
temporary paper describes follows At ~ O'Clock
procession formed at vauxhall which moved down
the Bowery through Bond-st down Broadway ana
through Broad and Wall sts., up Pearl and Broadway
to Niblos. In the procession four yoke OF oxen
from the Fair attached TO cart containing porghs
and other agricultural implements. Then came SIX
yoke OF oxen drawing another cart loaded with spec
mems Of various products; another cart with vege-
tables; then wllsins STRENGTHENING machine; two
omnibuscs of Paners line drawn Dy six horses bear
ing the inscription Honor to John stephenson, who
built this wagon in payment OF DEBT nom whicn ~
was discharged by the bankrupt law
In settling ND his affairs after his failure In 1887
John Stephenson was compelled 10 sell his stock IN
the Third-ave railway for IS cents on the dollar inc
same stock is worth several hundred cents on the
dollar.
After his Harlem failure Mr.. Stephenson dropped
the manufacture OF the regular railway cars ana con-
fined himself entirely to the manufacture OF coaches
and omnbuses, which then in great demand TOT
at first the streetcar companies did not prove proht-
able. This was the case not only in New-fork out M
all other cities that the bulk of the passenger Trans
portaton was carried on in omnibuses AL u @i'
old broadway stages were built by him.
In 1859 the Second, Third, sixth and Eighth avo'
horsecar companies chartered and the streetcaP
business began to look promising The orders
ualIy, as Improvements were made, the car business
supplanted the omnibus business. With the extension
of the streecar Idea to other countries stephensohs
with ii until now he supplies every city Oh
size in the Western Hemisphere; most OF the cues
OF Europe including Vienna st. Petersburg LISBON
Valencia and many cities In Great Britain, While Cape
town. Kimberley and Port Elizabeth in Africa, the hve
largest cities Of Ncw-zeaand, Yokohama and Toxic, In
Japan and the leading cities In Australia daily drive
through their streets beautiful specimens OF american
enterprise and American ingenuity in the form OF John
stephenson's srTeercars.
The JOHN Stephenson factory. in East Twenty-eev-
enthst., employees 500 and can turn out cars
at the rate Of twenty-four week the year round.
Having of patents covering important features
in car-buildng, besides having immense stock Oh
seasoned umberst up in his yards and by having
skilled workmen of of years OF experience In
particular lines required and by the general advantages
consequent upon having been the first man In the
business Mr. Stephenson has been able to keep wei
the front of all his competitors The business is now
run az n stock company but Mr.. Stephenson remains
as its head and manager in spite OF his elghty-t"o
years He has built over 10000 closed cars, WHICH,
when added to the number Of open electric and caoie
cars, would make total of nearly 25,ooo cars.
The electric car business is now becoming large
branch of the business The experiment mace tor ene
last two or three years in electric cars In Madsoho
has proved failure not because the cars couid hot
he run with sufficient economy, because OF any
difficulty with the storage Of electricity but because OF
the numerous patents and ntunctOns, wpieh fehuei
the use of electric cars bothersome and expensive.
The old streetcars such as were used on the first
lines cost about $500 each. The otdinary steetoN
~ day costs 81 OOO but the best costs Slooo whe
the electric cars cost 900, besides S2ooo more ior
their batteries These built OF the finest ana
strongest woods deliberately carved and painted All
the nxingss are of bronze O. brass, wile AhOst 10
much care is taken with the doors, windows shades
seats and other features they were palace cars
Outside of his business John Stephenson has made
a mark in nearly every department in New-York LIE
except in politics Politics he has always Stunned.
never holding any public Office except that Of school
,rrstee of the Twenty first Ward. which he held for
over twenty consecutive years, and which he would
held be iG1Ff aa M he fe
M in that church. In the earlier years OF MS NE no
wSs 00W1 e S's ev Ss Street Church
he Joined the Rose Hill Church, in Twenty seventh
ber Of the Harlem Methodist Church .. ~ x.w
when the first sunday school was started IN New
phIIc School No l. at Chathamst and Tryon Row,
MIR Stephenson became deeply inerested III ,na a
work s saq has I ta SHs aTe Bible class Mr. stephen
Son carries his religion into his business HIS motto,
into teI his every day life and exered strong influence
on his employees; four Of whom have en'ered 'ne
Hs an illustration Of the influence he exered over
his employes the following anecd0te IS given: one
Of the Young Hen ou no ~ San Francisco where he sub
SeogSently became wealthy. While walking along the
streets Of tna and f Was o about to Walk around when he
remembered Stephens0n's advice TO young men, Ne'er
y 20 g hack and climbed over the distractions and
went on his way feeling that he had acted on the ns'
That John Stephenson is man Of strong religious
conviction is seen in his books. An oIa stuueh9
bible Of the date S2 Is n S9g All nj the sermons he
had ever listened 10. putting down the name OF te
preacher the text preached eHs bsS S ana liz carry
old Newly orers back fifty years sor more At1 hn
the preachers a p TS Seh nane Bangs the Rev Dr. j.
Strotton. the Rev DR.. Peck, sferward bishop; the
i heT ar to oo od The H7ort text with
these preachers seemed to be, If one can Judge from
the number Of times was pe y hrSth lT Keeper s
The Rev DR.. Pullman very fond OF this text ana
so was the Rev. DR.. Wentworth; A., anna 0ooa
service for the Government. At one time he turned
from 9s spscs sfVsnty He also
many hundred In the nv dT f5n m ross
& asSs ms Unidentified by their threats loaded two
which he had received II 81 lis
debt collected lot OF ammgn wSo ,oVed their
ter as Il Is seldom the lot Of employer 10 De OVed'
for two days awaited the mob. But tho MOD came
Mr.. Stephenson is very fond of music. Fifty years
he was one Of the most oe fSv wheS met IN The
| Chatham Theatre then used as chapel lie also vas
a member Of the Harmonic sociely. ne was eh hoi
leader for forty years For thirty years ms ch ~,
consisted Of forty young people selected from ms
Sunday schools. He has rare collecuoh OF mus"a'
| literature OF which he Is very proud.
| He lived in Eew-York City until about twenty,nVse
wears ago. when he moved % his country place Cii-
| lord I'm New-Rochee. The way Mr.. stephenson
bnilt his house is characteristic of the man. Instead
OF sending all over the world or even all over tho
limited states for his materials, he took what ma-
terais he had his property and made use OF the
He quarred the granite Of which his house IS bnlit
from the ground on which IL was built, removing
600 cubic feet OF rock In doing so. lie was seven
vears IN building II. 1aG2 10 1859. II Is a massive
granite structure, 6o feet by lOo' ana shhos III t'
centre Of twenty acres Of land. . . !, :
Until three weeks ago he came TO the city every Gay
and attended to business with the same activity TINT
he always did He had peculiar habit Of getting as
far in tho front OF the train as possible, when was
| next to the smoker" He has never touched drop
OF liquor even q medicine, In his life, and has never
smoked and has such adherence for them thas
when travelling he did not enter the smohne-cnr:
mi ,rhnn the train was entering the Grand CcltraI