New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-01
JOHN STEPHENSON DEAD.
THE VETERAN CAR BUILDER PASSES AWAY
AT HIS NEW-ROCHELLE HOME
PEACEFUL END OF AN ACTIVE AND uoxop,p1.E
LIFE-DEATH DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES
A SKETCH OF HIS CAREER

HONOR
IlFE-DEATn DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES
A SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
'ohh STEPHENSON. the builder Of the fr,t street
car, anu we "ehkhown manufacturer Of cars. Gied
Yesterday afternoon AT Iii, home near New Rnchcllr
Death was que to natural causes. and although #
came suddenly, was not unexpected by his family
Mr. stephenson was eighty four years old III, VI
tai'y ana strength were remarkable and until last
Thursday he had been regularly nj his Office I'm fiji,
city. Then, however. lie was forced 10 snccunh.
though confined TO his bed. he WAS no, unconscious,
Ill, two sons. Joseph b. and stewart A. Stephenson.
and his daughter, Mrs. ID. W. Iugh were with him
at the Time OF his death, which occurred at o'clock.
The funeral Will be held AT he late home Of Mr..
Stephenson. New Rochelle at 4:I5 o'clock Thursday
ln'ermeni VIII be private, Friday morning at Beech
wood
Two columns Of The Tribune Of May 10, 1891,
given to an interesting account Of the life OF John
stephenson, in which the invention and development
OF the street car was graphically told. John stephen
son was born In County Armagh. Ireland. July 4.
1909. His father was an Enpllshman named James
Stephenson. ana bis mother was a scotch
named Grace stuart. The family came To the United
states in 1oll. and settled In Ncwlo John
Stephenson was educated in the Wesleyan seminary
Of this city, and prepared for mercantile life but
his fondncss for mechanics led him to lie Appended
TO a coach maker named Andrew Wade, whose place
Stephenson remained with Wade two years and spent
his evenings in drawing and designing. ON the
pleton Of his apprenticeship he went into business in
livery stable kept by Abram Brewer, al No. G61
Broadway, opposite Eond-st. Al that time Mr.
Brewer stages in Broadway from Blcecker-st. To
ws-st., the fare being shilling IL IL cents.
Mr. Brewer suggested 10 roung stephenson that he
open repair shop and DO the repairing for ihes"
stages and on MAY l. 1881, stephenson went Int"
business his own account, ana designed and built
the first vehicle known in New York the omnibus"
ON the evening of March 30. 1882. Brewers stables
AMI >tephcnSOn'S repair shops were dcstroy" by fire
ana not being insured Stephenson lost his capital Of
300 besides the 81 200 he had accumulated, but In
May. Io3a. h. opened place of business at No
POI ElizabethSt.
The New York and Harlem rect Car Railroad Co.,
the first in the city. was chartered in 1881, AMI ste
pherson was employed TO build car OF an entirely
original pattern. His first used on November
20 1892. when It carried the Mayor and the Common
Council. Stephenson received patent for this car.
signed by Andrew Jackson. The great success o:
this first American street car was hcraded all
the United states. and orders for the new style
of ears from Paterson. Brooklyn Jersey City and Flor
ida The shop in Elizsbcth-st became too snail
for The business and i'll 1896 Stephenson built a fac
tory at Fourtlavc. and one hundrcd-and twenty
ninthst. where he was doing a hourishng business
when the panic of 1887 carried Elm down 80 that he
was able 10 pay only 30 cents oil dollar.
For SIX years after this stephenson was engaged
In collecting money enougA TO purchase his present
fact re- property in Twenty-scvcnth->t near Fourth
ave. The price then 800 lot, lat IL j. now
worth nearer 10000 LOT This propery was pur-
chased in 1873, and the next seven years were de-
voted TO laying OIL the bankruptcy debts. lie paid
them all or one by one. although the Ian excused
him from paying any OF taem
O..e Of his creditors Jordan L. Mott who
refused take the money declaring that the ianure
was all honest one, but when Mott aficrwan ordered
truck Stephenson built ii and sent it with receipt
indorsed, Received payment by the Dd?Arupic! deol
John Stephenson" Mott then draped the truck with
bunting and drove il through the streets. with IN"
following legend IN large Letters o. both sides OF The
truck: This is :he way bankrupt pays debts. MS
name IS Honest John stephenson"
In settling up his affairs in The failure OF 1857
stcphenso. was compelled TO sell his stock In The
Ihird.avo Railroad for l. cents the dollar. The
same stock is now worth several hundred cents on
the dollar.
After his Harlem failure MIR. Stephenson confined
himself entirely to The manufacture Of coaches ana
omniblscs. which were then in great demand Tor
at first the companies were not proh'aDi'
On the charlerng Of the second. Third. sixth and
Eighth-ave. horse car companies II 1892 the street
car business became more promising aud gradually
supplantcd the omnihuses. Mr. stephenson has IA?
pllcd street cars for most Of the European cities
including vienra. Il. Petersburg Lisbon. Valencia
and London while Cape Town. Kimberly ana for'
Elizabeth In Africa, the Ave largest cities III New
/ealnud. Yokohama ntd Toxic In 1apnn, ana N"
leading cities Of Australia daily drive through their
streets beautiful specimens OF American enterprise anu
ing enuity in the form Of John stephensons street
cars. , IT,.
The factoiy n East Twenty scvcnth-N now employs
SOC men, and turli ont cars N the rate OF tweily
four a week The year round II has turned ont 10000
closed cars, and including cable, electric ana open
cars. $4,000 cars have hee2 built 10y MI stephenson
The business Is now run AZ stock COMPANY ~
Mr. Stephenson has always shulned politics: me
only ONCE he held was that oi school trustee
OF the Iwcnty-frst Ward, IN which capacity he
served twenty Years, and would hav" been serving
vet had he not declined to serve Longer. In religious
belief he was a Methodist. la early life he was
connected with the powery Village Church. now
connected with the Rc,o lil Church lie was deeply
Interested In sunday school work all MS me- anu
Of late wears he has laugh, a large Bible cla's.
During the Civil War John Stephenson butt seventy
ucnioons in seventeen dsys Tor the Government
he also built many hundred gun carringeS tor ms
mob during the draft riots In 1853. Mr.. stephenson
was fond q music and hity years ago NJ was on
of the active members Of the New-l 0Ih 9Acic'
Music Society, which met in the Chatham ih'a'Ie
lie was also a member of the Harmonic society.
He moved 10 New Rochelle twenty FIVE years ago
and has lived there ever since.
In 1888 John Stephenson married Jn9 a. Iemann'
who ig n sister Of exMayor TiernaDn. He leaves Two
.on. ana n daughter. The daughter Is married 10
~ " pucb ri fnis city. The two sous, stuart A.
and Joseph y. Stephenson, are associated Win lheT
fother In the John stephenson Company.
sOLoMAN HEYMAN.
Long Branch July 3I.-Sooman Hcynlan' aeei seventy
,x ded las, night Mt HIS home In this place MI