The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-30

From the Times-Herald.
Rochester, Ind, Jan. 23.-Benson Bid
well, the inventor of the trolley sys-
tenn of operating railway and street
cars, is the plaintiff in a lawsuit which
may result in his coming into the for
tune to which, he alleges, his early pat
ents entitle him. Mr.. Bidwell is not
only the inventor of the trolley system
as it is used today, but is likewise the
discoverer of the process by which rail-
way cars are operated, heated and
lighted by the same current. He claims
that every machine used in this process
is an infringement on one or another
of his patents, and he believes that
when justice shall have been given
him his present condition of poverty
will have been changed into one of
weahh.
Bidwells story is like that of many
other unfortunate inventors who lost
the benefits of lifelong efforts. He was
born in 1885 in Livingston county, New
York. Soon after his birth his father
moved to Adrian, Mich. and at the age
of had the good fortune to meet Pro-
fessor Morse, who was giving exhibit
chine in various cities and towns. The
people of Adrian put Morse down as a
quack, but young Bidwell was deeply
impressed with what he saw and made
up his mind to study electricity. He
read all the literature he could find on
the subject, and when in 1S45 his ia
ther moved to Toledo, Benson secured
position as messenger boy in the Of
tina nf tbn ta1A \, lina hot n Il
been recently built between Toledo and
Cleveland, To further his studies in
electricity he went to New York in
1857 and worked as humble clerk in
store while at night he attended
/ Professor Draper's chemistry class in
Cooper Institute. Profiting by the
chances offered him by the Astor Ii
brary, he stored his mind with treas
ures of science he found in books. The
year 1863 found him in Chicago, and it
| was while living there he conceived the
idea of applying electricity to locomo-
| tive purposes. In 1886 he removed to
Grand Rapids, and while living there
| he perfected his models of the trolley
car. with its overhead lines. His eX-
| perience was that of most inventors
| he lived in poverty while at work on
| his inventions,
From 1868 to 1878 he lived at South
| Bend and worked upon his models,
| while his son Charles supported the
| family by keeping little candy store.
| He made a tour through Indiana, Civ
| ing lectures on electricity and exhibit
| ing his models, but he was regarded and
| dismissed as being a crank Ill fortune
attended him until 1SS3 when the cleo
| trical exposition in the Franklin insti-
| tute al Philadelphia gave him an op-
| portunity to place his work before the
| public.
| Early in the spring of 1888 he started
for Philadelphia with his models, in a
| penniless condition, but he managed to
| make a few dollars in the cities along
! the way and by the kindness of the
| railway conductors. who he would in
| terest in the models, he managed tC
| reach his destination in about three
| weeks. He was repeatedly baflled in
! his attempts to prevail upon some one
| to furnish the means necessary to con-
! struct and equip a car Of sufficient size
| to carry passengers, and he was about
! to give up in despair when a good
natured generous hearted German,
! William Rosengardner, of Philadelphia,