The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-23
MILLIONAIRE MECHANIC.
Cornelius Vanderbilt Has a Genius
for Invention

A new force has come to swell the
Vanderbilt millions-the power of in
ventive genius Young" Cornelius.
who gave the great family a boy and
heir the other day, is creating new
types Of locomotives intended to revo-
lutiOnize the railroading Of the coun-
try.
When the young man was gradu-
ated from Yale, six years ago, and en-
tered a special course in the Sheffield
scientific school of the university, says
the New York Herald. practical ma
chinists of the New York Central road
wondered if it was merely h boyish fad
or the beginning of a serious scientific
career.
Cornelius Vanderbilt soon showed
the metal that was in him. He put
on working clothes became a ma
chinist and began building a locomo-
tive in the New York Central shops, re-
turning to New Haven twice q week
for instruction He made radical i'm
provements in the fire SoX or furnace
Of the locomotive. designed to increase
power and save coal.
On completing his course and receiv-
ing the degree of mechanical engineer.
he took desk in the draughting rooms
of the motive power department of the
New York Central road at the top Of
the big depot, four stories above the
executive offices of Mr.. Depew and the
Vanderbilts-
Nc $40 week clerk I'm that vast es-
adjustment occupied less space and
labored more quietly than the young
man creating new locomotives with a
lead pencil. 1t did seem a bit like fol-
ly for a college graduate to dream of
improving what was the pride of loco
motive builders-thOse perfected mon
sters which thunder into the great sta
ton every minute in the day. running
from Lake Erie to the ocean between
sun and sun.
Yet. up in the silent office. looking
down on the Vanderbilt Lincoln bank
with Colonel Tom James at the pres
ldentS desk. old commodore in his
veins. working out the long sought
problem OF acknowledgements
power and saving fuel. Therein lay
the solden secret of big dividends and
The first and last question considered
in transportation by sea or land is the
cost of fuel. 1t is the key to everything
in transportation, from napl,tha
launches to ocean liners, from torpedo
boats to ships of war. On the mum
Der of dollars worth of fuel consumed
depend speed, efficiency and profits
So when young Vanderbilt turned his
ancestral gifts to solving the fuel ques-
ton. he showed wisdom and genius
What was the situation before him
He was young man. cut off by z
fathers Will from his share in the vas
estate. But he had a career and
future up his sleeve. and saw the pos
-, Sibilities of opening a way to amassinl
new fortunes.
The chief expense of operating tn
Vanderbilt system is the cost of fuel
1t is the burden of every business
meeting of board and family. To less
en- this vast drain for coal would be [,
increase dividends legitimately, meth
| cd vastly superior to discharging EN-
/ ployees and cutting down the wage
of poor men with large families. Wa
/ IL not the inspiration of genius, thi
! masterwork for business and humanity
I TO turn lead pencil into a wand ant
4 summon millions into the Vanderbilt
I treasury, making it swell the earning
| Of the great transportation lines?
These are some of the reasons VIII,
] certain new and startling invention
/ cautiously limited at by Mr.. Wander
bits friends, for which patents ar
] pending in this country and Europe
| are considered of such interest to tn
! public.
] 1t is estimated by certain friendi-
1 experts at the Grand Central station
that Mr.. Vanderbilt has now on recor,
/ twenty or thirty patents for inven
tons of various kinds In locomotive
: alone. Ten or twelve of them are o
serious Importance. They reVers
methods that hitherto have distin
! guished locomotive architecture. 1t
I said that the new devices soon to b
! Incorporated in new designs will sti'
further add to the efficiency of engine
| lin fact. revolutionize locomotive con
| struction and lead to a r@dical reform
| in railroad methods.
Mr.. Vanderbilt is still perfecting tn
| locomotive. which is probably the fin
est and most vital piece of machiner
| yet invented. The latest. up TO dat
| Vanderbilt locomotive, turned out b
| the Baldwin works in Philadelphia
has a cylindrical water tank tende
! which is considered a great success. !
! does away with the old-fashioned DO
! construction, clumsy, heavy, inartisti
and unscientiflc in every particular
The tank system adopted by Mr.. Van
/ derbilt is lighter. stronger. far NOR
| satisfactory and economical. The waite
does not wash around and strain tn