The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-01-18
ANECDOTES OF YERKEs
Incidents In the Street Railway
Magnate's Career.
HIS FIRST MONEY MAKING EFFORT

HIS FIRST MONEY MAKING EFFORT
How He Made Successful Deal In
Soap without the Outlay Of "A Doll
lar Chicago Inventors Eruft2esa
Experience with tRc Traction King.
Am Instance of His Iron Nerve.
The late Charles Tyson Yerkes. the
street railway fnancier and builder Of
Londons subway. began his business
career with a successful speculation
that Cid not involve the outlay Of a
Collar. says Success. 1t was a Satur-
day afternoon, anG be was strolling
along a wharf in Philadelphia when he
came to a store where an auction sale
was in progress.
"IIow much am offered for this box
OF soap?' asked the auctioneer.
The tbirteen-year-old boy looked at
BE braud and saw that it was the
same soap IS that used in his home
Tie knew what his mother paid for it
at retail and SO he made Il bid. Tie
auc.ioneer smiled st him, cried the BID
once ana said, Sold te-what's ycur
name, bub?
Sold to Charley Yerkes for
Then another box was put up and
bid in by the boy. and this was CON
tinued until fifty boxes had been struck
off to him. He had deposit Of So in
e savings bank. which had been there
| for some months. He showed the auc-
tioneer his certificate OF deposit and
said he would soon return and pay for
the soap.
He went to the grocer with whom hrs
family traded and asked him Il he
wanted to buy some soap. The grocer
asked how much he had and what ii
was worth. The lad replied that he
had fifty boxes and that he would sell
the lot for Il certain sum, naming ali
amount double that which the soap had
cost him at the auction house. The deal
| was closed and the storekeeper asked
the lad how he had come by it. When
young Yerkes told him, the man open
! ed his eyes and said. 81 had intended
| to go to that auction but forgot it,
The boy did not draw his So from the
bank and thereafter it was his great
| pride to add to it.
Mr.. \ erkes was q believer in the ma
terialsm of his countrymen. One of
/ the stories lie once told upon his return
from abroad related to typical Amer
lean and his wife, who were his fell
low passengers on the steamer during
the voyage over. says the New York
/ Times
This American couple had exhaust
ed the sights of the continent in thirty
days" and were on their way home
with devout thankfulness. A fellow
passenger in discussing the sights of
the old world with them mentioned
Rome. The husband could not remem-
Der whether they had visited Rome or
not. He appealed to his wife. Clara
he said, "did we take in Rome or didn't
weY
"Rome? ROlne?' responded that lady
In deep thought. "Why, yes, we were
there. Don't you remember? That's
the place where I bought your socks"
Charles T. Yerkes was always
known as a man who knew business
to the last word. A little incident that
! befell Chicago man who thought that
he had invented a great thing shows
how this trait of Mr.. Yerkes showed
itself, says the Chicago Tribune. This
! inventor had never thought out and
patented anything that had made his
name household word, but he was
young and full Of confidence. Having
given some thought to the subject upon
which he approached Mr. Yerkes, he
was full of his topic and was ready
to expatiate upon it's merits for hours
at time He gained admission to
MI. Yerkes' Chicago office and met the
fnancier.
| "Mr. Yerkes," said he, II have here
a fine scheme. We can make lots of
money out of it. There Elust be thou
sands in it."
"Yes?'' asked the street railway man
tentatively.
"Yes. My scheme is to put perforat-
ed boards in the tunnels through which
your cars run and have the light shine
through them and make the tunnel one
long signboard. I'll sell you the Sc
cret."
"IIow much?"
The man named his figure. Mr..
Yerkes drew down his brows and Of
fered a quarter Of the amount.
'But it's my sign idea," urged the in
ventor.
.'But they are my tunnels replied
Mr.. Yerkes, and that remark closed the
negotiations. Without the tunnels the
scheme was worth as much as it would
cost to- buy paper with which to ex-
plain it.
Mr.. Yerkes, of London and Chicago
traction fame, was famed in Chicago
for his iron nerve, says the New York
T,.;h,,na When the Moore Eros failed