Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-11-07

built the concern looms up majestic
and potential.
He is the hero of romance in real
life, and those who have followed the
romance from the beginning expect to
see him emerge soon from the dark
Iened chapter in the wonderful tale and
l"live happy ever after"
This hero-George Westinghouse
invented the air brake and revolution
lied steam and electric power, aud the
world has learned to look to him for
Imarvels. There are those who conf
IDENTITY expect to See him touch this
newest problem with the wand of his
extraordinary genius and once more
wrest success from hard conditions.
For financial difficulties are not new
to George Westinghouse. They are
merely one class of the legion of eb-
Istacles that have gone down before his
indomtiable will, his inspired resource
fulness and enormous capacity for
hard work.
Crash Averted in 1890.
Once in 1890 the Westinghouse COM
!, pany stood in trouble. In the midst of
a desperate warfare in the courts and
the money markets with his great
rival, the General Electric company
Mr. westinghouse discovered mis-
management and leaks in his own com
!, pany. He discharged the general
manager and other employees and set
about repairing the damage. He
failed to raise the necessary money
from PiCtsburg bankers, who turned a
deaf ear, but he succeeded in New
! York, where he was unknown. He re-
Iorganized the company on better
footing than ever.
5 His interests have multiplied twenty
/ fold since that first financial setback,
2 and have grown far beyond his per-
r sonal supervision. The George West
ing house of today stands either at the
: head or in indirect control of thirty
r corporations representing an aggre-
;, gate investment of more than $780,
: 100000 in cash. There are nineteen
3 Westinhouse companies in the United
I States-some of them, however, now
; forming part of combinations-one in
L Canada, three in England, one in
France, one in Russia, and one in Ger
a many Of fifteen of those Mr.. West
inghouse is president, and of ali of
them the directing head. His personal
: fortune is reckoned at $50,00O,000.
> Genius of Westinghouse.
Many are the great generals who
: have conquered empires of business
: built Up by others. But Westinghouse
> is one of the few who conquer the
wilderness and transform it into civil
, ization. His genius is comprehensive.
: At once he is a great inventor, remark
y able organizer, and resourceful fl
nancier.
Not only has he wrought life that
is an Aladdin tale in itself, but he is
one of few men who have made the
history of America an industrial ro-
nance Of him it has been said that
with his air brake he has saved more
lives than Napoleon lost in all his
battles" while with his wonderful de-
vices in the utilization of electricity
and natural gas he reyolutionized the
manufacturing methods of the world
and helped place the United States in
the front rank of all industrial ad-
vance.
At the age of 81 Westinghouse is
jstil possessed of boundless energy. A
giant in stature and strength, with
great hands SCARED by daily work in
1.-The experimental shop, he is the en-
bodiment of incessant hard work. His
day is filled with the activities OF
three ordinary men-so busy is he that
he rarely dresses for dinner without
> hearing, receiving or debating cor
respOndence.
Born an Inventor.
Westinghouse was born with gen
Iius for invention his father before him
having had no small talent in that di
rection Before he was 16 years ole
young westinghouse had built an en-
CINE. After a generation and hall
he is still working at that engine.
1t is related of him that recently a
a Fifth avenue dinner table he sud
denly broke off a conversation, be
came preoccupied, and finally produced
a note pad, on which he began t
L sketch. To the inquiry of friend h
. explained that he was recording al
i idea that had come to him in connec
q ton with the rotary enigne-perhap'
Z the secret for which he had beer
searching forty-five years.
- 1t is an example of the curious iron!
e of fate that Schenectady, N. Y, where
q the young inventor got his start IN life
O is now known to the world chiefly fol
O the location there of his militant ri
+ val. the General Electric company
+ The works of this company, which
); has developed the patents of that othe1
8 wizard of the mechanical world
, Thomas A. Edison, are situated across
o the street from the old factory of the
f Westinghouse family, in which George
n and his only living brother, Herman
Y received their training.
e Begins With ReraiIing Frog.
e The circumstances under which
r Westinghouse came to leave Science
: tady to his future competitors illus
trate the traits that have won him sue