Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-18

cannons. bombs. balls. etc, for the pa
war. a genius for inren.o in the mechanic srsa 's an.. a ss sa the ! 1 sssssl no i,
srucion in mechanical work, but he toled at an old. furnace o. the farm,
and when h IS ears I'D had repaired watches for neighbors invented
and made a telescope of high power electrical apparatus a rifle with a pecu-
old he painted a portrait Of himself onivory and engraved a portrait of Cen
eml Washington OF steel In 1910 he invented a machine or cutting
~roughtiron nails and in 1913 IN fer making brads m files n cutting
and heading tacks of different sizes. lie also invented a machine for split
ting leather. and 1T is used now vim splitting bookbnders stock
In 1916 MI. Boyden cam to Newark md operated his bad and tack ma
nah fortunes out o. it In 1875 while making snver-plated articles for lar-
ness and carriages, he was shown a piece of glazed leather from France. lie
analysed the va1nsh OIL tn leathera n soon produced a superior article,
what is known IS PATENT leather. He made this leather in a factoryn Broad
street and carried 1T o until 1881, when he sold it He had discovered o July
g. 1926. the process Tor making maheabe iron ut Of asthon- He opened
$4,000 Newark became the great centreo If the patent Heather and maleabie
iron Industries. but Seth Bcyden got o of the big profits In 1885 he directed
his genius to steam engines and locomotives. n in 1897 built the first locomo-
tive in New Jersey, the Orange which drew a train u a grade OF 40 feet
on tbs, Morris am Essex Railroad. HI said of his improvements OF stean
motive in place Of the crank, which is now universally used; m greatest in
and connecting tn cut-on and the governor together"
In 1915 Mr. Boyden discovered a process for smelling ores from the zinc
mines IF New jersey, but h got tins geld fever" went to California leaving
and. the briefest descriptions Of them would fill columns Of he EVENING
STAR. untlh he was nearly so years old. He then developed grape and straw
berries on his small farm att Hilton, producing berries of great size He pro-
duced the first dasuerreotype in America. Birds ate from his hand n fish
came TO the bank If a pond n thu farm at his cali When he was so years
old he made a watchcase, spoons and knives Of orode in a shed on his
seen At the exhibit of old Newark in the Public Library in November last
He always worked for wages until too old to work. The only invention he
ever patented ws for machines for forming lat bodies, ut others made
fortunes out Of the invention. He died in 1870 At the g Of 50 years
At the unwilling Of the monument to Seth Boyden in Washington Park
in May. 1890. the late Mayor Joseph Emmett Haynes said. in accepting it for
the city from the Hon K wayne Parker then president OF the Board OF
MANY men from this city have occupied positions of honor n rust in
state and national affairs but it "a thu nottingham, the mechanic
the inventor Seth Boyden, who mas conferred N honor or Newark that will
Lasts IS long as time shall endure" And. referring to the statue he said:
He is o represented in fine linen and broadoloth, but he stands attred
as ne Of Gods nobemen. An American mechanic, with his shirseeves rolled
up and wearing a leather apron. .
This is indeed, a proud day for honest labor. for never before. in this
or in any other land, has labor received such recognition, and 1t should
be n incentive for every aborer and mechanic to try and do something
for his fenow-nan and to make the world better for his living in it."
Here are extracts from the grafton of General Theodore Runyon, chan
cenor of New Jersey, later FIRST American ambassador to Germany, and
every manufacturer and mechanic should read and treasure what he said
Of Seth Boyden:
notwithstanding the value of the processes in the arts which he dis
covered OIL invented, he lived n died in comparative poverty, working for
wages Up to the time when he a almost four-scorey years of age
He acquired, a knowledge of optics. of chemistry. OF mineraogy, OF
astronomy, o. electricity, of geology. Of botany and of natural philosophy,
without the aid OF schools.
when he made a useful discovery he announced it, and giving it tt
the world. set at work to make another. His nature raj full of benevolence.
He served his Maker by serving his fellow man 1t has beer well said d. him
that his anvil vas his altar y
After remarking that Senator Frederick I. Freinghuysen, a good Judge
of una nature. said Seth Boyden was 1.-THE peer Of any man." General
Runyon concluded:
.sAs statue, which represents Seth Boyden as he vas, in III garb Of a
artisan in Inc midst of his toll. will teach the youth OF this day and of the
future, the great blessing of his. life that there may be signal successes
in spite of early disadvantages; that therea rewards better hn wealth,
and that the nobhst life is a life of devotion 10 h public welfare. They
will learn from 1t, aBo, that neither riches. nor station, 10 early opportuni-
tes. arr Unnecessary to a successful life. tut that the greatest triumphs ma be
won without any of those adventurous aids They will learn from the
honor dom to the memory of this man, who a poor, and never held any
public station, nor sought any sphere except usefulness in private life, that
there are things to live for that are better han none or public office"