Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-06


The germ of the great idea had come to
Garriott before he left college, and when
he went West to the shop he carried in a
precious tin cylinder the drawings from
which his first model was made. Of course
the first engine was failure; so was the
second. But he wasn't the kind of fellow
to give up. He knew he had good thing
if he could ever work it out. An engine that
would concentrate power in small space and
weight was commercial possibility; more
than that, a commercial necessity. Even
in those days he could see far enough ahead
to realize that it would be many years be-
fore the electric storage battery as motive
power for heavy vehicles would be success.
Some wears had passed since then, and cleo
tricity where a trolley was prohibited was
still to prove its efficiency.
Garriott had permitted nothing to divert
him from his main idea, and he carried on
the work in spite of many obstacles. Out
West he got permission of the superintend-
ent of motive power to work in the railroad
shops after the plant had closed for the
night. Of course he had no power; but he
rugged up crank on the spindle of lathe,
one on the pulley of drill press, and an
other on a shaper, and worked the tools
himself by hand as he needed them. 1t was
trying work sweating there alone IN the gas
light when the other fellows were out dining
or going to dance; but he kept at it for
three years, and at last his efforts were
crowned with success. He had evolved
sixty horsepower engine, small and COM
pact, which weighed only three hundred
pounds, and the same power in any success
full electric motor meant weight of over
two thousand.
The last engine that had been built before
Garriott came to New York had been shipped
to the shop. This was the engine that all
the last week had been running the big
brewery wagon loaded with pig iron through
the city and suburbs on all kinds OF grades:
The generator was his own too. Instead OF
gasolene, which would have been expensive,
he used kerosene, thirty per cent. by
product, and his figures were amazing. He
could run his truck at cent mile, and ne
| figured that he could run street car OF the
new type under four cents, less than the
cost of trolley.
lCARRIOTT was sitting at his desk porting
- over some drawings, listening to a
thickly set dark man with heavy jowls and
protruding eyebrows, following the black
stubby finger of the machinist as it traced
| the lines and figures under discussion. This
was O'Dowd, and they were fighting again
the old battle of theory versus practice.
lO'Dowd, as he himself we'll knew, was there
as check on CARROTS enthusiasm, and he
did his part of the work with rugged
directness to which they were both accus-
toned. But to-day Garriott listened to his
arguments with an air of abstraction, and
lO'Dowd, finding that nothing he said could
arouse the inventor to the rough word battle
they both loved, at last gave up with part
ing shot which brought no reply and went
down stairs.
| A FTER O'Dowd went out Garriott
waited a moment, then got up and
| closed the door. He opened the drawer of
his desk and took out letter which had
come in the late afternoon mail, the reading
of which the man had prevented. He tore
the envelop hurriedly and read:
Rhinebeck.
kiss, dear Brooke, is such a tiny thing to
| have caused such commotion; but it really
seems though it is the tiny things in life that
| make the most trouble. Kissing is one of the
sweet civilities of this world but after all it is
only skin deep. l suppose any other persons
| but you and l might pass their time in this
agreeable occupation without the least danger
of detection; but Fate, rejoicing in our enjoy
| ment. arranged an audience SO that others
| might share in her delight
Natalie and Rene. of all people! I've never
a1f c;~ I fbor