Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-01-15
IOWA MAN STRIKES IT RICH
Aged Inventor of Concrete Ties Be-
comes Multi millionaire.
PATENT BOUGHT BIZ A sYNpICATE
Years OF struEgIins Poverty Crowned
with Golden sunshine-Details
Of the MIA Trunsac-
tton.

BY the recent signing Of contract IN
san Francisco. George Gates, a struggling
inventor Of san Jose, Cal. born IN Iowa,
will become q multi millionaire through the
sale 20 a syndicate OF eleven OF the great
est railway systems Of the United states
of his patent right TO a concrete railroad
tie which he has invented. The price TO be
paid for the new tie, as reported by prin-
cipais in the transaction. r. t17.5O00OO.
The successful concrete tie is considered
the greatest railway invention since the air
brake IL Is not a mass OF solid concrete,
as might be inferred, but consists OF a
patented composition OF substances that
afford extraordinary resilliency and. at
the same time 10 as durable as the coacrste
used IN a city skyscraper. The tie II rein
forced with thirty-six strands Of barbed
wire. II will spring one and three-ousrters
inches and come back 70 line. And a
single machine will turn out the ties at the
rate Of 1850 per day.
The deal became known locally through
the deposit In escrow OF $4,000 in the
Croker National bank OF san Francisco.
This deposit. Mr.. Gates said, will be the
first payment Of a total Of t7.BOO,OOO, which
he viii receive for the exclusive rights
throughout the world for the concrete rail-
road tie and steel fastener which he has
invented.
H. s. Rsnwiek, president Of the San
Joaquin Valley Electric railway, has been
Gates principal hacker and first intro
duced the tie TO the attention OF eastern
railway masnates through a series Of
demonstrations on his own railroad.
Mr. Renwick said: 1T have seen the con-
tract which has been entered into between
-. - a.. A..
cording to the contract, Gates is to receive
S17,5OOoOO for his patent. The railroads
take over the entire properties Of the
Gates Concrete Tie company and the Ma
tionai Concrete Tie company, which has
the sole right TO the patent"
Gates lives in a modest cottage at p
South Twelfth street, San Jose, Cal. He
Is small. spare and unassuming. He pre-
sents the appearance of a typical Yankee
workingman, and because he is out much
in the air he is sunbuned, and does not
look over 90 years of age.
He was born in Ottumwa, Ia and served
through the civil war, enlisting from his
home town. He was married in 1859, and
came TO California and, after years of work
as a railroad man. he laid off about fifteen
years ago to devote his time TO inventing
Those were hard years. But the old in
ventor. who never talks freely at best, has
but little to say Of his struggles, to perfect
his idea, and to get big railroad men to
take It up.
Years OF Struggle.
These struggles lasted for years. People
used to tap their foreheads significantly
when George Gates came arouond. He
was regarded as Joke.
1t was not until President H. 8. Rem
Al - III. -,
railway took Gates claim seriously, and
bought some Of the concrete ties from
him. and gave them q test by laying rails
on them, that Gates pretensions as an
inventor were seriously regarded.
Railroad men everywhere were amazed
at the results OF the tests. The concrete
ties proved cheaper than wooden ties.
They gave a smoother roadbed tiley were
unaffected by heat or cold. and were i'm
pervious to rain. Besides this, they could
not be destroyed by boring insects. They
did not crack, peel. or split. Indeed, they
seemed indestructble.
After a trial on the electric railway. the
ties we're finally placed in the yards Of q
local railway depot at San Jose, where
they successfully stood the wear and tear
OF transcontinontal traffic The heaviest
GAkAhG1 0n NOAhl ulVlhlOu were Drought
TO San Jose. and the new concrete tie was
submitted TO the most rigorous tests. The
fasteners also worked Ike q charm. Cars
were run over the ties for many weeks in
an effort 10 detect flaws and deIcat,
mechanisms were installed to test the jal
Of the coaches on concrete ties as com
pared to wood ones The result proved
. victory for the San Jose man.
Green Fortune Gets In.
Gates wrote TO Edward Green son OF
Hetty Green, and told him that the con
crete ties wese actually in use on u Cali
fornia interurban electric railroad whior
did a large business. President RenwicI
OF the San Joaquin Electric railroad
Joined with the inventor in inviting tn,
representatives OF the eastern lines q
witness the tests OF the new concrete tie
Tho invention brought out a score OF east
ern miiilOnaires, capitalists. promoters. en-
Einsers. railroad officers. and others in
terssted in the seemingly extraordinary re
suits achieved by the concrete tie. Test
made for the party who were guests o
President Renwick, served to convince tn,
visitors, and the deal for the sale OF tn,
concrete tie and rail fasteners was con
summated.
Another deal which will be comprised 81
the siLb0O,OOO purchase is the sale OF TN,
patented machine which automaticall!
manufactures the ties at the rate of 500
per day. This machine was invented by
disciple of Gates. Roy Z. eagle OF LODI
Cal, who has followed out Gates idea
and has worked in close touch with IN
aged inventor.
Gates has been working on the concret
tie for about ten years. When the merit
OF concrete we're widely exploited, Gate
conceived the idea Of a concrete tie as
substitute for the wooden tie. He foresav
that there was a time coming when tn
railroads would be seeking something NOR
durable and less expensive.
He cast thousands and thousands OF con
crete ties In those years. and was not dis
heartsnsd when they failed TO stand test
and orumbled and cracked under the vibra
tiOn OF heavy traffic.
The Idea that Won.
one day about two years ago Gates wa
leaning against barbed-wire fence. II
was almost at the last ditch. His meagr