The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-08

Through George Westinghouse all
the world is speeded up. We are
whtrling around in comparative safe
" because OF the air brake say1 the
New York Tribune. Because we know
the brakes can he clamped down we
permit the porter to make Nle bed 90
that we lie with our heads toward
head-on collision. The engineer
opens the throttle and the world
shores. In TIE words of the poet.
we hog the whole highway. And t9e
vital unrest of George Westinghouse
caused him to invent 29s 6tfer things
ali good.
The things he invented worked,
which is good thing. but they were
things that were needed HIS mind
was fertile in the discovery OF modes
for adding TO the comfort Of mankind.
For innumerahle difficulties he had
a contrivance. That Is one reason
why he inspired large masses Of hu-
man beings with confidence ahd at
taohnent.
But. more than this. mankind low
ed Westinghouse, which is n good
deal to say In these days about a
man who was the force in industrial
enterprise representing 100000 00e.
All regarded him with unmingied ad-
miration as a man Of heart and vir-
tue and punch. His ability was never
questioned The widely known &C.
enlist Lord Kelvin, once said that in
character and achievement" Wes-
tinghouse was zone OF the great men
of our time
He employed 3o.ooo persons. hut
was far too noble a man to look On
his vast enterprise merely as huc-
Lao
Therefore he did not feel hunted and
DISCOURAGED. as some other business
men have. especially in the last few
years, when considerable opposition
has arisen 10 the old time belief in
the divine right of money
George Westinghouse was born on
October s. 1916. at Central Bridge.
N y. and in 1855 the family moved
to Schenectady. where his father es-
tablished the Schenectady Agricultu-
raj works.
The boy attended the public
schools. but he was born inventor.
and before he was sixteen he put to-
gether a type Of rotary engine. and
very soon after this he stood success
fully the examination for the posi-
ton of assistant engineer in the navy.
He was still working on that engine
when he died.
The idea of the air brake was IN
his mind in his younger days He be-
gan experiments in 1856 with brake
operated by steam. He was return
ing to Schenectady from Troy one
night when he witnessed train
wreek--a head-on collision on piece
of straight track. The danger had
been seen by the engineers. but the
l. nj q sat in time
to avert the disaster. The brakemen.
Juggling at their brakes, did their
best, but the hest of hand brakes
were primitive affairs. and in emer-
gencies usually useless
Mr. Westinghouse conceived the
idea of instantly braking an entire
train with some form of power COM
trolled by the engineer In his cab.
His first thought was an automatic
brake attached to. the coupling. This
soon proved impracticable. Then he
tried steam. But a test convinced
him that here. too. he was working
along impracticable lines. BY the
time steam was sent from the engi-
neer's cab to the brakes 1t. had lost
ALI power. Paul I.atzke tells Nls
story in the following words:
"The sun of an August MONDAY
was blazing with heat SO intense
Shat man was PROSTATE. In the
Westinghouse Agricultural works In
Schenectady. all activity was hushed.
Many OF the men were away at din-
ner: in the little wooden office that
stood a few yards from the WORKS
the clerks yawned with exhaustion.
At one Of the desks. however. was
a mind that steaming heat could not
subdue Then. as always. Westing-
house could and did outwork many
men. Every day but Sunday was a
working day, and every one was
long.
ION this day, as usual. he was
putting in the noon hour at his fa-
theirs ONCE. working out his brake
plans. Immersed at his labors he
was suddenly startled by the appear
ance at his side Of little sir.
'Noh,t yon take II ptease she