Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-10
BALDWIN'S DREAMS
ALL CAME TRUE
career of the Man Who Founded
Locomotive Works That
Bear His Name


hnded u usrended gradually ant quietly from the
u".no'e jewelers. apprentice to the founder
VI we great locomotive works which occupy
seventeen acres in the heart of phila lpAia
GU u Two hundred and twenty-five at Eddy
stone, on the Delaware. on the rectangle
po.''ueu DS Broad street. the Philadelphia
GU meauihg subway, Spring Garden street
80 ,.'sm.eenth street as well ON the line
OF 'me Reading Railway from Twenty.sixth
10 Iwenty-eighth street stand today the
WINS winch had their inception IN the
o@IaIn @ OF this man whose labors have had
o,, US effect on the entire civilized
mol'u anu are potent factors in the world
war OF today. The great siberian railroad
nnI'n Is paying an important part In the
war, hs wei as other systems running In the
, .'le7 OF the allied nations. has been
e n.iue possible and effective by the great in
eus.ry ay whose foundation dates its origin
| America
Began in Poverty
ba,uwlh's father was a carriage maker I'm
hlzaoethtown, New Jersey. and supported
n.s ianiIy comfortably and left considerable
| property at his death which was swcpt
| away Dy the bad management Of the excctI,
| 'orS' ana the widow was left TO her own
| sAertiohS with a family of five children
| mat'nias' the youngest being four years old
| lnls apparent disaster was the beginning Of
nus fortunes and his character 1t gave him
| an example of thrift ingenuity and iude-
| pe"uenCe' the influence of which may be
| Traced through his whole life The abilities
Vi ms iather and the genius of his mother
| co'noihed III this child, and the beginning
| OF his brilliant career ,u In, useful arts
| was thade IN his mothers cottage. lie
| ,urhGd nor rooms into workshops lie scat
| ed writings and filings everywhere.
| WINE MS hands were busy i'm helping his
| "otner ms mind was occupied in iuyenting
| some labor-saving machine
| W tIc age of sixteen he was apprcutircN
10 70 the Woolworth Brothers to learn the trads
| OF jeweler. While he was thus cnlplovcd
| ms mother moved to Philadelphia aud In
the early part of 1917 ne entered tho cstab-
| IShhlcht of Fletcher a Gardner, 130 Chest
| nut street His work as a iourncym for
wv years he often dwcit upon with pleasure,
| as ne labored upon objects of beauty which
developed his taste for art Mr. Hald,vi, WA,
'lrh ignorant of theoretical science. he had
| not pursued the study of pure mathematics,
| 'nt,nlSuJ or metalurEv. But in the place
OF the restraint imposed by a scientific train.
| ing he had the drill Of a long npur,utica-
snip. with thoroughly practical knowledge
| or all materials employed in the arts The
| inventions which he made at this period u
new process of gold plating now generally i'm
use being one justify this estimate Of hin,
| as fully as those which are better known to
| the public
In 1879 he formed partnership with
| David Mason III the manufacture of tools
| Thelr shop was on Bank Coffee House Alley,
small street which ran from Walnut above
r"urth' They afterward moved TO Minor
street below Sixth In 1929 the use OF
steam power on railroads had begun to en-
gage the attention of American engineers
To crafty the public interest in the new
motor Franklin Pcae. then proprietor of
the Philadelphia Museum. applied TO Mr.
b"'u"ln 10 construct a miniature locomotive
Tor exhibition, With the aid only of i'm
perfect published descriptions and sketches
OF me locomotives which had taken part IN
Ihe hainh'll competition in England. Mr. Bald
ot m.n undertook the work. and on the twenty
NTH day of April, 1891, the miniature loco
motive was put on a circular track made of
pine boards covered with hoop iron i'm the
rooms of the museum. Two email cars.
containing seats for four passengers were
a'lacheu 10 H. and the novel spectacle at
uaCted crowds OF admring spectators
The success Of the model was such that f.,
ihe same year he received an order for a
locomotive for the Philadelphia, German
town ana Norrstown Ra'Iroad Companv
whose short line of six miles was opcratcd
by horse power. The difficulties 10 bo ovcr
come in filling the order can hardly he an
prociatcd today. There were few mechanic,
competent TO 40 work on any part Of a
locomotive. Suitable tools were hard to OH
tam cylinders were bored by a chiscl fixed
IN block of wood and turned by hand II
was necessary for Mr. Baicwin TO do much
of the work with his own hands. 10 educate
tne Work'heh who assisted him and to i'm
pfoNlSc tooIS Tor the various processes
The work prosecuted and tho lor,p,o.
tive was fully completed. christcncd "Old
lronsidcs' and tried on tho road Noyen,her
- lS32. II was at once put into service. AS
appears from the company's advertisements
three days after the trial The officers of tho
road were not slow to avail themselves Of the
public interest to increase their passenger
receipts Yet an advertisement which an.
peared in 1892 shows that the new machine
was regarded as q curiosity and "A bait IN
lure travel rather than as "A practical eyery
day servant. copy of this advertisement
showed that three trips day, each way
would be made between Philadelphia and
Germantown, provided that the weather was
fair In wet weather the usual horse cars
would he employed for carrying ont the
schedule.
Civil War Work
After many vicissitudes five engines uere
completed in 1894 and the new business was
under way, The building in Lodge Alley 10
which Mr. Baldwin had removed from Miror
street was too contracted and another move
was decided upon and a location at Broad
and Hamilton streets was secured the site of
which Is part of the present plant
The breaking out of the Cvil War at fret
unsettled his business. and by many il w,s
thought that the demand for locomoti,os
must cease altogether A large number of
hands were discharged and only forty loco.
motives were turned out during the wear
II was even seriously contemplated 10 mn
the resources of the establishment IN th
manufacture of shot and shell and otbor
munitions Of war. The demand for locon,o.
ives contrary TO predictions, increased in
stead Of diminished. "
Personal anecdotes related of Mr. R,Idt
show his rigid adherence to the code of otii
which governed his life. lie had taken I'm as
partner the son of a capitalist who Inves,ni
money to help him out OF financial difficulties
For time all went WELL but before Ions ht
troubles were great as ever His par,
ners father sent for him and proposed thai q
judgment should be confessed by the firm in
his favor. IF this is all you have to saw
unIt iUhf xyaI
shall never have the slightest adyart,aa
over the smallest creditor on account of yo1
connection with the frm" said Mr. BaIdyi,'
as he rose from his seat in great indign"''
ton. s'''
There was time to be remembered ,h
Mr. Baldwin voted incessantly for negro 80
frage. Public opinion makes mobs xinet,,-
nine citizens out of a hundred in phiIaac,