Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-16
GREATEST AIRSHIP BUILDER
American Makes Good In Great
Britain.
ATTAINS FAME FROM OBSCURITY.

lcommeneed His Career Upward With.
out Heip-Says the Future Posi-
biIities Of the Airship are Without
Limit and that il May be that Some
Day the Traveller will eat Breakfast
in London and Dinner in New York.
With all its cases Of meteoric rises
from poverty and humbleness to
wealth and success, the United States
furnishes nothing more striking than
that Of J. A. Whitehead. president Of
the Whitehead Co., though Britisher
now. has American citizenship papers
and got his business training in San
Francisco.
Unknown two years ago. Mr.. White
head now is one Of the most promi-
nent men in Great Britain and In its
industrial life Is easily one Of the
most shining figures. He started his
career two years and a half ago with
no asset in the world except credit
with a small hotel-keeper in a Lon
| don suburb Now he owns the biggest
airplane factory in Great Britain and
| has under his ownership As acres Of
| factory buildings and airdomes. His
first payroll was s35 a week, with
borrowed money. His payroll now Is
| s6O0.O0O week. He recently OBJ
| tained permission from the treasury
| department of England to increase his
| capitalization by s5,O00.000 and so
| complete WAS the confidence Of Eng
| lish investors in his ability to make
| good" that the amount was subscrib-
cd before the bonds were issued.
| Sentenced to be Shot.
At the outbreak Of the war MIR.
Whitehead, then on the sunny side of
| 40, was In San Francisco, just get
ting on his feet after rather ad-
vcnturous experience which had taxi
| on him to all parts Of the world and
| in Il way gave him the reputation, as
he now humorously says. Of o.
black sheep" The turning point in
his career had come at Monte Carlo
some years before. He received fl
nancial aid which enabled him to
shift his course in life and take turn
for the better
AS soon as war was declared, al
though he had become an American
citizen. he enlisted in British regi-
rhcnt and came to England. He was
at the battle Of Antwerp, and there,
after watching the work Of enemy
airplanes. reached the conclusion that
airplanes would decide the war soon
or or later.
To get out Of the army was not an
easy task. He did 1t by insubordina-
ton and, when sentenced to be shot,
produced his American citizenship
! pe perers-and- sid that be didn't think
the authorities would kill him. They
didn't. They paid very little atten-
ton to his claim that he had commit
ted breach of discipline for the sole
purpose Of devoting his talents In a.
more effective way to the service Of
his country. He was sent back home
with a black mark against him, filled
with chagrin, but glowing with con-
ndence that he could manufacture
airplanes on big scale, and be fac
tor in the determination of the world
| struggle.
He had not q cent. He had no
friends who could help. His parents
quite naturally. turned q deaf ear to
his overtures for aid. His first step
was to 90 to the war office and, as
he laughngly says, with true Ameri-
can optimism, asked for an order to
build airplanes. When asked If he
had factory he replied that he had.
Then he went out to look for one, SO
that the government authorities could
| verify his statement.
Out in a London suburb, where he
had hotel man for an acquaintance,
he found an old machine shop In
which were a few lathes and some
benches. He inspected it as well as ne
could through the windows, borrowed
"A pot Of paint and a brush and lad
der and began to paint his name on
the front Of the building. He had
fairly we'll done when man came
along and said:
| What are you doing there?"
Il am painting my name on this
building
And what are you doing that for?
That's my building"
"Oh. is that so? Then you are just
the man ! want to see."
Mr.. Whitehead took the owner OF
| the building to the aforementioned
hotel and bought luncheon for him.
lie told him Of his airplane dream.
and Vaughan Thompson-ror that
was the name Of the owner-was
Impressed by it. He said:
1T sounds very good to me. II 1t
will help win the war am for 1t. /
am going to the front tomorrow. and
you can take the building and do
what you want to with it. And
have 1900 cash. and as l don't expect
ever to come back you can take that,
too, and use it the best way you can.
1t will be at your disposal in a month"
Mr.. Thompson went away. He was
killed, as he predicted, just a year
from that day.
Contract for Six Flyers.
Mr.. Whitehead, being a skilled me-
chanic, put the old machinery in the
Thompson property in the hest con-
dition he could, made few purchases
on credit and went to the air depart
ment with this proposal;
You may send your inspector to
my machine shop any time you wish. I
should like contract to build six air
planes, and they will be as good as
any other maker In the country can
give YOU"
They gave him contract for the
six. An inspector reported that his
factory was Of sufficient capacity for
a trifing order Of that kind. and
i thereupon the $50 acre Whitehead