Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-30
BaldWin's BEGINNING
From the PHILADELPHIA Ledger


works has been series of personal romances,
said Alba Johnson.
Matthias w. Baldwin's career was victory
of high character industry and exalted motives
over adverse circumstances.
The story seems always new. Frederick
Fraey has given ME his personal "reminiscences
of Mr.. Baldwin. He began as jeweler with
out store. The house he occupied in Frank
ford still stands near Wissnomng station.
Mr.. Frailey told me that Mr.. Baldwin every
Friday afternoon took his wicker basket on his
arm to peddle the jewery he had made in the
preceding week.
Second street was then the chief retail
street, and the jewelers. along that thorough
fare would buy Baldwns modest output d.
rectly from his basket.
He was deeply religious man, and it was
grief to him that his trade ministered to
worldly vanity.
He wanted to be a printer, for he held that
this was the noblest art open to man since it
meant the dissemination of knowledge.
His business prospered, and he began to
make bookbinders tools. To dispose of his
wares he opened shop in Lodge alley, where
he made calico stamps.
"Ellwood Pusey who still continues the
business, has informed me that he possesses
some of the old Baldwin stamps.
He decided to build one for himself and &C
cordng1y he designed 20-horsepower upright
engine, which is still preserved at the Baldwin
works and was in up to five years ago.
This episode turned his attention to the
steam engine, and his studies had created a
lively interest in the possibilities.
AT that time the Liverpool & Manchester
railway was holding its locomtive trials, from
which George Stephenson's Rocket emerged
triumphant.
THE mind of the public was engaged with
the steam locomotive, just as it was with aero
nautics after the Wright experiments.
THE Camden & Amboy railroad imported
four of Stephenson's locomotives, one of which
the John Bull is still extant.
when the brig carrying the locomotives
reached Bordentown Baldwin went to see the
pieces discharged. He said he could build one
himself
Franklin Peale, brother of Rembrandt, had
a museum where the old Masonic temple stood
Chestnut street west of Seventh, where Sin
gerly put up the three banks. He hunted up
Baldwin and got him to build little locomo
tive, with gauge of Is inches, to run around
a track in the museum.
Baldwin did not then entertain the idea of
becoming a builder of locomotives exclusively
"The promoters of the Philadelphia, Ger
mantoWn 4 NorrlstOwn railroad his little
locomotive, and decided that one like it would
attract excursion patronage.
$50 they ordered four-ton locomotive. It
took Baldwin year to make this. He had to
manufacture everything-hs own tubes, tires
and pumps There were then no collateral in
dustries. He finished his engine in November,
1882
1T was found to be too heavy by half a
ton. The railroad refused to receive or to pay
for it. As result of arbitration he received
$1,000 instead of the $4,000 he asked.
THE railroad, nevertheless, finally accepted
the machine and advertsed: The locomotive
engine, manufactured by Matthias w. Baldwin,
will run on fair days. On rainy days horses
will be attached, usual
Baldwin said he was through with ocomo-
tive building; he would never make another.
"He didn't realize. that there would be such
a lively demand. The South Carolina railroad
asked for one. Then the orders came in thick
and fast.
The stories of Dr. Edward H. Williams, of
Mr.. Parry and of Mr. Converse are likewise full
of dramtic incident.
Or. Williams was born in Woodstock VT,
little place, numbering today but $500 in
habitants. His father was Judge Norman Will
liams; his mother was woman of rare in
tellectual attainments The doctor was one of
five brothers, He decided medical career,
and made a start at the primitive medical col
lege in Woodstock.
Then he became an inferno at Bellevue
hospital in New York-so that he had the best
medical education the times aforded-and set
tied down to practice at Proctor, near Rutland.
almost overnight he became famous
through his cure of Alexis St. Martin. the man
whose skull was pierced by iron bar as a
result of a quarry blast. He used simply the
ordinary antiseptic methods that are now uni
versally accepted, but then the cure sensa-
tonal, for this was the first that had sur
vived such an jury.
"The Rutland railroad was then being built.
Its chief engineer, man named Sewall, boarded
in the same house with DR.. Williams. The doc
tor was insatiaby inquisitve. If he went to
sea he would be on the bridge with the navigat-
ing officer. Night after night he studied engi-
neering problems with Sewall. He made ad-
mirab1e drawings.
Zone day Sewall said 4 have request for
an engineer to build railroad in Canada. I'm
going to name you
"I don't know enough the doctor remon-
strated.
go yes you do Sewa1l insisted. 4 know
how much you know. If you stay here you'll be
a country doctor, driving over the hills until
you're gray. If you're lucky you may acquire
a small competency. Transportation is to be
the great industry of the future. Those who
enter it will be the empire builders He
painted so vivid word picture that the doctor
succumbed.
GAS result he turned his back on medicine
and became partner in the firm: 1t was