The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-02-26
Herman H. Meerhoff, %, Will Greet Sanitary
Engineers Here; Watched Evolution Of Trade

tary engineering and will be prominent
in the local convention. Whether or
not he will be able to attend all the
sessions. Mr.. Meerhoff will be among
the most notable guests.
Herman Meerhoff was born in Osna-
bruck, Germany. in 1928. When he
was still very young boy. began to
study under the tutorage of his uncle,
not music, nor dancing, but butchering,
trough building, and house construct
ion. were the subjects. In the winter
Herman's uncle butcheIed to supply
the village. In the carly spring he
made tubs, troughs and other wooden
articles for his neighbors, and early in
the summer he built houses.
Came to v. S. at 20
So, when as a lad of 20, he went
down to Bremen, bound for the
GLORIOUS United States to seek free
dom. happiness, and whatever good
fortune might befaI" Herman
Meerhoff was far from unSkilled in
several ways.
A small party of friends were also
sailing. Together they spent nine
weeks and three days in sail boat on
their trip to New York but let Mr..
noon with the smile of "reminiscences
fitted over his face.
we tossed about on that ocean I'M
til all of us thought we would not care
for the land when we reach tiff We
ever did Some days the sun was SO
hot it burst the tar with which the
deck floor was laid. There was very
little to do except to talk about the
new land we hoped to reach before we
were all white haired.
AT last We arrived in New York
and started west on a railroad; that
is it was called a railroad then; l do
not know what you would call ii now
When we reached the Allegheny noun
tains the train had considerable trou-
Bile. 1t was necessary to get one car
dummy-on one side of the ridge,
and another one on top, to pull the
heavy train over.
Walked to Pittsburgh
Then we reached Chambersburg
and found the canal frozen; no ferry
running and all methods of transpor-
! tation-except walking-tied up. SO
we decided to walk. Then we discov.
cred big covered wagon, which the
party rented to take us as far as Pitts
, burg.
Riding in this proved far from in
teresting, however. and six of US
/ young men walked after the first day
and arrived at the upper Ohio, dis
+ lance of IT'S miles in days. The wag.
! on arrived two days later
From Pittsburg We went down the
Ohio to Cincinnati, which we reached
on Christmas morning Here I worked
| in various capacities in pipe and ma,
| chine shops for 16 years; then moved
| to Oxford, Ohio, to install steam heat
ing in a seminary there.
| Came to City in '65.
! II came to Richmond il 1865" he
! said. For awhile I worked for the
| James NJ. Starr and Co. gas plant. and
| helped put in the main gas pipe which
was laid from the plant to Fourteenth
street. along Main street.
! Along in the seventies I opened
my own plumbing business under the
name of Wefel and Meerhoff, and soon
afterwards took 10 Dickinsons broth
err into the firm. Our establishment
was nothing more than a shanty on
the site of the present Meerhoff es-
! tablishment. I had carried it on
nearly 46 years when by boy took full
! charge.
! MI. MeeTIlOH was one vi IHe llISJ W
I introduce to Richmond the inside sink
/ One of the first inside wooden sinks
in the city was installed by him at
the home of DR.. Hibberd, on the cor
ner of Ninth and North A streets.
| From the time when the plumber
worked along as he could, Mr.. Nicer
! hoff has lived to see men of his pro-
| fession asking and easily getting $1.25
an hour for their work.
Predicted Rule Of Labor.
Il wouldn't have thought it," said
! he, and then told the story OF man
who urged him while he was still an
apprentice in Cincinnati. to join a
! trade union.
; This man said to me: You'll live
! to see the day-if you don't live more
! than so yearS-when union men will
have power enough to elect the
president of the United States, and
! the president will listen with atten
ton to what the laboring man has tC
! say | believe I've just about done
j that, although at that time | said &c
myself, My land, that man doesn't
! know what he's talking about y
MI Meerhoff is sturdy, exceedingly
spirited and alert He is still living
in the house he built at 119 South
Tenth street. 81 years ago. This lot
was a cabbage patch when | bought
i it, said he.