The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-13
lGHTIESS BUT IS EXPERT AS AUTO MECHANIC
Hind Rochester Man. Also
 Makes Most Intricate @ Radio Sets

g &~10AV AJG00
 ROCHESTER,, N. '. July 12.-AI-
 ough he has been totally blind for
 Fenty.four years, Wallace w. Manning
 Rochester New York, is not only m
 pert automobile mechanician, but
 Ehctices his trade in thriving little erage of which he himself is proprietor.
 espite the fact that MT. Manning has
 sver seen an automobile, his sight hay
 g been destroyed while the now com
 0n motor conveyances were little more < an a1 experiment, there is no feature
 any make of machine, from the l0wly
 lsTer up, with which he is not familiar.
 Rated by his patrons as one of the
 lost expert automobile repairmen in De city of Rochester, Manning admits
 odestly that fib repair job on a m motor-
 r has ever stumped him. Sightless hough he is, he sees and works with Els fingers, and his work is flawless. " How has he accomplished it? In eply to the question Manning himself
 if smile slightly and tell one is must es merely matter of genius. He talks
 adiH of his ability at mechanical
 Fork but says little of those long dark ours of almost hopeless perseverance hat must have proceeded his attainment B a blind meehanician of ability.
 Manning. as a boy grew up with a eryer for things mechanical. At that ine the steam engine was the principal neans of automatic locomotion, when Planning was fourteen years old he ap- lied for and obtained a job as fireman n the steamer Charlotte, which made unH out of the Charlotte gharbor on 5ake Ontario, now the Port of Rochester.
 Loved Machinery
 That was the whole trouble" re- lafhed Manning as he tells of his earlier ts. T had too much love for machinery. Nothing buta kid fourteen years old, I lad no business fooling around steam Hkines, but they couldn't keep me away fpm 'em."
 1t was this love for machinery that but Manning intol perpetual darkness hht only the blind know. Working at Shfs job as fireman on the steamer, the
 Eyear-old boy was inspecting water lass on the boiler Something went ETong. The water glass exploded and fenning's eyes were scared with scala ng steams water and glass. E He was taken to a hospital and came ut with his sight still left, but impaired.
 was told that it would only be "a natter of time when he would De. otally blind. Total darkness came at the end of two short years. <. ...@ = . During those two years" says Man Haing, T learned the use of tools by the senee of feeling. In the same time l hlsq held a position as engineer of q, Dne hundred and fifty horsepower steam plant at SummeTvilIe, New York. On acceunt of my fast failing sight 1 was .compeIled to give up this work at the |ages pf sixteen, and for the next three. |yeafes almost totally blind, did noth- |ingzst
 sWhen I say did nothing, I mean |thatiI did no outside work. I did work |aroend the house with tools, however. b bniit all kinds of mechanical contri- |ganees and learned further the use of |tooB by the sence of touch"
 Further Disaster as-- Then came further disaster. Man yssneta father died and the nineteen geaf old blind boy was left to shift for Rinself. He entered the New York State School for the Blind in 1902 and in two years completed four-year course in uiano running. Here he made the mos of his oppoytginity to exercise his med snical talents on delicate parts of pianos, and was rewarded by having models of his work exhibited at the St. Louik Exposition.
 While he was at the State School, In addition to his work in tunning and re pairing pianos, he did all; the repair work on the schools ten Remington typewriters. After leaving school he was employed for three years by q Rochester piano concern, but pianos soon offered too little in the way of mechanics.
 He became interested in the auto mobile, which was then becoming popu- lar. He determined to know something about them.
 q started my automobile career, ,"ssays Manning, 'by pumping information out of everyone could find who knew any. thing about them. got all the books 1 could on the subject and had them read to me. All the knowledge got through these means I verified as much as l could by experimenting with an. old Etearns. chain-driye car which belonged to a friends My success with this ear aaye me further confidence to try my hand with others. ~
 .sThis proceaure finally. led to, my opening q garage for general repair work and I'm still at it. I've had part ners at times and on other occasions have gone at it alone.
 Naming takes his success in his work modestIy, although it is evident that he fs more than proud of his ability.
 i''Of course" he is asked at times. sayOu cannot drive a car yourselfP
 7s'Wky not?" Manning Answers with just a trace of suprise. q have driven ears and can drive any of them. Of eourses I always have somebody sitting by my side. The traffic's pretty heavy these days, however, and I-haVen'ts done any driving, lately. move, ears around ln tho yard here; however"
 And he does. Once a car is placed. Manning knows just where it is in the yard and can. move other cars around himself without collisions. He can name tlae makes of all the more common cars by merely listening to their motors, and can tell the make of any car by running his hand over the engine.
 Has Several Patents
 Not satisfied with the mechanical work he does;at his garage during work ing hours, Manning indulges. in con fS.s.kf. v,, a,iataI vu4apk sw Esa .1afh