My story . cehad no terrors for me. This was of course before the introduction of electricityIn street railway operation and the cars were drawn bymules. How I hated to see horses and mules go Intothe street car service where they would be ground up asInevitably, If not quite as literally, as if put through asausage machine! It was this feeling of pity for the de-fenseless creatures that first interested me in cables andelectric propulsion. From the very first It was the operating end of thebusiness that appealed to me. My liking for mechanicswas stimulated by my environment and I was soon wor
My story . cehad no terrors for me. This was of course before the introduction of electricityIn street railway operation and the cars were drawn bymules. How I hated to see horses and mules go Intothe street car service where they would be ground up asInevitably, If not quite as literally, as if put through asausage machine! It was this feeling of pity for the de-fenseless creatures that first interested me in cables andelectric propulsion. From the very first It was the operating end of thebusiness that appealed to me. My liking for mechanicswas stimulated by my environment and I was soon work-ing on Inventions, some of which I afterwards one of these, a fare-box, I eventually made thetwenty or thirty thoustmd dollars which gave me my firstclaim to being a capitalist. The fare-boxes In use up to that time were made forpaper money. Mine was the first box for coins, papercurrency having just been withdrawn from held the coins on little glass shelves and in plain sight. TOM L. JOHNSON AT SEVENTEENA. V. DU PONT BIDERMANN DU PONT THE MONOPOLIST MADE ii until they had been counted. Since any passenger as wellas anyone acting as a spotter could count the money therewasnt much likelihood that either the drivers or the carriders would cheat. This box is still in use. In a few months I was secretary of the company, and atabout the end of my first year of employment my fathercame in from the farm and the du Fonts made him super-intendent of the road. He continued in this position untilhe was appointed chief of police of Louisville, severalyears later. Then I became superintendent, holding thejob until 1876 when I embarked in business for myself. I may say, with all propriety, that Bidermann du Pont,the president of the road, found In me a hard workingand efficient assistant, but I cannot say that I never oc-casioned him any anxiety, for my restless, eager naturewas constantly seeking ways of expression — which wayswere not always either dignifie
Size: 1480px × 1688px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidmystoryjohns, bookyear1913
