USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > Memorial record of the county of Cuyahoga and city of Cleveland, Ohio, pt 2 > Part 8
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Mr. Gates has filled the office of Justice of the Peace, and also that of Township Trustee. He formerly voted with the Republican party, but is now a Prohibitionist.
He has led an active life and has done his part in improving the community where he lives.
S KIDNEY HOWE SHORT .- There is un- doubtedly no one line of material progress along which so varied and brilliant ad- vances have been made within the past decade and a half as that of the practical application of electric force, and there must naturally be a particular interest attaching to those men who by their study and experiment have lent their aid to the magnificent movement. He whose name initiates this review has been an ardent worker in the electrical field and has aceom- plished much, bringing to bear a thorough knowledge of both theoretical and practical
order. He is vice-president of the Short Elce- trie Railway Company of Cleveland, and is thoroughly identified with the development of the system which bears his name and whose sudden rise into marked popularity stands as the strongest evidence of its excellence. Ile has been untiring and progressive as an inventor and personally is a worker of the most pro- nonneed type, while to his faithful industry and tireless patience, combined with his native genius, may his notable success be consistently aseribed.
Mr. Short was born at Columbus, Ohio, in 1858, one of the five children of John and Eliza Short. His father was concerned with railroad- ing enterprises, having boen for five years superintendent of the Miami Railroad. He was afterward engaged in the manufacture of gen- enral machinery and gained considerable promi- nence in that field of endeavor, operating one of the largest machine shops in the capital city of the State, where he is now living a retired life. Hle was born in England in 1825, coming to America at the age of twenty years. He and his wife are communicants and devoted mem- bers of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
Afforded excellent edneational advantages and possessed of a natural mechanical taste, our subject very early in life, even when a boy in kilts, beeame interested in electricity. His mother states that one rainy day she found him in the yard, holding the upper part of a severed lightning rod away from the lower and watch- ing the play of electricity across the intervening space. He prosecuted his studies in the Capi tal University and later in the Ohio State University, graduating at the latter in 1880, after five years of study. His graduation was delayed one year, owing to the fact that he filled the position of laboratory director in the institution during the first year of the absence of Professor Mendenhall, who had accepted a eall to the University of Tokio, Japan.
While a boy in school it is worthy of note that. Mr. Short manifested a quite decided in- clination to neglect other work than that per-
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taining to electricity, and his time out of school was passed in contriving unique devices from old wire and batteries which be purchased from the Western Union Telegraph Company. All the money he could carn in an incidental way he deflected toward purchases in the line men- tioned and his ingenious appliances were duly insinnated into the domestic economies of his home. At one time all the house clocks were connected by a device by which they could be wound simultaneously from one place. This appliance was retained until a stroke of light- ning ruined it and at the same time all the clocks. A system of electric burglar alarms was extended through the house and served to create no little excitement on several occasions, though its efficiency was never tested, save inadvertently by members of the family or by friends. At one time the young man had his bed decorated with telegraph sounders, attached to the head and foot boards, with wires running into the room through the windows.
While attending the Centennial Exposition in 1876, he carefully examined the Bell telephone of that date and discovered that he had already constructed, in the laboratory of the Ohio State University, a device which embodied practically the same principles. His apparatus, however, had been utilized merely for the transmission of sound, and probably no attempt was ever made to transmit articulate speech by its medium. On his return from Philadelphia to Cohunbus he perfected and patented a long-distance tele- phone transmitter, which patent was subse- quently sold to the Gold Stock Telegraph Com- pany. Later on he secured letters patent upon an original type of are lamp (patent No. 29,625), but no use was ever made of the inven- tion. The fascination exercised over him by Professor Mendenhall, by reason of the latter's ability and enthusiasm, caused Mr. Short to continue his researches and experiments at the State University after the professor had ac- cepted the chair of physics in that institution. A higher opportunity was thus afforded him for close and serious work as a student. He passed
almost his entire time, day and night, in the laboratory with Professor Mendenhall, who has long since gained recognition as one of the most able and popular scientists in the Union.
After graduation Mr. Short went, at the end of the summer vacation, to the Colorado State University at. Denver, and there became vice- president of the institution and professor of chemistry and physies. He held the combined chairs for a period of two years, by which time the work had so increased in extent as to render imperative the securing of an assistant. In his work Professor Short attained no little promi- bence, and his connection with the university resulted in much permanent benelit to the insti- tution, contributing greatly to its prestige and substantial advancement. Hle resigned the chair of chemistry in 1583. Notwithstanding the manifold demands placed upon his time and attention he had in the meanwhile worked up his plan for an electric railway, constructing his first road, a single track with turn-outs, in the large basement of the university building. The miniature system was put into operation in the spring of 1885, and by its novelty attracted many visitors. It is safe to say that hundreds of people in Denver were transported round and round the old basement of the university in the crowded car operated by the first Short motors. Mr. Short wound both the motors and the dynamo in the laboratory, doing the work himself.
In 1885 his interest in practical electric rail- way work and his confidence that he could sue- eeed in the same proved sufficiently potent to induce him to resign his position at the uni- versity. He immediately commenced work upon a surface road conduit system on Tremont street, in Denver. His next work was in the laying of an electric line, built with a conduit on Fifteenth street, running to Capitol hill in one direction and to North Denver in another. The road, despite the ahnost insuperable ob- stacles opposing the operation of a conduit sys- tem, was operated with some success for several months by the United States Electric Company,
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now known as the Denver Tramway Company, series motors being utilized. The success of the series motors in connection with the conduit system, while encouraging to Mr. Short as an electrician, was of not sufficient importance to induco him to remain in Denver.
In 1887 he returned to Columbus, Ohio, and entered into partnership with N. B. Abbott, of the Abbott Paving Company, one of the repre- sentative business men of the State, the firm title being S. II. Short & Company. The first work of the firm was in the construction of a short line in Columbus, the trolley device being utilized in connection with series motors and practically identical appliances to those used in Denver. Leaving this road partially completed Mr. Short went to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1888, and constructed a trolley system on South Broadway. Although operated for more than a year with success, this system was eventually displaced by an extensive cable system which ramified into all important quarters of the city. Mr. Short then went to Huntington, West Virginia, coming to Cleveland in June, 1889, since which time he has continued his residence in the Forest City. Ile here organized the company which bears his name, the Short Electric Railway Company, the Brush Electric Company taking a large share of the stock and contracting to do the manufacturing.
It is worthy of note at this junction that he has recently invented and patented an electric motor which does away with the gear attach- nient to the car. The device has been placed in practical use on the Euclid avenne line and is a marked and valuable improvement.
In the spring of 1893 Mr. Short sold his in- terest in the Short Electric Railway Company to the General Electric Company, but did not sever his connection with the company till the first of October. In February of 1894 he took charge of the new electrical department of the Walker Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, a much larger plant and one especially fitted for heavy machine work. They are now in the field with an entirely new line of electric
generators and motors for direct and alternating work, of any capacity desired, and Mr. Short feels that he has never been better prepared to do first-class work than at present.
Mr. Short is a Fellow of the American Society for the Advancement of Science and has the de- gree of Bachelor of Science from the State University. He is identified with the Cleveland Electric, the Union and the Country Clubs, and was a member the Electrical Commission of the World's Columbian Exposition.
By his associates and employes he is held in the highest esteem and the reason is patent: he is singularly unassuming and kindly in manner, and has that self-control which withstands the annoyances and disappointments that invariably beset the inventor.
- AMES M. WORTHINGTON is president of the Cleveland Stone Company, which company was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in July, 1886. It has a paid up capital of 82,250,000, and commenced business August 1, 1886, when it purchased the quarries and business of the following concerns: Berea Stone Company, J. MeDermott & Com- pany, Clough Stone Company, Worthington & Sons, James Nichol, Nichol & Miller, Columbia Stone Company, the Ohio Building Stone Com- pany, Ohio Grindstone Company, and the Berca & Huron Stone Company. Since that time the company has bought the quarries of L. Hakle- man & Son, Atlantic Stone Company, Lake IIuron Stone Company and several smaller con- cerns. For about a year after its organization the following were its officers: William MeDer- mott, president; J. M. Worthington, vice-presi- dent; George II. Worthington, sceretary and treasurer; and James Nichol, F. M. Stearns and Michael Mc Dermott, superintendents. In the latter part of 1587 the MeDermotts and Mr. Stearns retired from the company and since that. time James M. Worthington has been the presi-
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dent, while John Huntington who died in 1892 -was vice-president until his death, and then he was succeeded by J. V. Painter. George 11. Worthington is secretary and treasurer, while James Nichol is general superintendent, C. W. McCormick assistant secretary and E. A. Merritt is anditor and assistant treasurer. The general ollices of the company are in the Wilshire Build- ing, Cleveland, Ohio, and there are employed twenty-eight persons, including cashier, pur- chasing agents, accountants, bill clerks, stenog- raphers, telegraph operators, city agents, etc.
The Berea quarries were first opened in 1836. For ten or fifteen years nothing but grindstones were prodneed. The business has steadily in- ereased ever since, until at the present time they are the largest sandstone quarries in America. In 1871 there were about fifteen different com- panies engaged in the business, and in that year they were all merged in the Berea Stone Com- pany with the exception of JJ. MeDermott & Company: these two concerns, becoming owners of all the available quarry property in Berea, continued in business until the Cleveland Stone Company was formed, and bought them out. Since that time the latter has purchased fifty-six aeres of quarry land that adjoins the property previously quarried. The Cleveland Stone Com- pany now operate eight quarries at Berea, with railroad tracks running into all of them. Within the fifty-seven years that these quarries have been operated about seventy-four acres have been quarried out. The Cleveland Stone Company now owns 150 acres of stone on which no quar- rying has yet been done. Up to the year 1889 the depth of rock usually taken out was only twenty-four feet. In that year it was discovered by boring that there were sixty-three feet of good, merchantable stone below the level to which the quarries had before been worked. From these facts it will readily be seen that the Berea quarries are ineshaustible. The product of Berea quarries consists of building stone, sawed and split flagging, curbing and grindstones. In these quarries there are at present employed 775 men, 46 steam derricks, 16 steam hoisters,
19 boilers, 16 engines, 12 channeling machines, 18 steam drills, 11 steam pumps, 6 grindstone turning lathes, 1 saw-mill, containing 6 gangs of saws, 1 containing 18 gangs and another con- taining 15 gangs (ten of these gangs have screw feeds and the rest box-balance feeds), 1 forty-six turbine water wheel, 1 grindstone frame factory, complete electric light plant for illuminating all the mills at night, and a large machine shop, containing lathes, planers, shapers, etc.
At West View, Ohio, on the main line of the " Big Four" and about fourteen miles west of Cleveland, is situated quarry No. 2. which was opened about 1874. Here the company owns twenty-three aeres, of which two acres have been quarried ont to the depth of thirty-five feet. The depth of rock is about sixty-three feet. The product of this quarry consists of grind- stones used in the manufacture of plows, files, ete. There are employed in this quarry lifty men, who operate well equipped machinery for quarrying.
At Columbia, Ohio, the company have their quarry No. 3. This quarry was opened about 1870, and here the company owns about 105 acres, of which two acres have been worked out to a depth of about fifty feet, and the depth of the roek is about seventy-five feet. Here are employed eighty-five men.
Quarry No. 4 issituated at Ohnsted Falls, on the main line of the Lake Shore Railroad, and about fourteen miles west of Cleveland. This quarry has been operated since about 1873. The prop- erty comprises eleven acres, of which about two aeres have been quarried out to a depth of from twenty to thirty-five feet. The product consists of large grindstones used in the manufacture of plows, files and axes. Here are employed twenty- five men.
Quarry No. 5, at Nickel Plate, Ohio, extends over an area of 220 acres, of which five and a half acres have been quarried to a depth of twenty-two feet. The entire depth of the rock varies from fifty to sixty feet. The product consists of building stone, curbing, flagging and grindstones for farmers' use. In these quarries
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170 men are employed, and here the company maintain a general store for the accommodation of the employees.
In Lorain county are situated quarries Nos. 6 and 7, and the property comprises about 151 acres, about five acres of which have been quar- ried out to a depth varying from seventy-five to ninety feet. The depth of the rock is about 110 fect. The output consists of building stone, curbing, sawed flagging and grindstones used in the manufacture.of edge tools.
Quarry No. 9 is situated about two miles northeast of the village of North Amherst, and comprises about thirty-five acres, of which five acres have been quarried out. Here the depth of the rock varies from forty to eighty feet, and the produet consists of building stone, sawed flagging and large grindstones used in the manu- facture of edge tools.
There are employed in quarries Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9, 550 men.
The company own quarries No. 10 at Brown- helm, about thirty-six miles west of Cleveland. These quarries were opened in 1847. The prop- erty comprises about sixty-two acres, of which eight acres have been quarried to a depth vary- ing from thirty to sixty-five feet. The product is building stone, and here are employed thirty- five men.
Quarry No. 11 is situated in Erie county, was opened about 1881 and comprises about fifty acres. The rock is twenty-five feet deep. The product is building stone, and here are employed abont twenty men.
The Lake Huron quarries are situated at Grindstone City, Michigan, and extend about two miles along the shore of Lake Huron. The quarries were first opened in 1850, and have been steadily worked ever since. The whole property comprises about 600 acres. About twenty acres have been quarried out. The prod- uct consists of building stone, small grindstones for farm use, seythestones and large grindstones used in the manufacture of cutlery, tobacco knives and very fine edge tools. In these quar- ries are employed 150 men. Upon this prop-
erty the Cleveland Stone Company also own and operate a seventy-five barrel roller process flour- ing mill, built of stone and said to be the best mill of its size in the State. Here the company also maintain a large general store.
In Peninsula, Ohio, are situated quarries known as No. 15, and these were acquired by the company in 1891, and comprise seventeen acres. The product consists of grindstones used mainly in the manufacture of wood pulp. Here thirty-five men find employment.
In the city of Cleveland the company has a large number of stone yards, from which it sup- plies builling stone for local building business. It ocenpies a dock on the river which is used for shipping by water and receiving stone from lake quarries. The company has depots in Chicago, Boston and New York, where it carries large stoeks of seythestones and grindstones. The company has also branch offices in Pittsburg and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in Roches- ter, New York, also in Toronto, Canada. It employs a large number of traveling salesmen.
All of the various quarries are connected with the general office in Cleveland by telegraph and telephone wires. The business of the Cleveland Stone Company has steadily increased every year since it was organized. In 1891 their ship- ments were 29,736 car-loads of stone, of which over 2,000 cars were grindstones. The business of 1892 showed a material increase over that of 1891.
OSEPH W. SMITH, deceased, was for many years a well-known and highly es- teemed citizen of Cuyahoga county, Ohio. A brief sketch of his life is herewith presented.
Joseph W. Smith was born in New York State, July 21, 1837, the eleventh son in the family of twelve children of Doton and Fannie (Worden) Smith. He was eight years old when he came with his parents to Cuyahago county, Ohio, and located on the farm where his widow now resides, When a young man he was for
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some time employed as deputy in the Chagrin Falls post office. The greater part of his life, however, was devoted to agricultural pursuits. In politics, he was a Republican and he filled most acceptably some of the township offices. Fraternally, he was a Royal Arch Mason.
Mr. Smith died February 13, 1892, after a life of useful activity, and was buried by the Masons, the order he loved and of which he was an honored member.
OIIN BUSCII, a well known farmer of Brooklyn township, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, was born in Darmstadt, Germany, July 24, 1837.
Detrich Busch, his father, also a native of Darmstadt, Germany, emigrated to America in 1840 and came direct to Cleveland. He was a tailor by trade, which he followed for a number of years in the old country and for three years in Cleveland. After that he located on a farm in Brooklyn township, this county, and devoted the rest of his life to agricultural pursuits. Ile died there at the age of sixty-one years. The mother of our subject, nee Catherine Reidle, a native of Germany, died in 1845. They had a family of three children, one son and two daughters, the daughters, Catherine and Rachel, being deceased. Thus John Busch is the only member of the family now living. Ile was three years old when he came with his parents to America, and much of his youth was spent on a farm in the township in which he now lives. Ilis education was received chiefly at what is now South Brooklyn. All his life he has been engaged in general farming, and in this occupation has been very successful. Ile owns sixty-one acres of land in Brooklyn town- ship. Ile has one of the most pleasant and at- tractive residences in the neighborhood, it hav- ing been erected in 1891, at a cost of about $2,000.
Mr. Busch was married in 1859 to Ilellen Braun, who was born in Lorain county, Ohio,
September 29, 1839, daughter of Lewis and Catharine (Henninger) Braun, both natives of Germany. Mrs. Busch was the third born in . the family of seven children - five daughters and two sons-and was left an orphan when she was about ten years old. She was reared in Cleve- land. Mr. and Mrs. Busch have five children, two daughters and three sons, namely: John II., Gustave Il., Lewis E., Emma and Clara. Emina is the wife of Jacob Hoehn, and resides in Cleveland.
In national polities Mr. Busch votes with the Democratic party, but at elections for local officers he usually votes for the best man regard- less of party lines. A friend to education and religion, he has given liberally to the support of both. He is a member of the Evangelical Church, and has held various official positions in the same. He is also a member of Glen Lodge, No. 362, I. O. O. F.
AMES II. CLARK, of Cleveland, was born in England, in 1832, a son of Robert and Eliza (Neat) Clark, natives of Malmes- bury, Wiltshire, England, the former born in 1802, and the latter in 1803. They were brought to Cleveland, Ohio, by our subject and his brother in 1860. The father followed agri- cultural pursuits. Both he and his wife were members of the established Church of England. Mr. Clark died in 1887, at the age of eighty- five years, and his wife survived until 1890, dy- ing at the age of eighty-seven years. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Charles, M. B., Alfred and Eliza, deceased; Alfred, James II., the subject of this sketch; Eliza, now Mrs. Miller, and resides in California; Fanny, now Mrs. Reynolds of this city, whose husband is a State Senator; William T., of Cleveland; and Worthy, of Chardon, this State.
James I1. came to America in 1852, locating in this city and began the oil business on a small seale in 1862. Hle has continued that or- enpation through his carver of business life.
CUYAHOGA COUNTY.
Ilis first partners in the business were John D. Rosafellow and Samuel Andrews, and his . brothers M. B. and Richard are members of the firm of Andrews, Clark and Company. The lirm was later known as Clark Brothers and Company, consisting of Richard Clark (now de- ceased ), Worthy Clark and II. W. Payne, but. no relation of Colonel Payne. Colonel Payne subsequently became a member of the firm, which was then known as, Clark, Payne and Company. In 1872 the firm consolidated with the Standard Oil Company, but of which organi- zation he took no active part. In' 1879 the partnership of Clark, Childs & Company was organized, which was later merged into Clark Brothers & Company, consisting of the same members as before with the exception of a son of our subject. The business was bought by the Standard Oil Company in 1886. Since then Mr. Clark has been in no active business. He has had a large and varied experience in the oil business, in which he still owns large interests. . He was engaged in that occupation before the days of cars, when the oil was moved by " pond- floods." In addition to his other interests, Mr. Clark was also formerly engaged in the hard- ware and copper ore business. He handled masses of copper which weighed from seven to nine tons, and which would render from eighty to ninety per cent. of pure copper. It was mined from the National and Cliff mines, of Lake Superior.
In 1867 he bought eighteen acres of land on Cedar street in East Cleveland, for a home for his parents. This property has proved a splen- did investment, being located in one of the most beautiful parts of the city. The parents had a happy home there for many years, and cele- brated their goblen wedding in 1872, and kept up the celebrating for thirteen years annually. The streets Harriet and Eliza were laid out on this tract of land, the latter named in honor of Mr. Clark's mother, and the former for his wife IIarriet. James street, named in honor of him- self, had to be changed, as there was one in another part of the city of that name.
Mr. Clark has invested in many other enter- prises of the city, and has been very successful in all his ventures, which is due to his great energy and good business sagacity. Both as a business man and citizen he is widely and favor- ably known for his energy, generosity, np- rightness, enterprise and publie spirit.
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