USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of contemporary biography of Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 46
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Cho. Clyde
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 223
In his office his hours are regular and long. Though an important case entrusted with him may not come to trial for several months, he begins to study it the first opportunity, searches the law relating to it, and carefully prepares for trial. Then he is ready for new business. A firm rule of his life has been to master his business and never waste to-day for to-morrow. His clients have profound confidence in him. He has a strong will and depends on the reasoning of his own mind and correctness of his judgment. In presenting a case to a jury his force and skill are shown. He is fertile in resources, terse and vigorous. Jurymen soon discover that he is thoroughly acquainted with the law, deals in facts, and is usually intensely in earnest. Hisargu- mentsrun in straight lines, never curving into poetry. There is something about the sound of his voice, ringing out clear and bold, and the precision of his arguments and convincing logic that leads a jury almost irresistibly to his own conclusions. Early in his practice he concluded to secure a fine library. Lining the walls of his office is an imposing array of well-worn law books, from which he has received such great knowledge of the law. Judge McCand- less is tall, erect and slender, and has a distinguished bearing. He is scrupulously neat, simple in his habits and easily approached. Leaving the cares and labors of his profession within the walls of his office, he enjoys his home and social life. True to his friends, and of perfect personal honor, he is held in high esteem by the people. As a farm boy, his unerring judgment directed him to the profession of law, in which he has attained such prominence that he finds a place with the true type of self-made men.
THOMAS CLYDE.
THOMAS CLYDE, of Philadelphia, the founder of the Clyde Steamship Lines, was born in 1812, and in consequence of the death of his parents, was bronght up by his uncle, Thomas Clyde, who re- sided in Philadelphia until 1823, when he removed to Chester, Pennsylvania, where the subject of this sketch, having had the benefit of the common school education of the day, became, long before reaching his majority, superintendent for his uncle, who held large contracts for furnishing material to the Govern- ment for the construction of the Delaware Break- water, then being erected at the entrance of Delaware Bay. On reaching his majority he became a con- tractor himself, upon the same Government work. Upon the completion of the Breakwater, he engaged as
a contractor in the construction of the James River and Kanawha Canal, at this time an important pub- lic work, designed to connect the Ohio River and the Chesapeake Bay. Upon the arrival in this country in 1839, of the late John Ericsson, the celebrated in- ventor and engineer, with his invention for the application of the screw-propeller to steam vessels, Thomas Clyde recognized at once the value and great possibilities of this new method in the applica- tion of power to the propulsion of vessels, and be- came largely interested in its development. After constructing several experimental steam-propellers intended for inland use, he, in 1844, built the twin screw steamship "John S. KcKim," the first screw steamer built in the United States for commercial purposes; thus recognizing and practically applying, over forty years ago, this now favorite and neces- sary method of obtaining high speed economically and safely. This ship was used successfully in the trade between New Orleans, Texas and Mexico ; and upon the breaking out of the Mexican War, as a transport for troops to Texas. After this war, and upon the discovery of gold in California, she was sent, in 1849, with a full load of California pioneers, to San Francisco; and continued to run successfully, with great profit to her successive owners, until finally worn out, after many years of service, she quietly sank one night while at anchor in a harbor, on that coast. Having been largely instrumental in the successful introduction and development of the screw-propeller in this country, he continued ac- tively and prominently in the business of steam transportation by water over forty-five years, until his death in January, 1885. He was, during many years of that period, the largest owner of steamers and steamships in America, plying as they did be- tween all the important ports of the United States, and also many of those in the West Indies and upon the Pacific. He at one time controlled all the steamship transportation between New York and San Francisco, as well as the traffic of the Panama Railroad, the only route across the Isthmus of Panama; having from his own fleet been able to furnish this railroad in sixty days a complete equip- ment of steamers for its connection both from Panama to Central America and San Francisco ; and between Aspinwall and New York; the Over- land Pacific Roads having secured control of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and attempted to take the entire California business overland. Though owning during his life-time every variety of steam- boat and steamship, he always gave the preference to the screw-propeller and used it wherever it was practicable. He experimented upon and demon- strated its practicability and value for light draft
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2.2.4
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
harbors and rivers, where others had supposed nothing but the more expensive side-wheel steamers were available. Being bold and progressive, he adopted many improvements, both in model and machinery of steamers, and was regarded, from his great practical experience, as an authority on both. In his fleet was constructed the first twin serew steamer, compound engine, triple expansion engine, and steel steamship built in this country. It is a remarkable coincidence that one of his steamships took Jefferson Davis and his regi- ment of Mississippi volunteers from New Or- leans to the Mexican War in 1846; while another brought him as a prisoner from Savannah to Fort Monroe in 1865; and his steamer, the "Rebecca Clyde," was the first to reach Savannah after its capture by General Sherman, with an entire cargo of provisions and supplies sent by the citizens of New York as a contribution to the needs of those left destitute in Savannah by the war. No one in his life-time did more than he to develop and maintain the American merchant marine, or felt a deeper in- terest in his country maintaining a strong position upon the seas. To the steamship business he de- voted the best energies of his life, although he was for many years and at the time of his death, a Direc- tor in the Delaware Mutual Safety Insurance Com- pany, and also of the Central National Bank; besides having large interests in railroads and real estate, as well as in other lines of business. He was greatly respected aud esteemed by all who knew him, and especially by those in his employ, who in various capacities, numbered thousands. Although a rigid disciplinarian, he was just, sympathetic and liberal ; appreciating and reciprocating the attachment of those connected with him; and it was a source of pride to him that few, having entered his employ, ever left it. His constantly inereasing business sup- plied them with continuous employment, and he made it the rule to provide for them when unfitted for active service, either from ill health or on account of old age. Never were the true charac- teristics of his nature more manifest than when one of his steamers was lost at sea; at such times the thought uppermost in his mind and the first question asked was : "Were any lives lost ?" The pay-rolls of such steamers were kept open un- til the bereaved families were without need of fur- ther assistance; and at the time of his death were still open, and had been monthly drawn upon by widows and orphans for more than ten years; while the sons of such families almost always entered his service in some capacity. In 1837 he married Rebecca Paneoast, the daughter of William Pan- coast, of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. His resi-
dence and the headquarters of his business were located in Philadelphia, though his steamers ran from the principal seaboard cities of the country. His sons were edueated in and continue his busi- ness.
HENRY D. WELSH.
HENRY D. WELSHI, of Philadelphia, was born at Hauover, York County, Pennsylvania, in 1824. Ilis aneestors were of the strong race of German Lutherans who came from the Palatinate in 1737 'and settled in York County, at that date a part of Laneaster. They bought the second lot in the place where the thriving eity of York now stands. His grandfather held a commission in the Revolu- tionary army, which was issued by John Morton, as Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, seven days after he had signed the Declaration of Indepen- dence. He attended school until he was sixteen, when he entered a dry goods store in York to learn the business. He remained there until 1845, when, a boy of twenty, without money, but determined to seek his fortune in wider fields, he went to Phil- adelphia. When, after two weeks search, his last penny was spent, he succeeded in finding a situa- tion as salesman in the wholesale dry goods house of Rank, Brooke & Repplier. He remained there until 1852, when he became a salesman in the old house of James, Kent & Santee, afterwards James, Kent, Santee & Co. He was admitted as a partner in 1856, and continued in the firm until January 1, 1881, when he retired from business. During these twenty-five years Mr. Welsh made money rapidly. He bought the residence at Marshall and Spring Garden Streets, where he lived for many years in the winter, and later purchased a sum- mer residence on Washington Lane near German- town. He now resides at Wissahiekon Heights, where a few years ago he erected a handsome villa. Soon after the war he began to invest in railroads. He was one of the organizers and one of the first Directors of the American Steamship Company, of which he has been President sinee 1874. He be- came a Director of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1878, and has been so continuously to the present time. He is President of the Philadelphia, Ger- mantown & Chestnut Hill Railroad Company, Pres- ident of the Allegheny Valley Railroad Company, President of the Downingtown & Lancaster Rail- road, President of the Cresson Springs Com- pany, and Vice-President of the American Surety Company of New York. He is also a Direetor in
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225
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
the following corporations : the Pennsylvania Com- pany, the Pennsylvania's Schuylkill Valley Rail- road, the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, the Phila- delphia. & Trenton Railroad, the West Jersey Railroad, the Camden & Atlantic Railroad, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway, the Philadelphia & Long Branch Railroad, the Belvi- dere Delaware Railroad, the Western Pennsylvania Railroad, the Columbia & Port Deposit Railroad, the Tyrone & Charfield Railroad, the Bedford & Bridgeport Railroad, the Sunbury, Hazleton & Wilkes-Barre Railroad, the North and West Branch Railroad, the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad, the Pittsburgh, Virginia & Charleston Railroad, the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad, the Connecting Railroad, the Freehold & Jamesburg Railroad, the West Jersey Ferry Company, the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad, the Delaware Railroad, and about forty other railroad companies. He is also an Inspector of the Moyamensing Prison at Philadelphia, a Trustee of the Lutheran Church at Broad and Arch Streets, Director of the Northern Dispensary, Director of the Market Street National Bank, and a Director of the Northern Savings Fund. As a prominent business man Mr. Welsh has always taken a great interest in the public welfare and commercial prosperity of Philadelphia and has also been active in forwarding its chari- ties. He has been a Democrat all his life, but has never sought or hield political office. Soon after his inauguration, President Cleveland ten- dered Mr. Welsh the position of Comptroller of the Currency, which he declined owing to the demand upon his time and energies by private business and his natural aversion to entering political life. He was an active member of the Citizens' Committee to raise money for the relief of the sufferers by the Chicago fire; was Chairman of the Citizens' Com- mittee that raised and distributed about $150,000 for the relief of the yellow fever sufferers in the South some years ago. He was one of the corpor- ators of the Centennial Exposition, appointed by Congress in 1873, and was especially active in its earlier financial operations. He was for several years a Director of the Commercial Exchange, and was one of three appointed under Secretary of the Treasury Sherman, in 1877, to examine into the conduct of the Custom House at Philadelphia. Personally, Mr. Welsh is a tall, erect, wiry gentle- man, with a frank, winning manner, and yet with a reserve born of patient struggles and indomitable will. In 1847 Mr. Welsh married Miss Amanda Hess of Philadelphia. To them have been born two sons and four daughters. The youngest son, Horace, is deceased. The other son, Frank H., is
of the firm of Welsh & Lea, manufacturers and exporters. The eldest daughter married George H. Rogers, of Philadelphia. The second daughter married Prof. Edwin T. Reichert, of the University of Pennsylvania. The other daughters are unmar- ried. Surrounded by his family, Mr. Welsh enjoys life rationally and quietly, but does not shrink from the responsibilities which his many interests bring upon him.
WILLIAM F. HALLSTEAD.
WILLIAM F. HALLSTEAD, a prominent citizen of Scranton, and General Manager of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, was born on March 22, 1836, in Benton township, then in Luzerne County, but now in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, the latter having been erected out of the former by Act of the State Leg- islature, approved April 17, 1878. His parents were Orin L. and Mary (Rivenburg) Hallstead, both natives of Pennsylvania. His father was a farmer during the youth of his son William, but in after ycars became connected with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. William him- self followed agricultural pursuits until he was fif- teen years old, getting his education at the village school, which he attended about three months each year. In 1851 he gave up farm labor and began working on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Wes- tern Railroad, then in process of construction be- tween Scranton and Great Bend. During the twelvemonth or more that he was thus employed he drove team, laborcd with pick and shovel and performed such other work as could be expected from a stalwart lad of sixteen, doing whatever he undertook with diligence and judgment. When this section of the road was completed he obtained employment as a brakeman on a gravel train and soon was promoted to the position of conductor on the same. A little later he was made conductor of a passenger train. He held this position but a few months when the company promoted him to be "yard dispatcher" at Scranton. In 1856 he was appointed Assistant Superintendent of the road, and in 1868 was advanced to the position of Super- intendent of the Northern Division, extending from Binghamton to the junction known as the "Main Line," with headquarters at Scranton. Shortly afterward his already burdensome duties were in- creased by his being placed in charge of the Syra- cuse and Binghamton line, making in all two hun- dred and twenty-five miles of railway operated by
226
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
one of the most vigorous corporations in the coun- try and all under his personal supervision. Refer- ring to his efficiency and labors as a railroad officer, the editor of a work published in Pennsylvania at that period said; " Ifis constant watchfulness has made his linc so secure that the local press along the entire route have always been fulsome in praise of his strict devotion to duty and of his obliging attention to public wants." The same writer adds : " Mr. Hallstead is in every sense a thoroughly self- made man and a hard worker. As an officer he stands supreme in fidelity to his trust; as a citizen he is quiet, modest and unassuming nearly to a fault; but his insight into character, which he has obtained from an extensive acquaintance with the world, has made him a master of his situation. He is considered by the public, where he is intimately known, as one of the most efficient and competent men of northern Pennsylvania." After the above was written Mr. Hallstead was appointed Snperin- tendent of the Utica, Chenango and Susquehanna branch of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, and several years later he had charge of the construction of the line from Binghamton to Buffalo, completed in 1883. Commenting upon the first appointment, the leading journal of the north- ern coal basin predicted that he would in time be- come Superintendent of all the lines of the road. This prediction was verified in 1885 by his appoint- ment as General Manager of the entire system. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, which has a capital of $25,000,000, is a double track sys- tem, its main line running between New York and Buffalo. The track passes through the great an- thracite coal regions of Pennsylvania as well as through the rich farming sections of central and western New York. There are also many branch divisions, penetrating the country in all directions, and, along with the regular connections, giving the company access to many of the principal cities and towns, east and west. This company owns thou- sands of acres of coal lands through the Lacka- wanna Valley, and operates many coal mines. In these, and in the car shops, repair shops and foundries of the company, which are all within the limits of the city, a large force of men is kept con- stantly at work. Altogether the company gives work to upwards of eighteen thousand employees and the wages paid average $1,125,000 monthly. It is estimated that three-quarters of this amount is circulated in the city of Scranton. Mr. Hallstead's offices are centrally located in Scranton and in that city he is a man of commanding influence. Of up- right character, unstained record and eminently successful, he holds high place among the best citi-
zens. By the large number of employees under him he is respected highly. Through his own industry and merit, he has risen, step by step, to a position of power and influence, but his advancement has not awakened envy or detraction, for all know it is the well-earned reward of an honorable and industrious life. Mr. Hallstead is a married man and his home is one of comfort and refinement. IIe lias one son, George Hallstead, who received a good education and is now filling a minor position in the great com- pany of which his father is the virtual head. Mrs. Hallstead, whose name previous to lier marriage in Junc, 1858, was Mary Harding, is a daughter of the late Mr. Harding, of New Milford, Susque- hanna County, Pennsylvania. She is a woman of high character and in a wide circle of friends is held in great esteem for her unfailing kindness of heart and warm interest in charitable and religious work.
CHARLES E. PUGH.
CHARLES EDMUND PUGH, of Philadelphia, General Manager of all the lines of the Pennsylva- nia Railroad east of Pittsburgh and Erie, was born at Unionville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Feb- ruary 25, 1842. He is a son of the late Elijah Pngh, a well-known merchant of Chester County, whose wife, born Eliza Taylor, was a danghter of Richard Taylor, and like her husband a native of the county named. The subject of this sketch attended the district school at the village of Unionville, and when dnly prepared, entered the State Normal School at Millersville, Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania. Here he completed a very thorough course of study and at its close went into his father's office in a clerical capacity. It did not take him long to discover that he had no vocation in the monotonous duties of a clerk in the retail trade, and being de- termined to rise in the world, or at all events to secure a more congenial occupation, in which the latent capabilities that he felt he possessed might be afforded more ample opportunity for exercise, he left home at the age of twenty and went in search of a wider field. Although wholly inexperienced, he succeeded in securing a subordinate position in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. In 1859, having demonstrated to the satisfaction of his superiors that the confidence reposed in him was not misplaced, he was advanced to the position cf Station Agent at Newport, Perry County, Penn- sylvania. Increased responsibilities only served to prove that he was entirely capable of bearing them,
Atlantic Publishing & Engraving Co.NY
227
CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
and recognizing his merit, the company determincd still further to advance him. The position selected for him to fill was the very important one of train despatcher. To prepare himself for this post, more especially to familiarize himself with all the details attending the running of trains, he served six months as a conductor on a passenger train. In 1864, having made himself master of the required knowledge, he was appointed train despatcher of the Philadelphia Division. In 1870 he was made General Agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad for Philadelphia, and held this position until 1879, when he was promoted to the office of General Su- perintendent, with headquarters at Altoona. Here he remained until October 1, 1882, when he was ap- pointed to his present position, with headquarters at Philadelphia. During the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, in 1876, Mr. Pugh was ordered to the Centennial Stations in West Philadelphia, and placed in charge of the movements of all trains en- tering and leaving them. It is safe to say that never before in the history of American railroads had a heavier responsibility been laid upon one man's shoulders. But, as occasionally happens, the emergency found the man competent to deal with it. Mr. Pugh's labors in this regard were truly remarkable, and his success was the marvel of railroad men all over the country. Upwards of three million passengers were received at and des- patched from these stations during the continuance of the Exhibition, and so admirably were the ar- rangements perfected by Mr. Pugh, not only for handling such an immense number of people, but for doing so with every care for their comfort and safety, that in all that time, a period of nine months, not a single accident occurred. Mr. Pugh has abundantly demonstrated his fitness for every position to which he has been appointed, and his rapid promotion has been honorably earned. There are few things in connection with the conduct of railroads that he has not acquired a mastery of, and his high reputation as a manager is due to this fact. He is an indefatigable worker, trusting to no eye save his own in all important matters, and untiring in the discharge of duty. Accustomed for years to direct the movements of others he has acquired an air of command which sits well upon his fine phy- sique, and has a high value in expediting the work carried on under his supervision. No small share of his success is due to his decision of character. He readily comprehends his duties, whatever the demand or emergency, and quietly and promptly meets them. There is no unnecessary noise or con- fusion, for his orders are so clear that his subor- dinates down to the lowest grade understand and
execute them with ease and dispatch. Having him- self that thorough and indeed indispensable ac- quaintance with every detail of his profession, he inspires the respect of those under him, with the happiest results from a business point of view, and to the great advantage of the general public. In the city of Philadelphia he is very popular, and few men are better known there in business circles, in society, or on the promenade. Mr. Pugh married, in 1884, Miss Clara Jaggard, daughter of Clement Jaggard, Esq., of Altoona. Two children have been born to this marriage, both girls, viz : Annie Jane and Clara Elizabeth.
WILLIAM PATTERSON.
WILLIAM PATTERSON, of New Castle, Presi- dent of the National Bank of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, was born in Lawrence County, Octo- ber 20, 1824, and is the son of Samuel and Esther Patterson, both now dead. He is naturally very proud of having come from Scotch-Irish ancestry. His paternal grandfather was a farmer and fruit- grower on a large scale; and at the same time car- ried on a manufacturing industry, unusually ex- tensive for those days, making wagons, spinning wheels, chairs, etc. His maternal grandfather, William Dickson, was one of the pioneers of Law- rence County, having migrated to that section of country in 1806, at a time when it was still an un- broken wilderness, he being one of the leading busi- ness men of the time. His father was born in 1802, in Beaver, now a part of Lawrence County, and his mother was born in Westmoreland County, coming to this section with her parents in 1806. Samuel Patterson died when his son was so young as to have little recollection of him, and the boy was brought up at the home of his maternal grandfather. He lived in the old homestead until he was four- teen years of age, going to school in winter, and working in their tannery in summer. This desul- tory teaching, with two years in the New Castle Academy, completed young William's education. In 1840 young Patterson went into the store of John B. Pearson of New Castle a sa clerk, remaining there one or two years, and in 1845 became assistant to Daniel Euwer of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the management of his large dry-goods business, he be- ing one of the leading merchants there at that time in his line of business. Three years later, having saved money, Mr. Patterson returned to New Castle and purchased an interest in a wholesale and re- tail drug store, where was organized the prescrip-
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