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THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JCTNK 28, lu.
.3
1?
JLIcXA
J T Is generally understood that the
era of the automobile dates from
1ST0. but it has recently been found
that Elijah Ware, one of the most emij
nent engineers and Inventors of his
time, built a very successful car in
ISC. Its success may' be judged from
the fact that Mr. Ware was In the hab
it of racing his machine with fast
horses on the old plank road in Bayan,
X. J., and also able to go along ordi
nary rough roads.
Mr. Ware spent a great part of his
life In the West, and had close con
nections with Portland in some engine-ring
work. He was born in Xorth
Wrcntham, Mass., on August 2". 1S23.
His father, being a farmer, wished to
make Ms son a farmer, too, but Elijah
u-"d to sneak down in the fields to
make steam whistles and waterwheels
when In- ought to have been making
hay. In fact, he was a born mechanic,
and soon found his life work. Mr.
Ware was a master mechanic in a rail
road machine shop at the age of 27
and one of the pioneers in railroad
engineering. But Mr. Ware's specialty
was In steam shovel work. In which
he became a close friend of Sidney
Dillon, formerly president of the Union
Pacific and one of America's great
financiers In Jay Goulds day. Mr.
I)illon thought the world of Elijah
Ware, and never called him anything
bin 'Lijah. Mr. Ware had admittance
to Mr. Dillon's office on Wall street
at all times.
At the time that the Michigan Cen
tral was being built, Mr. D'.llon gave
Ware an important position at Glrard,
Pa., near Mr. Dillon's home. Later he
came to Boston, where he was engaged
in work connected in the filling In of
the Back Bay. while here Mr. Wars
built his automobile or steam carriage,
as it was called then, In the year 1S81.
It was not his first invention, as tie
had been tinkering away at one thing
or another since a boy. At this time
he wanted to make a horseless carri
age, because as far as he knew none
had been successfully built. .
Lyman C. Ware formerly engaged in
steam shovel work at Portland, and
the man who turned the pins for the
machine on a lathe tells some interest
ing anecdotes, as he worked on many
contracts with Elijah. He speaks of
him as a dreamy-eyed, thoughtful man,
with more mechanical than business
ability; in fact, lie could not even order
his own groceries without being cheat
ed or imposed on.
The appearance of his steam carri
age when completed resembled a mod
ern fire engine more than an 'itnmn-
JIM NASIUM.
T
HERE'S nothing to it." said the
Old Sport to the bunch of trav
eling men who were discussing
l':e merits of the various communities
Ih y had visited, "I've been splattering
i!'.;.' presence over the map for the past 25
cars, and you can take it. from me that
it-ball is a barometer that will mighty
oon put you next to the standing of any
c-immunity you happen to butt into. Of
en;isf, we're all hep to the fact that no
i 'immunity is so thundering much to-the
; oud that it hasn't got its element of un
: i: able citizens, and no section of the
:p is mi crowded with bums and mutt
I xl'k that there isn't room for a few of
i :ii;ro's noblemen to be loafing around.
Ui:t when we speak of communities, we're
talking about the predominating element
'it the population, and we figure up che
team batting average of the neighborhood
mid not the individual standing.
"Now. there's no more representative
isathering to be found in this old dump
of a world than the festoons of human
ity that slop over the stands at the ball
grounds on any of these warm Summer
afternoons. There isn't a station on life's
little jerkwater railroad that you'll not
find represented there, and you'll butt Into
the guy who is traveling along the high
way of life in a palace car rubbing clothes
with the hobo who is stealing his passage
on the bumpers. And what is still more
to the point, when the ump opens his gab
and yells "play ball,' the walls which di
vide the classes crumble into ruins, and
for the time being millionaire and laborer
blend into a mass that is simply human
ity. For once capital and labor forget
their differences and plug for the same
end, and the boss of the upper pavilion
and the office boy out in the bleachers,
who is supposed to be attending his
grandmother's funeral, both yell In uni
son for the same purpose. And you can
take it from me that you'll not find this
condition existing any place in the world
but Inside the fence at the baseball
grounds.
"The throng that is yelling its head off
at a baseball game is as good a repre
sentative gathering of the citizens of that
community as you could rake up in the
neighborhood with a fine tooth comb.
And when I see a baseball crowd that is
loaded to the muzzle with partisan feeling
and can't see the visiting team with the
l.ick telescope, then I always take mighty
good care to keep my hand on my wallet
as long as I'm in that town. And If I
happen to he engineering a business deal
in which a considerable portion of the
property-holders of a village are lnteiest
ecl and during a lull in the proceedings
should float out io the ball grounds and
h-ar th"- crowd yelling bloody murder at
the ump on all close decisions, I always
sneak back to the hotel and look up the
papers and put in the rest of the night
digging up technical loop holes so I won't
get stung.
"In some towns you'll find that the
knocking element predominates in the
baseball crowds, and the guys who are
there with the merry mitt for the stellar
stunts are as widely scattered as facts in
a political speech. The crowds seem to
go to the ball game for the express pur
pose of keeping their eye peeled for some
excuse to get on the job with their ham
mers in the anvil chorus. And you can
take it from me. gentlemen, that if you
auend a few weeks loafing around these ,
bile. Wood was used for fuel and a
small iron boiler generated steam for
the oscillating engines. The steam
carriage was very trim, and with the
steel and brass machinery and gaily
painted woodwork it must ha,ve had
a dashing look. Quite a stir was cre
ated when news was circulated that
Mr. Ware had a horseless carriage, and
some wanted to have it kept from the
streets for fear it would scare norses.
But on the day the machine was tried
It was easily seen tnat their fears
were 111 grounded. These pessimists
IN WHICH HE SHOWS THAT BASEBALL CROWDS
towns you'll blamed soon find that life
in that section of the world is a case of
the survival of the fittest. The entire so
cial, political and business systems in
these communities will be found to con
sist mainly of an endless chain of dog
eat dog and the devllt take the weakest
pup. If you sneak around the back alleys
In these villages you'll see the women
holding gabfests over the back fences
about the latest scandals concerning their
next-door neighbors, and before you get
well enough acquainted with a guy to call
him by his first name he'll walk a square
out of his way to come up and stand on
your toes andi blow his breath In your
face while he tells you what a sap-headed
idiot somebody else is. and if you attend
a social function you'll find that 11 de-
velops into a hammerfest in which every
guest's pedigree is raked around through
the mire with a muck-rake.
"And if you'll just keep your eye peeled
as you knock around the circuit, you'll
blamed soon get next to the fact that this
is a double-riveted cinch rule to which
there are no exceptions. This Is so be
cause a baseball crowd is a representa
tive gathering of the populace with the
varnish scraped off to show the real ma
terial underneath, and you can take my
tip that you'll always find that the guy
who is slopping over with an unfair par
tisan spirit and working the anvil chorus
overtime at the ball game will show the
same traits of character in his private
and business life. And when you find
did not
the optim
one man asked him if there was any
thing in the way of assistance he
could do, Mr. Ware snapped back: "The
trouble is there are too many trying
to help."
Mr. Ware drove his machine very
slowly through the streets, making less
noise than the modern automobile. But
in the country it is said that he went
"like the wind."
The people in stovepipe hats aria
bonnets must have been surprised when
these sentiments predominating in a base
ball crowd, take it from me that you'll
find them predominating in the social and
business life of that town."
"Well." spoke up one of the "drum
mers," "all I've got to say is that if
you've got the right dope, I've been
mighty lucky to get out of some of the
towns I've hit alive. Down In Western
Texas the umpire who gives a close de
cision against the home team usually has
to back it up with a Gatling gun. And
come to think of it, Old Sport, you're dope
holds good in respect to that section, be
cause I've been skinned, clear down to my
socles down in that neck of the woods."
. "Take it from me, that dope is reli
able any place." replied the Old Sport.
"Take Cincinnati, for instance. Without
doubt a Cincinnati .baseball crowd is the
biggest aggregation of hammer throw
ers that ever bunched up In one corral.
When it comes to throwing the hammer
that gang down there has the Olympic
records smashed to smithereens. Thev
seem to have the knocking habit injected
into their systems, and they can't see a
good flay If the lot is slopping over with
them. They patronize the games down
there for the sole purpose of hacking
the home team to pieces and knocking
the players, and they've had some of the
greatest players t..at ever wore spikes
in Cincinnati, but they weren't good
enough to please the fans. Now. I've
mingled in the social and business Hf
of Cincinnati to some extent, and you
bother Mr. Ware as much as
Ists who tnea to help. When I ' -
this clattering . engine came whizzing
along the peaceful country roads, kick
ing up dust arul vomiting smoke a3 it
went. Mr. Ware steered with a wheel,
slowed down with an ordinary carriage
brake and controlled the en .Ine with
ropes. When he went downhill he had
to shut off his macliineery entirely and
controlled the speed with a brake. One
time while going downhill his valve
bgan to open, thus permitting the
ARE BAROMETERS THAT
can take my tip that their conduct at
the ball games is simply an external
manifestation of what is being pulled
off around town every time a guy drops
his guard and leaves an opening.
"They're not very long on loyalty down
there, and if any of you guys ever put
an article on the market that you want
to sell in Cincinnati, take my tip and
don't manufacture it down there. And
if you are selling an article that is made
In Cincinnati, don't waste much time
covering your home territory, because
those dubs down there would a-blamed
sight rather buy something that is made
In the Island of Sulu than a home prod
uct. If you ever butt Into the busi
ness life of that town you'll find that
this is a straight tip and on the level.
and it's the same spirit that they splat
ter around the ball grounds down there.
The rooters can't see anything but the
punk spots In the home team, and you
could ramble' through the local papers
with a forty horsepower magnifying
glass and you wouldn't find a word of
praise in a million years. When it
comes to hammering, this old town on
the. Ohio has a boiler factory sounding
like a symphony with the soft pedal on.
"Now. take Boston. When It comes to
fair sportsmanlike baseball crowds they
have all got to take off their lids to
Boston. That gang up In Beantown
would go In crowds to the ball games' if
their team hadn't made a run since the
Pilgrims landed, and you always find
; steam to go from the boiler to the
! engine, but as Mr. Ware did not dare
! let go either the brake or wheel by
j the time he reached the bottom he
was going like the wind. Shortly af-
ter completing his machine lie was
engaged in work in Bayon, N. J., where
he used to race, his machine with fast
horses on the old planK road. This
shows that he must have been able to
attain finite a good speed, probably not
REGISTER THE TEMPERAMENT OE HUMANITY
them passing up the hum plays and
cheering the good ones, whether it's the
home players or the visitors who are
pulling them oft. And any of you guys
who have ever mixed in much up there
know blamed well that there Isn't a fair
er and more impartial bunch in the world
to do business with. You'll tind the Bos
tonians a bunch of optimists, and if you
go to the ball games up there you'll find
optimism splattered all around the lot.
"And it's the same all over the cir
cuit, fellows, the spirit you see at the
ball grounds you'll find splattered around
the town. In New York life is a case
of the survival of the fittest. You're all
right as long as .you're there with the
goods, but you've got to beat it when you
hit the toboggan. The sympathy racket
doesn't go there, and n-ight makes right.
Nothing succeeds like success In New
York, and likewise nothing fails like
failure. When you go up you' go up
mighty high, and when you fall you come
down mighty hard. You'll find this con
dition of affairs from the Battery to Har
lem, and you'll get next to it 'in blamed
short order by putting in a few after
noons at the Polo Grounds or with Clarke
Griffith up on the hill.
"You've got to drive it into a Pitts
burger and clinch it before he'll believe
that anything can beat a home product.
I hiladelphlans have to be shown before
they'll buy, and they'd rather lose an
oppcrtunity than take a chance, and
you'll find that a. ball team has to keep
less than a mile in two minutes. After
n while Elijah Ware got tired of his
plaything and sold it to a minister
in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia,
who wrote later that It met his high
est expectations. This minister want
ed a carriage that would take him tc
and from the church without a horse.
But it must have made a stir among
his good parishioners.
About this time Mayor. McCoppin, of
chalking up victories in Quakertown in
order to get the crowds. Dctroiters are
just the opposite from iittsburgers, and
can't see home products through the Lick
telescope.
"There's nothing to it. fellows, when
ever you want to get a line on the tem
perament of any community just float
Superstitions Relating to Birds
jjip HERE isn't a man or woman, in
1 any class of life, or in any oc-
cupation, who is not supersti
tious," said a, veteran hunter while talk
ing to some old friends in a lobby of a
downtown hotel recently. It was his
first visit in Washington, and his friends
were making him talk about hns life In
the woods, says the Washington Post.
"Before you joined me I was reading a
newspaper account ol a dinner recently
by 13 men on the 13th of the month,
where they broke mirrors and dt other
foolish things," he went on. "These peo
ple were surely tempting Providence.
Why, even a hunter knows when it U
dangerous to go against nature, and
foolhardy to bark up aealnst supersti
tion. "It has always been said that sailors
were the most superstitious of men, but
I think hunters are a close second to
them. We have a pet superstition about
every bird of the air and beast of the
field. For instance, take the much
abused but very necessary hen; you all
know the old adage:
" 'Whistling girl and crowing hen
Always come to some -bad end.'
"Once I heard a hen crow; fact, now.
I was out in the Middle West then, and
my partner also heard the hen. It up
set him very much and he told me It
was very unlucky. Sure enough, some
days afterward he received a letter say
ing that his mother had died suddenly.
One old hunter whom I met in Aus
tralia told me that I ought to have wrung
the hen's neck immediately, and the
spell would have been broken.
"Oh, you may laugh, hut I should like
to know how many of you keep pea
cocks" feathers in your houses? One su
perstition In regard to them is that as
long as you keep a peacock's tall feath
ers in your home the daughter of the
house will remain unmarried.
"Three times in my life has a bird
flown in my open window, and each time
it has been the herald of death news.
"The turtle dove . is called a sacred
bird, and many farmers and hunters
say that the house where doves make
their nests cannot be struck by light
ning. It Is also true that people who
suffer from erysipelas often keep doves,
declaring that they draw the Illness
to themselves, and as a proof of this
the bird's feet become scarlet.
"Crows are unlucky if seen on the
left of the observer, and also when one
files over a house at the same time
cawing thrice, it Is a sure sign that
one of the inmates will die an unnat
ural death.
"I have knocked about a bit in this
world and hunted in a good many coun
tries," said the old man, lighting his
pipe, "and always found that hunters
of every country are equally supersti
tious about birds. For Instance, the
Scotch consider magpies unlucky. They
have an old rhyme about first seeing
these birds in flight, which says:
" "One's for sorrow, two for mirth.
Three's for a wedding, four's for a birth
Five's for a christening, six's for a
death."
"Other ill-omened birds are the Jack
daws, whose appaarance in flights be- j
FIRST EAC1HC
MACHINE'
CONSTRUCTED
IN 1861 BY A
MECHANICAL
GENIUS WHO
MADE IT WORK j
San Francisco, was going to take down
the old sand hills under the Santa
Buena cemetery and wanted the best
man in the country to superintend the
work. He wrote Sidney Dillon, stating
his wants and asking him to recom
mend such a man. Mr. Dillon unhesi
tatingly replied that the best man in
the land was Elijah Ware, if he could
have his own way. Mr. Ware took up
the work, and now there is a City Hall
and a busy district where the old hills
stood.
Iater he worked at Church Buttes.
Wyoming, where he and his family
lived in a baggage car divided into
three rooms and attached to the sup
ply train. His daughter says that this
mode of living was more comfortable
than a house, but nevertheless It
amused Sidney Dillon to see 'Lijah liv
ing that way. His boys always carried
their guns with them, as the Indians
were still hostile, and also to shoot
rabbits, whose meat formed their chle!
diet.
Elijah spent his last days In Omaha,
where he did little work, but was fond
of catching gophers or prairie dogs
I for natural history study. Ho did it in
an ingenious way. He put a headless
barrel full1 of sand over the gopher
hole, and when the gopher came out
he could not burrow back, as the sand
would slide in as fast as he burrowed.
Mr. Ware's last invention was an
injector lor engines which engineers
at that time were very much interested
in. But shortly after completing it
lie became sick and died on July 3,
1S90.
The world was not ready to appreci
ate the automobile at the time of Mr.
Ware's steam carriage. The majority
of the people looked at it In very much
the same way that Elijah's brother
Cryus did, when he was shipping - the
machine from Boston to Nova Scotia.
He had quite a time getting It aboard
the flat car. and it bothered him by
sliding back and forth. Cyrus was
apked by a friend just before the ship
sailed Willi the machine if he did not
want to have one more look at it. "No,"
said Cy. "Let tiie damn thing go."
Wellesley Hills. Mass.. June IS.
around to the ball grounds and look the
crowd over, and when you go home in
the evening you can easily figure un
what chance you have and dope out your
campaign according to what you are go
ing to stack up against. This is a tip
that will be worth a lot to you fellows,
and it won't cost jgu a tent."
token either tempest or war. It is com
monly supposed that death is also fore
tpld by the flight of ravens and the
screeching of owls.
"The crossbill is said to ward off evil
spells, and the robin is considered lucky.
Possibly the beautiful legends about
these two birds, which are so well
known, is responsible for their popular
ity. At all events, it is one of the odd
superstitions that whoever kills a robin
will be struck by lightning or becoma
epileptic. The despoiler of a robin's nest
will lose as many relations In the course
of a year as the number of your birds
stolen.
"The quail ns said to have the gift of
prophecy. His call is believed to de
note the price of corn. If he calls six
times it signifies the year will be bad;
eight times It will be tolerably prosper
ous, but should he call 10 times or more,
everything will flourish. The cuckoo Is
also regarded as a soothsayer. It U be
lieved that he foretells the number of
years a person may live according to his
cries of cuckoo when first hoard by the
observer.
"AH Germans are superstitious about
birds, and the belief that the storks
bring children is credited all through
Germany. There the stork is called
'the herald of spring." His behavior on
his first appearance is very important;
according to the superstitious, should the
stork be chattering, the spectator wilt
break a great deal of crockery during
the ensuing year; if- silent he will be
lazy; if flying he will be diligent. Who
ever has money In his pocket on first
beholding a stork will never lack funds
during the year, nor will he suffer with
toothache. No German dares shoot a
stork, for the bird weeps large tears
and each tear portends a great mis
fortune to his slayer.
"Among birds of good omen t lie swal
low occupies an Important place. They
are often called 'God's birds," and the
house where they build their nest is
said to be blessed and protected from
evil. Various ceremonies must be per
formed when you first see a swallow.
One custom is to wash your face prompt
ly, and thus preserve it from sunburn:
another Is to stop and dig with your
knife under your left foot, where yo
will -find a hair which will be of the
same color as that of your future wife's.
One very old superstition about -swallows,
which is thoroughly believed is
that if one should fly under a cow, that
animal would give blood instead of milk.
The killing of a swallow Is unlucky and
usually brings dire misfortune to tne
guilty hunter. Some say he will lo.e
a parent; others that his house will
burn down, and still others believe that
the swallow's untimely end causes four
weeks' rain.
"In former years It was held to be a
crime to kill a lark, and the superstition
now is that he who points at a lark is
sure to be punished for his disrespect
by having a running sore on the of
fending finger.
"And these are just a few of the
hunters' superstitions." finished the old
man as he arose, "take my advice and
believe in some of them in order that
your days may be long on earth."