TEN PAGES
NEWS FROM
FOREIGN LANDS
SECTION FOUR
- NEWS OP THE THEATRES
AUTOMOBILE NEWS .
PORTLAND,. OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 28, 1913.
ROM DRIVING HORSE
CARS TO MILLIONAIRE
CAREER OF A. WELCH
Industry, Ambition, Hard Study
and . Foresight Bring Sue
cess to Man Not Yet 50,
What dreiuns ot future power flocked
through the head of Alvadore Welch
when he waa throwing the blacksnake
acroRB the haunches of his nonchalant
xai-horsea 16 years ago, probably were
no more ambitious than the dreams of
every normal youth who ever worked
for hire. That some of these visions
came true m Welch's caBe is due by
no means to chance, If the verdict of
his business associates is true.
Mr. Welch was , christened Alvadore
which Is now taken to account for his
use of the tingle initial "A." He has
offices at Room 1313 Yeon building, but
declares that unlucky numbers never
give him a thrill of buperstitious fore
. bodhifc, That he is reckoned to be
worth his million, that he began with
practically nothing- and worked at the
hardest of hard labor while he was
learning how to command men and
capital, e.11 means, his close friends
Fay, that what he lacked in- college lore
he made up In horse game and the abll
ity to stand rouph knocks. -
"How did you happen to get into the
electrical and power development busi
ness?" Mr. Welch was asked the other
day.
"Well, maybe it was because one of
'my first Jobs was firing a boiler at an
electric plant back in Danville, 111., he
answered. "I worked at that a while be
cause 1 had learned to tend a boiler
when I was firing on a railroad before
that. One thing works a fellow into
another, you know, and when I came
west, I turned to that line because it
was the line I know best."
It was 21 years ago In October that
Mr. Welch found himself in Spokane,
working for the electric light company,
in no lofty capacity. He remained there
a year or so with the Thomson-Houston
i,,peopJe and then spent some time all
up and down the coast, installing elec
tric motors, and taking care of what
ever oads and ends of electrical work
he could do.
Fred W. Newell used to own the As
toria street car line some 20 years ago,
.and it was with him that Mr. Welch
began his real career.
Welch Was Student.
"I never felt I wanted to work for
wages all my life," Mr. Welch says,
when he talks about those days.
"That's why I used to study so much."
And Mr. Newell likes to tell how
Welch used to pore over books on elec
tricity and . engineering, pencil and
paper in hand, solving problems of
horee power and kinetic energy, using
a bit of fctring and the straight edge
of an envelope to draw his diagrams.
"H drove the street oar in the days
f the horse," Mrr W6iHra4 thethr
day. "Part of the time he was night
hostler at the stables, currying the
horses, getting them ready for the
tiight relief, talcing them back into the
barn and bedding them down for the
night. It was in between times that
.he would do his studying, and he knew
a lot about the theory of electricity be
fore he quit the horses."
Trades Jobs Wltb Firemen.
After he had been working at the
barns and on the cars for a long time,
doing all the "heavies," helping pry
derailed cars back to the tracks on
rainy nights, mending harness, nailing
new boards on car platforms, Impro
vising devices to make the service
better, one of the firemen became dis
satisfied with his Job and wanted to
get outdoors.
That was when the system had been
rlectrlfieo. and Mr. Welfh was occupy
ing the dizzy heights of being a motor
man. So Welch traded jobs with the
fireman. All this was ngreeaole to Mr.
Newell, and it wasn't long before
Welch, already versed in the rudiments
of electricity, was making all sorts of
little devices to demonstrate what the
books were teaching him.
"I used to go past the power house
sometimes of a night," said Mr. Newell,
"and often I would see Welch hard at
work on some technical book. That
was one of the things that made me
like him he never failed in the work
at hand, but he always found time to
add to his knowledge. Then one day I
discharged my chief engineer because
he was inattentive to business and .gen
erally unsatisfactory.
Welch Becomea Chief Engineer,
"Welch came to me and told me he
wanted the Job. I asked him If he
thought he could take care of It. and
he was very positive that he could.
So I let him try it. Although ha had
no teaching in electrical matters except
what he had taught himself through
his reading and experiments, before he
had been on the new Job a week he had
the system running better than It ever
had been .run since its electrification.
From that time on he was constantly
rising.
And now Mr. Welch, at 47, Is head
of a dozen, enterprises, trolley lines,
gag plants, waterworks, electrlo light
and power' companies, power sites and
. land companies. His sobriquet ot
"railroad ltlUde', came from his build
ing of the .beginnings of the Portland,
Eugene Eastern northward from
Eugene and of the Oregon Electrlo
northward from Salem. To his percep
tion of the possibilities of these two
projects probably is due their later
acquisition by the Southern Pacific and
the H1U interests, respectively.
Development Is Foreseen.
"I have always said that when Ore
gon has as many miles of railroads as
Washington has, she will have a popu
lation many times as great," he says.
-.' "Washington has nearly four times the
mileage that Oregdn has and Washing
ton Is more highly developed. Oregon's
timber BUpply has hardly been touched
Washington's is nearing its finish.
The Willamette valley alone should and
will become the home of 3,000,000 people
within a few years.
"All It needs is railroads to bring
out the produce these people are to
raise. Just take a trip over the elec
tric lines that1 are now In operation
nd see how the big farms have been
: divided into small farms, how the vil
lages have grown into towns, how the
, canning factories and the creameries
r and the little factories have sprung up
PROMOTER ROSE BY UNASSISTED EFFORT
. , . , y 1 :
if v .- f it XM&mmm -
V" - js
Alvadore Welch.
and grown to prominence.
l"That's, the best argurr
extension of electric lines. More peo
pie are living on the land ' and' are
making bigger and better livings from
the land than ever before. - The day of
the enormous - cattle range -will pass
Just , a aooa as the, electrlo railway
finds universal extension. That means
a blgeer population, better business,
better living."
Strikes Oat ror Himself.
When Mr. Welch quit the Astoria
traction system, having grown weary
of ...e hardships of a fixed salary and
a small one at that, he started an engi
neering business for himself in Port
land. Along with this he installed an
agency for the clllng of electrical ma
chinery. This project was not so suc
cessful as others, because Mr. Welch
was not the most assiduous of salesmen.
The idea of traveling over the coun
try asking people to buy his wares was
not the sort of work that appealed to
him and it was not long before ho dis
covered that4f ever he was going to
cut a real swath, he must get into an
other line, m
He had saved enough and made
enough, however, to -get hold of the
Baker light plant He waa not alone in
this, but managed to Interest enough
capital to put the deal over. The power
that lighted Baker was then generated
by steam, and it was one of Mr. Welch's
first tasks to change It to water power.
This done, he extended transmission
ines to La Grande, and the towns on
through to Cove. Three years later he
bought the falem Light & Power com
pany and a number of gas plants.
Oregon Eleotrlo Started.
Then It was that he started the Ore
gon Electric, building seven miles of It
northward. With this project fairly
started, he sold it. with the Salem
plant, to Moffatt & White of New York,
who in turn transferred the railroad to
the Hill interests.
The Baker light plant and Its adja
cent connections became a sort of
financial football for Mr. Welch and
his associates, who had it, sold it, ac
quired It again and disposed of it sev
eral times over. In between his deals
n eastern Oregon he organized the
Willamette Valley company, , which
bought small light, water and trans
mission propositions and built them up
nto new properties. This company s
holdings were represented ut Cottage
Grove, Eugene, Springfield, Dallas,
Independence, Albany and other valley
cities.
His next project was the organization
of the Northwest corporation, which In
cluded ownership of water, light and
power properties at Baker, Walla Walla,
Pendleton, North Yakima, Lewlston,
and other cities of eastern Washington
and Oregon and Western Idaho. v
Properties Bold At Profit.
All these properties, further devel
oped and extended, . were transferred in
one big deal to the Bxllnshy company
at a profit of something like $1,000,000.
It. has been estimated that Mr. Welch's
personal share of this exceeded $200,
000, which represented a commission on
both his money Invested and on bis
.genius in organization and develop
ment.
The beginnings of the P. E. & E. be
came Mr. Welch's next conoeptlon. He
started in with an associate who was
to furnish half the money for an elec
trlo line northward from Eugene. But
the associate took cognizance of the
troublous financial times, of the un
certainties of getting a connection to
make the line of. value, and presently
withdrew.
Builds line Himself.
"And so I buiU the line from Eugene
to Monroe myself." said Mr. Welch.
"It was a big undertaking for one
man, but somehow I got through. Be
fore the line was finished I sold it
to Mr. Strahorn and his associates. It
Is now affiliated with the Southern
Pacific."
Then Mr.- Welch bought back the
Salem public utility plant and presently
acquired the Seaside light and telephone
system.
Mr. Welch Is not strong for remem
bering the dates of air these Ventures,
he says dates make little difference,
anyway, But about.two years ago he
organized the Douglas County Light
company, then acquired for the second
time the Roseburg plants, and organ
ized the Twin City Light & Traction
company at Centralla and Chehalls,
Wash. ' By the water power developed
nearby he secured plenty of energy for
the trolley line between the two cities
and the Vancouver, Wash., Traction
company came into hta control.
Ion' Company Formed,
The Washington-Oregon , corporation
wax formed to are for these Washing
ton' traction projects and Is the basis
of the Portland-Seattle Interurban pro
JecJr now under way. -By a . pending
reorganization of this company. Mr,
elch retires aigeneral . manager to
care for the traction features of the
business, leaving the well-established
and dividend-paying gas, electric light
and water subsidiaries to his asso
ciates. Among the other projects in which
Mr. Welch has been interested are
water power mid light companies in
Idaho, which he has disposed of to a
local corporation styled the Big Bend
Light & Power company.
Picks Trustworthy Men,
"One of the reasons Mr. Welch has
been almost uninterruptedly success
ful," Biiid a business associate, "is that
he always picks men whom he can
trust. If he can't trust you, he doesn't
keep you. He will pay your salary
without question, but as soon as he
feels that yon are not playing square,
you had better find a berth elsewhere.
Ho 'puts4fce)pk- squarely to the man he
assigns to do a certain task. Then he
doesn't bother with It any more until
he gets results. If he doesn't get them
he merely puts mome one else on the
Job.
"On of the characteristics Mr. Welch
has always displayed in organizing a
new company or building a project is
caution. He lakes plenty of time to
consider and when he Is through con
sidering he. goes fast. What he loses
In speed at first he makes up afterward
in energy. Besides that he Is reckoned
a good trader, so that whatever he
touches brings in some overplus when
he lets go."
Welch Broad Minded.
"Another thing that has made him
successful without being branded as
being unfair, is that he is always will
ing to let the other fellow make a
profit, too," said another associate who
sometimes works for him and some
times with him. "I doubt If a single
man who hits had any business rela
tions with him in the dozens of big
deals he has put across would ever
think or say he got the worst of It.
And yet Mr. Welch has prospered he
has taken advantage of opportunities
that everyone else could have seized if
they had the vision, the grit and the
power to 'put it over.' "
Mr. Welch in still Under BO and hard
ly looks 40. He has a fine home In
Portland, and six children hay, come
into his family. Some of theso have
children too, and Mr. Welch grins every
time he says: "I am a grandfather."
"I guess I worked at every Job thre
is around a light plant," Mr. Welch
said the other day. "You may be sure
I had lots of hard work to do, chuck
ing cordwood Into the engine hollers,
winding armatures, manning the front
end of streetcars, greasing tracks, lay
ing rails, everything that a roustabout
has to do. I'm glad of it now, be
cause It gave me such a good idea of
what it- meant to take care of the
bigger things that have come up since."
PASTOR KUHLMAN IS
ACQUITTED BY FELLOWS
Eugene, Or.. Sept 27 TI W. Kuhl
man, Methodist pastor at Tillamook,
who was arrested . In Portland In Au
gust on a charge of accosting women,
end who was convicted by a Jury com
posed of three ministers; three news
paper men and a woman social worker,
was today acquitted by the Methodlet
conference in session here. The con
ference went into executive session to
try the case. Kuhlman ittd not appear.
Ho will bo appointed to a charge for
the coming year. ;
The Laymen's association of tho con
ference held a meeting which was ad
dressed by Bishop Cooke and presided
over by R. A. Booth of Eugene. The
relation of the laymen to the working
order of tho church and cooperation
with "the ministry were the subjects
discussed.
Another session was devoted to cele
brating the successful . completion of
the endowment campaign Cor Willam
ette university. Last night an anniver
sary meeting of" the Kreedmen's Aid
society and of the board of education
was held. Addresses were delivered by
Rev. O. F. Bovard, president" of the
University of Southern California, apd
Rev. J. Q. Martin, formerly a mission
ary arngng the' negroes.
Morgan Paya $2,500,000 Tax.
Albany, N Y., Sept. 27. State Con
troller Schmer today received a f 2.B0O,
000 check Covering the Inheritance tax
on that part of the late J.1 P. Morgan's
estate concerning the value of which
the - controller and executors have
(react
ARLETA PEOPLE SHOW
THEIR APPROVAL OF
SOCIAL CENTER IDEA
, 1 " - - - -
Big Gathering at School House
Attended by Big Number of
Residents of District.
There's a recent custom among the
luncheon clubs when an entertainment
feature pleases for someone to inquire:
"Do we like It?"
And the audience will respond with
a shout: "Absolutely!"
In presence, if not by voice, the peo
ple of Arleta similarly gave approval
ot the conversion of their school into
an up to date social center Friday night.
Light and music, flowers and flags,
reclaimed the big building from its
usual night time soinherneMS. refresh
ments were served by bright faced
girls, while people who had lived as
strangers next door to each other came
to the school and became acquainted!
At least . 1500 attended. It was the
most thoroughly delightful and festive
occasion Arleta has ever known.
First Effort Made.
After two years and more of discusD
ing the desirability of making school
houses attractive, well lighted gathering
places for people during the evening,
as an economic and social proposition,
the Arleta program Is the first big ef
fort along this line.
The Parent-Teachers' association has
led the way. The committee said
that so great an interest had been
awaken,ed that almost every family ot
the district was represented. The am
bitious thought now is to open th"
school buildings at least twice a week
ror special programs, studies and recrea
tion that will continuously stimulate in
terest. The success of plans of this
kind lo other cities has proved the
school social center's community value.
The fact that IB other schools of the
city were represented either by teach
ers, principals or members of parent
teachers' association Indicated the sig
nificance attached to the movement by
the educators of Portland.
Program Was informal.
The program was not a pro
gram. It was a reception honoring Su
perintendent and Mrs. L. R. Alderman
irnd Miss Nina Johnson, assistant prin
cipal of Arleta school. With a rare
common sense the usual round speeches
were omitted. Mrs. George M. Burllng
ham. president of the Parent-Teachers
circle, introduced several vocalists. Mrs.
L. E. Ward, Mrs. Sheldon Franklin
Hall, Mrs. J. S. Handsaker, Mrs. Wood
ham Mrs. J. 8. Dunbar, Mrs. McKenna,
Miss Nellie Fawcett. Mrs. U C. Jordan,
Mrs J. V. Powell and others noticeably
contributed to the success of the event.
. Arleta school Is one of the largest in
Portland. Many people live In the dis
trict which has been one of rapid
growth. Principal S. F. Hall said con
cerning the gathering Friday night:
"I consider It a discovery of the value
of the school for social purposes and
it ought to mark the beginning of an
epoch, educationally and socially, in
Portland." ,
One of the Arleta plans is to furnish
children noon-time lunch at little cost.
Mrs. L. E. Ward, a leader, said
that the school board had taken
a small building near the school, that
already several hundred applications of
teachers and children had been received
because the idea of a warm lunch, to
substitute the cold variety and prevent
a long walk home, appeals.
Hawaiians Finod for Assault.
The efforts of Bob Kiluas, John Kaas,
Tom Eaionia and John Albei t. Hawaii
ans, to beat Pong Song, a Korean, and
the efforts of John Albert to assault
one of the officers who were called to
quell the disturbance, ended unfortun
ately for the four Hawullans who were
each fined $10 by Judge Stevenson In
municipal court yesterday morning. Al
bert, who made the assault on the offi
cer, was fined an additional $10 for that
asHuult. The arrest was made at Fourth
and Davis streets.
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