The Street Railway Journal
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OCT 2 1890 U WENT I NEW rOKR: I CHICAGO: ) VOL. Ill, JANUARY, 1887. J t 113 liberty .Street./ No. 3. (Lakeside Building, f William J. Richardson. lyn & Jamaica Bail way Company. After this institution, he becamethe superintend- having 1 een so engaged for a period of two ent of the Brooklyn, Carnarsie &Rockawny The subject of our present sketch, Wil- years, and desiring to devote himself Beach Railroad and Steamboat Line, his liam James Richardson, was horn in the city to further study, and being, for- father having become associated with of Albany, N.Y., October another gentleman in 22, 1849, and is, therefore, leasing it. This position in his thirty-eighth year. he filled for one year, un- His early education was til his father disposed of obtained in the experi- his interest in that line, mental department of the when the son left the State Normal school, at road and assisted him in Albany, passing from the connection with the busi- lowest to the highest ness of running the lines class in that department. of the Atlantic Avenue Leaving this school, he Railroad, then known as attended the Albany the Atlantic Avenue, East branch of the Bryant & New York & Greenwood Stratton series of busi- Railroad. ness schools, until, incon- In May, 1872, the At- sequence of the election lantic Avenue Railroad of his father, Mr. William Company of Brooklyn Richardson, to the presi- was organized, and be- dency of the Dry Dock, came the successoi of East B load way and Bat- William Richardson, les- tery Railroad Compai y, J % see, in the operation of * of New York, in the year | the several street car 1864, he removed (with - sf^ lines under his control; his parents) to New York and upon the organiza- City. He finished his tion of the said company, business school education the subject of our sketch in the New York branch was elected secretary, of Bryant and Stratti n's, which position he has and entered the English held continuously ever importing hardware i us- since. iness when sixteen years In 1873 he married of age. Mary Carrington Ray- For a year he worked mond, the second daugh- at ten dollars a month, ter of John H. Raymond, and at the end of two LL. D., president of Vas- years and a half was re- sar College, by whom ceiving twenty-five dol- he has become the happy lars a month. Few there father of six children, are, probably, who be-' equally divided as to sex, gin work in life receiving all of whom are living less compensation for an but one. Mr Richard- honest day's toil than he son is a member of the did. Hanson Place Baptist In 1876, Mr. Richard- Church, and is thoroughly son left his employers to active and prominent in assist his father in the railroad busi- tunately, enabled to do so, Mr. Richard- connection with its progressive work, be- uess in Brooklyn, Mr. Richardson, son entered the collegiate department ing at the present time president of the senior, having become the lessee, and of the Brooklyn Polytechnic and Young People's Association. to a large extent the proprietor, of the Collegiate Institute, in which he re- Upon the organization of the American ines under the control of the Brook- mained three years. Upon leaving Street Railway Association, in 1882, he was 130 THE STREET RAILWAY JOURNAL. Januauy, 188*1 elected secretary and treasurer; and in the The Tenth Avenue Cable Buildings. tower over the central portion where the following year be was elected to similar offices are located. offices in the Street Railway Association of We have already published several illus- Back of the office there is a small machine the State of New York. To both of these trations in regard to the mechanism which shop and carpenter shop where repairing of offices in each Association he has since been is used in operating the cars on the Tenth the road is done, and the space on either an anally re-electeil. Avenue Cable Line of New York. The il- side shown in the arches is occupied for Mr. Richardson has crossed the Atlantic lustrations referred to are those of the grip the storage of cars. Ocean three times, in 1870, 1883 and 1885; which was used, both originally and in a The stabling of what horses are used in the tirst time traveling extensively on the modified form, the hauling machinery and the establishment; is provided for in the European continent, specially interested in also the cars themselves. We are now basement, and the side opposite to that City passenger transportation. On his first enabled to present a perspective view of which ou l- plan shows, for the use of driv- visit to the land of his forefathers, through the building looked at from the south-west ing machineiy. These stables are fitted the kindness of Myles Fenton, Esq., then on the Tenth avenue front, also a plan up with every appliance for the care of general manager of the Metropolitan Rail- showing the general arrangement of the horses, but of course they are a small por- way, of London, he was afforded special fa- machinery in tbebasement, and also another tion of the appliances of the building, as cilities for inspecting the underground sys- showing the tracks outside of the building, the main interest centers about the driving tem of transit in that great city. with the methods of leading off the dupli- machineiy. Mr. Richardson ascribes his success in cate cables, both for Tenth avenue and The piers which were constructed for the life to the care with which he attends to all 125th street. It should be recollected, in front of the building are built with a con- FRONT ELEVATION OF THE TENTH AVENUE CABLE RAILWAY BUILDING, NEW YORK CITY. the details of his business. His offices re- this connection, that the engines placed in crete base 7 ft. squire and 2 ft. thick, up- quire the handling of a great many papers, this building are used in driving a double on which is placed a foundation stone 5 ft. and he tries so to order his work as to perma- cable on Tenth avenue, and also on 125th square and 12 in. thick, and on this is street. ft. nently dispose of each one as it comes into placed a concrete block 3 square and 16 his hands, so as to avoid multiplying work The two cables, or rather the second in. thick. is all is unnecessarily. cable, not run at times, but only used A concrete base, furthermore, i ut down Very much of the success or failure of a in cases of emergency, when one of them under all the walls, running back to a suit- man iu life is dependent upon the woman breaks, or is otherwise injuredso as to ren- able depth and with a thickness of 16 iu. be marries. The influence of a good wife der it necessary to put it out of service. This is composed of one part best approved cannot be overestimated; and in hav- The Tenth avenue cable runs up Tenth cement, two parts sharp grit sand, ai dfour iug one Mr. Richardson has great reason avenue from 125th street to High Bridge, parts of small machine broken stone thor- to congratulate himself on the wise choice and the 125th street cable runs down Tenth oughly mixed and dumped in the trenches he made in the selection of a wife. She avenue to 125th street, there separating and well rammed down betweevi the curbs, has. in the fullest sense of the word, been and running cars east and west from North which were set to the proper thickness. a helpmate to him; and her judgment, to East rivers. The base for the area wall on the Tenth whether followed or not by her husbaud, The building which forms the subject of avenue side is made 6 it. wide, with the iu matters concerning his business plans this article was designed by Mr. Paul F. thickness which we have already indicated. takes and welfare, about which he pleasure Schoen, and erected under his supervision, It may be mentioned also in this connec- in advising with his wife, is invariably cor- i It is a brick structure, with pointed stone tion, that the floors of the basement and rect. Such a wife is a treasure and we are I appreciates trimmings, one story high in all parts, ex- areas are also made of concrete cement, glad to know that her husband | her. cept that it is two stories with a low clock which is composed of the same ingredients January, 1887. THE STREET RAILWAY JOURNAL as thebase but is only 5 in. thick, aud has cement and two parts of sharp sand, and In plastering the office buildings all the at the top, as finish, an inch thickness of great care was taken that it should be mixed outside walls were prepared with 2 in. fur- best Portland cement, mixed in the propor- only as fast as it was used. All the walls ring of porous terra-cotta tiles, and finish- tion of one part sand to one part cement, and piers are well grouted on each course, ed with hard finish, the ceilings also were and is finished perfectly smooth with just so as to leave the walls a solid mass. finished in the same manner. inclination enough to give it proper drain- The fronts of the building are faced with The rear walls of the basement are pins- age.