Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1896 — He Knew How. [ARTICLE]

He Knew How.

Because a man is rich and can hire other men to work for him, It does not follow that he may not enjoy being able to do things for himself. Even a rich man cannot be really happy unlew he is employed, and if he Is born, say; with a gift for mechanics, he will find his enjoyment in exercising that gift. The New York Sun reports that when a party of New York gentlemen were returning from the Atlanta exposition last summer the engine broke down. It was in the neighborhood of Manassas, the day was fearfully hot, with no. air stirring, and the passengers were in Imste to get on. But the engineer could not repair the break, aud a long watt seemed inevitable. Among the passengers was Col, John Jacob Astor. He joined the crowd about the engine, and presently got down on his knees and crawled under it. There he worked for a few minutes. and then came out and bade the engineer drive on, as lie-had repaired the injury. The engineer demurred, but a trial showed that the engine was in running order. “Do you know wlio that man IsV said the Sun correspondent to the engineer, pointing to Col. Astor. “Some official of the road, I reckon,” was the answer. “No, It Is John Jacob Astor.” “Oh, go on,” said the engineer, who couldn’t believe that an Astor could' mend an engine. “Col. Astor told me.” adds the correspondent, “that he knew enough about locomotive engines to build one.”