He is now living comfortably in Cambridge." A son of poor parents, living in Springfield, New York, worked his way through an academy.

This only whetted his appetite for knowledge, and he determined to advance, relying wholly on himself for success.
Accordingly, he proceeded to Schenectady, and arranged with a professor of Union College to pay for his tuition by working.

He rented a small room, which served for study and home, the expense of his bread-and-milk diet never exceeding fifty cents a week.

After graduation, he turned his attention to civil engineering, and, later, to the construction of iron bridges of his own design.

He procured many valuable patents, and amassed a fortune.