PERSONALITIES OF INTEREST
Hidden among the stories of the development of the railroading
industry, as well as among the stories of those individuals dedicated
to the preservation of the history of railroading, are some fascinating
characters. There was Ezra Miller, the first owner of the Best Friend, before she was sold to the City of Charleston and renamed the Best Friend of Charleston. He made many contributions
to the railroading industry, but his suicide brought an end to a life
that was poorly documented until many years later when a great niece
began researching her family genealogy. There also are those
characters who were larger than life, as were the Gray brothers
(both 6'4'' in stature and over 300 pounds in weight) who engineered
the "steel fingers" of the industry in the 1830's. When you add
the colorful Colonel Elliott White Springs (1896-1959) into the story along with O. Winston Link
(1914-2001), the renowned photographer of steam locomotives, you begin
to come up with a collection of personalities that are among some of
the most interesting in America's recorded history.
Another name well known to railroaders is Joshua Lionel Cohen
(Cowen) (1877-1965) whose invention of the model train is far
better know than is his part in the invention of the Eveready
Flashlight.
Colonel Springs'
legacy within his family's Springs Cotton Mills in Lancaster, SC raised
many an eyebrow, considering his advertising tactics that bordered on
the "off-color." Add that to his love of trains and pretty women,
and you come up with an interesting personality both in and out of the
Springs Mills' board room. The Colonel's board room had a hidden
desk that rose from the floor when the correct button was pushed and
when another button was pushed a model train would circle the room at
ceiling height. His interest in trains was well known and his
appointment of stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee, to his board of directors
caused his interest in women to become more well known.
O. Winston
Link's place in history as the photographer of steam locomotives is
well documented in the many books that showcase his talent. His
traveling display of photographs was a big success in Charleston in
1992 and his marital discord became front page news in 2000 when his
wife was found to be keeping him locked in their basement, feeding him
only when he handed out photographs she could sell. Link's
recording of the sounds of steam engines, with the ringing of
church bells in the background, is a favorite among railfans.
The story of
Lionel Trains shows how model trains became a popular consumer item
after a department stores' Christmas display of a model train running
around a decorated Christmas tree created a booming market for the
trains. Joshua Lionel Cohn also designed a light for illuminating
house plants, but gave it to a friend because it proved to be a
marketing failure, only to watch it become the Eveready Flashlight!