asked
me if we would permit him to use our patents. I replied that we would
feel highly honored by the Baltimore and Ohio doing so. The stamp of
approval of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad would be worth ten times
the patent fees. He could use all, and everything, we had.

There was no doubt as to the favorable impression that made upon the
great railway magnate. He was much pleased and, to my utter surprise,
took me into his private room and opened up a frank conversation upon
matters in general. He touched especially upon his quarrels with the
Pennsylvania Railroad people, with Mr. Thomson and Mr. Scott, the
president and vice-president, whom he knew to be my special friends.
This led me to say that I had passed through Philadelphia on my way to
see him and had been asked by Mr. Scott where I was going.

"I told him that I was going to visit you to obtain the contracts for
your great bridges over the Ohio River. Mr. Scott said it was not
often that I went on a fool's errand, but that I was certainly on one
now; that Mr. Garrett would never think for a moment of giving me his
contracts, for every one knew that I was, as a former employee, always
friendly to the Pennsylvania Railroad. Well, I said, we shall build
Mr. Garrett's bridges."

Mr. Garrett promptly replied that when the interests of his company
were at stake it was the best always that won. His engineers had
reported that our plans were the best and that Scott and Thomson would
see that he had only one rule--the interests of his company. Although
he very well knew that I was a Pennsylvania Railroad man, yet he felt
it his duty to award us the work.

The negotiation was still unsatisfactory to me, because we were to get
all the difficult part of the work--the great spans of which the risk
was then considerable--while Mr. Garrett was to build all the small
and profitable spans at his own shops upon our plans and patents. I
ventured to ask whether he was dividing the work because he honestly
believed we could not open his bridges for traffic as soon as his
masonry would permit. He admitted he was. I told him that he need not
have any fear upon that point.

"Mr. Garrett," I said, "would you consider my personal bond a good
security?"

"Certainly," he said.

"Well, now," I replied, "bind me! I know what I am doing. I will take
the risk. How much of a bond do you want me to give you that your
bridges will be opened for traffic at the specified time if you g