John B. Herreshoff.
The person who is handicapped in the struggle for existence by physical infirmities excites our sympathy, but when such an one achieves as well as or far better than the normal individual, we regard him with an admiration that is akin to wonder. John B. Herreshoff, the famous blind yacht and boat designer, is such an individual. He is a marvel such as the world has never seen before, and is not likely to witness for some time to come. He is the admitted head of a profession which as one would believe calls for keen eyes as a preliminary. Yet Mr. Herreshoff has set all precedent at naught. It would almost seem that his blindness, so far from being a handicap, is of positive value to him, for it is certain that those exquisite floating creations of his, have never yet been duplicated by the owners of eyesight. When, in August, 1851, the America won the famous “Queen’s Cup,” which has ever since remained on this side of the water, two youngsters were playing on a farm at Point Pleasant, at Bristol, Rhode Island. John, the oldest, was then a blue-eyed boy of ten. As soon as he could use a knife he began to whittle boats, and when fourteen years of age built a usable craft, which was said to be a marvel of beauty by local experts. At fifteen, blindness descended upon him, but he nevertheless continued to study boats and build them. His younger brother, Nathaniel, also had a love for boats, and together the two brothers lived and ruled and had their being in an atmosphere of boats. Both boys were educated at local schools, and John, with the assistance of his mother, managed to keep pace with his fellow pupils. Nathaniel became a civil engineer and made a name for himself in his profession. In the meantime the reputation of John had so extended that in 1863 he founded the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., and fourteen years later Nathaniel became a partner in the concern and is now its superintendent. The fame of the Herreshoffs is perhaps best known to the public in connection with their construction of several of the defenders of the “Queens,” or, as it is better known on this side of the water, “The America Cup.” John B. Herreshoff, on being asked what the elements of success are, said: “Concentration, decision, industry, economy, together with an invincible determination and persistence, will always place a man in the position which he desires.”