352 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Nov. 



The Late Robert B. Tolles. 



Extract from Handbook for Opticians by W. Bohne. 



Tolles, Robert B. (1823-83), was born in Winsted, Conn. 

 His father, Elisha Tolles, a farmer, spent a good deal of 

 his time with mechanical inventions, several of which he 

 patented; but like many inventors, was lacking in busi- 

 ness ability, and never received much pecuniary benefit 

 from them. His yonthful son, Robert, was his diligent 

 assistant, and early showed a decided inclination for all 

 kinds of mechanical work. He made, while attending 

 school, a very good violin on which he played for years. 

 At the age of twenty-one, without knowing a particular 

 trade, he was thrown upon his own resources with three 

 sisters younger than he looking to him for support. In 

 his helplessness he went to an uncle in western New York, 

 but, disappointed in his expectation of assistance, he by 

 chance stopped at Canastota, and visited the shoj) of 

 Charles A. Spencer, where he found employment. We 

 sometimes speak of a lucky accident, but in this case we 

 rather should call it a beneficent providence, which en- 

 abled a master mechanic to detect at once the embryonic 

 genius in the rough exterior of the young country boy. 

 Under the direction of such a teacher he developed phe- 

 nomenally his mechanical gifts and soon was able to exe- 

 cute the great ideas of his older friend. Many of Spen- 

 cer's great achievements later on were due to the skill of 

 Tolles. But when Spencer gradually enlarged his busi- 

 ness, and associated himself with A. K. Eaton, for the 

 manufacture of telescopes, Tolles concluded to start for 

 himself, and limit his skilU exclusively to the manufacture 

 of microscopes. He rented a room in the railroad station, 

 which served served him as workshop and bedroom. Here 

 he worked to his utmost capacity, sometimes twenty hours 

 out of twenty-four, including Sundays and holidays. 



