bˈɛɹli ɪn hɪz tˈiːnz æt ðə stˈɑːɹt ʌvðə ɹˈeɪlɹoʊd bˈuːm, hiː fˈaʊnd wˈɜːk ɪn lˈoʊɛl, mˌæsɐtʃˈuːsɪts æz ɐn ɐpɹˈɛntɪs ɪnðə "dɹˈæftɪŋ ɹˈuːm" ʌvðə lˈoʊɛl məʃˈiːn ʃˈɑːps wˌɛɹ ɐmˈɛɹɪkəz fˈɜːst stˈiːm lˌoʊkəmˈoʊɾɪvz wɜː tˈeɪkɪŋ ʃˈeɪp.
Barely in his teens at the start of the railroad boom, he found work in Lowell, Massachusetts as an apprentice in the "drafting room" of the Lowell Machine Shops where America’s first steam locomotives were taking shape.