34

Austin Corbin Corkscrew

Tom Staley describes his corkscrew as

―

This Corkscrew has a walrus tusk

handle, about 6 1/2 inches long, capped with silver, on a faceted shank. The tusk

is marked

―

Dinner of the First Panel SHERIFF

‘

S JURY, Jan 8th 1896.

‖

The silver

cap is engraved

―

Austin Corbin, Car Oriental.

‖

Austin Corbin was born July 11, 1827 and grew up in

Newport, New Hampshire. He graduated from Harvard

Law School in 1849 and two years afterwards moved to

the Midwest where he remained until after the Civil

War. Then he moved to Brooklyn Heights, New York.

By 1882, he had built the Manhattan Beach Railroad and

three resort hotels: The Manhattan Beach Hotel, The

Oriental, and The Argyle.

In the late 1870s, the Long Island Railroad was having

financial problems and Corbin took it over. Within a

short period of time, he turned the railroad into a

profitable enterprise. The railroad owned two private cars - The Manhattan built

in 1885 and the Oriental built in 1890 (both named after Corbin

‘

s hotels). Austin

Corbin died in an accident in 1896. Four years after his death, his railroad was

purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Regarding the engraving on the corkscrew: It is assumed that the subject

―

Dinner

of the First Panel SHERIFF

‘

S JURY, Jan 8th 1896

‖

took place on Corbin

‘

s Oriental

Railroad Car.