William Loren Batt

His father was a roundhouse foreman by the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railroad, who kept moving for his job to New Albany, Indiana and finally to LaFayette.

Batt received regular education in those places, a got acquainted with the machinist's trade in the railway's shops during vacations.

[2] After engineering school Batt started as assistant in the private consulting practice of W.F.

When Goss moved to the University of Illinois, Batt started as engineer in the Hess-Bright Manufacturing Company to do research into ball bearings in 1907.

He was put in charge of the Railway Department a few years, was sales engineer in the Cleveland area, and in 1917 got promoted to general manager of the company.