Andrew Smith Hallidie was a miner who came to the mining districts of California from England with his father and stayed behind to work the mines after his father returned home without the promised riches of gold.
He became an expert in the manufacture of wire rope and the building of suspension bridges across the northwest. His experience in mining led him to envision cable cars being moved up and down the hills of San Francisco via underground cables.
Hallidie’s success with San Francisco cable cars made him a natural for assisting Lowe and Macpherson in powering the cars of the incline safely up and down the hill.