Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-18
WILLIAM THAW DEAD.
A Millionaire Philanthropist
Passes Away at Paris.
EVENTFUL LIFE SKETCHED.
His EleemOsynary Tightening Of
Humanity'S Loads.
SOME MARKED PERSONAL TRAITS.
One Of His Many AlmOnerS Talks of His
BenefactiOns.
SOME MARKED PERSONAL TRAITS.
SYSTEMATIC BENEvOLENCE HIS PLAN

he had been attended in his tour by DR..
Alexander Blair Thaw, who, alone, was
with him when the end came. On Wednes-
day last Mr.. Frank Semple, Mr.. Thaw's
confidential legal adviser, received the fol-
lowing cablegram from DIR. Thaw:
GRAND HOTEL, PARIS.
Father very seriously ill. Collie, due to heart
failre Although hopeful, 1 fear the worst.
Attack may pass of, however.
This naturally created the gravest appre-
hension, but being followed by no immedi-
ate bulletin, hope was still expressed. Yes
terday morning, however, a second cable
gram from DIR. Thaw to Frank Semple con-
veyed the following sad tidings:
THE FINAL CABLEGRAM.
GRAND HOTEL, PARIS. August II.
Father died this morning at 1905 Death was
very easy of heart failure, caused by old
trouble, rheumatism. Mr.. Chas. J. Clark has
Just reached here and Mr.. Griscom president
of the Inman Line) telegraphs he will be here
tomorrow. We had the best physician in
France in this line. Expected father to last till
night. but a change for the worse came at
O'Clock BLAIR.
Frank Semple, Esq, stated yesterday that
Mr.. Thaw's serious illness dated back to
February 10, when he returned from Phila-
delphia badlr crippled with rheumatism.
He went for a few moments to his Office in
the Pennsylvania Railroad building and
then to his home. For nearly a month he
was in a very low condition. and his ply
sicians were seriously alarmed. Herallied,
however, and gradually became stronger.
An ocean voyage and a season of complete
freedom from business cares was impera-
lively ordered and in pursuance of this ad-
vice MIR. Thaw consented to the European
trip. His last visit to his Office was made
on the day before he started abroad. His
companion was DIR. A. Blair Thaw, his
youngest son by his first wife. Even the
genial climate of sunny France could not
repair the ravages that rheumatism had
made in his system.
PITTsBURG's FOREMOST CITIZEN.
From the inception of his career to the
very end, William was first and foremost
true to the interests and advancement of his
native city. He was born on the 18th of
October, 1918, not very far from the site of
his old-fashioned residence, on Fourth
street. His father, John Thaw, Philadel-
phian, was one of the first tellers of the
Bank of Pittsburg. The Thaw family had
an honorable Lineage, running back to the
days of the English Restoration. His great
grandfather and his grandfather, both sur
named Benjamin, were natives of Philadel-
phIa. His grandmother was Hannah
Engle, of a famous Quaker family.
William Thaw's fine mind was developed
by a common school education, supple
mented by attendance upon the Western
University. He early developed rare judg-
ment in business matters and his imDetuosi-
ty carried him
A GENERATION IN ADVANCE
OF his conn mpanions in the business world,
enabling him to lay the foundation of a
large fortune while yet a comparatively
young man. He was twice married, his
issue, by a remarkable coincidence, being
in each instance two girls and three boys.
His mountaineering with his widow was
due to romantic incident in the great
civil war. Miss Copley, daughter of JOSIAH
Copley, had lost brother whose last gift to
his idolized sister had been handsome
diamond ring. Although dear to her, the
great Sanitary Fair, held at Old City Hall,
was too strong draft upon her Sympathy to
be withstood, and. able to give nothing else,
the diamond ring was tearfully laid upon the
altar of her country. BY chance Mr.. Thaw
learned of the gift, and, touched by the self
sacrifice implied by it, secured an intro
duction to her, which was followed in due
course of time by an offer of his hand and
heart. The union was one of rare happi-
ness. For several years Mrs. Thaw has not
been much in social life owing to delicate
health, but IN all the eleemosynary works of
her husband she has been a cheerful assist
ant, and to her suggestions are due many Of
the widespread beneiactions of the dead
philanthropist.
MR.. THAw's BUSINESS CAREER.
Mr.. Thaw's financial training was
grounded in the Bank of Pittsburg asa
clerk under his fathers eve. In 1885 he be-
came a clerk in the house of Mckee, Clark
& Co.; 1910 saw the foundation of the firm
of Clarke & Thaw, shippers and trans
porters. From the first the firm was q
potent factor in the growth of Pittsburg.
There are, perhaps, few now alive who re-
member the "Conestoga" wagons which
freighted goods over the Allegheny
Mountains long before the application
of Robert Stephenson's great invention in
this country. The firm constructed the
Portage Railroad over the mountains, and
received valuable leasehold privileges,
which later were utilized. Il was Clarke &
Thaw's freight wagons which brought to
Trinity P. E. Church the Jardine organ
which was set up In 1852, the hrst organ OF
that size erected in Pittsburg.
The canal system over and through the
Allegheny Mountains was inspired by the
firm and successfully operated by them for
several years. 1t is said that Mr. Thaw
was the first Pittsburger to seriously advo-
cate the use of steam, then rather unknown
quantity, and his sagacity
INSPIRED THE FORMATION
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
There were many who deemed the scheme
chimerical on account of the extraordinary
'ifiiculties in gradients to be overcome, and
ltering the railroad arena at that time was
deavoring to cope with giants. On the
south the master mind of the elder
lrrett was bending all its energies to the
sedy reaching of the West On the
rth those valiant railroad moguls, the
er Fish and Commodore Cornelius Van
bilt, were even then immersed in a
racteristic struggle for an entrance to
same objective point Had either
these three foreseen the future
PiTtsburg, as did Mr.. Thaw,
Baltimore and Ohio, Erie and New
Ork Central would probably have run
-ectly toward Pittsburg. Mr.. Thaw had
that keen, discriminating, almost
hetic, intuition of the possibilities that
I'D him to see where others were blind;
We where others scoffed. In the days
lary to the actual iaying of the