Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-01-16
CARRIED MESSAGES.
MESSENGER BOYS WHO HAVE Ac.
CURED FAME AND WEALTH.

I
7, gers. 1t is said that they tool; the oppo-
site of other boys and spent their spare
moments in learning useful lessons. An
drew Carnegie is the Oldest OF the lot,
and he was the slnartest, leading all L.
learning how to telegraph. lie WIS one
of the first operators in the country to
learn to take the Morse system by sound.
which in those days was considered a
! remarkable achievement. 1t did not
take Thomas a. Scott long to snatch
I Mir. Carnegie from the telegraph Office
in Pittsburg into his office ats private
secretary when the great railroad genius
took charge of the Pittsburg end of the
road. The education the young Scotch
man received from greater mind lifted
him from il sccretarys seat into the
place of division superintendent when
Mr.. Scott was made vice president OF
the railroad. The industry, the subtle
cunning and watching faith of Scott
taught him to lay his lines in other di-
rections than watching the divisions ct
railroad. and Scott helped him. His
place gave him the opportunity to look
into other lines of industry, aud he drove
drift into an iron mill. His pickax
was not large but his cunning and thrift
made up for the size of his ilx j. Edgar
Thomson. who WIS the president Of the
Pennsylvania railroad, then gave Il
great name and money to the works now
dominated by Mr. Carnegie. At fiat
time Colonel Scott was power in the
nation as we'll as the railroad. and Car
negie began TO gather wealth
MIR. CARNEGIE's EARLY AMBITION.
''Niy ambition i'll those days" he said
recently, was to write for newspapers.
took in material i'll that direction
whenever it was possible. haunted the
public library in Allegheny. and caught
on to the fact that distinction was
made by the attendants between the
poor boys and the sons Of well to do
parents. 1t made me indignant. wrote
my first public letter to the board Of con-
troll, and a change was ordered. This
result more than ever resolved Inc to fol
| low journalism. but an.accident drlfteil
me elsewhere. and became Il manufac-
turer."
Thrift and industry were the derrici,s
which lifted Harry ". Oliver ont Of the
telegraph chair next to Mr. Carnegie.
and made him 4 clerk for big iron firm.
He is III freshman. with head full OF
cunning about the business economics OF
life. 1t did not take long for Kim to re-
alize the possibilities of the iron trade,
and one day slick working block and
tackle ho;ste,l him ont Of his seat ut the
desk in the big firms workshop and
landed him in business that has since
grown to be one Of the greatest concerns
in the world. lie has grown very rich.
and one railroad and seven maaufactrlr-
ing concerns now feel the touch of his
hand.
Another Scotchman of the fan,ous five
is Robert Pitcairn, who sits iii the scat
once occupied by Colonel TON Scott and
Mr.. Carnegie. He went iroma telegraph
chair into tho railroad business, and he
has been master in al the best condi-
tions of railroad life lie is n,a,,yy<ttis::tees
millionaire, but he lives for his rail-
road. although interested, like MI. Oil
yer. in many large manufacturing en-
telprises. ---He does the work OF about
three men every day. and takes recrea-
ton only when he wants to talk with Il
big friend or indulge with lis country
men in the melodies OF Scotland. He
has denied himself promotion many
times, because he likes to cling to the To-
cation where he began as a messenger
boy and has had so many triumphs.
a TRIUMPH IN TELEGRAPuY.
! The fourth member Of the group is
David McCargo. the general manager OF
the Allegheny railroad. His strong
Scotch character lifted him into big
railway concerns early. He left the
telegraph Office soon after the other boys
and took place on the railway.
Think of it, said Major William p.
Moreland, the last but not least. of the
famous five Il stood at the key With
Carnegie. Oliver, Pitcairn, McCargo. and
heard the first message pass over the
wires that was sent between the north
and south. James D. Reid. who WAS
general superintendent; David Brooks.
now living in Philadelphia, and jackson
Duncan. of Cincinnati, had charge OF
the experiment We had TO work on
short circuits in those days, and we
thought it was impossible to send mes
sage to New York FROM New Orleans.
Brooks and Reid walked over and in
spected the line from the Crescent City
to Pittsburg. After arriving here and
assuring themselves that the line was
perfect, the effort was ordered and every
telegraph operator on the lire, and i'll
fact the whole country, was waiting III
suspense to know the success or failure
Of the effort. Every magnet was adj
justed, and every electrician Oh the line
stood at his key listening for the result.
At the signal New York called Philadel-
! phia. the Quaker City signaled Harris
burg, and then in quick succession Pitts
burg, Cincinnati, Louisville and New
Orleans were opened to the metropolis.
No one drew breath scarcely until the
tick came, and in minute an nnbroken
message was sent between the north and
south. That may seem primitive III
these days. when there is 10 measuring
electric power; but then it was the talk
of the nation. This is Il bit of untold
history: but 1 shall never forget that
| hour. New York Sun.
The heat conducting qualities of the
metals range us follows: Silver, 100; cop
per. 1850; gold. $3.50; annealed alu-
minimum, 1881; unannealed aluminium,
1886: tin. 1850; iron, 1850; steel, ll.60;
lead. $50: platinum. $40: hismuth, 1870.