The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-09
FIVE MESSENGER Rows
carnegie, Oliver, Pitcairn, XcCargo
ana Moreland In = PittsburR Once.
From ket1 YORK S,tu

ana Moreland In a Pittsburg Once.
From ket0 York san.
The story Of five messenger bows begins
IN the early days Of te!egraphy. In diazy
ONCE IN Pittsburg about 1913, Andrew
Carnegie, Henry w. Oliver, Robert Pit
cairn, Maj. William c. Morelaud and David
McCargo were messengers 1t is said that
they took the opposite of other BOYS. and
spent their spare moments in learning uss-
Iul lessons Andrew Carnegie is the
Oldest of the lot, and he was the
smartest, leading all In learning how To
telegraph. de was one Of the first opera-
tors in the country to learn to take the
Morse system by sound, which in those DAYS
was considered a remarkable achievement
IL dld not take Thomas A. Scott long TO
snatch Mr.. Carnegie from the telegraph Of.
ice In flttsourg into his Office as private
secretary, when tne great railroad genius
took charge OF the Pittsburg end Of the
ROAD. The education the young Scotcbman
received from a greater mind lifted him from
secretarys seat into the place Of division
superintendent when Mr.. Scott was made
vice president OF tie railroad. The industry.
tne subtle cunning and watching faith Of
scott taught him to leave his lines in other
directions than watching the divisions OF a
railroad, and Scott helped him. His
place gave him the opportunity 20
LOOK into other lines of industry. and
ne drove drift into an iron null. His
plcK-ax was not large, but his cunning and
thrift made up for the size of his ak. j.
Edgar Thompson, who was the president Of
the pennsylvania railroad, then gave a
great name and money to tho works now
dominated by Mr.. Carnegie. At that time
Col. Scott was a power in the nation. as
well as the railroad, and Carnegie began to
gather wealth.
= y ambition In those deys," he said re.
Gently, was to write for newspapers I
took in material in 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 we'll
to-do parents. It made me indignant |
wrote my first public letter TO the board of
control and change was ordered This
result more than ever resolved me to follow
journalism, but an accident drifted me
elsewhere and | became a manufacturer
Thrift and industry were the derricks
which lifted Harry W. Oliver out of the
telegraph chair next to MIR. Carnegie ana
made him clerk for a big iron firm. He
Is an lrishman, with head full Of cunning
about the business economies OF life. 1t did
not take long for him to realize the posi-
biltles OF the iron 3 ade, and one day a slick
working block and tackle hoisted him out
OF his seat at tho desk in the big firms
workshop and landed, him in "A business
that has since grown to be one of the great
est concerns in the world. He has grown
very rich, and one railroad and seven man.
ufacturlng concerns now feel the touch of
his hand. He lives in the finest house in
the west, but he works too hard to enjoy
himself. he must be about IS years Of age.
and few notches lower than Carnegie In
the scale OF years He once came near be-
ing United States senator. He was the
brains OF the tariff commission which Sena4
tor Sherman says, framed the best and
fGirest bill ever presented to congress.
Another Scotchman of the famous five is
Robert Pitcairn, who sits in the seat once
occupied by Col. Tom Scott aud Mr.. Carne-
gle He went from telegraph chair INTO
the railroad business, and he has been q
master in ell the best conditions Of railroad
life. He is many times a millionaire, but
be lives for his railroad, although interested.
like Mr.. Oliver in many large many large
manufacturing enterprises. He does the
work OF about three men every day and
takes recreation only when ne wants to talk
with big friend or indulge with his coun-
trymen in the melodies Of Scotland. He
has denied himself promotion many tune
because he likes 70 cling 70 the location
where be began as "a messenger boy and has
had SO many triumphs.
The fourth member Of the group is David
McCargo, tho general manager of the Ale
gheny railroad. HIS strong Scotch char
acter 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 Mai. William P.
Moreland, the Last but not least Of the IA
nous five. I" stood at the key with Car
negie, 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 Dun
can of Cincinnati, had charge of the expert
ment. We had to work on short circuits In
those days, and We thought 1t was impoSsi-
BILE to send message 30 New York from
New Orleans. Brooks and Reid walked
over and inspected the line from the Cres-
cent City to Pittsburg. After arriving
here and assuring themselves that the line
was perfect, the effort was ordered and
every telegraph operator on the line, and,
in fact, the whole country, was
the success or failure of the effort.
Every magnet was adjusted, and every
electrician on the line stood at his key
listening for the result. At the signal New
York called Philadelphia, the Quaker City
dikUSscd 4lhLAlspntRS AhN bu01 III VulSh
succession PittSourg, Cincinnati, Louisville
aud New Orleans were opened to the
metropolis No one drew breath scarcely
until the tick came, and in "a moment an
unbroken message was sent between the
north and south. That may seem primitive
in these days, when there is no measuring
electric power; but then it was the talk OF
the nation. This is a bit Of untold history;
but shall never forget that hour.
"Mr. Carnegie never forgets the old boys,
and we shall never forget celebrating his
DIST birthday. He was Scott confidential
clerk then, and he invited his former conf
panions in the telegraph Office to his home
Ia Allegheny, where his mother and brother
lived. We had a good time and parted with
mutual wishes for each others success. l
think there are no regrets among US, except
that we cannot live always"
Real Merit
Is the characteristic Of Hoods Sarsaparilla,