Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-07-14

THE nom EsTEdD FORKS.
Where the Great Struggle is Now in
Progress.
The Carnegie Steel Company. as it is now ,
known, which is now involved in the
bitter struggle with its worlimen, belong
ing to the Amalgamated Iron and Steel
Workers of the United States have their
principal works located ut Homestead, q
town ON the Monongahela river, a short
distance below Pitsbtirg. The company is
an incorporated one, of which Andrew
Carnegie is president and Henry Clay
Frick, the coke magnate, is general
manager. The works cover a very large
stretch of territory, nearly 600 acres in ex-
tent, and stretching from the Pittsburg
City Farm to Marshall Station, on the
McKeesport & Youghiogheny railroad. 1t
embraces iron and steel works, forg-
ing and manufacturing mills, and is
surpassed in size by very few iron works.
in the world.
ANDREW CARNEGIE.
The present company is the outgrowth
of the enterprise of Andrew Carnegie,
originally poor Scottish emigrant boy,
who rose from the position of telegraph
messenger boy to become one of the rich.
est men in this country. He became
telegraph operator then clerk to the super.
VI lllt lNtSbhlE vi tllb
Pennsylvania railroad. Here he became
acquainted with the inventor of the Wood.
rum sleeping car, and by investing in his
invention laid the foundation for his
fortune. Later he was made superinten-
dent of the Pittsburg division of the
Pennsylvania railroad. Lucky invest
ments in oil lands made him a rich man,
and he established a rolling mill. From
this mill has since grown the great estab-
lishmcnt which is now the scene Of the
disorder II gradually absorbed the Edgar
Thomson Steel Works, the Pittsburg Besse-
mer Steel Works, the Lucy Furnaces, the
Union Iron Mills the Union Mill,the Key
stone Bridge Works. the Hartman Steel
Works, the Frick Coke Company and the
works now reaches more than 1000 tons
of pig metal day, and it is the largest
manufacturer of pig-irOn, steel rails and
coke in the world. Mr. Carnegie is also
said to own no less than Is English news
papers, besides boing largely interested in
other enterprises.
CONSOLIDATION,
On July LIST of this year new company
was formed under the name of the Car
negie Steel Company, Limited. The con-
solicitation affected the firms of Carnegie,
Brothers & Co, Limited Carnegie, Phipps
IL Co., Limited Allegheny Bessemer Steel
Company, and the Keystone Bridge Com
pany, at the Edgar Thomson Furnaces;
the Edgar Thomson Steel Works, Du-
quesnc Steel Works, Homestead Steel
Works, Lucy Furnaces, Keystone Bridge
Works, Upper Union Mills, Lower Union
Mills, Beaver Falls Mills, Scotia Ore Mines,
Larimore Coke Works and Youghiogheny
Coke Works.
The general offices of the new firm were
located in Pittsburg, with branch offices
in all the principal cities Of the United
StufaQ Tho Naf,ital uynG Hxa1 OF ROE ono
and the company has in its employ up
wards of 1000 men, about 8, 800 of whom
are ut Homestead.
HENRY G. FRICK.
Henry Clay FriclS, the manager of this
immense company, who, in the absence of
Mr.. Carnegie in England is being held
responsibility the workmen In the present
difficulty, and who was few days ago
hanged in ciigy by the infuriated men,
has for some years had the title of 1.-The
King of the Coke Regions" lie is young
man. about AZ years of age, 8 feet inches
in height, stOcky in build with weight
of l65 pounds.
lie was bora in Westmoreland county,
in the heart of the famous Conncllsville
coke region. His father was a farmer and
as poor as many farmers are. He served
some time MS a clerk in dry goods store,
and for a while helped his grandfather run
grlst mill. Young Frick had not long
been employed in these capacities until he
| seraped enough money together to buy
some available coal property near his
home, and, in company with few part
ners, put up 80 coke ovens. This was in
1871. Soon the capacity of the plant was
increased, and when the panic of 1873
| came Prick and his business associates
had 200 ovens and had enlarged their coal
| territory considerably. At this time MIR.
Frick was only q years old.
His partners fell into difficulties through
outside interests during the financial crisis
! OF the time, ana he was enabled; with the
aid of friends, to purchase their share of
the business From that time onward he
| KEPT building and buying ovens. When he
could not buy, he leased. The panic had
knocked the courage out of spectators,
and left many Il firm in a corner. Thus
Frick was able to drive very advantageous
bargains for himself. Soon after the boom
in coke came and in little while the,
| yearly profit of his leased works were moro
than the value Of the works themselves.
Mr.. Frick conducted the business in his
| own name until 1873, when lie sold an
Interest TO +. NJ. Ferguson of New York
city, the firm operatingas H. @. Frick & Co.
In 1882, realizing how much coke meant
to the manufacturers of iron, Andrew
| Carnegie bought an interest in the Prick
business, and the II. G. Prick Coke Com
pany was organized, large shares being
taken by Andrew Carnegie and his late
brother Thomas NJ. Carnegie. This coke
company now own 5000 of the 1900
ovens in the Pennsylvania coke regions
1t turns out five times the amount OF coke
turned out by the Mcclure Company,
which is now the second largest concern
in the district. No expense has been
| spared TO produce the best coke that can
be made. In order that the purest water,
free from sulphur and other impurities
should be obtained, the Frick Company
erected, at cost of 100000, a system Of
water works at the beginning of the line
OF its ovens on the Youghiogheny river.
from which all the ovens are supplied.
The company has II stores, which supply
IT'S many thousands of employees with
food, clothing, household furniture, and
everything which they caa need.
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