St. Paul daily globe., 1894-05-06
RISE OF A MESSENGER BOY.
He is Now the Possessor of
Fortune of Many nillions.
This is the Story of Successful Man.
Which Every One VIII Read With
Interest-The brilliant Career -
of Andrew Carnegie.

senger boy, with stock Of Scotch foresight
and shrewdness as his only capital, he has
been SO successful that to-day he is a twenty
five times millionaire and the largest COKE
iron and steel maker in the world His name
is Andrew Carnegie, and in Europe that
name is better known than of the great city
which he claims as his home ,,
= Back in the forties there came to Pittsbur1
from the village of Dumferline, in Scotland,
an iron molder by the name of Carnegie, who
brought with him his wife and two sons, Ans
drew and Thomas, aged twelve and ten. The
elder Carnegie was very fond of a quiet game
of checkers, as was David Brooks, then mana
ager of the telegraph and railroad Offices il.
that city. This mutual fondness oftegi
brought the two men together, and one nighA
Carnegie asked Brooks if he couldn't fiF
something for his son Andrew to do. "Senu
him down to my Office and will make him
messenger boy" replied Brooks. Young
Andrew was on hand bright and early the
next morning to commence his duties.
lot OF pretty sharp youngsters were then en-
ployed as messenger boys in the Office.
Robert Pitcairn, now general superintendent
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was one of
them, and David McCargo, for many years
past president of the Allegheny Valley Rail-
road, was another, but Andrew was the
brightest one among them.
Manager Brooks had an old telegraph IN
strument rigged up in the Office for the use
OF the messenger boys, and the little Scotch
man pounded away on it so diligently in his
odd moments that he soon became an expert
operator. Not long after the late Thomas
Scott, then superintendent of the Pennsyl-
yania, wanted an operator in his private
Office, and Brooks recommended Carnegie.
Here the young man showed such aptitude
in moving trains that he attracted the favor
able attention of Scott and Edgar Thompson,
president of the Pennsylvania, that he was
transferred to Altoona, and became in turn
chief telegraph operator of the road and sup
erintendent of the western division. When
the Drake well was struck Scott and Thomp-
son put their money against Carnegie's bus
mess ability and the trio engaged in oil
operations, which made the younger of the
three millionaire before he was thirty.
With Scotchman's canniness and caution
the young millionaire possessed an Ameri-
cans push and energy. With his younger
brother, Tom, he saw that the iron and steel
industries were only in their infancy in this
country. Together they built the Edgar
Thompson Steel Works and big iron mill at
Braddocks, Pa. Then came the war, and with
it big protective tariff and an ever increas
ing demand for iron and steel, which caused
corresponding increase in prices. Andrew
Carnegie in five years doubled, trebled and
quadrupled his already large fortune and his
hrn o1c haoo No
hold which he then obtained upon the iron
and steel trade he has ever since retained. He
is the absolute owner of the Edgar Thompson
Steel Works, which furnish employment to
5000 men, and turn out yearly 200, 900 tons of
steel. The steel works are fed from five of
the largest blast furnaces in the world and all
are heated by natural gas supplied from Mr..
rnegie's own wells and transported through
his own pipe lines. He owns controlling
interest in dozen other of the largest iror,
and steel plants in Pittsburg, and five year.
ago the temporary embarrassment of young
Henry Frick, to whose energy and sagacity
the present dimensions of the coke trade is
due, enabled him to also gain control of that
important industry. That nearly all of these
enterprises have grown from small beginnings
personal direction and supervision indicates
man of splendid executive capacity, and
such he is. Moreover, he is such warm
friend of the workingman and so ardent
supporter of the labor movement that he is
sometimes called the millionaire socialist. A
believer in scientific socialism he undoubtedly
is, and that he practices what he breaches is
shown by the fact that at the enterprises con-
trolled by himthere has been but three strikes
in twenty-five years.
Some years ago I was sent to Cresson,
where Mr.. Carnegie has built castle after
the style of the Scotch barons of 800 years
ago. at cost of 81 ,OO0,0 600 or more, to inter-
view him, and during the conversation had
with him I asked him how much he was
worth. 81 declare" he replied, 81 can hardly
tell, but at least s25 100000. My income is
over $4,000 day." Such figures as these
almost take ones breath away. A pretty fair
showing, aren't they, for Scotch emigrant
boy who began life less than forty years ago
with neither money nor friends? With all his
wealth Mr.. Carnegie is a many-sided man
and knows well how to use wisely the great
fortune at his command. He has founded
free libraries and cooperative stores among
his workmen without number. He has given
S1,00000O to the Carnegie libraries in Pitts
burg and Allegheny, and before these institu-
tions are opened to the public he will prob
ably give as much more. Edinburgh has
received $4,000 from him for the same pur-
pose, and to his native town of Dumferline,
for which he has always had warm side, he
has given at various times and for various
purposes something over s35O,OOO He has
always been a warm admirer of literature
and art, and his home is adorned with the
masterpieces of American, French and
English painters. Although he left school
when he was twelve years OF age, he is one of
the most scholarly of men and on intimate
terms with the leading literary men of
America and England. Some years ago he
made coaching tour through Scotland in
four-in-hand with William Black the novelist,
and Matthew Arnold, the poet, and wrote
book on their experiences which was pub
lished on both sides of the water and widely
read because of its easy and delightful style.
All in Andrew Carnegie's career has been
one to be studied with profit by every Ameri.
can bow, RUFUS R. WILSON, p.
Insular English.
DOCTOR Johnson said ''much may be made o.
Scotchman if he be caught young" The
bigotry that existed in England among
Scotehmen in the middle of the lac
century is still evident to the obseryaF@
American. One might imagine after centur
of union that the Englishman would reg
in fraternal way his fellow citizens of Scoh
land, Ireland and Wales. AS a matter Or
fact he does not, but considers the people of