Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-11-06

as smile swept around the corners of
| his eyes, when / first saw my name in
the newspapers. II was in a descrip-
ton of my skill as hay pitcher.
There was test one day as to who
| could unload hay the fastest and |
was one of the crack pitchers The hay
was hauled into barn on wagon.
1t had to be pitched from the wagon
| over the big beam. | stipulated that
| there should be two men to keep the
hay back from the beam and went to
| work. / unloaded ton OF hay In less
than five minutes. This was CON
sidered quite a feat and description
| OF 1t was published in the Cleveland
newspapers. / can remember today
how delighted l was when l saw my
name there
LAW AND LUMBER.
what did you do after leaving
| school, general?" | asked
81 taught school for two winters" re-
| piled General Alger. After that
went into the office of Wolcott & Up
! son at Akron, Ohio, to study law.
| mad to borrow money to keep me while
| was studying. After l was admitted
to the bar, went into the law office
OF Otis. Cofiinberry & Wyman at
| Cleveland and soon earned enough to
pay my debts. ] found that the con-
fnement of the law was injurlng my
| health and | looked around for some
thing else to do. l had heard of the
| profits that were to he made in the
lumber business in Michigan and con-
| Guided to so there to try my fortune.
| a young man named Goddard went
| with me. We borrowed 81 900 and
started in the lumber business in
| Grand Rapids, under the name of
| Alger & Goddard. our business was to
buy lumber and ship 1t to Chicago"
SOME BUSINESS TROUBLES.
At this point General Alger stopped
| a moment. He has, you know made u
large fortune In lumber, and / thought
that from this time on the story Of his
| career would be one of prosperity.
said: Il suppose you made "A good
deal of money in your lumber business.
| general?"
mo. / did not" was the reply. AT
! least not at that time. We did well at
first and soon built up such a good
trade that l thought my prospects
| were good enough to allow me to
| marry. 1 had fallen in love with one of
the young girls of Grand Rapids. The
lady was willing and the wedding took
| place. We went east on our wedding
trip taking for expenses $3.50, which
l got by draft on the Chicago firm
| with which we We're dealing. When l
| returned | found that our Chicago firm
| had failed and that my draft had gone
to protest This was in April, 1861.
| saw Mt once that our firm was ruined
by the failure. and | was In desperate
straights. l had ordered furniture in
Cleveland for the two rooms in which
| we We're to begin our married life and
knew that the bill would be along in a
| few days. All / had left was n gold
watch which l had taken In trade. ]
| went to the banker who held my draft,
told him how was situated and asked
him to hold the gold watch as security
| until the time came when / could pay
1t. He refused to receive 1t, but l left
| II on his counter and went away. The
| next morning that banker failed. A
| list of his assets was published anc
| among them the item of draft of
Alger 81 Goddard, secured by n gold
watch and chain. This announced the
| failure to the people OF Grand Rapids.
day.
I II remember how l went into one of
| the hotels where a lot of men were
| talking, when one of the rich men of
| the town, n man named Mills, said to
| me: Il see, young man, that you have
got your name in the paper. and that
| you have lost your gold watch and
chain The words were uttered in
sneering tone. They cut me to the
heart. l could have sunk through the
floor, but l said: I know that, Mr..
| Mills; / gave the banker my watch be-
cause / could not pay my debts, and
money. l am willing to give him any
| thing ! have as security. If owe you
n cent and you want my coat to hold
until I can pay you, ] will take off
and give 1t TO you My deep
| feeling must have been expressed In
my tones, for as said this the tears
came into Mllls's eyes. He saw that
failure was serious thing with me.
and said: No. young man, II you
owed me anything. l am sure you
would pay 1t. / beg your pardon for
| tauntlng you of your loss Well, this
| failure bursted our company. My fur
| niture dealer told me that | could keep
| the furniture and pay him when
could. Just about this time the war
| broke out. l raised a company and
| was chosen captain. When came out
| of the army l found that had saved
| enough to he able to pay my debts
| and that Mrs. Alger had put aside Ave
| hundred dollars in bonds out OF the
| money I had sent home"
A FORTUNE IN PINE.
But. general, thought your for
| tune was made out of lumber"
| "Yes, that is true, to large extent"
replied Gen. Alger, THE most OF the
| money / have made has been in the
lumber business, but my success did
moi come until later on. When | came
| out of the army my first investment
was in brick making concern in De
troit lost In this, hut while running
1t ! had put n little money In a small
| vessel The vessel paid for Itself In
| less than year. | made other invest.
| ments In lake vessels, and soon had
| quite little capital. The idea that
| there was money In the lumber bust
ness stuck to me, and | Induced two
| capitalists named Moore to put In some
money with me to buy pine lands,
They were. in fact to furnish the cap
ital and was to have one-third OF the
profits for managing the business,
| The first year ] bought s2bOOO worth
of timber. walking $50 miles through
the woods with a pack on my back TO
select the timber. ] picked out Place
for a logging camp and spent that
winter In getting the logs out TOT the
market. I took Mrs Alger ana my
| oldest child. who was then with me-
| into the woods. We drove distance
of one hundred miles m q sleiFh To the
camp, and our homo may WINTER we
n little log cabin, ] don't Know ihi.t
have ever enjoyed winter SO hlucn,
~ had thirty-hve men under me ana
had TO get up at 8 o'clock every morn,
Inc IN stort 10 work. Mrs. Alger did
her own cooking, and we We're nuppy
all winter long I only got OUT mn,
lion and quarter feet OF logs poniu
measure. during that winter the
-, ,,,in,or I had formed the co-part-