El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-24
MEN WITH MILLIONS
How Carnegie And Prick Became
Estrdnged.

EStrdnged.
Henry Clay Frick, who by lawsuit is
| trying 10 relieve Mr.. Carnegie OF some
of the disgrace of dying rich, is direct
| " the opposite in character of ANDRE W
Carnegie. While the latter is conser-
vative to an unusual degree, Nj. Fr1ck
| is daring, and in the game OF business
| takes long chances.
While Mr.. Carnegie and Mr.. Frick
have been associated in business for
some years, there has never been any
thing th at might be called fraternal
social feeling between the two. Mr..
| Prick has been q member of the Car
negie firm since 1889, but Mr.. Carnegie
was member of the Frick firm seven
years before this.
The present trouble, it is said by
persons who are close to both men,
had its origin in a meeting of the old
Pittsburg coke syndicate in 1885. AT
that time there were eight or ten pro-
minent firms, which were afterward
bought out by the Frick company in the
coke business.
In the fierce competition for trade
prices got so low that to save some #
them from ruination an association as
formed. This was known as the locke
syndicate.' Meetings were held daily
in the Lewis block, Pitts burg, wher e
MIR. Prick was the president of the
syndicate. One DAY, after prices had
been agreed on, John Walker, who for
many years was prominent in the
Carnegie company, walked into the
room. There had never been a friend
ly feeling between Mr.. Walker aud
Mr.. Frick. Mr.. Frick said:
MIR. Walker, do you know that this
is meeting of business men, and is
private?;'
Mr.. Walker. with a wave of his
hand, said:
ooh, that is all right. Andy sent
me here, and just want to tell you
that he says the price of coke will be
$3.50. Good day."
Tne meeting had agreed that the
price OF coke should be something
like 81. so per ton, but when Mr.. Car
neeie sent word that il would be 81 so,
Mr. Prick said; WELL gentlemen, you
have heard what the representative Of
the controlling interests in the Frick
Coke Company has said about the price.
| don't see that there is any use OF my
staying longer" With that Mr.. Frick
walked out OF the meeting, humiliated.
II IS said that he never forgave Mr..
Carnegie or Mr.. Walker for this
slight.
Henry G. Frick was born in the viii
liage OF West Overton, Westmoreland
county, Pa, Decent Der 10. 1S49. His
father was farmer, of Swiss ancestry,
His mother was OF German ancestry,
and the daughter of Abraham ODER
holt, the leading distiller of his time
in southwestern Pennsylvania. Young
Frick was educated in the country
school, but his desire for practical
business educa ton led him to leave
school at an early age and secure e posi-
tion in a dry goods store in Mount
Pleasant. Pa. Several years later be
became bookkeeper for his grand
father at Broadford, Fsyette county,
Pa, and while there his attention was
attracted to the value OF coking the
coal deposits in the vicinity of Broad
ford. Coke making then was in it's in
fancy as an industry. 1t was q BUSH
ness with W hich FricS was not famil-
ar, but he made G thorough investiga-
ton of it and entered into partner
ship with men IL the locality. He
bought small piece OF coal land and
Quilt about fifty ovens for the man
ufacture of coke. This was his first
business venture. and from this has
grown the e. G. F'rick Coke company,
which controls a bout 16, 900 of the 49,
600 coke ovens in the Coz nellsville' dis
trict. E.Aslsaa - -. 49,
The Carnegie and Frick companies,
with their allied interests, employ
from thirty-fiye thousand to fifty
thousand men, upon whom are de-
pendent from one hundred and seventy
five to two hundred Thousand persons.
The Carnegie company alone pays out
in wages over 81, 500, 900 month.
Mr.. Frick has two hobbies-music
and pictures. His home is filed with
the rarest examples of the art of paint
ing. His private collection of pictures
is one of the best in the country.
When not at his office Mr.. Frick can
generally be found walking near his
home or entertaining his children, to
whom he is very devoted.