The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-08-24
POOR BOYS WHO T0ILED ON
AMID MANY Difficult
TIES.
Lawyers Early Struggles to Rise
From obscurity-An Author Who
Had the Germ Of Genius and
Didn't Know It-Rolling Mill
Employe Who Made Start
ling Find by Using His
Wits,

John W. COTS name is familiar to most
Ireland, a poor boy, thirty odd years ago,
and found employment as a porter in H.
| B. Clafiin's dry goods store in New York.
he attended to his duties at the store
in the day time and spent his evening
| hours at an evening school. One day
an errand took him into one of the
local court rooms. He sat down and
heard lawyer sum up a case. Then
he said to himself: why can't be
a lawyer?" Within an hour he had de-
cided that he could and would be one
That afternoon, when his days work
was ended. he bought some law books
and began to study them. His room
mate, a young man named Fitzgerald,
decided that he, too, would be a lawyer
So they set to work together, toling days
and studying night. Charles OConnor
and others gave them encouragement
from time to time, and. in the face Of
a hundred difficulties and obstacles, they
persisted in their task. BY and by they
were admitted to the bar and began to
practice. Today both are well known
judges on the New York bench and noted
for commanding talent.
of Seventy sixth street, New York,
stands charitable institution known as
the East Side Settlement house, attached
to which is free library, formerly pre-
sided over by William s. Booth. Six
years ago a man named Herbert r. Ham
blen commenced to visit the library. 1t
soon come out that Hamblen was an
engineer, in charge OF one OF the city
engines near, but that in other years
he had been a sailor and had been buff
feted about all over the globe. Mr.. Booth
had also in his time. been a sailor. and
the two men quickly became fast
friends One day, after they had been
getting on together very comfortably for
several months, the engineer told of
particularly interesting experience of his
in the East Indies. When he had fin
ished, his friend, the librarian, remarked:
'Hamblen, you are an idiot to sit here
telling me those stories, when you might
make better use of them"
What would you have me do with
them then?" asked Hamblen.
Put them in book" was the reply.
AS a result of the conversation vol
ume entitled ION Many Seas" after
wards appeared and as an accurate. vi
vid portrayal of the life with which
it deals there is nothing superior to it,
1t passed through dozen editions in as
many months and is now ranked among
the classics of the sea. Its author has
since written and published several 9TH
err successful books.
Bernard Smith went to work In a
Pittsburg rolling mill when he was IL
years old, and at 80, by industry and
frugality. he had become manager and
J part owner of a small iron plant. One
| day, in examining some iron which it
was thought a careless workman had
] spoiled in rolling he found. to his sur
| prise, that the supposed worthless iron
| was superior in many respects to that
| produced by the best equipped mills.
Smith said nothing, but at once began
to search for the cause of the singu-
! lar change. The result of his own ex-
+! perments and his Workman's careless
| ness was what is known among iron
| men as the cold rolled process. In con-
sequence of his discovery his small plant,
| in few years, had grown into a man.
moth establishment and he and his
partners were millionaires.