The Minneapolis journal., 1901-05-27

Copyright. 1901. by Victor r. Lawson.)
When Charles M. Sehwab, whom j. Pier
pont Morgan has selected to be the presi-
dent of the United States Steel. corporation,
boarded with Mrs Richard Stevens OF Brad
dock, Pa, he promised her that if he ever
got to be worth S100, coo he would give her
$l,OOO. That was twenty-o years ago, short
ly after Schwab left his home in the Allie
Sheny couItains to make his fortune. Some
days ago, before removing TO New York, he
was at Braddoek bidding farewell to friends
and the men who had worked under him.
Mrs. Stevens laughingly reminded aim of
his promise in the old days, when on winter
evenings he studied his books by her sitting
room hre. After he went to New York he
sent her one CT the new $1,000 bonds of the
Carnegie company by way of redeeming his
promise
Mr. Schwab was born in Williamsburg,
Blair county, Pa, Feb. 10. 1862. few
miles from Williamsburg is the old college
town of Loretto, and to that place the parents
OF young Schwah moved His father pur-
chased country livery stable and while
Charley was attending st. Francis college
he drove the hack carrying passengers and
mails between Loretta and Cresson, the latter
being the nearest railroad station.
As Grocery Clerk and stake Driver.
~ AOACllO Ou DuSlOSSS Trips WSnI a. H.
! Speiglemire, grocery salesman. He hired
teams from Schwab's father, and Charley"
was generally sent to drive him from one
| place to another. He liked the boy who
frequently expressed a desire to get away
from the country and go to Philadelphia or
TO Pittsburg. When Speigelmire purchased
a grocery in Braddock he wrote to the
young man, offering him position as clerk.
| Young Schwab-he was Is then-jumped at
fho
| money to pay his railroad fare, he quickly
arrived at Braddock, where he went to work
wrapping up soap, weighing sugar and meas
uring calico all day and slept in the store
| at night.
| Past the store on his way to and from the
| Carnegie mills went Captain William r.
Jones, then the general manager of the Brad
dock works. He frequently stopped to buy
tobacco and made the acquaintance of the
busy clerk. Like his partner, Andrew Carne-
| gle, Captain Jones was always looking for
bright young men who never thought about
working overtime. He offered Schwab
position driving stakes with an engineering
corps. The young men accepted it and drove
stakes so well that in less than a year he
was put in charge of a corps
Early every morning Schwab was at his
work before any one else. The friars at
Loretto had given him a good general school
ing, but for ambitious boy it was not
enough He had no money but Captain Jones
sent him to Pittsburg business college. He
afterward took a special course in engineer
ing, and while other young men in the
employ OF the company were cursing their
luck Sehwab was going ahead Of them.
Young Schwab and Andresv Carnegie
/ Schwab first attracted the attention Of
Andrew Carnegie by constructing an elevated
road in the Baddock mill yards The great
steelmaker was SO pleased with it that he
put the young man at the head of the engf-
neering or construction department Sehwab
had charge of the erection of several blast
furnaces that were wonders in the steel
manufacturing world. He designed improve
ments that saved the company many thous-
ands Of dollars each month. In less than two
years from the time he entered the employ of