The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-09
STORY OF STEEL KING.
HOW ANDREW CARNEGIE MADE
HIS WAY.
Elements of Success-Climbed Up
From Bottom of the Ladder-Seized
Opportunities Once Received
Wages of Twenty Cents "A Day.


Opportunities Once Received
Wages OF Twenty Cents "A Day.
From the Pittsburg Post.
Andrew Carnegie, whose retirement
from participation in the affairs of the
great steel corporation which bears his
name was announced yesterday in the
Post, rests from a career remarkable in
a hundred ways. Success rewarded his
efforts in almost every fed he entered.
and to him the word failure had no sig
nificance. That he amassed almost I'M
told millions as the result Of his efforts is
but an incident. 1t is the force and gen.
ius of the man, developing and directing
industries of such gigantic proportions,
competing with the world for the control
of markets, holding the reins of a multi
tude of varied interests with a firm and
stead hand, which compels admiration.
The laurels he has won were not bestow-
ed upon him as a plutocrat, but as a
master in the industrial world.
He was born Nov. "a, 1895, at Dumfern-
line, Scotland, and his ancestors were Of
the sturdy Scotch stock, good fighters and
devout Presbyterians. His father was
a weaver and a master in his humble
occupation There was no poverty about
the Carnegie home where thrift was one
of the exalted virtues. With something of
the far-sightedness which in after life
characterized the son, Andrew Carnegie's
father turned his face toward America.
The cloth market was dull and the pros
poets goomy, so when the youth was
but IL years old the family, consisting Of
father, mother and two sons, set out for
America. It was learned that there was
work to be done in this section, so the
father settled in Allegheny.
Employment was found by the father in
a cotton mill, and Andrew began to earn
his own living also as a bobbin boy at
$40 a week. From that job he went to
the bobbin factory, where he fired the
boiler and ran the engine. About this time
the family moved to East Liverpool, o.,
but their stay there was brief, and the
domicile was once more fixed to Ale
ghany. Returning to the cotton mill, the
future millionaire was taken into the Of
flee. His education was most meager
He had learned the rudiments of arith-
metic and the other common branches,
and could write a fair hand.
The attainment to a clerkship was to
him a great step toward fortune in those
ton from thrift and economy. The father
worked hard ali day in the cotton mill,
while the mother added what little she
could to the family exchequer by binding
shoes.
Became q Messenger.
When Andrew Carnegie was "A years
old he became a messenger in the Allie
gheny and Ohio telegraph Office, lowly
position to look back upon by the possess
or of so much present power, but he threw
into his work the same energy which has
always characterized him. In the same
office with him and employed in the same
capacity was Robert Pitcairn, supern-
tendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
His ambition was quickly aroused to be-
come a telegraph operator, and with pa
thence and diligence unusual in one so
young he soon mastered the intricacies
of reading by sound and transmitting
messages 1t seemed to him that he had
reached the zenith of his career when he
secured a position as a full-fedged OPP
orator at a salary of $25 a month. In spite
of the fact that all this money found its
way into the inevitable family treasury,
he never ceased to take an interest in his
work. He cared little for the frivolities
of life.
His first outside work was copying the
press telegraph reports for the newspa-
pers. Another operator who had the work
gave him the employment and the re-
enumeration was 81 a week. but this extra
money was his own. His next advance
ment came when the Pennsylvania Rail
road was completed to Pittsburg. Supt.
Thomas A. Scott, in charge of the Pitts
burg division, offered him a place as an
operator and clerk at a salary of $35
month. For thirteen years he remained
in the service of the railroad company,
ever alert to the interests of his en-
ployers and never afraid of work. HIS
promotion was rapid, but it was won by
untiring zeal and capability alone. He
emerged as the superintendent of the
Pittsburg division, the position which Mr..
Scott filled when young Carnegie was
first employed His chief had arisen TO
the presidency of the railroad.
He made his first business venture when
yet clerk for Mr.. Scott, and the money
was not raised without great effort Mp.
Scott casually asked him If he had 500
to invest, and he answered promptly that
he thought he had. How strong quail
fication the word Thought" placed upon
his answer may be understood when 1t
is known that he had almost no ready
money and the requisite amount was only
raised by mortgaging the Carnegie home.
The venture with Mr.. Scott consiste' OF
buying ten shares of Adams Express
Company stock. which was then pay ng
per cent. a month. 1t was his mothers
influence which helped him to secure the
funds, for she had an abiding faith in
her boy.
His First Note.
Later, while employed by the railroad,
he fell In with Josiah Woodruff, the In
ventor Of the sleeping car. He was ingen-
ious enough to perceive the value of the
scheme when shown the model, and he
introduced Mr.. Woodruff TO Mr. Scott.
After a conference a contract was enter
ed into with Mr.. Woodruff TO place sleep
ing cars on the road The inventor offer
ed him an interest in the business. He
went TO a local banker to raise the $3.50
his first monthly payment on his stock
He arranged 20 get the money when be
needed It and 10 pay q back In INSTALL
ments OF si5 a month. When this arrange
ment was entered into Mr. Carnegie sign
ed his first note
when be WIS made superintendent Of
the Pittsburg division, having his resi-
dence IN Plttsburg, he arrived at the con-
cluFi0n that sooner Or later wooden
bridges would be replaced BY iron. The
reattlf of thfa tlna WAS the organization