Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-09
OCTOGENARIAN CLERK
ONCE COMPANION OF CARNEGIE
AND TOM SCOTT.
Some Interesting Facts Told - Great
Steel King Was Once a
Telegrapher.

A one-time associate of Tom Scott, the
railroad king, and Andrew Carnegie, the
iron master, Is at present a clerk In the
pension office in this city. ]. Howard Lar
combe is his name. He was born in New
Jersey In the closing year of President
Monroe's administration, and the major
portion OF his life has been spent in the
service of the government. His early life
was spent in his native state, where for
several years he was an instructor in the
public schools.
After Professor Morse had given to the
world his great invention, the art of teleg-
raphy, young Larcombe happened to be in
Philadelphia, where he witnessed the mys-
ter1es of this new method of communica-
ton. He was attracted by it's possibilities
and accepted an invitation to study the
matter and master Its intricacies Tele-
graphing was then conducted. not by sound
as at the present time, but by a regularly
written alphabet, consisting of dots and
dashes, which were transmitted to paper
by the receiving instrument. Mr.. Larcombe
was provided with an alphabet and an In
strument and soon mastered the science.
This was in 1877 so about three years
| after the invention received its first demon
stration.
A vacancy occurring in the office at Lam
caster. Pa, young Larcombe was sent there
as an operator After some months service
he was transferred to Harrisburg to fill a
temporary position, and was again trans
ferred to Pttsburg, where he remained for
a number of years.
One of the best-known employees of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, in vari-
Gus capacities from 1851 up to the time of
his death was Thomas A. Scott, afterward
known as Scott, the railroad king. Scott
was a native of Louden, Franklin county,
Pa, and his early life was spent amid
humble surroundings. A few miles from
Mercersburg, in the same county, there is
plain country ledger kept in a country
store in 1913 one of whose entries reveals
the fact that Tom Scott, clerk, was charged
with suit of clothes, $40 out of his month
ly salary of $12.
While Larcombe was employed by the
Ohio Telegraph Company, then operating
the lines of the Pennsylvania road Andrew
Carnegie bright Scotch youth of fourteen
years, who had come to the United States
in 1913, and had spent a year or two as
weaver's assistant In Allegheny at a sal
airy of 81 a week, served as messenger
boy. Andrew was an unusually promising
lad, and soon mastered not only the duties
of messenger, but the art of telegraphing
as we'll He was a favorite with the COM
pany and rose rapidly in salary and posi-
ton.
During this period one of the operators
with I,arcombe was David Brooks of Con-
necticut. He was a man of some thirty
five or forty years of age and had the repu-
tation of being a skilled checker player
He volunteered to teach young Carnegie
the intrcacies of the fascinating game. In
the first few games he defeated the young
Scotchman, but subsequently he utterly fail
ed to win a game. The Scotch lad was sue
ceSsful then he has been since in every
thing he undertakes.
Mr.. Larcombe, who is distant relative
of Lucy Larcombe. the noted authoress,
went south about 1855 and at the opening of
the war was resident of Huntsville, Ala.
Like many other Alabamians he espoused
the cause of the Union. When BuelIs army
appeared there in 1862 he was an operator
for Gen Ormsby NJ. Mitchell, between whom
and Gen. Buell. bitter feeling existed. AS
the result of an interview the two officers,
Gen. Mitchell had Larcombe transmit a dis
patch to Washington asking to be relieved
from command under Buell.. Within an
hour a reply was received, directing
Mitchell to report at Washington, prepara-
tory to assignment to a command farther
south on the coast, where he soon died.
After the departure of Mitchell, Larcombe
was an operator for Gen. Lowell H. Rous-
seau, and accompanied the latter to Nash
Vile
Later in the war Larcombe came to Wash
ington and through the aid of Defries. the
public printer, was introduced to President
Lincoln and given employment. Later he
secured position in the pension office and
has held it ever since.
Though past the allotted period of life,
Mr.. Larcombe retains much of his former
sprlghtliness, both of action and express
sion.