Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-11
"Dick" Waite, Formerly Of This
City, Dies Three Days Be-
fore Date of Promotion
NATIVE OF STEAMBOAT ROCK
Strange Fatality Appears to Be Follow
ing Big Men of the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company Waite Boy
Here, Son of a Former Druggist, anc
Only Six Years Ago Drew se5 .
Month. ,s.a.

Word received by the T.-R from
Denver, Col, announces the sad end to
a former Marshalltown boy, Richard
NJ. Waite, son of r. H. Waite, former
South Third avenue druggist. MI.
Waite was, at the time Of his death. as
sistant to the president of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company, the $4,000
900 corporation backed by the Gould
interests. What makes the death even
| more sad is the fact that young Waite
had worked hard for six years to at
tain advancement, and was on the
eve of a promotion to q $4,000 position.
Had he lived until Wednesday, the 10th,
he would have been elected by the di-
rectors in New York as vice presi-
dent.
Residents of 1.-The city will remember
| the Waites, and several young men
here today were boyhood friends OF
Guy and Dick" Waite. The Waite
home was, for several years, on North
Fourth street, next to the old A. n.
Wilbur home, now the l.. Derby resi-
dence. The house stood on the COR
ner Of Fremont and Fourth, where the
foundation is still in existence. Later
the family moved to Boone and Sixth,
the first door north of Judge CasWell's
home, where they lived until they
moved to Kansas City In 1892 The
Waites came here from Steamboat
Rock. where the son Richard was born.
A strange fatality appears to be toll
lowing the officials Of the big western
concern. Frank j. Hearne, former pres
ident, died but recently, and A. G.
Cass, John A. Kebler and ]. L. Jer-
ONE, three OF the big -Four" that
formed the company, are now dead.
George e. Glib, assistant to the presi-
dent Just preceding Waite, died Of ov-
erwork, and following Mr.. Waite's
death it is feared that John T. Keb-
| Ter, general manager, is going to die
shortly at Trinidad, OF ptomaine pois-
oning, due to eating canned salmon at
one. OF the company mining camps.
Denver Account Of Death.
The Denver News, in announcing Mr..
Waite's death, says in its issue of Nom
day:
Richard NJ. Waite, assistant to the
president Of the Colorado Fuel and Iron
company, died yesterday noon from
diabetes, at his residences 1881 Palorna
street. Had he lived until Wednesday
he would have been vice president of
the fuel company, elected by the board
| of directors in session in New York,
and placed on the pay roll at a salary
lxof $4,000 a year. He was receiving
| $500 a year at the time Of his
4 death.
.'Six years ago Mr.. Waite was but q
| voucher clerk at $65 a month. No. In
fiuence or pull made this change. It
was hard, work, the daily strain; which
! brought death almost before it brought
the qualification OF ambition.
| Waite was q genius for work; but
he worked harder than mere mortal
man could sustain. His labor made
possible a phenomenal rise In a half
| dozen years, but the greedy hand OF
death reached out for it's reward for
| the violation OF the ordinary rules of
the game OF life.
"The story OF Waite's life is like
reading the pages of a Sunday school
book about the poor little boy who
worked hard and grew up to be
millionaire But the book of Waite's
life is as one Of these Sunday school
volumes, old and torn, with the last
chapters fallen away; so that the read
er, just as he reaches point where
| Waite is to enter into his own, is forced
| to lay aside the work. There are no
more chapters.
4 Richard M, Waite, was SO years
OF age. He was a poor boy and
at 16 was forced to leave school and
earn his own living. He went a year
| later to Kansas City and worked for
| the Armour Packing company. In 1899
he came to Denver and became voucher
clerk for the fuel company, first at $65
and then at SIS month. Like any
other large establishment there are
here vast number of clerks who spend
much time looking at the clock. They
work with the object ofNdragging along
until time to go home. At luncheon
| time they rush madly on the SECOND to
1.-THE elevator. They never put in an ap-
pearance around the offices unless
! forced to do so. This habit is no more
pronounced with the fuel company en-
ployes than anywhere else. 1t Is the
habit of men and women who work for
| A. lifetime and wonder why they are
not promoted
Waite was not Of these. He shaved
| to master the business of the steel
company and became invaluable to the
concern.
Talking with Cass E. Harrington, at
torney for the company, Waite volun-
tarily declared:
II have always regretted my lack Of
a technical education. am spending
my evenings inN securing technical
knowledge Metal1urgy and chemistry
are two subjects which have already
pored over assiduously and will be
master of them and all other details of
science allied with our business. My
head almost breaks open sometimes
working on these things; but have
determined to be master of it ALL"
That was the Waite idea. He would
be master; but altho he conquered
much he was not permitted to con-
quer death.
While working up in the business,
Waite became a regular fiend on cost
sheets. He pored over them day and
night and became familiar with de-
tails which, when corrected and re-
formed, saved vast sums to the COM
pany. Lessen the cost" was his con-
slant watchword. and its successful APP