The Washington times., 1910-11-13

In the struggling town of Wheeling. He
had saved money enough to buy a few
hogs. He killed them himself. he pre-
pared them for market. weighed and
handed the wrapped packages to the
customer. Sometimes the frau helped.
for Frederick Schenk. the millionaire
Of the future, had married a girl OF his
station Of life. She was frugal, too. The
Schenk fortune. which is today be-
lieved to be the underlying motive Of
Wheelings near-tragedy. was begun on
a pyramid Of pennies.
Meanwhile. sons had been born the
couple, among them John, now presi-
dent OF the Schenk Packing Company.
with its acres Of plant and its hundreds
Of employees. The boys were brought up
In the way Of the father. As soon as
they were able 10 read the death war
rant TO a doomed porker they were ad-
mitted into the firm. And for forty
years no porker has ever squealeG in
its death throes at the Schenk packing
house unless dollar were added 10 the
Schenk fortune.
Thirty Germans
Looked To Future.
BY 1876 Pioneer Schenk had moved
into larger quarters in Market street,
Wheeling. The town had begun TO lock
10 the thrifty German for its meat sup
plies. If the then young town Of Wheel
ing could be furnished with food az
profit, argued Frederick Schenck. why
would not a larger enterprise pay2
The elder Schenk went over 10 Full
ton, a Wheeling suburb, and started a
packing house. Comparatively speak
ing, il was a small AMIR. just as his
basement market had been before it.
II worked but few men and its slaught-
ering pens We're few.
But it grew, month by month, year by
year. The Schenk bank account grew.
too, by leaps and bounds The former
poverty-str!cben German emigrant be
gan to cast covetOUs glances at the oil
wells and the coal fields Of west Vir-
ginia, that State Of wonderful resources
which has made so many millionaires.
He accumulated a little gas stock, a
little coal stock, here and there. And as
ne ventured into other things the
;reights kept moving in and out OF the
Fulton sidetracIls. bearing carloads OF
meat and lard lebeled IF. Schenk &
Sons Company"
Six years ago, at the ripe old age of
eighty years, Frederick Schenk died
He left a fortune estimated at anywhere
FROM five TO ten millions Of dollars
The basement meat market had grown
INTO a mammoth packing establishment
covering three acres of ground. The
Market street retail store had thrice
been enlarged to accommodate those OF
Wheeling VINO demand the best for
their breakfast table. old Man Schenk
left. too, five sons-Otto. Edward John.
Albert, and Lawrence. The latter died
two years ago. The other four are
heirs to the Schenk fortune that is and
is to be-
The present house OF Schenk IL
known throughout the Ohio Valley and
far beyond. There are thousands OF
sputtering natural gas fires paying trib-
ute today TO the foresight Of the Old
German pioneer. OIL wells are belching
that the Schenk boys may be richer,
and coal fields are yielding their black
products, TO be converted into Scenhk
gold.
The Schenk brothers own stock IN gas
companies that are furnishing lights
for Bellaire. Martins Ferry, Bridgeport.
and Wheeling. II they never sell
another pound Of meat, John O. Schenk
and his brothers are so independently
rich that il would be difficult for them
to spend even their income.
More Than Million
Dollars At Stake.
THE +ber - tho ,r-,,ry, 7v,-or1y 90 st,a