The evening times., 1911-08-09
GATES ) DEATH
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CALLED FORTH
MUCH SORROW
His Heroic Battle For Life
Deeply Moved the People
of Paris
BODY WILL Be BROUGHT TO
AMERICA FOR INTERMEMT

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Funeral Services VIII Be Held at
the INSTRUMENTATION American
Church Where the Body Lies in a
Vault Pending Removal.
Paris. Aug. 9.-The death this
morning Of John w. Gates, the Ameri-
can hnancier. has called forth many
expressions OF regret not only from
nus Wide circle Of acquaintances, but
from numberless Parisians who knew
MIN only as bold and successful
business man, and who had been deem
~ moved by the courageous struggle
which he made against the illness. the
fatal outcome Of which had been
feared. eAA
Mrs. Gates and her son, Charles g,
Gates. are much worn by their long
period Of anxiety and nursing and
mucn sympathy for them is expressed.
All arrangements for the disposition
OF the body have been made by Harry
st. Francis Black, president of the
United States Realty and Improve
ment company Of New York.
Ine body Will be placed in a vault
at lnterdenominational American
church in the Rue de Barri. where it
WILL remain until taken aboard the
steamer for removal to the United
States. Funeral services will be held
at this church on Saturday.
The hOdv will Io koIoy, to,,..
bly on the Kaiser Wilhelm de Crosse.
which will sail from Cherbourg on
Wednesday OF next week. It was on
TINS same steamer that Gates had
planned to sail for New York in the
first week of July.
Ihe official statement Of the phy-
sicians said that the immediate cause
OF death was heart failure, the lungs
having stopped their functions and
smothered the action of the heart.
John w. Gates was born on q small
farm near Turner Junction, now
West Chicago. Ill. ION, May g. 1855, the
son OF Aseasapd MaTysGates. He re-
ceived his early schooling at the dis
trict school near his fathers farm
and then too ka course at Wheaton
college, in Wheaton,, ILL, and at
Northwestern college, at Napieryille.
He had no liking for the monotony of
farm life and decided to enter upon
a business career. His first business
venture was contracting to husk a
netghbor's corn. With the money
saved from this undertaking he
bought one-third interest in q
threshing machine, then q new inyen-
tion.
The crops were bountiful and the
threshtng business SO profitable that
after one year Gates bought out his
partners. While travelling with his
machine from farm to farm Gates be-
came acquainted and fell In love with
Dellora r. Baker, the handsome
daughter Of farmer near st. Charles,
Ill. He was but 19 years Of age and
practically penniless when he mar
ried the girl. He contracted to clear
some timber land for q farmer and
when he fulfilled his contract, he had
81 900 in the bank With this money
he opened hardware store at Turner
Junction. He did good business, but
his ambition was not satisfied. The
possibilities Of the barbed wire busi-
ness, then something new, attracted
his attention and he became travel
ing salesman for Col. Isaac Elwood, a
pioneer in the barber wire business.
Gates soon made for. himself repu-
salesman In the country. He earned
large commissions, but that did not
satisfy him. t'
He decided to start in the business
Of manufacturing barbed wire on his
own account and, after short war
Of competition with Elwood. entered
into partnership with the latter.
Other barhed wire concerns sprang
up and to prevent disastrous compe-
tition Gates and his partner bought
up one plant after another. forming
|a wire trust under the namo Of the
Southern Wire company. with head
quarters in st. Louis. Still later he
formed combination with the Brod-
erick Wire company, near Pittsburg,
Pa. and. having absorbed two other
concerns In tho following years, he
formed tho Consolidated Steel and
Wire company In. 1892. Six years
later he sold out to the Federal Steel
company, after he had organized the
American Steel and Wire company,
now part of the United States Steel
corporation. 1t was originally capt.
TALKED at $50. 100000. Two years later
tho big steel trust was formed by j.
r. Morgan and the Gates companies
were turned into the merger, Gates
wanted to be ono Of the directors Of
the trust. but Mr.. Morgan fearing his
recklessness. did not consider this ad-
visable and kept Gates out Of the
board.
A few years later Gates evened up
his score with Mr.. Morgan, by buying
|up the controlling interest in the
Louisville and Nashville railroad,
which the Morgan forces were trying
Ito obtain. Gates sold out to Morgan