Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-20

CIldDlET
of the life story of Andrew Car
negie as depicted by the late Will
liam T. Stead. It seems that the
element Of chance netted the steel
master a colossal fortune.
Mr.. Carnegie was not born rich.
If he ever thanked God, he would
daily thank Him for decreeing that
he should be born poor. To be born
to honest poverty and compelled to
labor and strike for a livelihood IN
youth is the best of all schools for
developing latent qualities, strength
ening character and making useful
come our leaders.
He was born in Dunfermline on
November 25, 1897. the son Of Will
liam Carnegie, a small master
weaver. who was regarded as a prop
ertied man, fairly well to do in the
world because he owned four damask
looms, and was able to employ APP
prentices.
The Carnegies embarked in a sail
ing ship, as the Pilgrim Fathers had
done 200 years before, and they were
seven weeks crossing the Atlantic!
Bitter Experience as Boy.
He had an experience, a rather
bitter experience, of the hardship of
child labor A child Of 10, with the
responsibility of running a steam en-
CINE, naturally felt that he was no
longer a boy, but a man indeed. But
although the work was heavy and
the hours long, he was not unhappy.
He had a good home, and he never
ceased to cherish hope in his breast.
81 was young" he said, land had my
dreams, and something within always
told me that this would not last
When only IA he became telegraph
boy at Pittsburg.
From telegraph boy Mr.. Carnegie
pushed his way upward to become
an operator. This brought him in
salary Of $25 a month"; figure
which, as a boy, he had fixed as the
ideal standard of comfort!
One day Thomas A. Scott, super
intendent of the Pennsylvania Rail
road, who frequently came to the tel
egraph office, and had noticed Car
negie's briskness, offered him the post
svvania Railroad Company. In the
service of that line he remained thlr-
teen years. He began by being tele-
graphic clerk and operator. He left
it after having been appointed to the
post of Mr.. Scott himself that or su-
perintendent of the Pittsburg divi-
sion.
Pay Raised to S35.
His pay went up to $50 a month
He became a favorite with Mr.. Scout
and shortly after he came to the OF
fee his friend and employer suggest
ed to him that If he had $500 to in
vest he could not do better than buy
ten shares in the Adams Express
Company at $50 each.
His mother decided at once that
they must mortgage their home IN
order TO secure the money to give
our bov a start" There was no diff
Guilty about this, as the house was
worth $500. The money was raised,
the stock was bought, and Andrew
Carnegie began his career as capi-
talist
When Mr.. Scott became Assistant
Secretary of War he put Mr.. Carne-
gle in charge of the military railroads
and telegraphs of the Government
Carnegie was then only %, and 1t was
his first experience OF actual war
fare.
Shortly after his return from Wash
fngton he stumbled upon the inventor
of the sleeping car, with whom ne
formed a partnership, which gave MN
another great upward lift. Sleeping
cars paid better dividends even than
the Adams Express Company and
Mr.. Carnegie now began to feel that
he was on the highway to wealth.
But it was when he struck oil ne
made his first big success. He pur-
chased an oil bearing farm for $40,-
600. Its value rose to $5,000,0OO-
that is, the shares Of the company
sold in the market upon this basis
and one year it paid in cash diVi-
dends S1,O00,000.
Starts Bridge Company.
After his appointment as Mr.. SCOTS
successor in the superintendency of
the Pittsburg Division of the Penn
svIvania Railroad, he found that the
company he was serving had begun TO
make experiments with an iron
bridge. He joined with several
friends and started the Keystone
Bridge Works. The Keystone firm
was successful from the start, and
Mr.. Carnegie found that bridge
building paid him better than super
intending railways. He no sooner felt
his feet in the new enterprise than ne
resigned his position on the railway.
Seeing that steel was the coming
metal, Mr.. Carnegie set TO work to
provide a plant to anticipate the IN
evitable demand. He had established