The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-11-27
Great Ironmaster 8 Fortune Is
Reduced to Twenty Millions
Which Is Devised to Charity
WORLD HAS NO EQUAL
TO HIS BENEFACTIONS
Once One of Country's Rich
est Men SHOEMAKER is Now
to Be Rated Far Down in
Millionaires' List

New ork. November Ib.-AndTew
Carnegie has a fortune today of $780,
100000. OF the vast ealth which
the ironmaster possessed when
| ne started giving away his fortune
twenty years ago in conformity with
his principle of dying poor. that is
all he has left. He is now far down
! on the list of Americas minona.ree.
Mr.. Carnegie has given away about
$3.50. 0U0,0cJ, If interest Were to be
! Included on some Of the funds he
has set aside. the total would reach
/ nearly s400. o00, 900 This sum he
has given away in pursuance of his
belief. as expressed by DIR. Henry S.
Pritchett, president OF the Carnegie
Foundation in his address Wednesday
in Pittsburg. that the man who dies
possessed OF great wealth. and who
| deSotes no part of II To the public
use. has f9ied In life
Devised Remainder to Charity.
The fortune of s20-1o1 400 Ahich
Mr.. Carnegie has left he has de-
vised III his will almost entirely to
charity. Very little will go to his
family. Thus. when his will is made
public, it will be found that he really
made good his boast Of dying poor
There IS. strictly speaking, no record
Ike his in this or any other country
The actual amount of Mr.. Carnegie IS
present fortune was disclosed today by
one " the ironmaster's closest friends.
j Il man who has had the direction OF
the disposal of much of this great
I wealth. While preferring that his
name be not used, this friend made
4 il clear that he believed the time had
come TO make known the extent Of
I Mr.. Carnegie's wealth today in proof
of his deep sincerity of purpose. and
of the manner In which he had car
| ried out his formula Of the respon-
sihility of private wealth.
! 1t was the remarks made by DR..
+ Pritchett at the Carnegie birthday
/ celebration in Putsburg that led the
{ correspondent of the Vtrginian to
make this inquiry as to the exac.
wealth today uf Andrew Carnegie In
that address, oceasioped by the eight
teth birthday of the ironmaster and
Pittsburg's henefactor. Or. Pritchett
spoke OF MIR. Carnegie as oossessin z
today only moderate fortune" af-
! ter giving away nearly $500, 600, 600.
H.. declared he had made vital the
conception that the owner of great
wealth was a trustee for the public
obligated TO divide il for the public
use
Money Turned Back to Public.
j Tie most noteworthy thing about
! Mr.. Carnegie's preaching of the doc
| trine OF the conservation of wealth."
j DR.. Pritchett added. is the fact that
I his practice has squared with his
j preaching. The great bulk of his
! denominations. nearly $500, 200. 600,
t has been turned back by him to the
. public TO be used in the cause OF HUI
man betterment He is today man
Of moderate fortune"
This utterance of the head of the
Carnegie Foundation has served only
to increase the speculation concern
+ ing the actual extent of Mr.. Car
negie's present wealth, speculation
that has been INDUCED in generally
ever since Mr.. Carnegie began years
! ago to announce his immense bene-
factions. That most OF the compu-
tations made have been far from the
mark is indicated by the facts dis.
closed today.
| Gives Real Figure.
1t was when definition was sought
of President Pritchetts term mod.
crate fortune" that this close friend
OF Mr.. Carnegie was induced to give
the real figures of Mr.. CarneGie'i
present wealth. He coupled this with
the assertion that. of course, fortunes
were largely relative. that the term
moderate applied to fortune in the
case Of a man who had given away
nearly $4o0. 100000. was not to Be
accepted as meaning the same as In
the case OF a person of the average
competence.
But however small a fortune OF
SEQ 900. 900 may be relatively in com.
/ parison with the amount of Mr.. Car
negie's total benefactions 1t does not
| mean, as this close friend OF Mr.
! Carnegie explained, that the latter
| believes he has fulfilled his purpose. I,
was in this connection that this friend
made known the fact that Mr.. Car.
negie,s will devises almost his en-
tire remaining wealth to charity.