The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-01-24
A Former Washburn Boy


of Washburn and especially to the
workmen at the Dupont plant.
Guy Lane Warden
This is the story of the poor boy
who rose to fame by the sweat of his
brow, the strength of his neck and
the gray matter in his Uranium. 1t
might have been written by HoratfOn
Alger- and perhaps has been for all
we know--for it is really too good
to be true.
In the usual Alger novel, as we
remember it, the youthful hero is
always prosecuted by a Bpiteful step
mother and almost always is driven
from home by erring public opinion.
After saving the beautiful heroine
from the runaway team, father-in-
law-tO-be gratefully takes the boy
into his Office, and after many trials,
some few mistakes and numerous in
stances of wisdom far beyond his
years., our hero saves the business,
becomes immensely wealthy by be-
ing discovered as the rightful heir
of the Bunkum millions, and thus
endeth the last chapter, with wedding
bells and the sound of softly falling
coupons, clipped by the boy wonder.
There is usually a william who acts
in the most inhuman manner at all
times, always gets the worst of it
and always comes up smiling until
the last chapter puts the final quietus
on his Vaccinations.
Our history varies from the stock
synopsis in setal only. The essential
figure is there-the boy who start
ed out in life with a good constitu-
ton and the desire to run things.
Guy Lane Warden-for that is his
name-first breathed the piney air
of Washburn, Wisconsin, twenty
nine years ago. We take this oc-
casion to deny the base calumny that
he is of Swedish or Danish parentage.
Frank Kennedy assures us that Doc
tor Cook could never get away with
any fairy tales about North Poles, or
the reasons for low steam pressure,
with this bird; so We can safely as,
,sert that young Warden was then
and is now all American. We can
also deny the statement that he was
born with a cant-hook in one hand
and a flOw-meter in the other. Just
a plain, red-headed kid, little bit
tougher than the rest, who usually
had his way.
Public school polished but did not
finish him. The Manual Training
High School managed to instill a
modicum of learning into his brain,
and turned him loose at the age of
sixteen, six feet talps husky as
young bull moose, and keen to take
the lid off the world to see what made
it go around. The first winter Guy
left the High School he hit for the
woods-not that he had very far to
60, but it was the hardest work to
be found whereabouts, and that just
suited him. Swapping was his first
job Che denies ever having been
"cookee" for a woods-gang), but after
a few weeks he was advanced to seal
err During the next two winters
the woods knew him as kid who
earned a mans pay; the summers
found him working at the Barksdale
plant of the dupont ompany. Here,
again, is an example Of his youthful
sagacity. . He was wise enough to
pick out Washburn as a good town
to be born in, for it was only five
miles from the Barksdale plant, and
made his inception into the dupont
OF ganization natural and easy.
His first job as a duPonter-here
comes the first rise from the bottom
we were telling you about-was Elec-
trician's Helper. Sixteen and one
half cents an hour was the princely
wage which he forced from the pay
master. Think of that, oh We Of
little faith! Soon his ability-or
nerve-forced the job of Electrician
out of his boss, and not long after
that, Chief Electrician.
Right here we pause to call the
readers attention to the fatal finger
of Destiny, which pointed to the flu
ture in other lines than that of the
juice-shooter, and made him give up
his position-yes, it was position
by this time, instead Of job-at 40
cents to take a Power Hous Engine
er's job at rs cents. Steam was his
meter, and he realized it!
There isn't much use in going any
farther with the story of his rise-he
just riz, that's all! Left the employ
of the company for about year to
work in Duluth as a Machinist and
Chicago as an Electrician, but came
black home" and was glad to get
there! His work with the company
comprises service at Barksdale, Has
kell, and the one best bet in the Or
ganization, Hopewell. (Oh, yes,
friends, we admit IT'D At the present
wrinting he is Power Superintendent.