New-York tribune., 1919-08-12

had become a mouldcr in pottery, and
frequently visited club where checker
players gathered. Young Andrew at
tunes accompanied him, and on one oc-
caslon met there a Mr.. Brooks, who was
manager of a telegraph Office. The
elder Carnegie told Brooks he didn't
Know what 10 do with his boy.
send him TO my Office" said the latter,
and will make a messenger of him"
Mr.. Carnegie once described this new
job as "a TRANSFORMED from darkness
to light" "Mv only dread' he contin-
ued, "was that | should some day be
dismissed because ! didn't know the
city. l knew that messenger bov
ought to know all the firms and adj
dresses of men who were in the habit
OF receiving kilograms. However,
made up my mind that | would learn to
repeat successfully each business house
IN the principal streets, and was soon
able to shut my eyes and begin at one
side of Wood Street and call every firm
IN succession to the top. and then pass
to the other side and call every firm to
the bottom
From messenger boy he soon rose to
the post of operator. When a messen-
ger he used to get to the Office earlier
than necessary in order to study the
instrument and alphabet. AS opera tor
he received what to him then was the
enormous salary Of $25 month. He
also did extra work in the way of fur
nlshlng the telegraphic news to the
Pittsburgh newspapers. This increased
his income about IS each month.
His First Investment.
With the completion OF the Penn
syivania Railroad to Pittsburgh, Thorn
as A. Scott was sent there as division
superintendent. His coming made a
decided change in the boys opportuni-
ties, for Mr.. Scott, attracted by the
lads energy, offered him the place Of
operator in his Office, at a monthly
salary of S35. Mr.. Scott's liking for
young Andrew finally led him to sug-
gest that If he had $500 it might be
we'll Tor him to invest it in Adams Elk
press Company stock.
The father. meanwhile, had died, and
the ready money i'll the family at the
time this proposal came amounted to
considerably less than $500 Andrew,
however, as was his invariable custom.
told his M her what Mr. Scott had
said, and she decided to mortgage
their little home. She took a river
steamer to Ohio and secured the neces-
sary cash from a brother. When the
1lrst dividend came, in the shape of a
check Tor $40, the mother and son were
overwhelmed with joy. Mr.. Carnegie' =
career as capitalist was launched.
"A short time after this first venture
Mr. Woodruff strolled into tie rail
road Office one day and drew from his
pocket model for q sleeping car. The
value OF the invention was immediately
recognized by the young operator, who
got together all the funds possible and
joined Woodruff as a partner in de-
velopng the new idea and putting it
on on the market: The cars were tested
by the Pennsylvania and pronounced a
success. According to Mr.. Carnegie.
the sleeping car investment brought
MN his first considerable return The
company later disposed Of its holdings
at large figure, and the enterprise be-
came known under its present name
the Pullman Company
Devised New Cipher System.
When the Civil War broke out Mr..
Carnegie was assigned to duty in and
around Washington, being placed in
charge of the telegraphc service.
WAlle at this work he helped devise
the war cipher system, which was later
adopted. In referring to this expe-
rlence he said that he was the third
man wounded in the war lie had been
sent out to inspect the wires between
ElDrldge junction and Washington, and
found that the Confederates had
PINNED several Of them to the ground