Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-08-11

a new thing. Nobody yentured to
head the dots and dashes by sound.
They were all impressed on tape.
Carnegie is said to have been the
third operator in the United States
to accomplish the feat of reading
messages by sound alone. He prac-
ticed mornings before the regular
operators came around.
One day death message signal
came" he has related. before the
operators arrived. In those days
death messages were the most i'm
portant messages we handled.
ventured to take this one"
He did it correctly and delivered
tie telegram before the regular
force was on duty at all. 1t won
him promotion to the key and
sounder. When the Pennsylvania
railroad put up a telegraph wire
of its own l.e became clerk under
Divisional Superintendent Thomas
A. Scott. His salary jumped to
s35 a month. Mr.. Scott" he OBJ
served, was then receiving SIPS a
month, and 1 used to wonder what
on earth he could do with so much
money"
Head Of Family at 16.
Andrew was 16 when his father
died, and he became at once the
bread-winner for the family and a
true capitalist. He had been told
by his trusted employer that 10
shares of Adams Express stock
could be had for $500, and it was
good investment. At a family
council that night Carnegie's moth
err decided she would mortgage her
little home for $500. The stock
was bought, and it brought month
ly dividends # l per cent.
81 can see that first check of ten
dollars dividend money now" he
said when he became a retired
with millions. 1T was
new to all of. US, for
none of us had ever received any
thing but from toll"
Would Like TO Be Reporter.
AS an American citizen he estab-
lished a magnificent home in New
YORK, on Fifth avenue at Ninetieth
street and at the same time nego-
lated the purchase of the celebrat- |
ed Skibo castle in Scotland. This !
baronial structure he re-
bringing some steel for the |
purpose from Pittsburgh. The es~
late, comprising many square miles
along the Highland coast of Scot |
and, has excellent grouse moors. !
and fishing brooks, in which Car
negie delighted. a golf links which |
le established and a pier off which |
he kept his yacht Seabreeze. One |
way or another he had crossed the
ocean some hundred times, and once |
cok a tour around the world.
On his Skibo castle flagstaff he |
few the stars and stripes and the
anon jack-sewed together.
Internationally Carnegie made
ready use of his pen. His inter
7drlably wound up with an envious
'emark such as 81 would like moth
Lg better than to be a reporter"
He wrote a little for the press in
he days of Horace Greeley, and
alter owned a paper for a time.
Presidents Pension Refused.
There are two Carnegie gifts"
which will be generally forgotten,
since they were never accepted. 1t
vas reported that his anti-imperi-
llism prompted him to offer $685.
100 900 to the United States gov
if it would turn over the
Philippines to the natives for self
government. Later when the ques-
ion or What shall we do with our
-presidents?" was widely discuss
ID, Carnegie's Imagination solved !
he problem. He offered to support
hem on a $4,000 pension every
year so long as they lived, and do
he same for their widows so long |
IS they remained unmarried. The |,
was frowned upon, and
iropped-
Secret of Success
1.-The secret and method of my
success is simple" he said. 81 or
yanized my business into depart 4
nents. I put the best man l could
ind at the head of each department, /
leld him responsible and judged
lin by results. 1 have started more
han fifty men on the road to
Carnegie's mother, to whom he
gave credit for all that
lie was, lived to be an octogenarian,
md so devoted was he to her that /
lie hesitated to marry. In 1883,
however, he married Louise White
ield of New York, by whom he had
me child, daughter. Margaret,
,orn In 1897. His bride was twenty +
7ears his junior. To her and her
laughter probably remains a large
ortune. notwithstanding CarneGia's
'uSsiC sits