The Washington times., 1922-08-17
FINANCE
AND
RUsiNEss 1';1
By B. o. FORBES.

ness annals of America contain no
more interesting, no more dramatic,
more inspiring career than that Of
Elbridge A. Stuart, now head Of the
mammoth Carnation Milk Products
Company Of Seattle and thirteen
States, and formerly mule teamster
In New Mexico and later owner Of
ten grocery stores in Ell Paso in the
wild days when everyone In that in.
accessible camp slept with a gun I'M
der or over his head.
Pioneers who have made their
mark in the West usually had to
have backbone. broad shoulders,
strong arms and still stronger de-
termination, grit, courage and dar-
ing. Stuart fought his way to the
top despite the fact that as a youth
he was so crumpled up by inflamma-
tory rheumatism that for spells lasl.
ing more than six months at time
he couldn't set foot to the ground,
but had to hobble around on crutches
Discouragements and dangers and
experiences? Yes, he had his full
share Of them.
BY migrating from Indiana to
Kansas he got rid Of his rheuma-
tism. His first job was shoveling
gravel at $1.10 day. Next he
Joined a gang employed to throw
rock into a river to repair a washed.
away dam. He had had gumption
enough to learn bookkeeping, and
got work as bookkeeper. timekeeper,
paymaster and storekeeper for a
contractor building section of the
Santa Fe Railroad. Stuart regularly
paid all the other workers their
wages, but didn't draw his own pay
until the job was finished-and
then found that there wasn't a
penny left to. meet his first months
salary.
After clerking in a dry goods
store at Lawrence, Kan, for sew
eral years, he decided that he must
strike out for himself in order to
get ahead. Down In New Mexico
the Atchison. Topeka & Sante Fe
was offering $3.50 a day for a mule
team and driver. Sells Brothers
had used to transport their circus
from town to town-railway cars
were to be employed instead-so
young Stuart journeyed many miles
to buy a team for $l75. For 1900
miles he rode In the railway car
which carried food for his mules.
The soft.handed clerk, now turned
muleteer. nearly died from the hard
work. the terrific heat, the poor
water and the bad food. To make
matters worse, there was much
broken sleep because Of fierce raids
by Indians.
Stuart stuck IL out, however, for
about a year, when his knowledge
Of bookkeeping again won him pro-
motion as bookkeeper for a contrac.
tor. But lawlessness became so
rampant that the young man decided
to quit after an outbreak one night
which left two dead bodies at his tent
door and from which he escaped
only by lying fiat on the ground.
Shortly after Stuart returned to
Lawrence, a friend offered 10 ad-
vance him and another young man
SO 900 to give them a start in bui
ness. They added their own sev-
ings to this. put II all into general
merchandise, and headed for FL
Paso, Tex, then $50 miles beyond
the railway connection. Stuart red
soned that FL Paso was destined to
become an important railway cen
ter. land 1t did, But he couldn't
find a single building and resorted
to a tent for a store.
Here again lawlessness aboundcd.
They even cut a hole in Stuart's
tent and stole his gun while he
slept. He Witnessed as mary as
five people killed in half an hour in
a bloody fued. With other decent
citizens, Stuart formed a vigilance
committee and paraded the streets
with loaded guns until they finally
rooted out the cutthroats and ban
dts and other vicious criminals.
BY working from daylight to dark
and canvassing diligently from
house to house for business. Stuart
and his partner prospered. After
fourteen years OF this life he moved
to Los Angeles for the benefit Of
his wife's health and established a
large wholesale grocery business.
Again he did well, but the time came
when he aspired to enter the broader
field Of manufacturing.
He sold out his business and
finally decided to start making evap.
Grated milk. His first plant was a
very tiny affair, located sixteen
miles from Seattle.
He now encountered heartbreak.
ing experiences. Farmers were
afraid that canned milk" would
hurt their business; grocers refused
to spend any money on this new.
tangled product: consumers fought
shy Of II. Stuart trudged round
from store to store carrying tins Of
milk, coaxing grocers to put a few
on their shelves, and offering them
sampleTtins to give away to house
wives. These early years brought
nothing but discouragements and
rebuffs and losses.
But Stuart had always so con-
Quoted himself that people were
willing to lend him money. In
business he had always taken Mr..