DEATH OF ANDREW CARNEGIE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12717, 12 August 1919, Page 5

DEATH OF ANDREW CARNEGIE.

AFTER BRIEF ILLNESS. A NOTABLE CHARACTER. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received August 12, 9.20 a.xn.) NSW YORK, August 11. Andrew Carnegie died at Lenox, Massachusetts, from bronchial pneumonia, alter three days’ illness.

A CAPTAIN OF INDUSTRY, F R 0 M B 0 3 BIN-B 0 Y TO MULTI-MILLIONAIRE. dhe rate Andrew Carnegie, American. captain of industry and benefactor, was born in humbie circumstances in Dunfermline, Scotland, on November 25. 3835. In 1848 bis father, who had a Chartist, emigrated to America, settling |n Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. Ihe raw Scots lad started work at an early age as a bobbiu-boy, in a cotton; factory, and a few years later was as a telegraph clerk and operator. His capacity was perceived by Mr T. A. Scott, of the Pennsylvania Railway, who employed him as a secretary, and in 1859, when Mr Scott became vice-president of the company, lie made Carnegie superintendent of the Mestorn Division of tho line. In this post ho was responsible for soveraT improvements in the sendee; and when the Civil War opened ho accompanied Scott, then Assistant-Secretary of War, to the front- The first sources of the enormous wealth ho subsequently at- , tamed wore Ins introduction of sleepingcars for railways, and his purchase (1861) of Storey Farm, on Oil Creek, where a large profit was secured from the oil wells. But this was only a preliminary to tho success attending his development of the iron and steel industries at Pittsburg. Foreseeing the extent to which the demand would grow in America for iron and steel, ho started tho Keystone Bridge Works, built the Edgar Thomson steel-rail mill, bought out the rival Homestead steel works, and by 1888 had under his control an extensive plant served by tributary coal and iron fields, a railway 425 miles long and a line of lake steamships. As years went by, the various Carnegie companies represented in this industry prospered to such an extent that in 1901, when they were incorporated in tho United States Steel Corporation. a trust organised by Mr J. Pier paid Morgan, and Mr Carnegie himself retired from business, ho was beu'-hr. out at a figure equivalent to a capita] of approximately £IOO,OOO 000. From this lime forward public attention was turned from tho shrewd business capacity which had enabled him to accumulate such a fortune to the public spirited way in which he devoted himself to utilising it on pliilanthropic objects. Ris views on social subjects and the responsibility which groat wealth involves were already known in a book entitled “ Triumphant Democracy,"’ published in 138G, and his “ Gospel of Health.'' (1900). He acquired Skibo Castle, in Sutherlandshirc, Scotland, and made his home partly there and pn,rtly in New York. He devoted his life to the work of providing the capital for purposes of public interest and social and educa tional'-advances. Among these the provision of public libraries in the United States and the United Kingdom (and similarly in other Eng-lish-speaking countries) was especially prominent, and ‘‘Carnegie Libraries” gradually sprang up on ail sides. His method was to build and equip, butonly on condition that th© local authoritics provided site and maintenance and* tuns secured local interest add responsibility. By the end of 1908 ho had distributed over ten million pounds ior founding libraries alone. Ho gave two million pounds in 1901 to start the" Carnegie, Institute at Pittsburg, and the same amount in 1902 to found the Carnegie Institution at Washington, and in both of these and other cases he ndded later to the original endowment In Scotland he gave £2,000.000 in 1901 to establish a trust for providing funds for; assisting education at the Scottish Universities, a benefaction which led in 1905 to Ids being elected Lord Rector of St Andrews, University. Ho was a large benefactor of Tuskegeo Institute, under Booker, Washington, for negro education. He also established largo pension funds—in 1901 for his former employees at Homestead, and in 1905 for American college professors. His benefactions in tho shape of buildings and endowments for education and research are too numerous for detailed enumeration. Mention must be made of bis founding of tho Carnegie Hero Fund Commission in America ('1.90-1) and in tlu>_ United Kingdom (1908) for the recognition of heroism ; bis contribution of -fMO-tUD in 1003 lor the erection of of Peace at ihe Hague, and of £150.000 for a Pan-American Palace in Washington, as a homo for the In- : fernational Bureau of American Republics. In all his ideas he was dominated by an intense belief in the- future and the influence oi the English-speak-ing people, in their democratic Government and alliance for the purpose of peace and the abolition of war! and in the progress of education on unpectavian lines. 1 Ho was a powerful supporter of the movement for spelling reform, as a means of promoting the snread of the English language. Mr Carnegie, married in 1887, and had one daughter, who recently married the sou of a_ former partner. Among other publications by lupi were “ An American Four-in-band in Britain” (1883), “ Round the World ”,(1884), “The Empire or Business” (1902b “Life of James Watt” GfiOo), and “'Problems of To-day ” (1908). THE LAIRD OF SKISQ. A recent article in the “Weekly Scotsman” gave an interesting sketch of Skibo Castle, Mr Carnegie’s Scottish home. It said; Mr Andrew Carnegie has taken what is probably a long farewell of his beautiful Highland home—his “earthly paradise,” as ho used to call it. Broken in health and burdened with the weight of more than four score years; shocked, too, at the "shattering of his hopes of a universal peace—these and other reasons have, it is reported, influenced his decision to surrender his castle of Skibo. and for the first time to settle; in summer quarters on the American j seaboard. It is a far cry from a town

residence in Fifth Avenue, New York, to a country 'seat in the wilds of Suthorlandshire, but Mr Carnegie annually bridged the gulf, and took the keenest delight in doing go. Being on ardent .Scoto-Amencau of fabulous wealth, it harmonised with his sense of tho fitness, of things that the months devoted to business should be spent in hiew York, and that he should seek fresh supplies of physical and mental energy an the land which gave him birth. EARLY LAIRDS. Bin bo Castle occupies a commanding position to the north of Dornoch Firth, hj rom it may be obtained its glorious a panorama of mountain, moor, and loch as can bo found anywhere in broad Scotland. Away to the south stretches too waters of tho Firth, while if the gaze be turned inland the eye rests on tile rugged mountain ranges of Ross and »utherhmd. among which lie hidden lochs Migdale, Laggan, Laro and Buidho, all of which are on the Skibo estate. Bounded by the Duke of Sutherland’s Prop-orty. the estate extends to about 20.000 acres, half of which consists of brown heath and shaggy wood. About 0000 acres are arable land, and the remainder is covered by plantations which anelter the castle from tho cold northern winds.

.laougii oitibo Castle is for the most part a modern mansion, the place-is steeped in traditionary lore. There have osen lairds or Skibo for hundred l3 of years. From the carlv half of the sixtoenfcii century till the middle of the eighteenth the old. castle of Skibo and the adjoining lands were owned by tho Gray, whose progenitor was tjii r '•illiam Grey, Chancellor of Ross, tho castle originally belonged to the •iMsaop of Dornoch, but about the time or tae Reformation that prolate transferred it to John Gray, son of Sir Wilham Gray, who was styled Hereditary , Constable of _ the castle of Skibo. In connection with tins office there was a. banner on which the armorial bearings of the Gray family were inscribed, namely, “arms—a lion rampant within a bordure engrailed with eight thistles, u itmn a shield; crest—an arm erect grasping a heart; motto— ‘ Constant.’ ” In 1570, when the Earl of Caithness was oppressing his tenantry, John Gray, who was then Chamberlain to the Bishop ot Caithness, deemed it prudent to retire with nis son. Gilbert to St Anc.rews, there “ to wait for more favourable times when they might return to taerr native soil without danger.” John Gray died at Skibo in 158 C. The Grav family continued to own the lands of .. kxbo until th{y year 174-1 when, owing to domestic strife. Lieutenant- Robert Gray lost his inheritance. Becoming Major in 1772 in the 80th Foot, he fought in the American War of Independence and died in 1776. •'wm 11 -! tslr i 16 Grays parted with Skibo. he was succeeded in the propnetorship by Sir Patrick Dowall of Edinburgh. A few years later the estate passed into the” hands of the latters nephew, tho Hon George Macxay, son of George, third Lord Rear, this laird considerably improved the property by judicious planting but, seating into financial difficulties’, Skibo changed lianas once more. The now proprietor was a West Indian planter, who, though bearing the name of Will ham Gray, does not appear to have been related to the ancestral lairds of Skiboin 1i ui the estate was sold to George Dempster of Dunnichon, in whoso famDv it remained for nearly a century, i hen again it changed hands, the purchaser this time being Ewan "Charles Sutherland. Despite the fact that the initial sum paid amounted to no less than £130,000, this laird spent in addition large sums in altering and enlarging the castle, in erecting outbuildiugs, and otherwise improving the proMR. CARNEGIE ACQUIRES SKIBO. In 1595 Skibo was again on the market,, and id was at this juncture that -Ur Carnegie came upon the scene. He had been for many years tenant of Many Castle, Aberdeenshire, but- was now desirous or acquiring a Scottish estate of his own. Learning that okibo Castle was for sale he instantly made inquiries, and, being favourable impressed, promptly purchased tho domain for £85,000. Had the American multi-millionaire been a few davs later, bo might have failed to drive such n good bargain, for no sooner was the purchase effected than three other offers were received. As it was. Mr | Carnegie had paid little more than half i the sum originally advanced by M- | Sutherland, the previous owner. Moreover, tho latter, as has been noted, I greatly improved the property. 1 ~ r Gmug.h- Mr Carnegie became laird of : Skibo in 1895, three years were to elapse ore his new domain in the roI mote north of Scotland was ready for ' bis reception. It was not until the ! end of May, 1598. that, together with his wife and daughter, and Miss Whitfield (Mrs Carnegie’s sister), he arrived to take up his abode at Skibo. Or the- auspicious day t-ha tenantry mustered in full force, and th© new laird and bis family were enthusiastically welcomed. Hardly had Mr Carnegie settled on his demesne than he began maturing plans for a comprehensive scheme of alterations, which, ere it was completed. was to cose him fully £50,000- The scheme provided for the demolition of a large portion of tho castle, which wss condemned as unsafe; tho addition of a new wing; the erection of a spar-:car library; and the redecorating and refurnishing of the interior throughout. All these extensive alterations, it is hardly necessary to add, were carried out with great taste and judgment, and on lines thoroughly modern. The result was that Skibo became one of the largest and most magnificent residences in the Highlands-—a fitting home for a multi-millionaire. The approach to the castle by the avenue leading from the road between Bonav Bridge and Dornoch is particularly impressive, buteven more so is the entrance hall—a chamber of noble proportions from which one ascends the grand staircase which is lined with white Sicilian marble.