PARTNERS, BOOKS, AND TRAVEL

When Mr. Kloman had severed his connection with us there was no hesitation in placing William Borntraeger in charge of the mills.  It has always been with especial pleasure that I have pointed to the career of William.  He came direct from Germany—­a young man who could not speak English, but being distantly connected with Mr. Kloman was employed in the mills, at first in a minor capacity.  He promptly learned English and became a shipping clerk at six dollars per week.  He had not a particle of mechanical knowledge, and yet such was his unflagging zeal and industry for the interests of his employer that he soon became marked for being everywhere about the mill, knowing everything, and attending to everything.

William was a character.  He never got over his German idioms and his inverted English made his remarks very effective.  Under his superintendence the Union Iron Mills became a most profitable branch of our business.  He had overworked himself after a few years’ application and we decided to give him a trip to Europe.  He came to New York by way of Washington.  When he called upon me in New York he expressed himself as more anxious to return to Pittsburgh than to revisit Germany.  In ascending the Washington Monument he had seen the Carnegie beams in the stairway and also at other points in public buildings, and as he expressed it: 

“It yust make me so broud dat I want to go right back and see dat everyting is going right at de mill.”

Early hours in the morning and late in the dark hours at night William was in the mills.  His life was there.  He was among the first of the young men we admitted to partnership, and the poor German lad at his death was in receipt of an income, as I remember, of about $50,000 a year, every cent of which was deserved.  Stories about him are many.  At a dinner of our partners to celebrate the year’s business, short speeches were in order from every one.  William summed up his speech thus: 

“What we haf to do, shentlemens, is to get brices up and costs down and efery man stand on his own bottom.”  There was loud, prolonged, and repeated laughter.

Captain Evans ("Fighting Bob”) was at one time government inspector at our mills.  He was a severe one.  William was sorely troubled at times and finally offended the Captain, who complained of his behavior.  We tried to get William to realize the importance of pleasing a government official.  William’s reply was: 

“But he gomes in and smokes my cigars” (bold Captain!  William reveled in one-cent Wheeling tobies) “and then he goes and contems my iron.  What does you tinks of a man like dat?  But I apologize and dreat him right to-morrow.”

The Captain was assured William had agreed to make due amends, but he laughingly told us afterward that William’s apology was: 

“Vell, Captain, I hope you vas all right dis morning.  I haf noting against you, Captain,” holding out his hand, which the Captain finally took and all was well.