274 ANDREW CARNEGIE 



its book value. The young men were not permitted to as- 

 sume any financial obligation, and not until their share was 

 fully paid by the profits, and there was no further liability 

 upon it, was it transferred to them. Thus thoughts of possi- 

 ble loss never prevented concentration upon their daily duties. 

 They were not absorbed in the daily quotations, for the shares 

 were not upon the stock exchage or transferable. This policy 

 resulted in making some forty odd young partners, a numbei 

 which was increased at the beginning of each year. 



We did not fail to see, as the works enlarged, how much 

 success depended upon the mechanical men, the superin- 

 tendents and foremen, yet not one of these had up to that 

 time been admitted as partner. The business and the me- 

 chanical men — office and mill — were still widely separated. 

 Well do I remember the first attempt to bring these two 

 departments into closer relations. It was made with our 

 Captain Jones, well known and appreciated as being in the 

 foremost rank of managers, perhaps the foremost of his day 

 in America. He came to us as a working mechanic at 8 

 shillings per day. I explained to the captain how several of 

 the younger men in the business department had been made 

 partners and were actually receiving much greater rewards 

 than he, while his services were at least equally valuable, 

 and informed him that we wished to make him a partner. I 

 shall never forget his reply. "Mr. Carnegie, I am much 

 obliged, but I know nothing about business and never wish 

 to be troubled with it — I have plenty to trouble me here in 

 these works. Leave me as I am and just give me a thunder- 

 ing salary." "Hereafter," I said, "the salary of the presi- 

 dent of the United States is yours, Captain," and so it re- 

 mained till the sad day of his death. My seniors, the presi- 

 dents of the other manufacturing concerns, did not fail to 

 take me to task for ruining the steel business by paying a 

 mechanic more salary than any of them received. Being 

 much the youngest of these great dignitaries, I humbly con- 

 fessed my wrongdoing, not, however, failing to inquire if 

 they knew where we could find two or three more Captain 

 Joneses at double the price. We did not overpay the captain; 

 he was worth several ordinary salaried presidents. The cap- 



