nd 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.

William once sold to our neighbor,