| Show JHENRY CLAY FRICK HENRY CLAY was waa born on a form farm near west overton pa about 42 years ago after receiving reca iving a common school abool education he entered a dry goods store etore as assistant aul stant remaining but s short abort time he next became bookkeeper in A distillery at bradford when about 21 years of age he went into the coke business on a small scale in comp company ny with two others the firm being known as aa frick and co the business expanded and became prosperous and in 1876 frick became sole owner having bought out his partners tto the following year he entered into with two iwo other men and to his hie trade in gave a new impetus 1882 the firm of fricka prick co owned am acres of coal land and 1026 coke ovens it was during this year that andrew carnegie became associated with frick there was some mis understanding about coke and the shrewd carnegie noting that frick was the coke king of pennsylvania I 1 entered into with him i in n that industry in 1800 1890 the frick and carnegie corporation po owned acres of coal lands over coke ovens and forty two of the eighty coke plants in the region it also owned railroads water pumping works steam boilers a vast system of tramways tram ways and hones and mules in hundreds over M men en were then employed in the coke works in 1888 stewart the business partner of andrew carnegie in the iron trade died then frick was induced to 40 take his bis place and very soon developed into a waster roaster mind in iron as he had already done in coke both the industries from that time became mo more re or less urit teo prick frick beo becoming oming the active manager of all the works the wealth of of prick frick and carnegie combined to in variously estimated at from seventy to one hundred millions of dollars fifteen or twenty years ago all the hands with few exceptions employed in coke works were native born americans in time a strong sprinkling of english welsh walsh scotch and irish crept in frick was always introducing some reform in wages he kept pinkerton detectives employed as labor laborers gre among the men consequently he always know knew what movements were in progress in 1886 came the great strike by which the english speaking laborers were driven out of the region and thousands of slavs slave huns hone and bohemians Bohem Bohen ians Asne introduced matters went on smoothly until last year when the Connelle vUle coke strike took place in which were involved workers during daring that strike over a dozen persons were killed and many times more wounded by the aid of the he pinker tons the men of 1886 were all ousted and italians negroes and others introduced mr frick is whether justly or otherwise one of the most u unpopular n employers of labor in in this country |
