New York Herald from New York, New York • 57

TWELVE PAGES. 1 7 SECTION 6 NEW YORK, SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 1919. "WW- aun Anting ond PutltoMng wcotation. MANHATTAN'S MASTER TOWER BUILDERS By THOREAU CRONYN. a-- DCTY years ago there were three boys in this State who seemed no better favored than countless Inquisitive contemporaries.

One of them. In fact, was so poor Jhat although he ltvd in the country on a farm he never learned to skato becauso he never had a pair of skates which ns everybody knows Is the last word In poverty. The two others wero a little better placed, but not much. Within the last month these three New Torkers. having- passed or nearly attained their three score and ten, liuvM riiftfl fhev havo left monuments which call the very clouds to witness nrnin th nirt utorv of American oppor- tunlty.

To them to Francis Wlnfleld Woolworth, to John Rogers Hegeman end to Frederick Gilbert Bourne-the world owes it threo tullest buildings. The Singer tower rose first, then the nnil then tho Woolworth Hplre, whose noble visualization of the nf fhn hnv too noor to own a of skates moved Arthur Balfour to exclaim: "What am I to say of a city that builds the most beautiful cathedral in the world and calls It an offlco building?" in this order the three tower builders passed away: ncMnt nf the Slntrer com- it rained Its shaft above lower Broadway: Hegeman, president of tho Metropolitan j-uu nwuiou I'ompany, who went the Singer ono lictter with the white sentinel of Madl-nnn Square; Woolworth, who vth them and nroved that nithough the towers of Ilium may have been topless tnose 01 assuredly are not. mH lirnuirht UD on It farm. Bourne was a choir boy In Trinity Church. Hegeman came from i.i.ti.nji nnii" nart of Brooklyn.

Ho had more early schooling than the outers, out two own way. To-day would have been Voolwortb'a sun wrumay, ww day liegeman's 75th. Bourne was 6S. Hegeman and Bourne were of the city and made their fortunes nere by steady progress without setbacks. Woolworth trampled many a thistle, was buffeted long time before the gospel of tho dime and the nickel found Its audience, and when ho finally arrived in New York he was a made man, though not yet a tower builder.

How Their Toncri Pur. The businesses of these three men were dissimilar: there was little similarity in their lives; the buildings they created or were Instrumental in creating each has Its own identity. Three men of different temperaments and histories, they possessed In common great ability, the habit of Industry, and above all Imagination and the ability to turn It to practical use. For let no body supposo that becauso such skyscrapers as these men left may net only a small return on tho money In vestment they do not pay. The writer was about to say that the mero advertising value of the W'oolworth, Singer and (Metropolitan buildings Is beyond computation, but on second thought It is probable that somewhere in the great organizations they represent thero are men who have figured to tho last cent Just what It means in cash to havo tho whole world measuring Its architectural aspiration by the altltudo of the Woolworth, the Singer and the Metropolitan.

Now It Is a most interesting fact that when Woolworth first set out to put up a building In New York his Idea was purely commercial. "I had no desire to erect a monument that would cause posterity to remember me," lie said eight years ago. "I saw possibilities of making a great income producing property in which I could Invest my money." Later he decided to make the home of the executive olllces In New York, as he said, "a monument to tho Woolworth bust-nons." The conception probably never exceeded that. The great Chufu, Cephren, Menkaure and the rest otMhe'j Egyptian kings had the single, vain purpose of Immortalizing their own memory with the pyramids that were tlvlr tombs. Tho Woolworths, tho Hcgcmans and tho Bournes build memorials of past Industry and give hostages to Industry of the future.

Said the practical Woolworth: "Tho highest and largest office building In tho world I Think of tho value of that designation Blmply from the advertising point of view. Tako for Instanco an importer who may have connections in Paris. It 'will bo necessary only for him to tell his correspondents that ho occupies quarters lh tho highest building In tho world. Wherever his business may be spoken of, to whomsoever he may write, he will tell them that he is In the world's highest building. Tako again the millions of persons who visit this city.

What will they go to see? The City Hall, tho Public Library and some of the other great structures, but when they got home, no matter whero In the wldo world they live, tho Jlrst question they will be asked Is 'Did you go to the top of the highest build ing In tho world?" Tho fame or such a building will not only add to pres tige of New York, but to tho building It will be of the greatest valuo." The Froblem of it Site. At the outset his purpose was to obtain a Blto on Broadway for a building to houso the Irving National Exchange Bank. The Idea of making It a tall building arrived while negotiations for tho Park placo corner were under way. It struck him that it would be well to get tho adjoining plot on the south and erect a skyscraper whllo he was about It. Tho bank officers agreed to thut, and iold Woolworth that If he.

would personally stand a largo share of the cost they would let htm call the structure the Woolworth Building. How the rest of tho site was acquired is a story in Itself. 61Z FEET HIGH, 4-1 STOJUEd US 5s m-VMfmMKlK VShL7KKKBKmllnl Francis was he nK S3P9PiHVl wore cowllIde hontd In the winter and iMfmKBBffjyJ barefoot in While WHbIBNHHB.V- y' JBr nthor hnvs lil.ivlnir ball, he was SffV. The METROPOLITAN 700 FEET HIGH, SO STORIES. JOHN HEGEMAN WHO EUILT IT When It was all bought and Archl-1 my Idea was not quite so foolish as tect Cass Gilbert had drawn his plans most people imagined." thero wero muny sceptics, nmong I Ills ambition to "open a storo In whom Woolworth was not numbered, every civilized town In tho world" and "I feel satisfied now that I havo tho Its realization so far as every Ameri-plot," ho said, "and have tho greatest can town of more than 8.000 popula-confldenco In the world that whatever tlon Is concerned.

Is well enough may come tho building will bo the known by now. His early reverses would havo to do all the mcuuest work In tho store deliver packages, wiibh windows, sweep the floor, do all tho pitching hay or raking after tho cart, other cleaning any other dirty Ifn thought then It wan a nrotty tough i work that has to bo done." Woolworth in ten years or saving nau iuci.ru away the magnificent bum of $30. That would keop him going until lary started. He Jumped nt the Job. On the following Monday lie f-aved 33 cents carfare by riding to Water town with his father, who was taking In a load of potatoes.

The snow was three feet deep. 7e- WOULWUKl DUILPIn(s 750 FEET HIGH, 51 STORIES' frying to dlscouinge him. told him he and his note for $300. and started rail- safest investment into which I could put money." 'It cost about J14.000.000. Wool-worth's original contribution was Some of tho capital came from Europe.

Two years ago It was said that Woolworth was the sole owner of the building. If fo, ho had bought up tho, share of others. Any-, way, ho lived to seo verified his prediction as to advertising value. He said In 1917: "Did you know that tho children's school books tell them about tho world's highest building? My secretary recently received a post card from the Pacific coast addressed simply 'Tho Highest Building In tho World." and a letter was received from Germany once with nothing but the name of the pereon to whom it was addressed and "Woolworth no country or city was mentioned. I noticed onco In were known to comparatively fow per sons until quite recently, when ho set down his own biography with this preface: "I do not wish to talk about myself and will consent to do so only in tho hope that the story of the disheartening experiences of a green country boy.

trying to make a start In the business world, may encourage other young men who are sometimes tempted to feel that all the biiHlnets opportuni ties are filled and the roads of success ar closed to them "I can assure them that I had noth ing but discouragement at the start, and even after tho first store was life. Upon later reflection Woolworth. tho merchant, found It good, and said: "It is a great advantage for a boy to start on a farm, not only for the sake of his constitution, but on the farm you learn very llttlo of what Is going on in the world; not UUe the joung man born In the city who sees too much and knows more than good for him." Maybe Bourne and Hegeman dis agreed with him on that point. At 10 he left public school, which ho had attended winters, but put In two more winters at a commercial school in Watertown. Ho hated farm work (future Woolworths, cheer tut liked to make things look tidy around tho house and barn.

On his own hook he cut logs, hauled them to mill, had them sawed Into boards and built a picket fence In front of the houso. Indicated title for a popular biography, "From Picket Fence to the Woolworth Building." He wanted cither to be a railroad lug chli-kena ami potatoes. Ho had mado up his mind ho was not fitted for mercantile life. He hud almost be-como Farmer Woolworth for good when to his amazement Moore Smith asked linn io come back to them "to tone up the uore" at $10 a wutik. Mooro had heard of a store In Port Huruii, that had put In a five cent counter and found it a huge success.

Mnoro went to New York and brought back to Watertown $75 worth of 5 cent goods. It was county fair weelt in Watertown. Mooro and Wool-worth took somo old tables from a sewing room, on them mixed tho new goods with old stuff that had been lying around for years and marked lie AVhn I'onr Salrnninn. "As the sleigh drove away I could vee my mother standing nt the door und she stood then' as long as I was everything cents. The first day's In sight." Thus Woolworth rcmem- sales wero so big thut Mooro tele-bored that morning In March, 1S73.

At I graphed to Ni York for more goods, tho end of six months his pay w.ns "That," Mr. Woolworth said, "was Increased 50 cents a week, but he was 1 the real ln'glnjjing of the fi cent busl-dlscouraged rind continued to be. ness so fur as I was concern? I. 1 be- "I discovered," he said a few weeks llevo thero was never anything In the ngo, "that I was a poor salesman, and history of merchandizing that mil I admit that even to-day tho hardest with such Bii.vess as tho cent coun-thing for me to do to sell goods. But tor.

Customers seemed crniy to get I coutd trim up tho store, display tho anything they could find on tho coun-goods and dross windows qulto well." tor. whether It had any valuo or not From a week at Augsbury I They told everylody what they had Moore's, later Smith Mooro's, ho bought for 5 cents, and soon tho llttlo country merchants camo In and bought at a time, only to come back used to set tho dining table against rnijig was not encourageu. "liko iwo nays laier 101- iw.ee ia iinri xvith iinnanhoM artl. H-out; we don't want any windows more. i Vonninr.

stnre The i trimmed here," said Bushnell when hi "Tim result niHnpr ll.qitnllv tii most IlRCiliattnC Job in the world to the farm boy) or nt to $10 a week at A. Hushnclt A country a cleric In a store. Ho and his brother where his skill at window trim- $.,0 worth was that Mooro A station agent nt Great Bend nau grocery store. He let Woolworth tend tho counter and sell railroad tickets without pay during two winters. That brought the boy to his majority.

He a trado paper In Europe that America was then." was typified by a picture nf tho Wool worth Building, without oven tho name of the buldllng being given. Pet haps opened there was fnllure und plenty of w-as going to be a merchant or know tno reason way. no nunieu mo country around, but nobody wanted an Inexperienced clerk. Eventually Augsbury Moore of Watertown let htm work threo months for nothing and the second three months of trial for $3,50 a week, Woolworth Inter plc-tuwd himself as tho grfenest fellow who ever came oflf the farm. Moore, troublo before tho business was finally established on a secure foundation ten years later.

"And I want to say this: There is Just as good a chance to-day as there On tho farm nt Great Bond, son county. New York, whither tho family moved from a farm at Rodman young clerk had arranged nn nttnie-1 Kmlth's business noon turned Into live display. Ilushnell said there wero big wholesale, house and eventual) boys getting $0 a week who wero sell-1 they wero si lling probably as many Ing more goods than Woolworth was, cent goods as Kprllmnn Brothers and cut his wages to Woolworth wrote a sorrowful letter to his mother. She replied as a mother should, ending with "Some day. my son, you will be a rich man." Tho unharpy clerk didn't believe It.

Worry ovr his failure mado him ill. Ho went Wk to the farm and could do no work for a year. He had married. When lie recovered his strength he bought a four acre turm, giving a mortgage for $600 (wholesalers) In New York. The clerks In tho store got the 5 cent fever and ono after another left ond started ritnll stores for themselves.

"In the meantlmo I was selling goods i nd trying to figure out how I could get Into the. 5 cent Rtore business. I had no money, and thero wa no one to put up money for me. Hon Continued on Clgtith PUB, Iff.