Carnegie takes job at Pennsylvania Railroad. Andrew becomes the personal telegrapher and assistant to Thomas Scott, the superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad's western division, and is paid $35 per month. He learns the ins and outs of the railroad industry, and makes innovations like keeping the telegraph office open 24 hours per day, and burning railroad cars following accidents, which clears the tracks and gets the trains moving quickly.
Will Carnegie dies at age 51.
Although Andrew is becoming successful in America, Will Carnegie has not been able to find work as a weaver. He then tries to produce his own cloth, traveling as far as Cincinnati to peddle it, but can find few buyers. When he dies, Andrew is 20 years old and the only breadwinner in the family.
Carnegie invests in sleeping cars.
Carnegie takes out a loan from a local bank and invests $217.50 in the Woodruff Sleeping Car Company. After about two years he begins receiving a return of about $5000 annually, more than three times his salary from the railroad.
1856Carnegie puts down a strike.
An informant tells Carnegie of an upcoming strike and gives him a list of the labor organizers. Carnegie passes on the information to Thomas Scott, who fires them. The strike is broken before it begins.
Carnegie promoted at Pennsylvania RR.
Carnegie becomes the superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad's western division. He is now in charge of his own department and earns a salary of $1500 per year. He and his mother move to the upscale suburb of Homewood.
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