Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-08-18
STOLEN SECRETS.

cf workmen. He has no secret beyond
that of producing the best article at the
lowest ptice. One hundred years ago,
the case was different. What man dis
covered in the arts, he concealed.-
Wntkmen were put upon their oath, in
i the name of God, mover to reveal the
process used by their employers. Doors
were kept closed. artisans going out were
sea,chcd, visitors were vigorously eNclud-
ed from admission, aud false operations
blinded the wokmen themselves The
mysteries oi every craft were hraged in
by quickest fences of impirical protension
and judicial affirmation.
The royal manumctotes of porcelain,
for example, we're long carried on in Eu
ropr with - sl.i,itof jealous cxclu>iveneSs
His Majesty of Snxony was especially
circumsprct. Not cuntcft with the oath
of secrecy imposed upon his work people,
he would rot nhnte his kiugly suspicion
in favor ofa brother monarch. Neither
king nor kings delegate might enter
within the mbnord walls of Nielsen
/ What is crronrou>lv called the "Drcs
den " porcenin-thNt exquisite pottery
of which the world has never seen the
/ ljkc-wns produced for two hundred
years hv n process 50 secret that neither
the bribery of princes nor the garrulity
of operatives ever revealed it,
There used to- I've, close hv Temple BNr'
in London, mn old chemists shop The
proprietor of it in days gone hv, enjoyed
the monopoly of making citric ocid -
More tnvomb'y circum,tnnced than 9th
or secret manufacturers. his was n pro-
cc.s lhnt required no as~i-tnncc. He en-
poyed no workmcn. Experts came To
ample and a>>ort and bottle h,s products.
They nc> cr entered the hhorn.orv. The
mystic operations hy which he grew rich
were confined to himself.
Ooc dpy, having locked the doors and
blinded the windows, sure, ~ u,unl of
the snt-ly Of his secret, our chemist went
home Ia dinner a chimney weep, or u
chemistry, wns on the watch. Following
the ~rctrt-krrpGr So far on his wny t.
Chning Gross Ms to ho sure hr won Il not
return thut day, the sooty philosopher
hicd rapidly lmcI, to Temple Bnr, rs
ccudrd the low building. dropped down
the llue, saw alI he wanted, and returned,
cnrryng with him the mystery of mak
ing citi ic acid. The mpnop,ly of the in
vcrtot wn- gone. A few months ater.
aud the price Of the article was reduced
foul-iiiihs, The poor man wns hcnrt
broken, aud died shortly allcrwnrd, ig
nnrnnt Of the tick by which ho hnd been
viclimized. Like Miss TnLithn Bum
bic, when informed that the thunder had
spoiled Two hnttrls of beer IN her cclmr,
be might have sad, How the thunder
should get there, when the cellar was
double locked, can t comprehend"
The history Of east .tee presents Gu
riou- instance ofa manufacturing secret
st,nthiiy obtained under the . X of TIN
appeal to philanthropy. The main dis
tiuclion between iron nnd steel, is every
body knows, il thnt the lntlrr contains
carbon The one is converted into the
other by being heated for u considerable
time ia contact with powdered charcoal
in an iron box. Now steel lhu- made Is
unrqun. The middle of II bur is more
en- bonizcd thnn the ends, md the -urlilcr
more lhnn the centre. 1t l., therefore,
unreliable. UpilUrm work cannot be
made out Of it. For many pas poses it
VIII answer, but whore accuracy is re
quiwd it tails. Nevertheless, before tho
invention OF cast steel there was nothing
better
In 1860 there lived at AttcrcilIc. near
Sheffield, II watch maker named Hunts
man. He becnme Dissatisfied with the
watch spllngS IN use, aud set himself to
the lask Of making them homogeneous.
"It," thought he, " can melt piece
Of steel ana crst it into M ingoi, it, com
position would he the same tlrouRhout."
He Succeeded lis steel becnne lh
nous. lIunl.man's ingors for fine work
were in universal demand. He did not
call them cast steel. That was his secret.
About l710 u large manu- unctory Of this
peculiar steel was establi-hc Mt After
ciIls. The process was, wrapped Ia se-
crecy hy every mems within roach
true md faithful men hired, tie VOL iii
vidrd aud -ubdvidcd, lnrge wages pnid,
nnd stringent onlhs administered. 1t did
not nnswer. One mdwinter night ~ the
tall chmnrys Of the Altcrclilie steel
works bclched forth their smoke, n ttav-
eler knocked Mt the CUTE. 1t was bitterly
cold the snow fell fast, ard the wind
howlpd ncr8s- the moor. The stranger,
apparently n ploughman or agricultural
uborcr seeking shelter from the storm,
awakened no suspicion. Scanning the
waylarcr closely, and moved by motives
of humanity, + g foreman granted his re.
quest and let him Ia.
Fsigning to be worn ont with cold and
fatigue, the poor fellow sank upon the
floor, and soon appeared to be asleep
Tint, however, was far from his inlen-
tion. He closed his eyes apparently on
ly. Ue saw wo kmen cut bars Of steel IN
to bits. place them into ciucibles, NJ d
thrust the crucibes into furnace. The
fire was urged to It's extreme power, until
the steel was melted Clothed in wet
rags, 20 protect themselves from the heat,
the workmen drew out the glowing cru
cibles, aud poured their contents into n
mould. Mr.. Huntsman's factory had