Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-06-21
JONES' FORTUNATE DREAM.
An Invention That is Bringing
Millions to a SyraCusan.

The IAVentOr's Stsry OF Success and
the Millions it Has Brought
Him.
Syracuse Cor. New York SUM-
Thomas D. Jones' sudden leap
from comparative poverty to the
possession of a million is the talk of
the town. He saw defects in the
common process of grinding flour,
and by simple invention that has
remedied them has made, in less
than ten months, $1,250,000. And,
seemingly, this is just the begin
ming Of what he is to make. The
secret is in the dressing of the mill.
stone that grinds the wheat. He
saw that, by the ordinary picking
process, too much surface was made
on the stones. The kernel was
crushed; he wished it to be granu-
lated. The stones became hot, de-
stroying the strength and color of
the grain and taking outthe gluten.
He saw that, by lessening the sur
face, these defects must be over
come, ard he set himself TO work
to overcome them. He has sue
ceeded.
Jones lives in a plain but ele.
gantly furnished house at No. 80
Shonnard street. The Sun report
er, visiting him, found all the
neighbors talking of his good luck,
as they called it, and estimating
his wealth at millions. He re-
turned from Europe only a short
time ago, but being modest and
unassuming, had not proclaimed
his great success, as some might
have done. But the story would
out, and as usual it took an exag-
gerated form. Mr.. Jones himself
opened the door. He is of medium
height, portly, and with somewhat
gray hair and whiskers. He was
perfectly willing to tell what he
had done and how it had been ac-
complished, and his story was mar
rated modestly and as though he
we're detailing the most ordinary Of
events.
~ am a Welshman," he began
"no Scotch about me, as has been
said. l journeyed from Wales
while only three years old. NV
father bought two farms near
Bridgewater, IN Oneida county,
where he yet lives; and in early
boyhood l was apprenticed, as a
miller, to Thomas Roberts, who
ground grist in Waterville. I've
been trying to invent something all
my life, and in lesser attempts have
sometimes been successful. | saw
that the old method OF making
flour by grinding it between two
almost smooth stones DESTROYED the
life of the wheat. The kernel was
mashed to a powder. My notion
was that | could improve it by
granulating it, l must, therefore,
invent some kind of stone that
would not crush the wheat-that
would save the middlings-a stone
that would not get hot and bake
! the color out of the flour and take
its strength aud gluten from it, my
milestone must have less surface.
While l was thinking it all over !
moved to Ohio, and there / tried to
work out the problem by changing
the boiling cloths. That improved
it somewhat, butt wasn't the thing,
| hadn't got rid of The friction be-
| tween the stones. / don't own a
mill, and so had to work it along
as best | could, as it was hard work
to get any one to bear any part of
the expense. worked on various
mills in Ohio, and making SOME
improvements on the old manner
Of dressing stone, | at length made
an engagement with the Throop
Grain Cleaner Company, now Of
Auourn, to travel 1t gave me an
opportunity to see many mills and
milling processes in the country.
studied and studied, and thought
over the problem while was trav.
cling; thought over it night and
day, even to worrying over It.
"The grand idea hit me in Il
dream. Iput up at the st. Charles
Hotel in Toledo to stay over Sun
day. / went to bed as usual, study.
ing and studying, and at length ]
went to sleep, and that night il
came to me as clear as bell.
thought it all out before l woke up,
Just as naturally as though / had
been picking away at . millstone,'