The Portland daily press., 1888-01-31
1.-THE independently
STOLEN SECRETS.
How Hidden Trade Processes Have
Been Found Out.

One hundred years ago, what man dis
covered in the arts and mechanics he con-
cealed. Workmen were put on oath never to
reveal the process used by their employers.
Doors were kept closed, artisans going out
were searched, visitors were vigorously ex-
cluded from admission, and false operations
blinded the workmen themselves. The mys-
teries of every craft were hedged in by
quickest fences of empirical pretensions and
judicial affirmation. There used to be, close
by Temple Bar in London, an old chemists
shop The proprietor Of it, in days gone by
enjoyed the monopoly Of making citric acid.
More favorably circumstanced than other Sc
cret manufactures, his was process that re-
quired no assistance. He employed no
workmen. Experts came to sample and as
sort and bottle his products. They neyeren
by which he grew rich were confined to him
self One day, having locked the doors and
blinded the windows, sure, as usual, OF the
safety OF his secret, our chemist went home
to his dinner. A chimney sweep, or boy
disguised as such, wide awake in chemistry,
was on the watch. Following the secret
keeper so far on his way to Charing Cross as
to be sure he would not return that day, the
sooty philosopher hied rapidly back to Tenn
pie Bar. assembled the low building, dropped
down the fiue, saw all he wanted, and re-
turned, carrying with him the mystery of
making citric acid. The monopoly of the in
ventor was gone. A few months after and
the price was reduced by four-ffths. The
afterwards, ignorant of the trick by which
he had been victimized. Like Miss Tabitha
Bramble, when informed that the thunder
had spelled two barrels Of beer in her cellar,
he might have said, How the thunder
should get there when the cellar was double
locked, can't comprehend" The manu-
facture of tinware in England originated in
stolen secret. few readers need to be. in
formed that tinware Is simply thin sheet
iron, plated with tin by being dipped into the
to clean the surface of iron. Dip it into a
bath of boiling tin, and remove in, enyeloped
with the silvery metal, to place OF cooling.
In practice, however. the process is one OF
the most difficult of the arts. 1t was discov-
cred in Holland, and guarded from publicity
with the utmost vigilance for nearly half a
century, England tried in vain to discover
the secret, until James Sherman, a Cornish
miner crossed the Channel, insinuated him
self surreptitiously into tin-plate manufac-
tory, made himself master of the secret, and
brought it home. The history of cast steel
presents curious instance of manufacture
ing secret, stealthily obtained under the
cloak Of an appeal to philanthropy. Inc
main distinction between iron and steel, as
most people know, is that the latter contains
carbon. The one is converted in9o the other
by being heated for considerable time in
contact with powdered charcoal in an iron
box. Now, steel thus made is UNEQUAL. The
middle of bar is more carb0nized than the
ends, and the surface more than the centre.
1t is, therefore, unreliable. Nevertheless,
before the invention of cast steel there was
nothing better. In 1760 there lived at After
cliffe, near shemeld, matchmaker named
Huntsman. he became dissatisfied with the
watch springs in use, and set himself to the
| task of making them homogeneous. IF, :,
| thought he, II can melt piece Of steel and
| cast It into an ingot, its composition should
be- the some throughout" lie succeeded.
| His steel soon became famous. Huntsman's
! ingot. for fine work were in universal de-
| mand. He did not call them cast steel. That
was his secret. About ITO a large manufac-
tory Of this peculiar steel was established at
Attercliffe. The process. was wrapped in Sc,
| faithful men hired, the work divided and
| subdiyded, large wages paid and stringent
oaths administered. 1t did not avail. One
midwinter night, as the tall chimneys OF the
Attercliffe steel works belched forth their
smoke, traveller knocked at the gate. Ii
was bitterly cold, the snow fell fast, and the
wind howled across the moat. The strang-
er, apparently ploughman or agricultural
laborer, seeking shelter from. the, storm,
awakened no suspicion. Scanning the way
farer closely, and moved by motives Of hui
manity, the foreman granted his request and
| let him in. Feigning to be worn out with
| cold and fatigue, the poor fellow sank upon
| the floor and soon appeared to be asleep.
| That, however, was far from his intention.
He closed his eyes apparently only. He saw
workmen cut bars Of steel into bits, place
| them in crucibles, and thrust the crucibles
| into a furnace. The fire was urged to its ex-
| IRENE power until the steel was melted.
| Clothed in wet rags to protect themselves
| from the heat, the workmen drew out the
glowing crucibles, and poured their contents
| into mould Mr.. Huntsman's factory had
nothing more to disclose. The secret OF
making cast steel had been discovered
| TEnglish Mechanic.