Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-01
A HUSTLER In OIL.
Erie Has q Man Who Can Give the
Standard Company Points.
HE DOESN'T INSIST ON TIE CASH,
But Trades His Grease for Chickens, Lum-
Der or Anything Else.
NOTHING OF VALUE he WON'T TAKE
rcoRREsroNpENcE or THR pIsPArcH. |

merly of Cincinnati, but the past two years
resident of Erie, Pa, is living proof
that man does not need to have any con-
nection with the Standard Oil Trust in order
to make money in the oil business.
Heald has developed little oil business
of his own, that stands unique and alone.
The Standard is not half so secure in its
monopoly as Heald is In his, and he goes on
day after day selling oil in his own peculiar
way, and doing business, too, where the
agents of the Standard are unable to make a
trade. Heald is go-ahead, energetic man,
who never makes false revolution. Ii he
was not born in New England he ought to
have been, for be has all the business in
stincts of the shrewd Yankee. Hs has no
partners, agents, clerks, cashiers or book
keepers. When knew him in the oil coun-
try he did not even have an Office, and
dare say ne hasn't one now. Heald loses no
time in uttering imprecations against the
Standard, and whenever he finds dealer
who is doing that he goes right into that
dealers territory and makes a few trades by
way of vindicating his own opinion that it is
the fellow who says nothing and saws wood
that gets along best in the oil trade.
He Has no Imitators.
Although he has been in business for
several years and has been making money
all the time, no one has sought to initiate
his method, perhaps because no one but
Heald could do business just as he does it.
His popularity lies in the fact that he
will trade oil for anything that has q mar
ket value, or is likely to have a market
value. His customers are country mer-
chants, with here and there a manufacturer
who requires oil for machinery. As he
employs no agents he is known personally
to thousands of merchants in Pennsylvania,
Ohio and New York. The last time I saw
him was in Oil City where he had
traded several barrels of oil for lot of cow
tails.
"What are you going to do with the
cowtails, Mr.. Heald?"
"I don't know" said he. ST don't know
whas they are good for, but 1 will find out
and will have no trouble to market them. I"
That illustrates his style of doing busi-
ness. II he finds man who wants barrel
of oil, or hundred barrels, he will prefer to
sell it to him for money. but if the buyer
does not have the cash he will take any
thing else that has value.
AGood Judge and Merry.
He is a good judge of the value Of odds
and ends, but even if he does not know the
value, as in the case of the cowtails, that does
not stand in the way of a trade. He will take
chances. His main object is to make a
trade, regardless, apparently, of what he
gets in the transaction. He trades oil for
butter and eggs, for chickens. for farm pro-
duce of any kind that will keep until he can
get it to market.
He is known to pretty nearly everybody
in the towns he visits and has a way of find
ing out what their wants are in the way of
merchandise. This enables him often to
make dicker for some outlandish thing
knowing at the same time just where he
can find a customer for it. Mr.. Heald told
me one time that he would trade oil for
dog if the dog was worth it. If farmer
wants a barrel of oil he will trade with him
for fresh milch COW or mule colt-anything
to make a trade and keep the wheels of
commerce moving. I have known him to
have large quantities of hides on hand and
lumber, 1ath and shingles in quantities to
suit all kinds of buyers.
How He Makes His Figures.
In conversation with him regarding his
pecuIiar trade he said: Everybody wants
oil some time or other, but they may not be
ready to buy just at the particular time that
you call. Well. you have been to the ex-
pense Of visiting them, ana if you can't
make trade you are out that much. Now,
these people are all in business, selling
something to the public, and l reasoned if
they can sell it why can't I? So made it
a rule to never leave a man without making
a profitable trade with him, although may
get no money at the time.
sFor instance, / go to a manufacturer who
uses lubricating oil for his machinery. He
saws he still has. two or three barrels left
from his last purchase, and doesn't need any
Just now. Very well, 1 will say. the oil will
keep, You have some ploIs
here, some cooking stoves, some
wheelbarrows whatever he happens
to be engaged in manufacturing. Take ten
barrels of oil and send me cooking stoves for
it. The result is we make a dicker. tell
him have to sell the goods again and get
all the discount he can give me. He ships
the goods wherever I order them, and 1
turn them into cash.
Rookafeller Can Take Care Of Himself
"I'm selling oil all the time. See? 1
don't buck against the Standard to any
great degree, and they fight shy of me. II
Mr.. Rockefeller does not wish to trade q
barrel of oil for coop full of geese, that's
his own lookout. / do. know where
can sell the geese. and the chances are will
sell them to the hotel keeper Of: someone else
right in that town. j tell you IT'S pretty
business if you know how to do 1t. Rocka-
Teller understands the oil business pretty
we'll, but he does not understand this part of
1t. Here's where 1 get the better OF him
every time"
Mr.. Heald talks on in this pleasant way,
and you get the idea of his peculiar line OF
trade. He follows it ihdustriously, and the
amount of stuff he manages to turn over in
the course Of year Is surprizing. he began