Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-09-21
FRANK STEELE'S JOB.
A Correspondent in The Paper Mill Throws
an Alleged Ray of Light Upon Unemployed
With an Agricultural Implement Firm in
Chicago.

Chicago.
The subjoined screed is a POI tlon of a
correspondence letter in The Paper Mill
regarding young man IN whom Apple
ton takes much interest. 1t l. written
in gossipy, colloquial style and is pre-
sented by The Post for what it is worth.
Here it is:
Say, have often wondered why ii
was that Frank Steele, after throwing
up a S6,000job, kept himself so seclud-
lip, so that it was impossible for any
one to expect an answer to any question
that might be asked in relation to the
why's and wherefores; and what he had
struck that could or would, in these
hard times, pay him better. But, never
theless, he has managed to "keep dark
to a certain extent For time he man
aged to battle all attempts of those who
were anxious to catch on to his secret
project. [, myself, have been keeping
a close tab on him, ever since his
famous resignation, and have made
some pretty true statements concerning
his undertakings and his new departure,
and [ must say, that with the exception
of the salary he was to receive on his
resignation from the Manufacturing In
vestment company, L have made a
pretty hot and close chase for his secret.
Had everything planned out by his
new company been carried out, every
statement [ made would have been cor
roborated, with, as | said before, one
exception; and that one was his salary.
At the time | made the statement |
thought it was exaggerated. Frank is
not $4,000 wonder, as [ stated, but he
does get the same salary he got with the
pulp company, and that was $4,000 a
year. Now l am able to give the true
story of why he left the pulp company
[ do this for one reason solely, and that
is in regard to that new 100-ton sulphite
pulp mill I stated was to be built and
now is not to be, for certain reasons
which [ will explain.
When Frank resigned from the In
vestment company, he did so through
the persuasion of William Deering &
Co., of Chicago. William Deering & Co.
are large builders of agriculture machine
~, and, of course, are large consumers
of binders twine, which is used on their
reaping machines. You see, when they
sell reaper, they also guarantee to
furnish all the twine the reaper con-
sumes while on the field, in tying up
the bundles of wheat. Now, the vast
number of machines they have in oper-
alton all over this broad land makes
them quite big factor in the twine and
rope market, and of course they have
been experimenting considerably out
side of the cordage trust, in an effort to
manufacture twine irrespective of the
leo hn Of i,Itn
hemp. Indeed, they haye consumed
facture of this twine, and are doing so
to-day, and it was while Col Taylor and
Frank Steele were with the Investment
company that Deering & Co. got the
straight and quiet tip that they could
save dollars and turn out much stronger
twine and rope through the use of sui
phite pulp. Deering q Co. caught on to
the idea at once, and Immediately sent
for Col. Taylor.
The Colonel started at once for
Chicago to see Deering & Co., with a
view of building a sulphite mill for
them for the sole purpose of manutac-
turing pulp to be made into binders
twine. Col. Taylor and Deering & Co.
did not come to an agreement, so Frank
Steele was sent for and made great hit
with the big firm. They said to
themselves: "Here, we can use this
man to good advantage, both in the
selling of our reapers as we'll as in the
building of the 100-ton sulphite mill
which we intend to build" They at
once got his signature to contract for
one year at a salary of $4,000. Hence
Steele's resignation from the Invest
ment company.
Now, then, the very first step Deering
& Co. took toward building that alleged
100-ton pulp mill was to pack Steele off,
bag and baggage, away down into old
Kentucky to follow a reaper III the field
and watch its operations and see If any
improvements could be made; and
more especially to see if the breaking
of the twine could be avoided. 1t
seems that paper machine and a
reaper are similar when in operation IN
this respect, that the breaking Of the
tWine on the reaper is as expensive and
damaging to the interest of the COM
pany as the breaking. of paper Oh a
Fourdriner machine is to paper
manufacturer. Hence Steele's assign
ment to the Kentucky field.
Now, it comes to pass that the idea OF
building a pulp mill is thing of the
past and Steele is simply boss farmer,
as [ stated some time ago. And that is
due to the election of that king OF
fishermen who has for the past nine
months presided over the fishing
grounds of Buzzards Bay while all
American industries have gone into
oblivion.
When the cordage trust went under
and the stock went down, cordage could
be bought at any price and Deering &
Co. said: NAY, nay, my lad; get thee
to the farm. We can at the present
time buy cheaper than We can manufac-
ture." So there endeth the lesson OF
Frank Steele, his 1OO-ton sulphite pulp
mill aud his $4,000 salary.-Appleton
Post.