The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-19
SECRET INVENTIONS.


ehanics workmen were put on oath
never to reveal the process used in their
manufacture Doors were kept closed,
artisans going out were searched. vis-
itors were vigorously excluded from
admission, and false operations blinded
the workmen themselves. The mys-,
'teries of every craft were hedged in by
quickest fences of empirical pretension
and judicial affirmation There used
to be close by Temple Bar, in London,
an old chemists shop. the proprietor OF
which, in days gone by. enjoyed the
monopoly of making citric acid More
favorably circumstanced than other.
secret manufacturers, his was a pro-
cess that required 10 assistance He
employed no workmen. Experts came I
to sample and assert and bottle his
products. They never entered the labO-
rato-y
The mystic operations by which he
grew rich were confined to himself
One day. having locked the doors and
blinded the windows, sure, as usual, OF
the safety of his secret, our chemist
went home to dinner. A chimney
sweep, or d 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, tho
sooty philosopher hied rapidly back tt,
Temple Bar, assembled the low build.
ing, dropped down the fue, saw all ho
wanted and returned, carrying with
him the mystery OF making citric acid.
The monopoly Of the inventor was
gone. A few months after the price
was reduced by four-ffths. The poor
man was heart-broken, and died short
IL afterward, ignorant of the trick by
which he had been victimized.
The manufacture of tinware in En-
gland originated in stolen secret.
Few readers need to be informed that
tinware is simply thin sheetiron plated
with tin by being dipped into the
molten metal In theory it is an easy
matter to clean the surface of iron.
Dip the iron into bath of boiling tin
and remove it, enveloped in the silvery
metal, to a place OF cooling. In
practice. however, the process is one Of
the most difficult of arts. 1t was dis
covered in Holland and guarded from
publicity with the utmost vigilance for
nearly half century. England tried
to discover the secret in vain until
James Sherman, Cornish miner,
crossed the channel, insinuated himself
surreptitiously into tin-plate manu-
factory, made himself master of the
secret and brought it home.
The history of cast steel presents a
curious instance of a manufacturing
secret stealthily obtained under the
cloak of an appeal to philanthropy.
The main distinction between iron and
steel, as most people know, is that the
latter contains carbon The one is
converted into the other by being
heated for considerable time in con-
tact with powdered charcoal in an iron
box Now steel thus made is unequal
The middle of bar is more carbonized
than the ends and the surface more
than the center. 1t is therefore, unre-
liable. Nevertheless, before the in
vention of cast steel there was nothing
better. In 1860 there lived at After
cliffe. near Sheffield, a matchmaker.
named Huntsman. He became dissatis-
fed with the watch springs in use and
set himself to the task of making them
homogeneous ''If," thought he, 81 can
melt piece of steel and cast it into an
ingot, its composition should be the
same throughout" He succeeded. His
steel soon became famous Huntsman's
ingots for fine work were in universal
demand He did not call them cast
steel.
That was his secret About 1870 a
large mandatory of this peculiar steel
was established at Atterclife. The
process was wrapped in secrecy by ev-.
cry one within reach, true and faithful
men hired, the work divided and sub
divided. large wages paid and stringent
oaths administered 1t did not avail.
One midwinters night, as the tall Chin
neys of the Attercliffe steel works
belched forth, a traveller knocked at
the gate. 1t was bitter cold, the snow
fell fast and the wind howled across
the moat The stranger, apparently
plowman or agricultural laborer SEEK
ing shelter from the storm awakened
closely and moved by motives of hu-
mainly the foreman granted his request
and let him in.
Feigning TO be worn out with the
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 ap-
parently, only. He saw worknen cut
bars OF steel into bits. place them IN
crucibles in a furnace. The fire was
urged to its extreme power until the
steel was melted. Clothed in wet rags
to protect themselves from the heat,
the worlSmen drew ont the glowing
mold Mr.. Huntsmans factory had
nothing more to disclose The making
OF cast steel had been discovered
The casting of hollow ware was for
a number of years secret. and was
kept in one family for more than fifty
years