The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-13
STICKY FLY PAPER.
Process of Its Manufacture . Jeaioosly'
Guarded Secret.

Guarded Secret
The worlds supply of sticky fly paper
comes from this city. There are three
or four other small factories scattered
about the country, but none OF them
makes enough to cut much of a figure
in the marllet The grat producer il,
the single factory in this city, big con.
Germ employing 400 TO 600 hands all the
year round, and its product is shipped
to every land.
The factory is surrounded by high
board picket fence, and guards are or
watch day and night to keep out In
truders. The best friends of the pro
iprietors meet with as cold reception
when the matter of going into the fac
tory is mentioned as any stranger. The
sticky preparation with which it is ex
ipected the flies will form eutanglins
alliances Is prepared by the proprie-
tors personally, and they alone know
the exact formula The preparation ia
not patented nor copyrighted, as 10 gain
the protection of the government il
would be necessary to reveal the ma.
terials that go into it and make the
formula known to the world and give
trade pirates a chance to operate.
The secret is protected by not letting
it out, and it has been kept successfully
for nearly 20 years. The machinery
used in the factory is guarded in the
same manner against infringement, ia
stead of being patented. Most of the
machinery was designed for the special
purpose TO which it was put, and the
four brothers engaged in the business
made the designs for it themselves
and had different parts of it constructed
ct different machine shops. The fly
paper factory occupies four large two
story brick buildings, and the employees
In one department are not allowed un.
der any circumstances to visit any other
department None but Trustworthy
men are employed. and once engaged
they have substantially a life job; but
even the most trusted is not allowed to
know more than one branch of the
business.
! The fly paper Is made by spreading
certain balsams and gums on a sheet
of sized manila paper. The sheet has
a narrow border Of wax to prevent the
sticky stuff from oozing out. The
border Of wax is put ON, the sticky prep
eration is spread, and the sheet is folded
ready for inspection and shipment by
one machine, and this machine has q
capacity of about $4,000 sheets a day.
Oh -
inspectors, who see that the stuff is OF
the right consistency, and then to tho
PACKERS, to be put into boxes for ship
ment- The paper goes to Africa, Asia,
Europe, Australia and South America,
besides all parts Of this country.
The manufacturers of the sticky pa.
per began business about 30 years ago
on a small scale, occupying lean-to il
connection with suburban drug store
which the brothers had established as
a branch of their city business. One oil
the brothers carried on the fly paper
first only enough was manufactured to
supply q limited local demand. This
demand gradually grew, and tho fac
tory is now one of the big institutions
of the city, and the four brothers all
devote to it their entire time.
Some time ago one of the brothers
had occasion to discharge one OF their
employees, q man who had been with
them several years, and had unusual
facilities for learning the inside of now
everything was done. II was suspected
that it was his intention to sell the Sc
crets of the manufacture of fly paper,
or such of them as he possessed, 10 q
rival manufacturer doing business on
q small scale in another town. The
brothers Immediately brought suit
against him by injunction TO restrain
him from telling what he knew, and
from himself engaging In the business.
The suit has not yet been decided, 1t
involves question of law never yet
adjudicsted in this state, and one that
is specially interesting TO manufac-
turers and attorneys.-Grsnd Rapids
(Alich.) Cor. n. Y. Sun.