The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-09-05
Money in Small Things.

or more by paying attention to little
things, and that others have found
that what seemed Insignificant proved
to be very important indeed. lie con.
tinues:
"a seedy indivit aal called on Alon-
20 b. Cornell in his Office on lower
Broadway, New York, and exhibited
a device which he claimed would do
away with that plague of the modern
business mans life--thc office boy.
lie held in his hand crude instru-
mcnt about three inches square by two
inches deep, with wire attached, and
small key or lever, to pull down.
Mr.. Cornell listened attcntivcly to
what tie inventor had to say, cspe-
cially to his explanation how com
pany could be organized with Offices
at some central point in a city-where
messenger boys could be kept in wait
ing to respond TO calls how call-boxcs
could be placed in business houses, to
be operated by this simple lever, and
how the boys could run errands, sweep
out Offices, and do other things, at
charge Of SO much per hour. Mr.. Cor
nell paid the man $4,000 for it, and
then he organized the American Dis
trict Messenger service, business
which enabled him to clear $40O, 900
from the sale Of his surplus stock, and
which has earned millions of dollars
for him and for the telegraph compa-
MES which succeeded him in its con-
troll. Thousands of boys have been
given employment as a result, and
millions of messages have been added
to the business Of the great telegraph
lines. If Mr.. Cornell had ignored the
matter the chances are that the dis
couraged inventor would have given
up the attempt to interest people in
his scheme, while it is certain that
Mr.. Cornell would never have reaped
millions from it, and that he might
never have become Governor of New
York, as he did few years later.
Almost similar experience was
that Of Charles Gould, who was col
lector Of the port of Buffalo, sixteen
years ago. One day he bought pat
ent car coupler from a poor man, who
offered it for $500 and job as fore
man of the factory which should make
it. Mr.. Gould knew that the patent
Office at Washington had granted pat
ents on seventy-fve different styles of
car couplers, and that it is standing
joke among the Washington officials
that every crank in the United States
sooner or later tries his hand at in
venting them. Upon inquiry, Mr..
Gould learned that, while less than
100 had been given patents, over l, 700
had been received up to that date
about 1883. But Mr.. Gould did not
care if there were a million patents in
existence. If this was good one he
would find way to put it on the mar
ket, or rather on the cars Of the United
States. 1t is now in use on 80 many
railways that It requires 5000 men to
make the oouplsrs, snd 800 other men
to ship them and put them on. Mr..
Gould is president Of many large man
ufacturing companies, which have
grown out Of the coupler business.
Mr.. Gould enjoys an income of So, 900
day from these companies, and has
accumulated fortune of $40, 900, 600
in the past ten years. He kept his
promise to the man who furnished the
coupler.
"Twenty years ago the great brown
stone quarries Of New England were
furnishing the cities Of the Atlantic
seaboard millions Of feet Of sawed
stone. In saving the stone rough
diamonds were used. fastened securely
in the edges Of great swinging blades
Of steel, which we're driven back and
forth by steam power across the giant
blocks brought from the quarries.
But the diamonds cost great deal of
money, and wore out in few weeks,
owing to the incessant friction on the
sandstone. 1t was not possible to split
the stonc-nothing but clean, smooth
surface on the slabs would do. The
teeth Of even hardened steel saws were
found to wear out in one day, and
steel saws cost many dollars each.
The trade was ripe for some genius
who could lessen the expense Of the
saving. He appeared in the person
| Of Mr.. Tillman, who had an idea that
| 4 ~: