Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-11
c.. J. Gustaveson.

I and greascs. In order TO make a living.
he followed his old vocation, by going
into the harness business IN Salt Lake
City In 1865. Here he was brought in
to actual contact with people, who used
leather oils and greases. Aside from
his regular business, he would expert
ment and spend a great deal OF time
developing his ideas: finally people be-
gan to call for his goods; this gave him
encouragement: he made an effort to
supply the increasing demands. which
was impossible owing to the demands
made upon him by his other business.
At this period of Mr.. Gustaveson :
life. about 20 years ago. he bescame
aware OF his grdaual loss of hearing,
this afiliction grew upon him until he
was compelled to abandon the harness
business. He was now left in com
parative solitude. this longing for ex-
pertinent and for invention grew upon
him and he resolved 20 develop the oil
and grease theories ON large and
practical basis.
In order to come in contact with the
farmers where he could make actual
demonstrations he moved to Provi-
dence Utah, where he built a small lab
oratory and factory. Here he made
several thorough tests on mowers,
threshers, farm wagons and other We
hicles, and found ready sale for all he
could manufacture After remaining in
Providence for about five years he de-
cided that he could get his materials
much cheaper and hlve much better
point of distribution were he to come
to Salt Iaf,s Ciiy.
His processes had already proved a
decided success. In Providence he had
demonstrated to one farmer during hay
cutting time, that while machines were
oiled with other oil severy third round
of a l0-acre field, his oil would last 10
rounds. or over three times as long;
n similar experience was made with
his axle grease.
Lumbermen. dlaymen, sand, stone
and ore hauhars tried 1t on their heavy
aXlss and found that instead of having
to grease their wagons every day, as
they had done with other greases, one
application of his make would suf-
flee for an entire week,
He had now established a promising
business in Utah; oil people on tho
coast and In the east became somewhat
interested and in 1898 offered $4,000
besides n royalty for his formulas. In
1901 another firm voluntarily invssti-
gated the proposition thoroughly and
finally offered $4,000 with heavy
royalty. But it was Mr., Gustaveson's
sole ambition to organize a company,
and make it one of Utah's home indus
tries.
Inventors very often invent but do
not put their processes and inventions
in shape to be marketed to the advan-
tage of the public. This was so with
Mr.. Gustaveson. He would spend days
and nights In the hope of discovering
a process by which any oil might be
made to last three times as long as II
ordinarily does He wished also to
manufacture greases that would hub
ricate on red hot iron; but he spent
very little time In manufacturing these
things on a large scale.
1t was his ambition merely to invent.
1t fell to the lot OF others to take hold
of has discoveries and place them on
the market and thereby give the people
the benefit of his efforts. After de-
veloping the processes to state of