The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1910-10-01
BARB WIRE BORN
IN A COFFEE MILL
Death Of millionaire ElIWOOd
Reveals Novel Origin.
PIGS CAUSED THE INVENTION.

Home Scheme of Picture Wire and
Nails to Protect Illinois Truck Gar
den Developed Into Huge Industry
and Finally the Mammoth Steel Cor
poration.
The inventor of the barbed wire
fence, Isaac Leonard Ellwood, died
and was buried recently at his pala-
tial home at Dekalb, Ill. On the fu-
neral trains return trip to Chicago
the dead millionaire's former protege
and later partner, John W. Gates, told
the story of the part an old coffee mill
took in founding an industry that has
spread its product over the world.
Colonel Ellwood, then a small hard
ware dealer in the hamlet of Dekalb.
had the scheme called to his atten-
tion by a neighboring farmer, Joseph
Glidden, who had devised the plan to
keep the pigs out of Mrs. Glidden's
truck gardens. His sample consisted
of some picture wire, stolen from the
front parlor, twisted around a nail.
'If l get it patented, Joe. will you
give me half of all we make?" That
was Mr.. Ellwood's only comment. His
friend said he hadn't allowed to make
anything at all, but just to keep the
drafted pigs out of Mrs. Glidden's
cabbages, so he guessed that Ike
might have half of anything he
brought about over and above that
end
That night Mr.. Ellwood took the
sample home to show his wife. "It's
a good scheme, Isaac" looking at II
with the critical eye of one who knew
the self assertiveness of pigs. ''But
the nail slips. If you took two wires
1t would hold better. And a good thing
to twist them tight around the nail
would be that old coffee mill"
Coffee Mill Is Winner.
The next day Mr.. and Mrs. Ellwood
went to Joe Glidden's, and they took
a hank of wire and q new coffee mil
from the hardware store with them
Mr.. Ellwood had spent the morning in
shipping yards of wire into small bits
or barbs, and they passed pleasant
afternoon in working their experiment
Mr. Glidden feeding the wire into the
coffee mill. Mr.. Ellwood sticking in the
barbs and Mrs Ellwood turning the
machine
That was on cold, gray day in the
early sixties, before the time of mo
nopolies. But it was the occasion Oh
which the first step was taken which
led to the American Steel and Wire
company, parent of the United States
Steel corporation. capital $1,404, 900,
600.
"They never made any wire thai
was an Improvement on that first at
tempt" said Mr.. Gates i'm telling the
story. "They tried to improve on II
and alter it during thirty years. TheI
they settled down in the resolution
that it would just about do.
There never was such a romance
as the romance of the barbed wire
They set up little machine there III
Colonel Elwood's hardware store ir
the rear. Farmers from all over the
country came to buy it, and they
could not make it fast enough. Bu
first before that Mr. and Mrs. Ellwoot
and Mr. Glidden undertook to supply
the trade by making it with the coffee
mill
''His first lift came when the mex
year the people who supplied the wir,
to him sent over to see what on eartl
Ike Ellwood was doing with so mucl
of 1t. The next day they came to hin
with the proposition Of capitalizing his
scheme. Glidden sold out to them
And /, who was then nineteen, wen
to work for Mr.. Ellwood selling hi
wire.
Big Combine Formed.
II sold wire for two years; then
went down to st. Louis and got som,
capitalists to set up rival plant w,
were in litigation for ten years. Tx,
wanted us to pay royalties, and W,
declined; just simply went on sellin,
without paying the royalties. W.
fought and fought, but all the time w
were fighting we were visiting bacl
and forth and were the best of friend
out Of court, and Mrs. Ellwood wa
like mother to my wife,"
The courts decided against Colone
Ellwood, and the next anybody knew
the two We're as friendly In their put
lie life as they always had been Il
private They settled down to form
company, and their first step was Z
get the court to reverse the decision
that outside manufacturers should pa
royalties, inasmuch as all others woul
then be outside manufacturers. an,
the court did.
"Mr. Ellwood and r. continued Mi
Gates, "made all our arrangement
and agreements for the formation o
the American Steel and Iron corpora
ton without a scratch Of writing pass