The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-07-07
HOW HE GOT
THE SECRET
By HAROLD OTIS
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association

!
lessor of chemistry in university,
! had often been called upon by manu-
facturers to find processes for the
cheaper making of certain goods This
led me into experiments on my own
account finally discovered process
by which l could manufacture a GER
tain article 40 per cent cheaper than
by any known method. Having inter
ested capitalists. | procured a patent. a
company was formed. extensive works
were built. and | resigned my pro-
fessorship and became Superintendent
of the manufacturing department.
We had got well under way and were
making money when one of our sales
men sent in word that the article we
were making was being sold on the
market at Il figure cheaper than we
could manufacture it. Either the man
ufacturerS were infringing on our pat
ent or had cheaper process than
mine. | wrote the salesman to send
in sample of the goods and to find
out the source from whence they had
been procured. / found the article
contained the same elements as mine.
but this gave me no insight as to the
method by which it was produced.
The only way could think Of to find
out all. about it was to get into their
factory and see for myself. was a
fairly young man then and not averse
to an undignified method. In other
words. l made a spy of myself. l
dressed myself as workman. went to
the factory where the rival goods were
made and applied for work. l was told
by the foreman that he had more men
than he wanted as regular hands. but
there was a pile of dirt at one end Of
the yard which he wished transferred
to the other end. If l would do the job
with shovel and wheelbarrow he would
pay me 50.
Hoping that this might lead to some
thing better. l accepted his PROPOSE
ton worked hard and had got
about third of the earth transferred
when it occurred to me that the man
was making guy of me. For what
other location? Then l saw his game
He had recognized me for what l was.
l was of too fine grain in appearance
despite my sOiled clothes to be taken
for workman When my job was
finished l would be paid my wages
and sent off without for moment
getting inside the works
l worked till noon, then knocked off
and asked for a dime to go out and
get something to eat. l bought
gauze buster, thin felt hat and
pair of spectacles. Stuffing these in
my pockets. / went back to work.
began again to wheel dirt from pile
near the office to the other end of the
yard, where there was shed. Then
at the end of one of my trips, when
/ was near the shed. casting glance
about to notice that l was not OBJ
served. l slipped into the shed and in
a twinkling was transformed into a
hat and glasses.
1t was about ten minutes to l, and
few operatives were about, most of
them still taking their incoming. /
knew / had but a few minutes in
which to make my observations Of
course | was so familiar with the
manufacture of the goods that any
deviation from the known processes
would be at once apparent to me. l
hurried along. darting my eyes here
and there, till | came to staircase
leading to an upper story. had pass
ed but halfway through the room when
/ heard running steps on the floor be-
low. Then l knew that my absence
from my wheelbarrow had been no.
ticed from the office and some one was
hurrying to intercept me. Diving be-
hind a vat kept quiet, and in a mo-
ment the runner mounted the steps and
ran straight past where l was hidden
and into an extension of the building.
took in everything l could see and
was passing into the extension when
heard my searcher running back. Look
ing into a raised vat and seeing that
it was empty, / sprang up and into it
like cat just in time to hear some
one hurry by.
AS soon as all was still l got out
and entered the extension. Here l
found the principal ingredients of the
article manufactured. There were sew
eral men in the room. and l asked
hurriedly if they had seen anything of
a man with red hair and beard. They
all said NO" and l passed through
the room. taking in what l could see.
Several piles of crude materials were
about. and. picking up handful of
each. l stuffed my pockets with them.
Then the man who had been chasing
me came in and, coming up to me. or
dered me to march out before him.
Now. l had been football man in
my day, and. wishing to preserve
what l had in my pockets, l knocked
my man down and ran. Reaching the
yard. l skinned through several per-
sons who tried to head me off and
scudded through the gateway used for
workmen. Once outside the premises
l was safe.
The foreman who intended to play a
joke on me was discharged-this l
found out long afterward-for letting
me inside the gate at all.
After examining the ingredients ]
had purloined. analysing some of them,
found that their process was our
process exactly and that they were