Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-06-08
HOW HE COT
THE SECRET
BY HAROLD OTIS
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
Having spent years as tutor and bro

Having spent years as tutor and pro
lessor of chemistry In - university
! had often been called upon by manu-.
facturers to ind processes for the
cheaper making Of certain goods. Tais
led me into experiments on my own
account finally discovered a process
by which could manufacture a Ger.
tain article 20 per cent cheaper than
BY any known method Having inter.
ested capitalists. I procured a patent. a
company was formed. extensive works
were built and l resigned my pro
censorship 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 figure cheaper than we
could manufacture 1t. Either the man.
ufacturers were infringing on our pat
emit or had cheaper process than
mine. I wrote the salesman to send
In sample Of the goods and to find
been procured. found the article
contained the same elements as mine,
but this gave me no insight as to the
method by which 1t was produced.
The only way could think Of to find
out all about It was to get into their
factory and see for myself I was a
fairly young man then and not averse
to an undignined method. In other
words. made spy Of myself.
dressed myself as a workman. went to
the factory where the rival goods were
made and applied for work. was told
by the foreman that he had more mon
than he wanted as regular hands. but
there was pile Of dirt at one end Of
the yard which he wished transferred
to the other end. II would do the Job
with shovel and wheelbarrow he would
pay me 81.
Hoping that this might lead to some
thing better. accepted his PROPOSE
ton. worked hard and had got
about third Of the earth transferred
when 1t occurred to me that the man
was making a guy Of Inc. For what
did he want that earth wheeled to the
other location! Then saw his game.
He bad recognized me for what was.
l was of too One grain in appearance
despite my soiled clothes to be taken
for q workman When my Job was
fnished ! would be paid my wages
and sent OF without for . moment
getting inside the works.
worked till noon, then knocked of
and asked for dime to 60 out and
get something to eat bought
gauze buster. thin felt hat and
pair Of spectacles. Stufiing these In
my pockets. I went back to work. /
began again to wheel dirt from a pile
near the office to the other end Of the
yard. where there Vas a shed Then
at the end Of one Of my trips. when
was near the shed. casting a glance
about to notice that l was not OBJ
served. slipped into the shed and in
a twinkling was transformed into a
gentleman In a gauze duster. a felt
hat and glasses.
1t was about ten minutes to /. and
few operatives were about. most of
them still taking their incoming. l
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.
hurried along. darling my eyes here
and there, till l came to a staircase
leading to an upper story. had pass
ed but halfway through the room when
l 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, l 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.
l took in everything could see and
was passing into the extension when l
heard my searcher running back. Look
ing into a raised vat and seeing that
1t was empty, sprang up and into 1t
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
found the principal ingredients Of the
article manufactured. There were sew
eral men In the room. and asked
hurriedly II they had seen anything Of
q 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