Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-03-09
FRANCIS LYNDE

Ao6 oAo SCI "
the cope. with reversings, crane-hand-
lings and all the manipulations neces-
a for the molding of any heavy cast
Ing. But the new process substituted
machinery. A cistern-like pit; a cir
cular table pivoted over 1t, with a hun
dred or more iron TASKS suspended up
light from Its edges; a huge crane car
rylng a mechanical RAM, these were
the main points of the machine which,
with a small gan OF men, would do
'he work OF an entire foundry floor.
its great" said Tom. enthusiastic
cAAy' got your idea pretty well
from your letters. but you've improved
On ~ since them. l wonder Farley
didn't snap at it."
he was willin' to-" said Caleb, grim
~ only he wanted me to transfer
'he patents to the company; in other
WORDS 10 make him a present of the
controlling Interest. 1 bucked at that,
ana we come near havin' a fall-out. If
there was any market for pipe now
There Is a market" said Tom, hope
1uily. L got a pointer on thai before
l lert Boston. Did I tell you I had a
little talk with Mr.. Clarkson the day I
came away?
mo"
We'll, I did. I told him the condi-
lions and asked his advice. Among
other things. I spoke of this pipe pit of
yours, and he said at once. There Is
your chance. Cast-iron water-pipe Ia
ike bread, or sugar or butchers meat
It's a necessity, in good times or bad.
IL nat machine is practicable. Won can
make pipe for less than half the pres-
emit cost Then we talked wavs and
means. Money is tighter than a shut
hst-up East as we'll as eyerywhere
else. But men with money to invest
VIII still bet On a sure thing. Mr..
Clarkson advised me to try our own
banks nrst. Failing with them, he au-
thorized me to call on him. Now you
Know where I'm digging my and"
Inc old iron-master sat back In his
chair with his hands locked over one
knee, once more taking the measure of
this new creation calling itself Tom
Gordon and purporting to be his son.
Say, Buddy" he said at length. are
there many more like you out yonder
In the big road?-young fellows that
a walk right out O. school and tell
their daddies how to run things?"
Iom's laugh was boyishly hearty.
Plenty of 'em. pappy; lots of EN-,
The old world is moving right along;
1t would be a pity If it didn't, don't you
think? But about this pipe BUSINESS:
l want you to make over these patents
to me-"
"Ihey're yours now, Tom; everything
I've got will be yours in a little while"
said the father; but his voice betrayed
the depth of that thrust. Was the new
Tom beginning so soon to grasp and
reach out avariciously for The fruit of
the old tree?
"You ought to know that 1 don't
mean 1T that way" said Tom, frowning
a little. But here Is the way it sizes
up. There is money in this pipe-mak-
ing; some money now and big money
later on. Farley has refused to go into
1t unless you make 1t a company prop
osition; as president and a controlling
stakeholder o can't very we'll 20 into
1t unless you a 1t a company prop
osition; as president and a controlling
stakeholder you can't very well 20 into
1t now without making 1t some sort of
a company proposition. But you can
transfer the patents to me, and I can
contract with Chiawassee Consolidated
to make pipe for me-"
That would certainly be givin' Colo
mel Dubbury a dose Of his own medi-
cine; but I don't like 1t. Tom /. 1t looks
as If we were taking advantage of
him."
No. I'd make the proposition to
him, personally, If he were here, and
the boss; n he'd be a fool II he didn't
just jump at It," said Tom, earnestly.
But there is more to 1t thar that. If
we make a &c Of this. and don't protect
ourselves, the two Farleys will com
back and put the whole thing in their
pockets. 1 won't go In on any such
terms. When they dc come back. I'm
going to AVE money to fight them with,
and this is our one little ghost of a
chance. Ring up Judge Bates and get
him to come over here and make a To-
gal transfer of these patents to me-"
The experiences Of the summer were
all hardening. He plunged into the
world of business. into a panic-time
competition which was in grim reality
a fight for life. and there seemed to be
little to choose between trampling or
being tNmpled. By early autumn the
iron industries of the country were
gasping, n the stacks of pig in the
Chiawassee yards. kept down a little
during the summer by a few meager
orders. grew and spread until they COW
cred acres. AS long as money could be
had, the iron was bonded as fast as II
was made. and the proceeds were turn
ed into wages to make more. But when
was no longer obtainable from
this source. the pipe venture was tho
only hope.
With the entire foundry force at the
Chiawassee making pipe. Tom had gone
into the market with his low-priced
product. But the commercial side Of