Scam or a successful entrepreneur? Arkwright part 3

Barber and watchmaker

On the outskirts of Preston town there was a modest barber in the basement. The servile eighteen-year-old owner Richard Arkwright so deftly catered to the most capricious customers that soon the little barber became tight. Arkwright moved to a more spacious room and hired assistants. The incomes of an enterprising young man grew, but everything seemed small to him. He was ready to do anything - just to get rich quicker.

"We must obey the fashion! Fashion creates demand! Demand is the source of profit! "Arkwright argued, looking thoughtfully at the street, where smart dandies were walking in curly French wigs.

"The rich loafers," the barber whispered with envious malice, but suddenly his puffy red-cheeked face lit up with a joyful smile. Wigs! Fashion on wigs ?! But this is exactly what I need!

The barber's word did not differ from the case. Arkright went to the neighboring villages and began buying up braids from girls. The first catch was small, but on the way, Arkwright got acquainted with some chemist-inventor of paints. With great difficulty managed to find out the secret of the composition of colors. And the colors were also very useful to Arkwright.

A few days later a multicolored wig already appeared in the window of the arkright barber: dark chestnut, light, even golden, the colors of ripe wheat. Wigs bought up like hot cakes. Arkwright barely had time to take orders. It was addressed not only by customers, but also by neighboring barbers. He did not even dream about such success and decided that it is much more profitable to make wigs than to cut beards.

Since then, this indefatigable hunter for girlish braids was rampaging through the villages and fairs. And wherever Arkwright was, he listened eagerly and looked closely, if there was any other fashion on which one can easily and quickly gain a fortune. And everywhere - in the villages, in the city markets, in taverns, the talk was about the same: the road became painfully yarn, and even then you will not find it: if only two spindles for a spinning-wheel ...

An importunate thought took possession of Arkwright. Turning back home, he could not restrain himself and told his wife, but she burst out laughing quite unexpectedly:

"He really found what to surprise!" I remember that in our village Carpenter Hayes was making such a spinning machine. He was still helped by some watchmaker, who boasted under a drunken hand: on this thing, Hays and I will make gold mountains. Only they did not work out anything, and I do not advise you. Well, which of you is the inventor!

But he no longer listened to his wife, but thought about his: at the present times such a machine is a real treasure. Just to get her in your hands!
Arkwright tracked down the watchmaker: it was a drink lover, but a good worker. His name was Kay, John. Arkwright decided to act cautiously, so as not to raise suspicions, but slowly, gradually discover the golden mystery.

At first, Arkwright ordered Kay a wire for waving his hair, and a week later, having received it, generously pacplied and invited the watchmaker to the tavern. There, podpoyv interlocutor, the barber started a conversation on a hot topic - about spinning hunger. To call the watchmaker to frankness, Arkwright accidentally dropped the sentence:

• I heard about some cars. And what only does not wander people in the head! How many gentlemen went bankrupt on such insane undertakings ...
  "Do not say that, Mr. Arkwright," the hopeless watchmaker interrupted him.
  "Do not want to, do not believe me, but I'll say this: a person with money could benefit greatly from this business."
  Arkwright shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
  "I'm not looking for a slip, but I would not have refused to see such a machine. I just can not believe ...
• And you could make a model? I will willingly pay ...

Long time to persuade the watchmaker did not have to. soon the model of a spinning machine stood in A Wright's apartment. It was more difficult to find out in it than buying and dyeing hair. Barber, new to the technique, I could not build a car on the model. He again turned to Kay and, opening his plans, promised to make him a companion.

The watchmaker began to build his car in a hurry, the barber did not lose time either. "What's the use of this without a money companion?" Arkwright decided from the beginning. - And is it worth it to mess with one car? We must find rich people to immediately put the matter on a broad footing. " And Arkwright found such people.

At last the first car was ready. Kay very successfully connected the exhaust. platens, which he built again, with a spinning wheel and so improved it, that the thread without the help of a man was evenly wound on the spindles. It was already a real spinning machine - it could independently perform all three operations: drawing fibers, twisting and winding threads.

Arkwright immediately took a patent, in which, of course, he called himself the inventor of the new machine. From now on, whoever used the new car, had to pay for it to Arkwright. Then he ordered several such machines with the money of his wealthy companions and bought strong horses: they were to serve as engines for cars.

In 1769, Arkwright opened his first spinning mill and first of all decided to get rid of Kay. Why, this watchmaker really thinks himself a companion will require a share in the profits! If you refuse him, he can reveal the secret of the stolen invention. Arkwright did not think long how to get rid of Kay. He accused the watchmaker of stealing yarn at the factory, and threatened him with a court.
Kay did not feel guilty, but he did something very strange: he ... fled. Maybe Kay really was scared of the threat? Or Arkwright paid off with handouts? ....
In any case, the Arkwright plan was a success: let Kay now try to expose the real thief, who will believe him? The factory owner only smiles scornfully and says: this thievish drunkard slanders me out of vengeance and anger.

However, Kay disappeared and for a long time did not disturb Arkwright. Only in fifteen years They met again - a wealthy manufacturer and a poor watchmaker. It was not particularly pleasant for this meeting for Arkwright - he was tried for stealing. And then the public prosecutor explained the strange behavior and the long silence of Kay quite simply: "There is no more miserable and dangerous position for a poor person than to be a possessor of a secret, the disclosure of which is afraid of a powerful and rich man!" The prosecutor was right, he knew the laws of his society well : where money is the highest good, power and authority are on their side.