The ranch., September 15, 1902, Page 4, Image 4

About The ranch. (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
4
PERRY POLSON.
By the Editor.
"The road to success? Why—" and
Hetty Green, richest woman financier
in America, stopped to peer through
her glasses at the questioner. "Why,
the road to success is so plain that
most people look clear over it. They
never see it."
1 was reminded of this bit of philos
ophy when the photograph that is re
produced on our first page was placed
on my desk the other day. It's a first
rate picture, isn't it? The subject 1
have known, say, fifteen years, so I
feel competent to make a few re
marks about him.
• * *
Perry Poison—a farmer's son,
reared with the environments of rug
ged frontier life, with no other edu
cation than that of the cardinal virtue
of industry instilled by the unremit
ting toil of the farm, his career, as I
look at it today, shows one of the
most striking successes of the busi
ness men of Seattle and the state.
There is nothing scintillating at any
point in it—just a prosaic record of
the daily performance of that task set
before him to the best of his ability.
That's all. But that after all is a
great deal—and it's how he got onto
and stayed on the road to success.
* * *
Born July, 1854, in Sweden, of stur
dy parents, who immigrated to lowa,
and from there moved to Skagit valley.
At 21, after giving to the father the al
lotted years of faithful service, he
started out to make his own way. He
worked awhile in a lumber camp on
the Stillaguamish, and attracted by
the great news that the Canadian gov
ernment was putting the first tele
graph line across the continent, went
over to British Columbia. At New
Westminster, there were more than
a thousand men waiting to secure
employment on the work; and he
thereupon accepted a job in the Ca
riboo country in a sawmill. That
was in 1874. He got $65 a month
and board, and stayed there three
years. The last year, although quite
young tor so responsible a position,
the company put him in charge
of one of their sawmills, with an in
crease of pay. Here be it noted, such
was the confidence imposed in him
that during the entire period of his
management his statements of ac
counts, funds handled, business done,
etc., were accepted at the head office
as received without question. The dis
play of the homely qualities of integ
rity and careful solicitude for the in
terests of his employers was about the
first mile post in evidence on the suc
cess road. With his three years' sav
ings he returned to Skagit county. He
decided to work no more for wages.
He bought 190 acres, paying down
what cash he had and borrowing
$4,000 from the Puget Mill Company
at 15 per cent interest! Think of
that, ye six percenters!
* * *
Well, after years of persistent, un
ending toil, the place was paid for.
He did not mind the work; but the
grind had undermined his health, and
he was told that he must take a rest.
Just by chance, at this time, F. ft
Poole, well known throughout the
western part of the state, and who
is today doing business in Tacoma,
made Mr. Poison a proposition where
by they would go into partnership and
handle the agricultural implements of
Knapp, Hurrell & Co., the then promi
nent jobbing firm of Portland. A deal
was closed. Mr. Poison found, how
ever, that the season for farm imple
ment sales being only tor about six
months in the year, that the remain
ing six months hung as idle time on
his hands; and therefore decided to
add a little stock of hardware. Their
trade grew rapidly. About 1891 they
were confronted with a condition ser
iously affecting their business. Knapp
Burrell, who had in the meantime op
ened a branch in Seattle, invaded their
territory, and commenced selling
goods to their customers, and as that
firm had the exclusive Northwest field
for the lines handled, it threatened
disaster to the Poison company. In
the meantime Mr. Poole had sold out,
and two brothers of Mr. Poison taken
in, the company having been capital
ized at $25,000. The question was
what had they better do? Mr. Perry
Poison said: "There is just one way
we can save ourselves, and that is to
go to Seattle, and start a jobbing
house. We will thereby be enabled
to get goods direct from the manu
facturers, and independent of Port
land." It was figured that if Knapp
Burrell could afford to maintain a sal
aried force in Seattle to handle farm
implements, they could make it a
success. Even if they did not make
Youngest Hereford breeder in the United
States. Son of A. J. Splawn, proprietor
Bprlngdale Stock Farm, North Yakima .
any money from their Seattle house
at first, their LaConner establishment
would be furnished the farm imple
ments at jobbers' rates. The capital
was increased to $50,000. They op
ened up adjoining Knapp Burrell's,
and Mr. Poison made a tour among
the manufacturers of the East, listing
lines of a number of firms, although
it was pretty hard to break the com
bination of the Portland people. Just
the same they got the goods, and had
cut loose from paying tribute to Port
land. That was a typical Seattle vic
tory. Steadily, month by month, and
year by year, the business expanded.
Two years ago they moved into the
fine stone block they now occupy,
where, including the basement, there
are five floors devoted to their
stock. In addition they have large
warehouses on Seattle's tide flats,
THE RANCH.
where the keep reserve stocks. They
also have at Wenatchee a branch
which supplies all that tributary coun
trythe Wenatchee Hardware Com
pany. Their store at LaConner has
grown to very considerable propor
tions, that being the richest farming
section of the state.
** * ■
Just recently there has started a de
mand for driving rigs in Seattle. Pol
son Implement & Hardware Company
have been the first to take advantage
of the opening, and today have a su
perb stock of all kinds of carriages,
buggies, etc. With the improvement
of Seattle's driveways, Mr. Poison ex
pects this to become a considerable
branch of their business.
• ♦ •
Right here I want to call attention
to the fact that notwithstanding the
evolution that has taken place among
machinery houses in the Northwest
due to the merging of the big manu
facturies and the establishment of
Northwest branches who have almost
entirely supplanted the jobbers who
formerly held sway, the business of
the Poison Implement & Hardware
Company has forged steadily ahead
until it is today supreme in this state!
I am aware that this is a sweeping
assertion, but there is not another
A. J. BPLAWM, Jit.
firm in the state that can equal its
showing in volume of business.
* * *
Combined with the dogged persist
ency with which the head of this firm
has built up this great business step
by step, we must concede the high
degree of native intuition our subject
has shown. To possess the faculty of
knowing an opportunity when one sees
it is a great thing. Merely plugging
along accomplishes nothing unless di
rected by intelligent effort—and then
it becomes a world-beater.
The Hazelwood Company an
nounces: "We will sell at public auc
tion, October 10, 1902, at Fair Grounds,
Spokane, Wash., 60 head of extra good
Poland China hogs, consisting of bred
yearling sows and this spring's boars
and sows. Will include most of our
show herd this year."
J. R. Mansfield, an experienced but
termaker of Port Blakely, is looking
for a position in a creamery. Anyone
interested should write him.
g£ knowingly boy unclean I
CW groceries for your tablet I
JV How under the ran can balk I
/m coffees—constantly exposed I
Mm to dirt and dust—be cleani I
/Lion Coffee 1
m conies in sealed pound I
I packages only, thus in- I
m4fe suring freshness, strength, /
flavor and uniformity. V
• .
Keep your eye
on the Golden
Northwest
Fruit & Vegetable
Canning Co.
It has a future.
tViVAyVwwi FFNCEV strongest
•vmmmJrJmJeJmt «■■"■■■ Strong, Chicken
fe«*Wa«Z«aSZi Tight. Sold to the Farmer at Wholesale
»Mmst«.Sms Prices. Fully Warranted. Catalog Free.
i»WiIW*W»WIWi COILED BPRIN6 FENCK CO.
IWWMIMM Box |20 Winchester, Indiana, U. 8. A.
C?™ CALF FEEDER
in I iii m iii, mm combines scientific aid
/StmL Hi V V[l iSitl practical ideas. Over 50,000
■^SS^f^^ri Kill '" use- No valves to *f et
'''"(Tped and foul. Easily
\&Mrffl^!!3P\-%Q^*s£ l I'lfiaucd. Nipples are re-
YwWJirrTi^ *Sr ~~"^ I -. iil'iirccil. I'rcveiitHM-oum.
.*',..''/ 1 3fe : -. TaPJ Increases stive capac-
In-tfllflhWi 111 I If ' It I ,|y in the dairy calf. Makes
Veal worth 2c per Ib. more. The only feeder adopted
l>y Kxp. !St '. K.viragcln on one fill pay for two
feeders. Prevents a "set back" from the "starving
process." Satlxfnction tSiiarniiteed or money re
funded. Awarded d;',l .1/ ilal at Pun-Am. Eip. Sold everywhere In
II S an.i Canada. ire 11.60. Sjntnostpaid forl?.0O, and a 60c box
of Com Rei<> free, that will cure Caked l<" '1" M to 24 hours. Heals
•ore teats. Send for descrlptire matter and 22 reasons for using feeder.
O. H. MFG. CO., Dept. 21, Lyndon, Vt.
gust ioim i r^t!^^: s:^'^-
BALFOUR, GUTHRIE & CO
201 2-3 Bailey Building, Seattle
GRAIN DEALERS
Shipping:, Commission
Importers of oreba, hop cloths, grain bags
twine, etc. Balfour Gutbrie & Co., Ban Francl
co, Portland, Tacoma,
il mj. a ,£ j. M m Kttentlon of placenta
S4UtM"ll€fn ami (allure to breed.
K.elloggs' Condition Powder Is a positive cure for
these diseases. Write for circular. Address
H. W. KKLLOOO CO., St. Paul. Minn
BALDNESS
Positively cured. Package, 25c postpaid.
Trial treatment, 10c silver. Booklet sent
free. (Agents wanted.) Salviae Specific
Co., 417 C Madison St., San Francisco, Cal.
PATRONIZE HOME INDUSTRIES
Especially when you can buy cheap
er than from eastern concerns. Our
big illustrated mail order catalogue
free.
PUGET SOUND SUPPLY CO., Seattle,
Wash.
All we want is your dollar
for The Ranch.