The "Impossible" Ford V-8 Motor

Millions of people look at the achievements of Henry Ford after he has arrived and envy him, because of his good fortune or luck or genius, or whatever it is that they credit for Ford's fortune. Perhaps one person in every 100,000 knows the secret of Ford's success and those who do know are too modest, or too reluctant, to speak of it because of its simplicity. A single transaction will illustrate the "secret" perfectly.

A few years back, Ford decided to produce his now famous V-8 motor. He chose to build an engine with the entire 8 cylinders cast in one block and instructed his engineers to produce a design for the engine. The design was placed on paper but the engineers agreed, to a man, that is was simply impossible to cast an 8 cylinder gas engine block in one peice.

Ford said, "Produce it anyway." "But," they replied, "it's impossible!" "Go ahead," Ford commanded, "and stay on the job until you succeed no matter how much time is required."

The engineers went ahead. There was nothing else for them to do, if there were to remain on the Ford staff. 6 months went by, nothing happened. Another 6 months passed, and still nothing happened. The engineer tried every conceivable plan to carry out the orders, but the thing seemed out of the question: "impossible!"

At the end of the year Ford checked with his engineers, and again they informed him they had found no way to carry out his order.

"Go right ahead," said Ford, "I want it, and I'll have it."

They went ahead, and then, as if by a stroke if magic, the secret was discovered.

The Ford determination had won once more!

This story may not be described with minute accuracy, but the sum and subtanced of it is correct.

Deduce from it, you who wish to think and grow success, the secret of Ford millions, if you can. You'll not have to look very far.

Henry Ford is a success because he understands, and applies the principles of success. One of these is desire: knowing what one wants. Remember this Ford story as you read, and pick out the lines in which the secret of his stupendous achievement has been described. If you can do this, if you can lay your finger on the particular group of principles which made Henry Ford rich, you can equal his achievements in almost any calling for which you are suited.

3 Feet From Gold

One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another.

An uncle of R.U. Darby was caught by the "gold fever" in the gold-rush days and went west to dig and grow rich. He had never heard the more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to work with a pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold was definite.

After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the "strike." They got together money for the needed machinery, had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.

The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. The return proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.

Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of the gold was no longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again - all to no avail.

Finally, they decided to quit. They sold the machinery to a a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Some "junk" men are dumb, but not this one! He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with "fault lines." He has calculations showed that the vein would be found just 3 feet from where the Darby had stopped drilling! That is exactly where it was found!

The "Junk" man tool millions of dollar in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up.