$10,000 to tighten one screw - and more.

gaymen2
Oct 17
3 min read

Remember the story of the engineer who asked for a payment of $10,000 and justified it as $1 to turn the screw and $9,999 to know which screw to turn?

Well, that famous engineer did exist, his name is Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865-1923)

Once, their paths crossed with those of Henry Ford.

At Ford's River Rouge plant, there was a technical problem with a large generator, and the plant's electrical engineers couldn't figure out where the problem was.

Ford himself turned to Steinmetz for help.

When the "little giant" arrived at the factory, he refused any help and demanded a notebook, a pen, and a cot.

He spent two days and two nights in the factory, listening to the noise of the generator, while performing countless strange and complicated calculations.

Then, abruptly, he demanded that they bring him a ladder, a tape measure, and some blackboard chalk.

With considerable effort (given the hump and shoulder dysplasia he suffered from), he climbed the ladder until he reached the top of the generator.

Then, using the tape measure, he calculated a precise point on the surface of the enormous machine, where he made a mark with chalk.

He then climbed down the ladder and told the skeptical engineers surrounding him that they would have to remove the side plate, disassemble the generator coil, and remove 16 turns of wire, starting from the exact spot where he had made his chalk mark.

When the corrections were made, to the amazement of the engineers, the generator was working perfectly again.

Ford subsequently received a bill for ten thousand dollars, signed by Steinmetz of General Electric.

The famous American businessman returned it, acknowledging the excellent work done by the brilliant engineer of European origin, but respectfully asking for a more detailed invoice (ten thousand dollars was an astronomical sum at that time!).

Steinmetz complied with the request, returning the invoice, to which he added the following detail:

- Chalk mark on the generator: $1

- Know where to dial: $9,999

Total to pay: $10,000

The bill was paid. Silently, without protest, and without further delay.

The anecdote appears in a letter from Jack B. Scott to the editor of "Life" magazine, published on May 14, 1965. His father, Burt Scott, had been an employee of Henry Ford for many years.

Charles Proteus Steinmetz was a German mathematician and electrical engineer, and a professor at Union College. He fostered the development of alternating current, which enabled the expansion of the electrical industry in the United States, by formulating mathematical theories for engineers.

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A man is in bed with his wife when there is a knock on the door.

He rolls over and looks at his clock, and it's 3 AM.

"I'm not getting out of bed at this time", he thinks, and rolls over.

Then, a louder knock follows.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" says his wife.

So he drags himself out of bed, and goes downstairs.

He opens the door and there is man standing at the door.

It didn't take the homeowner long to realize the man was drunk.

"Hi there," slurs the stranger, "can you give me a push?"

"No, get lost, it's 3 AM. I was in bed," says the man and slams the door.

He goes back up to bed and tells his wife what happened and she says, "Dave, that wasn't very nice of you. Remember that night we broke down in the pouring rain on the way to pick the kids up from the baby-sitter and you had to knock on that man's house to get us started again? What would have happened if he'd told us to get lost?"

"But the guy was drunk." says the husband.

"It doesn't matter." says the wife.

"He needs our help and it would be the Christian thing to help him."

So the husband gets out of bed again, gets dressed, and goes downstairs.

He opens the door, and not being able to see the stranger anywhere he shouts, "Hey, do you still want a push?" and he hears a voice cry out "Yeah please."

So, still being unable to see the stranger he shouts, "Where are you?"

And the stranger replies: "I'm over here, on your swing."

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