| Show lifetime Is spent in constant search for new products minneapolis A 76 year old minneapolis scientist has been working for 35 years to keep people warm in winter and cool in summer and it all started because he realized a youthful ambition to help the nations farmers reduce their threshing costs when george H ellis was 16 and a mechanic at sauk sank centre minn during the eighties high threshing costs were ruining farmers so he invented a machine to make 5 binder twine out of straw this reduced threshing costs and saved farmers many times the he received for the invention george ellis in 1906 feces es sity of utilizing waste products from his twine manufacturing process sent ellis on another search this quest resulted in the first insulation board ever produced out of flax straw fibers too short to be made into twine he formed his own company to develop the new product but it took a full time salesman 18 months to sell the first insulation board to a home builder flax became difficult to obtain so resourceful mr ellis substituted wood fibers for straw and a new worldwide board insulation industry was conceived estimated value of the 34 different companies which grew out of his invention is now more than square feet now are in use mainly in homes insulated against against heat and cold government commission retiring He tiring in 1916 ellis soon grew bored then accepted a commission commission from the U S government for research in panama he later engaged in private research all over the world in 1924 he joined minnesota and ontario paper compa nys in division as consultant engineer the post he still holds necessity for a preservative for insulation board next resulted in one of the inventors most dramatic and productive researches exhausting all available library material on preservatives serva tives he decided to consult scientists at the smithsonian institution in washington D C like a detective hot on a clue he followed tip after tip until his interest was aroused by the institutions ancient egyptian mummies searching tor for the secret of their remarkable lasting qualities he learned that asphalt dipped bandages use used d for wrapping the dead and their sim similarly ilaray treated caskets had much to do with kith their preservation the result was asphalt treat ed in board with its preservative qualities particularly against moisture condensation although he has patents and a lifetime of research behind him ellis is working on new industrial developments which he prefers to keep secret |
