This was done in spite of rusty and choked-up pipes, defective stills and apparatus.
One of the owners of the Solar, who was a practical refiner and the overseer of the works, testified that he had seen Van Syckel's continuous process run successfully both in Titusville and Buffalo:
"The result was much beyond my expectation."
"How long did you run the works?"
"I think about two weeks."
"What was the cause of it stopping?"
"The president of the company, also the treasurer, had been to New York two or three times; after the second or third visit he came back seemingly disgusted with the business; afraid of losing his money if he continued any longer, and quit."
"Was there a mortgage upon your property?"
"Yes, sir." It had been foreclosed, he said, in conclusion, by one of the leading members of the oil combination.[355]
The only thing Van Syckel can do to carry out his part of the contract he does. He develops his invention. He is successful in his application to the United States patent-office. He made his contract with the combination in 1876, and got four patents thereafter in 1877, 1878, and 1879.