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At the close of the 19th century, the nation was finally at peace within itself and stretched uninterrupted from sea to sea. Tired of Civil War, border war, range war and Indian wars, Americans were eager to relax and enjoy their national treasure: the great outdoors.
As hunters, fishermen, campers and adventurers flocked to woods and waters, the same manufacturers who had supplied the Army for 40 years stood ready to outfit the new outdoorsmen. If Webster Marble were to compete in that market, he needed more than a couple of good ideas. He needed a couple of good eyes.
Where Webster acquired his design talent is a mystery: that he had it is obvious. He quickly translated his ideas into eye catching products that looked as good as they worked.
In less than a decade, he chalked up 44 inventions; all of them manufactured in his Gladstone, Michigan factory and sold in more than 40 countries. By 1910, Marble's was the most recognized name in the sporting specialties business.
The key to Webster's success? Take a look at a few of his designs compared to his competition.
Sportsmen's axes (top) were heavy, clumsey and dangerous. At 13 ounces, Marble's Safety Pocket Axe (bottom) outchopped, outlasted and outsold everything in the market.
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Marble's Safety Pocket Axe, 1898. Axes were the trademark tools of real woodsmen whose skills were the stuff of legends. In their hands, axes became magic wands that felled the trees, squared the logs and split the rails for America's farms, homes and fences.
But axes designed for sportsmen were not so charmed. Heavy headed and short handled, they were as clumsy as pole-vaulting pigs. More importantly, as Webster knew, they were dangerous. His first attempt at invention was a safe recreational axe.
After several attempts, W.L. finally came up with a folding safety guard in 1898. His little guarded axe told everything about itself at first look and quickly became the world's bestseller.
So proud of it was Webster that he wore a miniature as his tiepin. By 1907, more than 100,000 "...were in the hands of satisfied users." A century later, there are more than a million.
Still made today, MARBLE'S Safety Axe belongs in every outdoor kit. (But will it, as Webster boasted, cut down a five-inch tree in four minutes? I'll give you my test results at a later writing.)
Bowie pattern knives (top) were impressive fighting weapons but poor hunting knives. W.L. Marble refined the design into his Ideal (bottom) and made it history's most famous outdoor knife.
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Marble's Ideal Hunting Knife, 1900. Among hunting knives, Webster's rivals were expensive Sheffield Bowies or simple and inexpensive country blacksmith hammerings. Both were works of art in their own right. But neither was a match for the knife Marble crafted.
It was so perfectly designed that Webster, in all sincerity, dubbed it the Ideal. Tough, handmade and handsome, it became the world standard for hunting knives and remains so today.
Nineteenth century match boxes (right) were decorative and expensive, but offered no protection from the elements. Marble's Waterproof Match-Box (left) with beautifully milled scratcher was an instant world wide sensation.
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Marble's Waterproof Match-Box, 1900. Building a fire can be the difference between life and death in the outdoors. Yet, until W.L. invented a truly waterproof matchbox, even safety matches could not guarantee fire when the chips were down.
Marble's solution was typical of the talented tinkerer. Starting with two empty brass shotgun shell cases, he not only fashioned a compact little carrier, he devised a way to keep the contents dry. The little lifesavers were so obviously practical they sold all over the globe.
Turn of the century makers offered scores of jack knives, all with the same limitations: none could make the blade longer than the handle. Marble's Safety Hunting Knife (top) not only solved that problem, but beefed up the entire assembly into a serious tool for serious sportsman.
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Marble's Safety Hunting Knife, 1902. Into a market drowning in jack knives, Webster launched his Safety Hunting Knife. Its splash lasted for the next four decades. Rare was the person who could look at it without picking it up and rarer still was the person who could put it down.
At a small Wisconsin gun show I spotted a first model Safety folder on a table crowded with junk. But the owner knew what he had and the price was too high for me.
As I watched, an eager beaver hurried over and began dickering. Finally, with not enough cash and his trade offers refused, the customer blurted, "If I didn't need it to get home, I'd trade you my truck."
"What kind?"
"Bronco."
"I'll drive you," said the seller and it was done.
(Told by Wayne Martin)
I hear rumors MARBLE 'S Cutlery is reprising the bold and beautiful folder, and for a lot less than the price of your old quad runner.
Webster's $1.25 Handy Compass (right) buried cheap novelty compasses (left). Then stomped the three to five dollar competition into the dirt.
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Marble's Handy Compass, 1904. For centuries, the only improvement in compasses was the floating dial. Loss, breakage, demagnetization and inconvenience had to wait for Webster Marble's solution – the famous pin-on compass.
Here's what W.L. said about it: "... screw case fastens securely to coat in plain view at all times, you cannot lose it or leave it in camp. It cannot demagnetize as compasses carried in the pocket frequently do."
He did not say that at $1.25, the pin-on was as good or better than his more expensive competition. He didn't have to. The little compasses spoke for themselves.
A century later, MARBLE'S Handy Compass is still the most simple and reliable way to venture where you've never been and home again. No batteries needed.
Today, MARBLE'S products still retain that irresistible "can't wait to get my hands on one" look that made Webster Marble famous. Don't believe me? Visit a MARBLE'S dealer and see how long you can keep your hands to yourself.
© 2006 Arni Dunathan
Arni Dunathan is the author of the newly published collector's guide "The Encyclopedia of Marble's Knives and Sporting Collectables." |
