I have found other people who knew much better than I how to investigate such enterprises.
Even at this time I had been planning to relieve myself of business cares, and the panic only caused me to postpone taking the long holiday to which I had been looking forward.

I was fortunate in making the acquaintance of Mr.Frederick T.Gates, who was then engaged in some work in connection with the American Baptist Education Society, which required him to travel extensively over the country, north, south, east, and west.
It occurred to me that Mr.Gates, who had a great store of common sense, though no especial technical information about factories and mills, might aid me in securing some first-hand information as to how these concerns were actually prospering.

Once, as he was going South, I suggested that he look over an iron mill in which I had some interest which happened to be on his route.
His report was a model of what such a report should be.

It stated the facts, and in this case they were almost all unfavourable.

A little later he happened to be going West, and I gave him the name and address of property in that region in which I held a minority interest.