Undercover: Mechanic

Tom: My daddy had always taught me, if you want something done you go to the top man. [Tom repeats the story of being drafted, going to Atlanta to request a transfer, and going to work for Asa Candler.]

No, what I did was go down there and start listening to the mechanics, and seeing what their complaint was. And the one I can remember now: if they had a part, they had this huge box about a third the size of this room. Nuts and bolts and any part that could be used, they just threw it in there, and then one of the top mechanics would come by looking for a particular bolt, and he had to run through all that stuff.

So I stayed down there about a month, and I gave them two or three things I thought could be done, but one thing I said — I told them about that pile of stuff and said you could take somebody that you’re not paying a high wage, and give him a job separating all this stuff into particular places where when your top mechanics came, all they had to do was reach up there and get it and go back to work. And I had two or three good suggestions, so finished that job and it changed everything they were doing down there.

So my Colonel, Colonel Everett — just a fine fellow — of course it didn’t happen that way, but when he came back he said “Forkner, you did such a good job I got a promotion.” [chuckles] Of course it didn’t happen that way, but that’s how he put it. So then I was assigned to doing this undercover work from then on.