9 9 Despite being turned away several times, the young man’s persistence overcame Hooker’s reluctance, and Eugene walked away with an order for 50 dischargers at the hefty price of $150 apiece. That wasn’t unusual. Roberts wasn’t so much a natural-born salesman as an inventor with an intense faith in the inherent superiority of his products. He fervently believed that his inventions would make sugar companies more productive and profitable, and never let anyone’s doubt or disinterest stand in the way of making a sale. Roberts was willing to travel to the four corners of the Earth to promote his invention—and history offers evidence that he was clearly compelling. Typical was the story recounted by a Pennsylvania Refinery official named Dan Gutleben about a 1926 visit. Roberts showed up at the back door and Gutleben reluctantly let him in. He began to talk with his usual prolixity [wordiness] about the labor wastefulness of our flat-bottom affination machines, which were directly connected to 1100 rpm (rotations per minute) motors,” Gutleben recalled, noting that the angry plant manager was ready to throw Roberts out. “However, that is a thing that nobody did with Roberts, and so we gave him an order for 24 self-discharge baskets at $4,000 each. above: Wedding picture of Eugene Roberts and Olga Johanna Peterson (Ollie). Married November 16, 1898, Salt Lake City, Utah far left: Eugene Roberts, a mechanical genius and an accomplished inventor, often needed time to think and process. One of his favorite ways to get the "creative juices" flowing, ice skating on an inlet of the Hudson River in New York. “ ”