Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-01-17
A KING WHOSE SCEPTER Is ..
How from Selling Cheese and Crack.
ers Spreckcls Became the Master of
STi}linns

San Francisco Letter In the Globe Democrat
Claus Spreckels. commonly known as the
Sugar King Of the Sandwich Islands," yields
power more autocratc. If not greater than
that OF any other monopOlist in the world. He
Is something more than a Warwick. because he
mas not remained content with making the king.
out mas guided all his movements like puppet.
SO that he is actually the ruler OF the pigmy
realm and its financial ministry. His dream is
TO exercise equal sway on this coast. Spreckels
Is South German born in Hanover. man of
small education. who came to this country about
1880. and started in the retail grocery business
IN Church street. New York. He made the i'm
preston On those who knew him there as man
OF great business shrewdness. and Of the thrift
when Is prOverbial with his race He came out
to California soon after the gold fever broke
out. ana at once engaged in the grocery busi-
ness IN this city. preferrng 1t to the hazards and
hardshlps of mining Everything which he
touched seemed to turn to gold. He made large
pronts In his business. Combining with several
OF his brothers who had come out to the coast,
ne bought quarter interest in the Albany
brewery. in this city. for $4,000. This was the
foundation of his present large fortune and COM
mercial Importance. After running the brew
cry a lew years his keen business instincts saw
IN sugar-ref1ning far more profitable field of
enterprise, The story of his conquest OF the
sandwich Islands, in a nutshell. is that he took
advantage OF the ignorance of the king. who
wanted money. and that he works his coolies
to death.
OF Spreckels' wealth it is impossible to form
any accurate estimate because much of his
property is mOrtgaged, and 1t is understood the
greater part of his fortune is embarked in the
sugar business, which is apt to depreciate. He
makes daily. the year round. however. 600 bar
rels OF sugar. containing 275 pounds of sugar
each, worth an average of $50 barrel. This
makes business Of $4,000 day. or So SO, 900
year. He makes a clear profit of so barrel.
or S6,OOO day, which amounts to S2. 100. 900
year He controls the entire sugar trade of the
coast. which represents S10.000O0O year.
Down at Honolulu he puts on more the airs of
an autocrat. and his course there lately has put
MN into disfaVOr with both the native and for
elgn population. Last January he loaned the
King Sl,oOo,0O0. Among his employees Spreck-
els is probably more popular than any other
mlillonaire on the coast. because he has always
treated his people we'll.
He is of medium height compactly built. and
dresses neatly. He has the face Of typical
German. with the high cheek bones. fair skin,
ana blue eyes of the fatherland. His eye is
clear as that of a young man, and his skin
though Drowned bv exposure, is also clean and
healthy His round head is covered with
thick growth OF hair, rapidly changing from
gray to white. This is the only indication of his
years. He has the alert look and movement of
man of thirty. and in his steely-blue eyes is
look which goes far to reveal his character. He
married years ago when he was poor man. a
comely German girl, who was then employed as
domestic in the family Of a large eastern sugar
ret1ner. and she has proved a good wife and
mother. They have four sons and one daughter
The father and the three elder sons. among
whom is Adolph, who shot De Young are mem
bers of the Pacific club in this city. where the
sons are general fayorites. They are all fine
looking men. OF polished address, and have
Travelled much in Europe
Mt. Spreckels is an easy man to get access to,
but it is another matter entirely to draw anv
information out of him. When told of the object
OF the visit he said: You may put it down that
always know what is good for Claus Spreckels
and never tail to turn this knowledge to &C.
count"