The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-01
AMERICAN BEER KINGS.
Some of the Men Who Have Crow
Rich Out Of the Amber Liquid

Some of the Men Who Have Grown
Rich Out ofthe Amber Liquid.
New YORK, Sept. 29.-The thirsty
drinker who exchanges simple nickel for
the foaming goblet with which the modern
beerseller serves his patrons seldom realizes
that he is contributing toward a series of
fortunes 80 great as to already attract pub
lie attention and TO throw into the shade
the smaller accumulations of the more es-
teemed vocations. Yet this is far from ex-
pressing the true state of the case. The past
thirty years have done much toward con-
verting the American people into a beer
drinking nation, and in so doing have adj
ded to the list of millionaires the names
of at least forty lager beer brewers.
or these the pioneer Is George Ehret, a
rugged, solid, stolid and methodical Ger
man. To-day he is worth many millions,
yet thirty five years ago he was poor boy
knowing but little of the English language
and still less Of business methods. His own
description of his career applies to that of
nearly all his rivals, and is an Interesting
commentary upon the changes in American
habits in the past three decades.
T. when | began business, the lager beer
industry was in its infancy. 1t grew but
little at the outset, but received its first
great impetus during the civil war. At
first we lost money through the dishonesty
of retailers, as well as through their ill-luck.
In the latter case we often advanced money
to help them tide over their troubles, and to
secure ourselves, took chattel mortgage or
bill of sale of the saloon as collateral security
for the loan. Before long we found that
there was considerable profit in the practice
and extended it in various ways. a Gus
toner over whom you hold mortgage can
not defraud you of any large amount and
seldom will change his custom to another
brewer. In some cases he was too grateful
to do the latter; in others, too fearful that
you would foreclose without notice; In still
others that he would get into law or still
further injure his credit. At any rate he
seldom changed his brewer. The profit on
beer being moderately large, the brewer
80 IN found that he could save money by not
charging interest on these secured loans. es-
pecially when small. This seems paradox
cal until you remember that a good Gus
toner who could pay his interest to a conser-
vative brewer, could easily borrow the
amount of his debt AMI interest from some
rival brewer who would gladly forego the
interest ten times over for the profit OF this
retailers custom. In this wise these chattel
mortgage loans soon became invest uents
which paid no interest but secured profitable
trade. They also enabled the brewer to do
something else. When a debtor proved
dishonest, drunken or incapable, they en-
abled the brewer to foreclose, buy the place
and put it in charge Of some aber man.
There are many places in New York and
other cities which nominally have belonged
TO a score Of owners before they became
successful in the hands of the last, and yet,
practically, all that time they were owned
by one brewer who paid neither rent nor
other expense, and who, above all, suffered
little or no loss no matter how great the
losses Of his so-called customers"
William Kramer is another plutocrat
whose wealth came lergely from lager,
but in his case from retailing and not from
selling. He is a German by birth who en-
joyed no advantages in his youth and came
to this country TO better his condition. Ii
the fifties he started the Atlantic Garden,
then little saloon aud cheap restaurant Oh
the Bowery, in partnership with Louis
Hamprecht and Christian a. Goetz, botl
since deceased. At the start tho three part
ners alter ated between the positions of
cashier, bartender, cook, waiter, scullioa
and cleaner. Their energy and goodfellow-
ship as well rs their beer and good cooking
soon made them popular aad their business
profitable. The three men invested their
profits in improving, beautifying and there
after in enlarging their place. With oach
step In this direction came an increase ia
business and celebrity, until the plrtners
were all comparatively wealthy and thoir
place had become a favorite resort for work.
ingmen and especially Germans In the
seventies the partnership terminated, two
members OF the lirm desiring TO enter new
vocations. Kramer bought their interests
for very largo sum and remained in per-
sonal charge Of the place, where he Is still
to be found every day.
w. K. s., FALEs.