The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-01
STORIES OF THE KRUPPS.
VIEW FACTS ABOUT THEIR SLOW MISE
FROM POVERTY.

The smoke clouds lowering over Essen reveal
Its situation long before the traveller within
sight Of Its scores Of tall chimneys and the trains
laden with coal and iron ore moving into the far
spreading grounds Of the Krupp works. the great
est industrial establishment Of Germany. Every
| body knows that Essen supplies Europe and the
| world with the famous cast steel guns which made
the reputation and success of Krupp their inventor
There is one country in Europe, however that has
| no Krupp guns in it's armament and that s France
for the great gunmaker has refused to sell France
| single cannon since her war with Germany
krupp Is best known by his guns, though they are
only small part Of his steel and iron productions
and the present head OF the house. with his father
| and grandfather before him, made tho city Of
Essen what II is Eighty-nine years ago when
| the first Krupp opened his little iron works. in
| which he toiled with rolled up sleeves from dawn
| TO dusk, the town had only 900 inhabitants
Last year Essen entered the list Of cities having
over 100 900 residents and IL is now Of the
| most populous towns Of Prussia. The growth
Of the Krupp works have made Essen.
A little book entitled "Bei Krupp" written by
| DR.. Kley, has Just been published In Germany.
| II will attract much attention because il gives
| agreat many curious statistics and interesting bits
OF history connected with the rise Of the Krupps
that have never appeared In the numerous accounts
| Of the great establishment A more remark able
story Of industrial development was never written.
! IL Is tho history Of enterprise that had tho
humblest possible beginning and struggled for
many years 10 overcome a crowd Of difficulties
that often threatened to st1e IL and II tells Of the
| sudden success that came like q food and soon
madc the name Of Krupp known everywhere
| Here are some Of the most interesting facts and
incidents taken from Dr. KEYS book. that m arked
| the growth, first slow and then impetuous that
has marked the development Of the Krupp works
The grandfather Of the present Krupp was an
| iron worker Of Essen who saved his money until
he had accumulated a few thousand marks with
which he went into business on his own account
by starting a little foundry in 1870 1t was
not his fortune to make much Roadway in the
sixteen lAborious years he spent with two three
employees in his humble building. He made
bare living. but managed to keep his small
property and IL was tho nucleus from which
the Krupp works sprang. In 1926 his son Alfred
| became the owner OF the establishment and he
tasted all the fluctuations his father had known
and many more, for years and years. before the
tide turned turned and carried him 10 great pros
perity. 1t was only by enormous labor endur-
anoe and pluck, that Alfred Krupp was able al
last to master tho situation. In 1882, six years
after he had entered upon tho management Of
the enterprise, he had only nine men In his en-
ploy and this twenty-five years after tho
NoIho nuu no struggled along 1Or q
quarter OF century making good steel good
guns and other good articles all that time but
there was so little demand for his work that he
scarcely kept his head above water. He had
few pieces OF silver plate. family plate, heir
looms, and he was reduced TO such straits at ono
time that he melted the plato and sold tho silver
In order to raise a little money with which to pay
his workmen. He often said. after he became
prosperous that for fifteen years Il was a con-
slant struggle to get cash enough to pay his help
Often, when things were at their worst he found
the purchase OF postage stamps with which TO
mail his few letters rather annoying necessity.
The trouble was that no seemed unable to Sc
cure a recognition for his products either at homo
or abroad Tho old adage that a prophet Is
not without honor save in his own country" was
at last verified again in Krupp's case. He took
his steel and gun or two to the London Expo
stion in 1851. and before II over tho British
were calling him great steelmaker. He emerged
from the competition with the English steel in
dustry with flying colors and found himself talked
about as q man whose technical methods were
not understood, but whose products were I'M
doubtedly first class II may be said that there
arc processes in the Krupp manufacture and
manipulation of steel that are not known in the
trade today. and they are carried on In build
ings that no visitor or employee who docs not
work in them is permitted to enter.
The London Exposition OF 1851 made the tide
in the affairs OF Krupp that led on to fortune His
own country followed in the wake OF other lands,
and Krupp had his hands full Of business when
Prussia gave him. in 1855, her first order for
breechloaderS His first largo commissions
were received from the Khedlve OF Egypt and
the Bey of Tunis, and they did him the unusual
honor Of paying spot cash for his goods. Russia
has been the best customer Of the Krupp works.
Since 1873 when the Russian Government pur-
chased 1900 Krupp guns as the new equipment
Of its field equipment. tho cannon king" has sold
to that country over 700 guns.
Business came in by leaps and bounds and
Krupp did not have sufficient capital to enlarge
his plant fast enough TO meet the demands upon
it. So he borrowed 80. 900 marks. and with the
profits OF his business, in twelve years, he was
able to discharge this debt. He used tho borrowed
money and his not only to increase his facili-
ties for making steel and its products, but also
to render himself independent OF all rings and
syndcates in all forms Of industry with which
his business was closely connected. He began
TO buy coal mines, coke ovens iron mines. blast
furnaces, and so on. In 1872 Alfred Krupp owned
Ala iron ore dggings. and his son and successor
now has over 800 and all but a small part OF the
Krupp steel is made from Krupp's ore, smelted
by means OF the coke he makes from his own
coal ~ mas oeen inc poncy OF the establish
mont for many years to be entirely indepen-
dent Of all fluctuations in tho prices OF ore pig
iron and coal, and so Krupp has not only acquired
the ownership to the lands which supply most
OF his raw material but he has also laid in largo
stocks purchased abroad.
For long time four Krupp iron ore steamships
were constantly plying between the north coast OF
Spain and Rotterdam, carrying tho orc of the
famous mines Of Bilbao to the Dutch port, whence
II was sent up the Rhine to within eighteen miles
OF Essen. To-day the coal and iron mines owned
by Krupp, and his subsidiary blast furnaces and
steel works, scattered far and wide His
works at Kiel alone employ 1000 men, and those
at MagdeburG Buckau 8. 54S men, and over 10, 600
men are employed in his foundries In 1858. six
years after there began to be demand for Krupp's
products, he had all told 047 men in his service
On Jan this year there were on the payrolls Of
the present krupp the names OF Al $50 men, of
whom 25, 1873 were employed in tho works at Es
sen, and the rest scattered among his various
manufacturing and mining