The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-20
SPRECKELS, THE SUGAR KING
Introduced Cube Sugar to the Amert-
can Market.
Victor L. o,Brien. In AinsIee,s

introduced Cube Sugar to the Amerf-
can Market.
Victor L. O'Brien, In Ainslee's
Claus Spreckels went with his fapo;,,.
to Europe, and there entered into an ov-
haustive study of sugar that has since
made him the undisputed master Of n.
business in America. He even became
a workman again, serving as an orIf,-
airy employe at Magdeburg BY 1867 he
was again In the refinery business. in Can
fornia, operating, In connection with bis
brother. the institution which still exists
to his honor, the California Sugar Rein
cry. For this institution he personally
directed in New York the building of ths
machinery. and afterward participated in
the training of every employee as well az
in the erecting of the buildings and the
management of the finances. He began
with a wooden structure, rather small
adapted strictly to the extent of the cur
rent operations; but within three years
the building was enlarged four times and
at the end of four years an immense brick
but ding was put up which, with ca
pacity to turn out 300 tons of sugar per
day. still stands on the south bay shore
of San Francisco-one of the most con-
spicuous manufactures of the Pacific
coast.
1.-THE men who had driven Mr.. Spreck-
els from the Bay Sugar Company soon
found they had created a Tartar The
doughty German applied his great fore
sight and his close judgment to every
phase of the sugar business. He not only
operated upon more scientific manufactIr-
ing principles, but he reached out into
the general field of competition and
brought that wi hin his control At one
time he shrewdly cornered all the sugar
afioat and almost shut up the doors Of
his rivals by cutting off the raw supplies,
all of which had always to be imported
He invented new processes which reduced
the time of making of hard sugar from
three weeks to twenty-four hours, and
introduced into the American market for
the first time the cube and crushed sug-
ars of to-day His competitors were help
less against his ability and his cunning,
and they eventually had no alternative
but TO surrender.
1.-THE fight, however went on for long
time-in fact. until, by another of the
master-strokes which had given him such
ascendancy as he had gained up to that
time Mr. Spreckels went to the Hawaiian
Islands, and made himself the virtual
owner of the sugar-cane growing Of the
Pacific ocean. This was in 1876, Just af-
ter the completion of the first reciprocity
States, admitting Hawaiian sugar free
of duty.
"T went to the islands for self-protec-
tion' says Mr.. Spreckels, and soon be-
came the largest sugar raiser there lie
went over the local situa ton, scientifical-
ly with an engineer, before entering INTO
operations. But when he began WORK II
was upon a large scale, forming the Ha-
waiian Commercial Company, with paid
up capital of 100000.
THE repo of thu Committee on For-
eign Re All ms of he u tied States, In
81 eaking of the advent OF Spreckles' 10
the IIawn ian Islands s1ys:
After refusal on the part OF the
Hae airn Cabinet to g ant request OF
Mr.. Spreck.es for water pr vleges, ne
held a conference in the evening Win
King Ka,akaua ard another g n ! man
with the result that the next NOR ing the
kirg requested the reS'en1to7 OF ca""
members of tire cabinet, and the fo wing
a new cabinet was appo.r te1 which
granted Mr.. Spr ok es his DIS res
Gradual the competition in he local
field gave way, and ty 1888 Mr.. Spre- KeiS
was the urquc STONED sugar king o. the
Pacific CT as. But his triumpNs IN us
own fed served only to b ing a7alrs'
his single han1 the C ssal p wer Of inc
AmsTicsn ST. gar Fehn ries CompauN'
which has since become known as tle
Suga~ Trust This company viewed hiS
lucrative busiress jealous and sought 10
ais RIB it, They offered M. Sp eckels d
million 40 lers for his interes s. But MI.
Spie ke.s did OF p to be tNe man !"
BIZ bong on of his iadepe nce1ce LOT th9
SAKE Of IN eamati n wit an l 81 lullo"
even of such enormous veal h as the gu
gar Trust 70 to he ne tul Oh .
local welfare that was mo or .e's
pendent upon his pers nali-y. he sa'0
that SO ioly as he had a dollar IN Nc
wo III he woull k ep is 'efinery run ms
ard would VT n emf to IN nto t"e
street men who had faithfully served MN
Any Of them for twenty aud twehty-'F7
years. ,,..
It is Was sentiment. AMI 1t rrooa
did rot seem to be go,d bus nrs 10 ~
mari &c s of tie tru t. Fut IL tlrne' ou'
to he better business 'or ca II I'm tnt''
tie trust OF s as7ociat's could nave ~
terdod. Comp ii ion was at once ina 8
u at d. The trust at erp I'd to c-eioe
Mr.. Sprecke.s. But it did not know MI"
70 vel Z eo as t DIES now.
40 W lie. Mr. Sprecke.s was AT
decided dis dvantage. be ause OF th9
enormous profits made by the rus on lls
bus ness in the Fast and the nseque"'
possibi i.y of Sc ling in Calftrnia al
loss. Put the di vantage was qul ny
met With his ual sourceiu
Mr.. SIRE kels conceived tn idea OF car
rying the war into the enemy's own Yer
t, ry. ARai g tie Strenuous advice an1
objec ions of his lends, who dlcltu
disas er II he attempl ed to fight the uus'
single-handed. he erected an ero nous
dnery IN Phi AIDE hia. which Is the iaIs-
est ard most c jmplate In The wo a. az
cost Of 50, coo 900. Mr.. Sp eek IS . en- ~
prices in al the Ea t'rn mari cts OF ~,
trust, AID so soon be- anne su a tn ~,
in its side that the tn maie overtuIe
for peace, ard the terms finally agreSg'
ur,cn involved the purchase Of the Fu.i-
adel h a refinery by the trust en- uu.u
terru~te1 operation Ct the Calf rnia 0u
car Refinery. in San Francisco