The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-25
The RISE OF THE KRUPPS.
\ Brief History Of Germany Great
Iron Making Concern.

After n Struggle With Poverty the
Founders Saw the Tide of Fortune
Turned in 1851. and Success Hns
Since Then Crowned Their Efforts.
/ The smoke clouds lowering over Essen
/ reveal its situation long before The tray
Cler comes within sight of its scores Of
: tail Chimucys and the trains laden with
. coal aud iron ore moving into the far
F spreading grounds of the krup2 works
t the greatest industrial establishment OF
. Germany Everybody knows that Essen
! supplies Europe and the world with the
. famous cast-steeI guns which made the
/ reputation and success of Krupp. their in
. VentoT- There is one country in Europe,
( however, that has no Krupp guns in its
armament, and that is France, for the
great gunmaker has refused TO sell
! France single cannon since her war
( vltn Germany. krupp is best known by
! his guns, though they are only a small
+ part Of his steel and iron productions. and
/ the present head Of the house, with his
/ father and grandfather before him. made
: the city of Essen what it IS Eighty-nine
3 years ago. when the first Krupp opened
. his little iron works. in which he toiIed
: with roIlcd-Up sleeves from dawn TO dusk,
the town had only 400 inhabitants Last
/ year Essen entered the list of cities hay
I ing over 10000 residents. and it Is now
7 one Of the most popuIoUs towns OF Prus-
/ sja- The growth Of the krupp works has
! made Essen
( \ little book entitled Bel Krupp."
written by Or. KEY, has beer published
/ in Germany It viii attract much atten-
J ton because it gives a great many Gu
( Tious statistics and interesting bits of
history connected with the rise Of the
Krupps that have never appeared IL the
/ numerous accounts Of the great estab-
Iishment. \ more remarkable story of
/ Industrial development was never writ
ten II is the history of an enterprise
! that had the humbIest possible beginning
/ and struggled for many years To over
/ core d crowd of difficulties that often
/ threatened to stile it; and it tells Of the
! SUDDEN success that came like food and
! soon made the name of Krupp known ev-
/ erywhere- Here are some of the most
! interesting facts and incidents. taken
/ from Dr.. KEYS book, that marked the
I growth, first slow and then impetuous. OF
! the Krupp works.
/ The grandfather Of the present krupp
4 was iron worker OF Essen. who saved
/ his money until he had accumulated a few
/ thousand marks with which he went into
/
/ "a little foundry in 1910 1t was not his for
+ tune tC make much Roadway in the six
! teen Iabnrious years he spent with two or
/ three employees in his humble building He
made d bare living. but managed to keep
+ his small property. and it was the nucleus
from which the krupp works spTaug. In
{ 1876 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 and carried him to great
prosperity 1t was only by enormous Ia
Dor, endurance and pluck that Alfred
krupp was able at last 20 master the sit
uation. In lSs2. six years after he had en-
tered upon the management of the enter
prise he had only nine men in his en-
pIoy, and this was twenty-five years after
/ the works had been started. He struggled
along fog a quarter OF century, making
good steel, good guns and other good ar
ticLes All that time, but there was so little
demand for his work that ne scarcely kept
his head above water. He had a few
pieces Of silver plate, family plate. heir
looms, and he was reduced to such straits
at one time that he melted the plate and
sold the silver in order TO raise d little
money with which to pay his workmen-
He often said, after he become prosper
:
slant struggle 10 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 letters 4
rather annoying necessity
The trouble was that he seemed unable
to secure recognition tor his products
either at home or abroad The 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 Exposi-
ton in 1851. and before it was over the
British were calling him a great steel
maker He emerged from the competi-
ton with the English steel industry with
flying coIors, and found himself talked
about man whose technical methods
were not understood. but whose products
were undoubtedly first class It may be
said that there are processes in the krupp
manufacture and manipulation Of steel
that are not known IL the trade today
and they are carried on in the buildings
that TO visitor o. enICoye who does not |
work III them is permitted TO enter
The London Exposition Of IS5l made the |
tide in the affairs OF krUDp that led on TO
fortune His own country followed in the |
wake Of other lands, and Krupp had his |
hands fun Of business when Prussia gave |
leaders His first larry commissions were |
received from the Khedive OF Egypt ana |
the Bey Of TUnis and they did him the |
unusual honor Of paying spot cash Cor his 1
goods. Russia has been the best custom /
CT Of the Krupp works Since 1873, wheS /
the Russian Government purchased 1850 |
krupp guns for its new field equipment. !
tn cannon king" has sold to that COUls-
try over 2n,Od0 guns /
Business came in by leaps and bounds, /
and krupp did not have sufficient capital /
10 enlarge his plant fast enough 70 meet /
the demand upon it So he borrowed 30 /
On marks and with the profits Of mis- bust |
ness in twelve years he was able 10 dis
charge this debt He used the borrowed !
money and his own not only TO increase
The Cure Of CONSUMPTION