The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-08-08
Will Be Used to Illustrate the Sub
stitution Of Modern Firearms for
Those of That Time.
FRENCH ORDERS ARE REFUSED
Company Will Not Furnish Any Ar
mament to Neighbors Since the
, Franco Prussian War.

Berlin, Aug. Sine celeDfaC1On
of the centenary of the great firm of
Krupps, for which preparations have
been going forward for nearly two
years, began today at Essen. The
celebration is attended by Emperor
William at the head of a brilliant
galaxy of his fellow German SOW
ereigns, generals, admirals and civic
dignitaries
The celebration will last an en-
tire week and will be of most i'm
posing and memorable character.
The chief feature will be a great pa
geant which will symbolic the sub
stitution of firearms for the old wea-
pons of the middle ages. The prin-
cipal scene of the pageant will be an
episode from the life of the Emperor
Macmillan l., and $50 retired Off
GERS of the German army are to play
the parts of knights.
During the period of the celebra-
ton the emperor and other royal
gusts are CHARTERED at the Villa HUI
gel, the splendid country house of
Herr Krupp Won Bohlen-Halbach, who
by marrying the elder daughter Of
the late Herr Krupp became the head
of the firm. The villa is located just
outside Essen. The other notable
guests at the celebration are being
accommodated at the hotel in Essen
maintained by the Krupp company
exclusively for the accommodation of
foreign buyers Of their guns, armor
and ships, who are always at Essen
in large numbers.
The strong personal interest that
the emperor is manifesting in the
celebration is not surprising in view
of the fact that the firm of Krupps
is almost government institution.
The armament branch OF it's business
is in direct touch with the German
army and navy and studies their in
terests before anything else. The
firm is in short, an integral part of
the German empire and during the
past decade or two it has done more
for the military power of the empire
than any commercial firm has ever
before been able to do for it's gov
eminent. Its patriotism needs no
better proof than the fact that the
firm, while making guns and armor
for nearly all of the leading nations
OF the world, has steadfastly refused
to do any business with France since
the Franco-Prussian war.
The foundation of the world re-
nowned firm was laid in 1912 by the
Alfred Krupp. But it was his son,
the second Of the name, who gave
the works their international char
acter. This he succeeded in doing
only after seemingly insurmounta-
BILE difficulties had been overcome.
According to his own statements AL
fred Krupp's profits for fifteen years
were no more than enough to pay
the wages of his workmen, and fire.
quently he was at a loss to pay the
postage of his correspondence.
Alfred Krupp saw the posi- bilities
of the great exposition to open in
London in 1851 and decided to take
advantage of it. He had made i'm
portant discoveries in the casting of
large masses of Bessemer steel, which
had been an insurmountable task
previous to his time. The exhibit he
sent to London fairly astonished the
world and it at once established his
reputation. Orders began to pour in
and soon there was plenty of work
to do at the Essen foundries.
The making of heavy ordnance,
which has made the name of these
works famous the world over, was
not then a prominent part Of the
business. One of the first large or
ders Herr Krupp got for firearms was
four years later, when Prussia gave
him the contract for her new breech-
leaders. Soon general foundry work
and the making of small arms began
to take second place at Essen, as
heavy steel seige guns and armour
plate demanded more and more at
tention. IA. {
In 1892, after the second Alfred
CONTINUED on last paSe.)