Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-07-03
Famous German Gunmakers.
L, FtREARM MANU-
FEATURING ESTABLISH EUROPE.

The house of Krupp, TO which at
tenIieli has been drawn recently by
disclosures in German political circles.
is the Eirgest steel. iron ami gun-mak-
ing esta iishment in Europe 1t was
founded 10l wears ago. Last August at
Essen, Germany. the home of the
Krupp works. was held the centennial
of Friedrich Krupp's venture into the
manufacturing of crncible steel and
cast steel goods Among those who at
tended tie celebration were Kaiser
Wilhelm and many noted German ofiic-
lals.
The year in which Friedrich krupp
actually began the manufacturing of
steel also marked the birth of hisSson
Alfred. one Of these events was just
as important as the other. For. while
the father started the business IL was
the son. who hailt IL up
Fsrederich krapp, merchant of the
township of Essen. decided in NovemT
her. 1911, 10 ma anafacture crucibie steel
and cast steel goods to compete with
the English products of this class. He
went into partnership with two men
who knew now To make crucible steel
and also claimed they possessed val
naltfes secret, the knowledge OF which
was considered quite essential then to
the making Of the higher grade cruci-
HE steel
EruIp rented small shed and, help
ed by these TWO men, began expert
mentiGg with erneible steel. His aim
was TO become Il steady manufacturer
of IL 50 in 1872 he built a small factory
eoffsist4,ass II II erneiLie steel foundry
andsa force containing a tilt hammer
. powera 10 operate the factory came
from "A small strfam near by.
He went atsais new work enthusias-
iicaify. but suffered more than the
,le,,il Number of business reVerses. his
partnefshib was Il failure. His part
ners lost maney The next partner he
look als0 failed him and lawsuit
Krapp Instituted against him was neV-
er settled until three years before his
death. And yet. in spite of all ms
T., ilardships, tie industrious manuiactui-
er toiled on and on. cxperimenteu NOR
and more discovered new way" OF
treating metal. and never lost coufa9e
Al times he had more orders on ms
hands than he could possibly fill. heh
he tried to enlarge his plant, however
he found his FUNDS were exhausted,
Ap,eaIs To the state for financial AID
failed Then his family managed %
ret enough money etogcther to help
him ont. For q time he got along we'll
doubling his former output. financial
aifitculties again overlook him, ana ne
was unable to get credit With which
~ 81, on with his work. The state
again refused 10 aid him. He fire.
m,,.ntlv was compelled to stop work
becaf,se of lack of water from the
stream that supplied him with power.
He Lad great difficulty getting enough
money TO nay his Workmen, Bad weath-
or made the roads impassable a CON
siderable portion of the year, so that
delivaries could not he made Tor
months at a time With all these re-
vcrses. he finally fell i'll and died at
th..-aee of So leaving to his wife ana
children his factory and his debts
Immediately after his death his ~ld-
CIV issued a circular Stating lhat thS
.se,ref OF making cruclble steer was
nat lost but had been transferred t'
her and her eldest SON, Alfred then IA
years old. and that they would con
tinue the business together. The name
of The firm was still Ffie derich l>rupl'
as ii is today ,,,,
pesnitc his extreme. youth, Aired
,tnew considerable about the factory
and with his energy and the apie c"uA-
SO, ~ his mother the business prosper
"a relatives AGAIN loaned them mon
ey with which To operate, ana Wheh ms
mother died, in 1878, Alfred became
sole owner.
In investigating new devices anu
,,rocesees for steel making Ai'fcu
eoualed his father in zeal. He was the
first to obtain the German riShts ior
the famous Bessemer process, that rev
s,ln.ionlzea the steel industry.
Although famous now for sunmak-
iny the house of krupp made no pusi-
nes,, of firearms for the hrst fo years
of lie existence. 1t was some title
later that lzrupp went into the ariha
,oa,,t business in earnest. The story Isl
to,a tLat the German Government dld
not recoenize the merits of kfupr
,,uns nnti the French Government oru-
,,.od sane of them Whereupon the
German War Department Immediately
beean ordering of him ana caused nm
To stop supplying the French. NOW ,ie
1<rupps are the armament suppiie's
,f the German Government Essen,
town of 4 900 when Friederich krupp
started his factory there. has now
,,nnn,ation of a00.000 The I<rupp works
cover 90 acres.
Alfred Krupp was the moving spiTlt
.,e mo concern until his death. in 1857.
uis son. Friederich Alfred krupp then