Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-04-08
ESSEN, GERMANY.
sanlzation Which Might as Well
Have Been Ce led Krupp.
Especial to The Bulletin. }

Washing ton, D. c., April 7.-Describ-
ing the city Of Essen, Germany and
the great Industrial organization that
has made it famous, the National Geo.
graphic society, in today's statement
concerning the geography Of the Euro
pean war, says:
THE town of Essen might just as
well have been named Krupp.' OF
course, Essen was founded centuries
before the House Of Krupp, but its i'm
| portance and industrial fame is of
| very recent growth. 1t is, in fact,
product Of the famous firm Almost
everybody in Essen nowadays depends
for his livelihood upon the firm of
Krupp, and Essen is a town of 100000
population. It might also be pointed
out that while the horizon Of Essen is
| about limited by Krupp steel. the firm
extends far beyond the limits of the
city, with numerous branches, iron-ore
mines, coal mines, shelters, an in
dustrial village bearing it's name,
foundries in Berlin and other cities,
and shipyard at Kiel.
Essen is situated in the heart of
rich coal and iron country and upon a
network of railways that reach to all
of the chief mining and industrial CEN
| tiers of the Rhineland It is located in
| the Prussian Rhine province, twenty
| miles northeast of Dusseldorf. The
| streets of the town are clean and we'll
laid out. The houses. for the most
part, are substantially built and be-
long to the firm of Krupp. There is
however, a thick atmosphere of indus
| trial gloom over the city. 1t looks
drab in spite of paint, and cherries
in spite of the vast wealth that its
labor earns. There Is no single lighter
feature to redeem the city which has
been called into an important place in
the world by Germanys greatest steel
firm.
1.-THE firm Of Krnpp, about which
numerous notices have been printed
since the wars outbreak, is little more
some years since a prominent French
man wrote a thick volume about the
Dynasty of Krupp, in which he con-
siders this familys fortune as large
| enough to be classed among the Seven
World Wonders.
1.-THE foundation Of the Krupp firm
at Essen on the Ruhr occurred in the
year 1912. 1t was in the first days of
| cast steel, and, at that time the Eng
fish steel industry led the world almost
| to degree of monopoly. Alfred
Krupp's works were established for
early days of the firm were days of
bitter and, apparently, fruitless strug-
gle. AS late as 1913. 36 years after
their foundation, the Krupp works en-
p1oyed only 70 workmen. But then the
age Of railways dawned, and cast steel
became an important article Of COM
merce. About this time too, the
owner went into the work of develop
ing guns, and his factory forged the
cast steel guns amid whose thunder
| the Empire was forged and welded.
''The founder of the factory died be-
fore realizing the success Of his 1ifes
venture, and his fourteen-year- son
took UP the burden, continuing the es-
adjustments slow progress. After
1S4S. the struggle was finally success
f11I n x~T5
throughout Germany and numbered
| customers in more than half Of the
countries Of Europe. BY 1873 10000
workrnen were employed, and the firm
had begun to purchase iron and coal
mines and blast furnaces. Long be-
fore their triumph, however, the
Krupps had put into operation those
social service reforms that were des-
tined to find echo around the world.
In the early eos the firm had estab-
lished for it's worl1nen a sick-aid and
pension fund, from which the German
Empire was to draw the inspiration
| that led to the establishment of a state
insurance system.
"The firm has always remained the
personal property Of the Krupp fami-
y. II is owned today by Bertha
Prussian diplomat, formerly attached
| to the Embassy at Washington. DR..
Gustav Won Bohfen and Halbach. Just
before Bertha krupp took over the
works, they were organized for ad-
ministratton purposes into Joint stock
| company. All but four shares Of $3.50
each were taken over by Miss Krupp,
The firms capital was placed at
$s5, 000, 900.
THE Krupp steel works now en-
ploy more than $4,000 men in Essen
| alone. The firm has one of the most
| highly developed social service systems
| in operation in existence anywhere. 1t
maintains clubs, cooperative stores;
hospitals, general and maternity;
| boarding houses. pension, accident, and
sick benefit funds, besides being part
ner with its employees in a number Of
other social undertakings. The Krupp's
make all manner of things Of steel. but
and this mainly constitutes their
| world removable Krupp gunshops
have a unique support from it's organ
ization. They have made and unmade
maps and empires. Bertha Krupp Is
known in her Fatherland as the Can
non Queen"