Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-02-02
HUGO SHINES, GERMANY'S
INDUSTRIAL GIANT
Daily Letter by Frederic }. Haskin

Mining biographer, DIR. Herman
Brickmeyer, there lay ready to his
hand the means by which he might
achieve the tremendous results up
on which e can now look back"
Tie grandfather, Matthias SHINES,
according to DR.. Brickmeyer, settled
in Mulheim on the Rhine in 1903,
where he son became known for his
courage, strong will and business sa-
gacity. He invested his small cap
itaI in coal barges and gradually
built up an important coal-carrying
line between Cologne and Holland.
After a time, he established his own
ship building plant and began con-
structing his own barges, so that by
1920 the number of craft wne by
| the SHINES firm had increased to
IS. e.
Twenty years later, however, when
the practicability of the steamboat
had been well established, Matthias
SHINES decided to scrap his slow,
hores-towed barges in favor OF
steam power. This substitution was
bitterly opposed by the Rhinelon-
ders, who had been furnishing tho
horses for towing the barges and
disliked to see a good source OF
profit swept away. SHINES was in
formed thai upon the appearance
of the first steamboat used to tow his
batges, there would be trouble.
This warning proved to be accu-
rate. When the firsts teamboat ar
rived at a certain point neal Neu-
wiedon-the Rhine, it was greeted
with a volley of rifle shots from the
bank. But to the discimfiturc CT
the enemy the steamboat swept
haughtily on, scorning to notice
such interference; afor Matthias
SHINES had taken the precaution
to place his steers man in an in
Vulnerable, armored turret. After
that the Rhinelanders resigned them
selves to the inevitable
A Family of Promoters
When Matthias SHINES died in
1S45 his business had expanded
enormously so that it Included not
only river shipping but mining and
the marketing Of coal! 1t had be-
come so complicated and varied, In
fact, that M man could scarcely
handle it, but Matthias III somehow
managed to take care of it and keep
it in the possession of the family,
which included his three brothers
and three sisters. Upon his death in
1858, he passed the@responsibility on
to Gustav, the oldest of the three
brothers, and the father Of the amaz-
ing Hugo SHINES who o engages
the attention of the world.
Hugo exhibited unusual talent
for managing his share of the SHINES
possession at an early age. Confin-
ing his education to commercial sub
jects, he entered the SHINES firm,
when he became 10, but soon felt the
need for larger fields to conquer. Ac-
cordingly two years later he estab-
lished his own firm. laying the foun-
dation for an independent career.
! Not unit the outbreak of the war,
however, did he find his real OPP
portunity for complete s~elf-eXpres-
sion. The history of all his skillful
manipulations would make a pretty
tale, but suffice 1t to say that he
entered the war period only a mod
erately rich man and came out with
billions. And since the armistice he
has achieved even greater wealth
and power.
In amusing contrast to his spectac-
ular exploits is the personal appear
ance of the man himself, who is de-
scribed by DIR. Brickmeyer. his hi.
ographer. AS resembling nothing sc
much as "a wandering lump of coal.
'He has a compact body" writes
Brickmeyer, upon which is set d
big heaed. His hair is close-cropped
black; his face large and pale. his
beard black as coal, his nose bent
his eyes deep-set. An Assyrian
I King'-that is what a German paper
recently dubbed him.
His manner is absolutely without
pose-straightforward, heavy, firm
He walks with a slight stoop, shut
fling along like a seafarer. Hi:
clothes and habits are simple.
1T is remarkable" he comments
chow the traits and leanings of ole
Matthias SHINES have reappeared
in his grandson. In him we find the
same restless spirit, the same dar'
ing, tire rlr'tnhoh ogw -bFafko.,
ing, the same talent for combina'
ton and constructions: but thes,
powers find application on an infin'
itely greater scale. Never in tn,
economic history of Germanay wa,
the time so propitious as today fol
a Constructive genius