|
|
K. L. Du Pont De Nemours & Co.
| Name | K. L. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. |
| Ortssitz | New York City |
| Straße | Beaver Street 87 |
| Art des Unternehmens | Pulvermühle |
| Anmerkungen | Powder Mills, near Wilmington, Delaware. |
| Quellenangaben | [New Yorks great industries (1884) 149] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 24.06.1771 |
Geburt von Eleuthere Irénée Du Pont in Paris |
| 1800 |
E. I. Du Pont kommt aus Frankreich in Amerika an. |
| 1802 |
Du Pont errichtet seine Pulvermühle am Brandywine Creek, vier Meilen von Wilmington entfernt |
| 31.10.1834 |
E. I. Du Pont stirbt in Philadelphia an der Cholera |
| Produkt |
ab |
Bem. |
bis |
Bem. |
Kommentar |
| Schießpulver |
1884 |
[New Yorks great ind. (1884)] |
1884 |
[New Yorks great ind. (1884)] |
Powder Mills |
| ZEIT | 1884 |
| THEMA | Firmendarstellung |
| TEXT | The name or Du Pont is instinctively associated in the mind of the public with the famous brands of gunpowder manufactured near Wilmington, Delaware. In a comprehensive review of the business interests of this city, such as this work presents, it will be interesting to give some account of the mills whence is derived-the powder which meets with such a universal demand, both wholesale and retail, in this city and the world over. Eleuthere Irénée Du Pont, the founder of the immense " Powder Works " on the Brandywine, was born in Paris, France, June 24, 1771. Simple in his habits, generous and ardent in his impulses, lie united great energy of purpose and untiring industry with a warm and benevolent heart. In his early youth he was the pupil of the eminent chemist, Lavoisier, an intimate friend of his father, Du Pont De Nemours. Lavoisier, at that time, was superintendent of the royal manufactories and depots of powder and saltpetre (Regie royale des poudres et salpetres), and at the mills at Essonne, Irénée Du Pont acquired a thorough knowledge of the manufacture of gunpowder. The events of the French Revolution having put an end to his career under Lavoisier and involved him and his family in political troubles, they emigrated to the United States at the close of the eighteenth century, arriving in Newport, R. I., on the first of January, 1800. Some months later an accidental circumstance called Irenee Du Pont's attention to the bad quality of the gunpowder made in the land of his adoption, and gave him the first idea of establishing a set of works for its manufacture, a project deemed by many as little short of madness, so great was the reputation of the powder imported from England. Having decided upon the enterprise he went back to France in 1801, revisited Essonne to acquaint himself with the various improvements in powder manufacture which had been made since he left the place, returning to this country in August, well supplied with plans and models and bringing with him some of the machinery for his future mills. In the following year (1802) these were established on the banks of the Brandywine Creek, four miles from Wilmington. After many disappointments and losses, his energy and courage surmounted every obstacle, and at the time of his death by cholera, October 31, 1834, while temporarily in Philadelphia, his powder mills were the most extensive in the United States. Since then, the immense business has been ably managed by his sons and grandsons, who retain the old firm name. The works are now the largest of their kind in the world. In addition to the buildings devoted to the manufacture and storage of gunpowder, they embrace a saltpetre refinery with laboratory attached, charcoal houses, machine shops, carpenter and blacksmith shops, pinning and saw mills. The firm owns over two thousand acres of land, that stretch for three miles along both sides of the Brandywine, and on which are located three woollen mills, a cotton mill, flour mill, etc., giving employment to upwards of five hundred operatives. There are good roads, substantial bridges, mostly of stoue, and in fact no money has been spared to make the estate a model one in every respect. The high reputation permanently maintained by Du font's powder is due to the care bestowed upon its manufacture, and to the constant personal supervision maintained over all the processes and character of materials The quantity of saltpetre and nitrate of soda annually consumed here is enormous, amounting to over eight million pounds, imported mostly from India and South America. The firm take, especial pains to have a thoroughly pure and reliable quality of saltpetre used in their powder, and consequently have devised the most rigid tests. All descriptions of powder for military and navnl purposes are made at the works, such as hexagonal, prismatic, cannon, musket, rifle, mortar and pistol. In this connection it may be noted that the firm supplied all the powder used in recent experiments with heavy cannon, including those made with the Haskell multicharge gun. It also manufactures diamond grain, eagle, chokebore, and the various grades of canister und rifle powder, as well as shipping, blasting, mining and fuse powders. The firm own a large depot at San Francisco for the requirements of the Pacific States, and have agencies through South and Central America, and elsewhere. During the Crimean War the allied forces, to enable them to prosecute the siege of Sebastopol, were obliged to procure large supplies of gunpowder from the United States, one half of which was furnished by the Du Pont mills, and the American powder compared very favorably with the best that could be made in Europe. The Du Pont mills are so well known in connection with the manufacture of gunpowder, that the degree of purity maintained by them in its preparation is most favorably mentioned in the United States ordnance manuals. In brief, it may be stated that military, sporting, mining, and shipping powders of every variety are there manufactured in an unexcelled manner. The reputation of the mills of Du Pont De Nemours & Co. has stood unrivalled for eighty-three years, something that is a just cause of pride to the successors to the honored founder of these widely celebrated works. The powder has ever had a wide sale in the metropolis, and is also handled here as an article of commerce for export purposes. The agent in New York for a long term of years was Mr. F. L. Kneeland, now deceased, whose offices were first located at No. 70 Wall Street, but subsequently at No. 87 Beaver Street, the present location, where all orders are received, while the supplies on hand for this market are kept securely in the magazines on the banks of the Hudson, whence shipments are made. |
| QUELLE | [New Yorks great industries (1884) 149] |
|
