More than 1,250,000 tons of coal are consumed yearly by the famous
Krupp works at Essen, Westphalia, commenced in 1810 by Peter Friedrich
Krupp, and now in the possession of Herr Friedrich Krupp, member of
the Reichstag. The establishment consists, according to the Eisen
Zeitung, of two steel works, with 15 Bessemer converters; four
steelworks, with Siemens-Martin open hearth furnaces; iron, steel and
brass foundries; puddling, melting, reheating and annealing furnaces;
draw benches; a hardening and tempering department; file manufactory;
rolling mills for plates, rails and tires; railway spring and wheel
manufactory; steam hammers, forges, axle turning shop, boiler shop,
engineering and repair shop. Besides the above and many other
departments, at Essen, connected with the making of cannons, there are
steel works at Annen, in Westphalia, three collieries in Westphalia,
besides participation in several others; 547 iron mines in Germany;
various iron mines at Bilboa, in Spain; four iron works, including one
at Duisburg, one at Engers, one at Neuwid, and one at Sahn; various
quarries of clay, sandstone, etc.; four steamers, and artillery ground
at Meppen, Hanover. The property owned extends over 974 hectares, and
the number of hands employed in the mines and steelworks is 25,301.
There are altogether 1,500 furnaces of various kinds, 3,000 engines
and machine tools, 22 roll trains, 111 steam hammers, 2 hydraulic
presses, 263 stationary boilers, 421 steam engines, representing
together a force of 33,139 horse power, and 430 cranes, including
travelers, having a collective lifting power of 4,662 tons. The total
length of the shafting is 8.8 kiloms. (5½ miles), and that of
railways, standard and small gage, 85 kiloms. (53 miles), worked by 32
regular trains, with 33 locomotives. The annual consumption of coal
amounts to 1,253,161 tons, and that of lighting gas to 12,000,000
cubic meters, while there are 573 arc and 1,804 incandescent electric
lamps.
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