The Owosso Sugar Company - a story

As soon as the timber magnate Saginaw, Wellington R. Burt, celebrated his seventieth birthday August 26, 1901 while he was engaged to a portion of its assets in the wake of the wood of the sugar beet.

The mantra of real estate agents around the world "location, location, location." But in the business world in general should, "Timing, timing, timing" is. Wellington Burt timing in regard to his interest in sugar was bad.

As others had filled theirDays in the fast again, but now dying timber, had time on your hands and money in the bank. At first, as was the other, has spent several years in politics. He had a term used by the Senate (1893-1894), then looked for an SU Congress, but unfortunately his seat as a Democrat in 1900, the year rose to run the Republican star. Classified as one of the richest men in America, Burt poured over ideas for new investments, and then homed in sugar. His set of herEyes Owosso, Michigan, a village about 30 miles southwest of Saginaw, where he lived several clothes remains from the timber industry in Washington villas along the avenue. Among the many attributes the influence of Owosso Joseph Kohn, a sugar technologist living in Bay City, Michigan. Kohn led the Michigan Chemical Company, which had been put in place to buy molasses and then process through the city more and more sugar beet factories generate. Its successapproach by the Michigan Chemical encouraged investors when he spoke of investment in factories of sugar beet.

For Kohn, it was easier, more molasses and sugar beet factories in Michigan chemistry, which could be distilled into alcohol, a fact built enthusiasm for the construction of another factory. Fat with profits, attempted Michigan Chemical and its parent company, Pittsburgh plate glass factory in Owosso build on his own and did not need the interference of otherMillionaire with time on his hands and money in your pocket. Wellington R. Burt was not invited to their ambition in a join venture with Michigan Chemical and its passage to his own languishing behind a curtain of international events

The United States had agreed after the conclusion of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine sugar import tariff reduction of 75 per cent of the general rate and the import of sugar from Puerto Rico, a possession of the United States to allow all free duty. L ' Philippines had the added advantage of shipping up to 300,000 tons of duty-free, and Congress was the bill, which they believed would be a reciprocal agreement with Cuba to approve dithering. The grant agreement, the country would preferably 20 percent tariff.

the nation's newspapers devoted considerable space to the plan, dampening the spirits of those who had at first planned factory in a lot of enthusiasm for Burt. It could be a few others join him in ahad> Venture in Owosso, although he supported the assets pledged $ 200,000 of his personal actions and others have been signed for $ 50,000 a. He convinced the farmers to grow sugar beet in three thousand acres and a contract with a company with experience and Fuehrman Hapke the building when it collapsed to start, because investors do not come off with the balance of investments needed - about 600,000 dollars.

Michigan Chemical Company has been behind the scenes, while other investorsfailed. Elsewhere excitement for sugar beet factories just slowed down. Sixteen were in the United States, 1900-1902, built eight in Michigan. Burt's attention to Alma, Michigan, where he met with more success through the combination of money and talents to those of Aimee Wright, another industrial Saginaw.

Owosso 1902, it was a good candidate for a sugar beet factory as any city in Michigan, maybe better. He railways, established industry, a senior class andeducated workforce is also an excellent agricultural region. Burt stepped aside, allowing the project to die stillborn. Fuehrman Hapke and approached the Sebewaing plant next year to build, creating one of the sugar factories of the most successful era. Michigan Chemical emerged from the shadows and took the reins.

Owosso was the home of two families with considerable success in American politics. Both have different roles in the creation of a sugar beet factory in the gameOwosso. The family of Alvin Bentley Bentley, whose grandson, also named Alvin management gained fame with great personal effort in 1954, when as a junior member of Congress, was the fastest of the five victims of an armed attack wounded Congress, while the meeting was. Four Puerto Rican terrorists fired thirty shots of visitors to the gallery of the House of Representatives ON the floor of the room, while the representatives discussed the draft law in a country of immigration.

The DeweyFamily had been in Republican politics since the founding of the party in the near Jackson, Michigan in 1854, opera. In Owosso, according to tradition, was a leader of the political party then in power for the position of postmaster. Edmund O. Dewey, Thomas Edmund Dewey uncle, a future governor of New York and twice unsuccessful candidate for president of the United States took this position begins with the presidency of William McKinley and ending with the presidency of WoodrowWilson. His brother George, the father of Thomas Edmund Dewey, secured the nomination in 1921.

Edmund Dewey, 1902, Wellington Burt's recovery plan for a beet sugar factory in Owosso. He organized the purchase of a suitable site of 40 acres at the western end of Oliver Street, raised $ 10,000 and asked the Board of Commissioners for the city to pass a bond to cover the cost of land. The county has denied the link, making the idea a second time and not for the same reason - aLack of enthusiasm.

Joseph Kohn has been introduced and fired in a single sugar Michigan of the nation's richest families, the family Pitcairn Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The family controls the Pitcairn Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (now PPG Industries announced) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The glass company was all but in the end America's dependence on Europe, suitable for large glass for windows, cabinets and mirrors. Whileopening days of the 20th Century, the company produced 20 million square meters of glass per year.

When searching for a source of potash for the glass works, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Kohn turned to try to get themselves prepared from sugar beet extract and molasses instead he was sure that could be gained from the conversion of gain molasses into alcohol. He had served in the German-American Sugar Company (later the monitor Sugar Company) as a consultant and before that held a similar position at KilbyManufacturing, which has been very involved in the turnkey construction of beet sugar factory projects. Kohn Bay City Distillery, because of the large amount of molasses, the three sugar factories and the factory as the German-American Sugar Company has promised under construction, was carried out on huge profits at the Pittsburgh glass.

John Pitcairn as America's first coast five years ago, immigrants to America by his parents, John and Agnes brought together with two sisters and aBrother. Pitcairn has amassed a personal fortune of railways, mines, oil and the founding of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in collaboration with John Ford, who was sixty years old when his attention attracted Kohn, potential in Owosso and the failed attempt of the first Wellington Burt shape, and then Edmund Dewey businesses a sugar beet.

Three Friends stimulus for Owosso. On October 29, 1902, the Owosso Sugar Company was founded, capitalized at one million dollars. More than 75Percent of the shares have been heard by the Pitcairn family members and friends. John Pitcairn 62,500 outstanding shares owned outright. A handful of residents Owosso its name to the list of shareholders, including the aforementioned Alvin and the Bentley brothers Edmund and George Dewey. George Dewey's son, Tom, the future presidential candidate to spend a day of school holidays working in the lounge of the new sugar packaging company.

The company presidency was rotatedCharles W. Brown, the owner of the newly crowned 5600 shares of stock. Brown was also the president of Pittsburgh Plate Glass. Financial functions Day went to 36 years Edward Pitcairn, one of many grandchildren John Pitcairn. Edward was in 1910, will be the treasurer Pittsburgh glass plate, a position he would hold for the rest of his career. Carmen Smith, a lawyer with a long association with Charles Brown, who was adopted from a period where the couple lived in Minneapolis,The responsibility for general administration of the new company. He also took the title of Secretary-Treasurer. Recently had a wife and three children, Isabella, Daisy, Carmen, and Cedric in Bay City where he moved as treasurer of the Michigan Chemical Company. Joseph Kohn has taken the role of the general superintendent of the factory.

Educated at the Institute of Technology in Prague, Kohn graduated in 1883 with a degree in mechanical engineering and process engineering. After hisSchool had been employed by Breitfeld Danek from Prague and subsequently gained experience in a sugar factory in Moravia, a region in the Czech Republic today, but was then part of Austro-Hungarian Empire, and has also worked with the designer evaporator, Hugo Jelenik . In Moravia, it was with Carl Steffen, the inventor of the process desugarization molasses that bears his name. While working for Kilby Manufacturing Company, Kohn Kilby developed the default factory configuration.

KilbyManufacturing has won contracts to build two factories of 1,000 tonnes in Michigan, one in Owosso and another in Menominee. The two would hold the record for the biggest sugar beet factories in Michigan, built a factory of 1,200 tonnes in Mount Pleasant was built in the 1920th addition to the two plants of 1,000 tons, Kilby had an order for a standard plant from 600 tons in East Tawas. It would be a busy year for Kilby, who had received orders for three plants in Colorado, one each for its Fort Collins,Longmont, Fort Collins and Windsor to win the largest factory built Kilby-1, 200 tons a day of cutting capacity. The price for the planting of Owosso, to $ 675,000, on a per tonne of sugar was low cut of $ 675 against $ 1,197 in East Tawas and $ 785 for Menominee. In reality, the cost of construction of Owosso less per ton than any other disc factory in Michigan.

The Owosso plant came to life December 9, 1903, without the usual fanfare associated with new factories of sugar beetusually include marching band, parades, joy talking about opportunities for lighting equipment and local politicians attended. In a more peaceful, Charles W. Brown, of Pittsburgh came and brought with him as guest of honor, James Wilson, Minister of Agriculture. He rose to national prominence when President William McKinley appointed him Secretary of Agriculture in 1897. His stature was such that President Roosevelt and Taft kept him as a secretary, and onlysweep in 1912 in a train Republican representative from office, Woodrow Wilson has finished his term. He was a Minister of Agriculture, 4 March 1897-3 March 1913, the longest duration of a U.S. government official to serve.

After a brief ceremony, the Secretary Wilson and pulled the whistle cord, which continues as the beets out of the channel. Unlike many of the beet plants built in Michigan, there was no central figure, the restaurant had taken his money and reputation on the line forFactory. The majority stake was far away in Pennsylvania, has lived his officers and the executive management elsewhere, Bay City, in the case of Joseph Smith and Kohn and Carmen near Pittsburgh for Brown and Pitcairn. It was not absentee owners to overlook the obvious unusual - the contribution of farmers. If a lack of farmer interest manifested itself does not cause heart palpitations in the boardroom of Pittsburgh Plate Glass. After all, who twenty years earlier, John Pitcairn forged a new AmericanIndustry from the rubble of a similar effort, but without success, when reflecting the state of the market away from Europe and has developed one of the largest and most modern factories of its kind in the world
Farmer was a slight apathy Sorry, not a devastating blow to a person who has transformed the production of flat glass in a field had only American. The answer was at hand, Carmen Smith, who was appointed envoy has explored the possibility of the walls of the factory to reach the skyOwossians who had the surprise of the weekend throughout the summer of 1903 came together to grow in width and size of industrial Goliath to take in their midst. Sure, the thought of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass great people. They also thought the current sidewalk superintendents of the largest factory, the largest of all players in the sugar factory at the time. They were not only the construction of a sugar beet delivers twice the size of almost all sugar factories in the United KingdomStates, were at the same time the edge of the foundation of larger sugar beet in the United States and the largest single payment transaction to the east of the Mississippi River.

formed the south and west of Saginaw, Michigan was a vast marsh area during the last glaciation. The fund, which connects the convergence of several major river systems, the Saginaw River was the then and now flows 22 miles north of Lake Huron. The eighteen thousand acres of marsh served as an important stepand brooding ground for migrating waterfowl, ducks, geese, swans. It 'was the biggest natural habitat of wild animals in the American Midwest. frequent flooding - was a feature which protects unattractive to farmers. But that changed when Harlan B. Smith, a producer who speculates Saginaw buggy also in real estate, a partnership with two lawyers, Charles H. Camp, and George B. Brooks has come to acquire and then develop about 10,000 acres of marsh. Their efforts,Spanning fifteen years has resulted in a large drainage ditch that nearly two miles across the prairie to complete that allow them to hundreds of acres of marsh to be converted into agricultural land.

When Carmen Smith for a wide area in which a sugar beet farm demonstration at the same time ensuring the Owosso plant would be all he wants, he must quickly install the Prairie Farm, for deliberately sought. Smith completed the purchase on February 22, 1903, and soon a steam excavator,Monster designed to dig into the muddy ground, was immediately transported to the Saginaw River in the prairie. And while 'in the ground in front and form a dam 20 feet high, and the creation of a channel that used to be about one hectare in the morning, he claimed that half the country had been waiting for a million years' arrival of the transport mechanism Behemoth.

Finally, Owosso Sugar Company created 36 miles of levees, some of which eighty meters wide at the bottom, top forty high and six meters.Others have been designed to be smaller, but all for the same purpose - and then drain the country dry. Streets crowned the summit of the dams and the pages turned to use as a pasture grass for the sheep. Half the country has been drained by ditches open and half were discharged by means of large pumps, which send their cargo to the nearby Flint River. Once it was dry, the reclaimed land, like a giant chess board in twelve lines down the 1,640-acre parcel. Almost overnight, for aCapital expenditures of $ 400,000, Smith has turned the Prairie farm from a loss of business in the world's largest sugar beet in Michigan, and probably also in the United States, if not the world - ten thousand hectares. The new plant could now be put aside concerns about an adequate supply of sugar beet.

First year Owosso Sugar Company

The first campaign for the operation of Owosso Sugar Company, developed by Kilby key factories is common to the guaranteed rate reached 1,000 unitsTons of beets for 24 hours. Construction contracts usually require that a new plant to meet its guaranteed rate for a certain time, set by negotiation between one and ten days, and usually occurs under the supervision of the Kilby engineers a few days after launch. The same engineers to withdraw as soon as the new owner has signed the certificate of completion, transfer the plant to company managers. The rate decreased after the hard OwossoFactory probably reached the guaranteed rate for the same reasons slice rates in most of the factories again refused - inexperienced drivers.

Since the Prairie Farm was still in its infancy, it produces less sugar beet, as it causes in later years, the timing of development on the basis of a "campaign" by the industry, to last only 48 days and ended January 26, 1904 . During her maiden voyage of the new factory sliced ​​average of 542 tonnes, well below the 1,000 tonnes required forDay. The second campaign was five days shorter, but doubles the rate washer and reached almost 930 tonnes per day for 43 days.

While the Owosso plant was under construction, built the work of Benjamin Boutell Lansing beet, a major investor in many factories of Michigan sugar beet, and another two years before, suffered from a lack of management control. Diagnosed with cancer in early 1902, Boutell's wife Amelia died Nov. 27 at the age of 52 years, despite its efforts to find aHealing. Not having the heart to its commercial interests, has sold its plant in Lansing Owosso Sugar Company.

Kohn and Smith now had four main tasks: two sugar factories, the Prairie Farm and Bay City, Michigan Chemical Company under their control, while a year earlier, had only the chemical companies which employ their time and thoughts. The Prairie Farm employs 160 people and 58 teams of draft horses and each of the two sugar used in addition to hundredsThe employees of chemical factory in the Bay City. The two managers, every 45 years, were constantly on the move, visiting properties, headquartered in Pittsburgh, and attending industry conferences in addition to meeting with members of Congress and the Department of Agriculture. In 1910, Joseph Kohn was the first to calculate the cost of such a step. He suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 52 years.

The year before his death Kohn, 8,500 acres of prairie Farmwas dammed and drained by gravity and pumping systems for the first time rose by one square mile of sugar beet. Peppermint provided additional revenue (35,000 pounds of peppermint oil in 1909), while coal followed in importance after sugar beet.

For six years after the death of Carmen Smith Kohn sat on as before, Kohn take risks, in addition to his own, until 1916, when he put the two sugar factories under the direction of Charles D.Bell, who had served as a manager at Alma before joining the staff Owosso in 1907. Owosso Bell remained for sixteen years, leaving only a Michigan Sugar Company, Owosso and Lansing factories acquired in 1924, after which the family ranch in Los Alamos, Calif., where he soon discovered the oil wealth of new retired.

In 1920, at the age of 62 years, Carmen Smith, like his friend and collaborator, Joseph Kohn, died suddenly of a heart attack while driving homeby train from Chicago. Carmen Smith has adopted a pioneering days. Joseph Kohn in 1910, Joseph Kilby in 1914, John Pitcairn in 1916, and Carmen Smith in 1920 - those who had lived the dream of building one of the largest sugar factories and the modern world, and then topping with the country's largest single beet farm had passed from the scene. Unfortunately, he had not worked recently.

According to the story of Daniel Gutleben of the sugar beet Michigan (The Sugar Tramp-1954), Pittsburgh plate glass, probably worried that Michigan beet sugar factories, too small to compete with the large quantity of imported raw sugar refining process was not built to compete with the volume of sugar duty free in the country . He is the Owosso and Lansing, Michigan Sugar Company at a purchase price of $ 2,000,000 in print, most preferred shares. The Prairie Farm remained in the hands of the heirs of John Pitcairn.

Michigan SugarOwosso new company run for the next four years for the declining interest among farmers, with the flood of imported sugar in 1928 caused the factory to close. Michigan Sugar was missing one of the main advantages of the former owners - the Prairie Farm was therefore able to grow beets command farmers when other crops, corn and soybeans grown at low prices to less investment and less work. It will reopen for a year in 1933, was closed but kept hopeReadiness. Hope finally surrendered to the reality that farmers would not be back. The factory buildings were sold in 1948. Evidence that the final failure of the Owosso Sugar Company was not on the shoulders of the administration remained in the appointment of the Secretary Owosso Edward Bostock, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Michigan Sugar Company.

Sources:

Denslow, William R, and Truman, Harry S., 10,000 Famous Freemasons from A to J Part One (in terms ofCharles W. Brown career with Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company)

MILLER, Ed and beach, R. Jean., Published in the Saginaw Hall of Fame, Saginaw Hall of Fame, 2000. (In terms of Wellington R. Burt)

GUTTLEBEN, Daniel, sugar Tramp - 1954 Bay City Duplication Company, San Francisco, California Print

THE CUREUX, Keith, Albee history Township, Saginaw County, Michigan, Chapter V, Prairie Farm.

Betzold, Michael, Detroit Free Press Magazine, December 26, 1993Utopia Revisited - an article on the history of Prairie Farm.

Copyright 2009, Thomas Mahar - All rights reserved

About the author: Thomas Mahar served as Executive Vice President of Monitor Sugar Company, 1984-1999 and as president of Gala Food Processing, a company packing sugar, from 1993-1998. He retired in 1999 and now devotes his free time to write the history of the sugar industry. He wrote, Sweet Energy, the history of Monitor Sugar Companyin 2001 and the history of Michigan sugar beet (Newsbeet, Autumn, 2006). Contact: Thomas Mahar E-mail

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