New Biography 'Herman Frasch: The Sulphur King' Uncovers the Story of the Inventor Who Revolutionized the Petroleum and Chemical Industries
New biography explores how the young German immigrant sought the American Dream and became the world's "Sulphur King" through hard work and ingenuity
LOS ANGELES, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Businessmen Russell Keene II and William R. Sutton announce the release of Herman Frasch, The Sulphur King. Just when you think you know everything there is to know about the titans of American industry, along comes this biography. Frasch, until now relegated to dusty archives, was responsible for establishing several new industries in America, for helping the United States win the first World War, and for inventing wax paper. How come we've never heard of him before?
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130619/PH34457-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130619/PH34457-b )
This recently published book tells this story, from the man's penniless days as a 16 year old, fresh off the boat from Germany, to his death right before World War I. Every immigrant dreamed of making his fortune in this new land. But Frasch did it, because his naturally curious mind kept him always finding answers to the problems around him.
His first job was mixing medicines at a pharmacy. Not content to enjoy his down time, he used the laboratory to discover a process to separate the tin from the steel used in cans. Previously, tin had to be imported from Britain, and those costs were passed on to those who relied on canned goods.
When John D. Rockefeller found he had a virtually worthless oil field in Ohio, it was Herman Frasch who saved the day. So-called 'sour' oil was so-named because of too much sulphur in the mix. Frasch figured out how to extract that sulphur. That made the difference between Rockefeller getting sixteen cents per barrel, to getting over a dollar. With over 25 million barrels at stake, that amounted to quite a fortune!
Frasch's tinkering and inventions formed the foundation of today's industrial engineering. He invented a simple way to extract sulphur from the ground, creating an industry in the process. Because of Frasch, the United States went from importing all its sulphur, to becoming the world's leading supplier of the chemical. When the first World War loomed on the horizon, this abundant supply of sulphur meant the US could manufacture munitions quickly and cheaply.
He used his power with grace and humility. When he found out his low prices were driving sulphur miners in Sicily out of business, he raised his prices so they could still sell their sulphur on the world market, and have a living wage.
Herman Frasch is the until-now undiscovered captain of the Industrial Age. Just when we thought we'd heard it all.
The book is available in paper back and on Kindle on Amazon.com.
CONTACT:
Russell Keene 337-513-2770
Howie Simon 424-666-7528
This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.
SOURCE Russell Keene II and William R. Sutton
Share this article