Description:

Diesel Rudolf 1858 - 1913 Rare Rudolf Diesel TLS, inventor of the diesel engine, with archive of negotiations to obtain a U.S. factory

Rudolf Diesel archive, neatly bound. Includes the translated correspondence from Busch - Sulzer 2nd VP and General Manager; Diesel's typed, signed response in German, along with two subsequent typed unsigned letters from Diesel. Each of Diesel's letters are neatly bound together with hand scripted English translation. Composed on various paper stocks, with the TLS from Diesel on his stationary with his personal letterhead. 8" x 10.75" bound at the top with an adhesive. The typed letters from Diesel have two half round punch holes to the left margin. Boldly signed by Diesel on the one original, as "Diesel", and dated "19 Juni 1911". Near Fine condition.

A fascinating archive discussing the precursor moments for the expansion and business joint venture between Adolphus Busch of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company with Sulzer brothers of Switzerland. The combined company, later known as Busch-Sulzer proceeded to manufacture diesel engines until 1946. Earlier, in 1897, Adolphus Busch acquired rights to build diesel engines in the United States, with Rudolph Diesel, the German inventor, mechanical engineer and inventor of the diesel engine. He worked with Busch as a consultant. The first companies resulting from this were the Diesel Motor Company (1898-1902) of New York City and the American Diesel Engine Company (1902-1911), which relocated to St, Louis Missouri in 1908 and was succeeded by Busch-Sulzer. Although ultimately Busch acquired the rights to build Sulzer designs with the formation of Busch-Sulzer, the American joint venture preferred its own designs.

The back and forth correspondence from of Busch-Sulzer, to Diesel was regarding securing a modern factory for their joint venture in the US, and considering the options between the preference to locate an existing factory verses building one from scratch. The active debate was regarding the acquisition of De La Vergne Plant in New York, however it was believed a poor choice due to also requiring the purchase of the company within the plant and felt De La Vergne "as a business" does not have good net returns and has not been good to the stockholders. In fact he so much as said "I do not believe that we would wish to buy the business on any terms". Unfortunately this became a game of cat and mouse.

Diesels responds by writing to Harris, the Vice President of the company Busch - Sulzer. Although his TLS is typed in German, the English translation notes "This factory may be suitable for the building of Diesel engines; I can of course not have any judgment of this here. But if you were able to find a ready, well equipped shop, this would of course be more to the purpose than to first build a new shop, as we have discussed this repeatedly here."

The subsequent letter within the archive was then written to Diesel from Ernesto Koerting, one of the owners of the very plant in question, the De La Vergne Plant located in the U.S. Within his letter Koerting writes that "My cousin .. wrote to me from Breslan, where he talked with you, that your and Mr. A. Busch had organized a new company in the U.S. for the construction of oil engines of your design ... I jointly with several friends control the De La Vernge Machine Co in New York who in addition to the building of Ice machines has lately also taken up the construction of injection motors with moderate compression ... The shops are well located with a long waterfront on the sound and can employ 500 men. My cousin wrote, that perhaps a combination might be effected between your company and De La Vergne"

(Just an interesting note to this on-going correspondence as the very first letter from Busch's 2nd VP and General Manager to Diesel vehemently noted to him that he had zero interest in buying the business of de La Vergne because it was doing poorly ..., yet Koerting, from De La Vergne, was lobbying heavily for a buy out or a consolidation.)

However Koerting's business savvy was laid on the table and in so much relayed that he would become a competitor if the two do not merge or otherwise be outright acquired .... so with the arm twisting result Diesel once again wrote to Busch "I hand you a copy of a letter from Ernest Koerting .... Which contains an offer of the works of the De La Vergne Machine Co in New York... This factory may be suitable for the building of Diesel engines, a combination with the same would eventually also have that advantage of removing a competitor for Diesel engines, because I gather from Koerting's letter that this firm has lately taken up the construction of such motors"

One can not be sure exactly how this cat and mouse saga played out, however the end result was the De La Vergne Machine Company remained an independent company which ultimately was bought in 1918 by Wm. Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Co., of Philadelphia

A fascinating archive with one signed TLS by Diesel. Extraordinarily scarce, and made that much more fascinating following the back and forth correspondence between the parties in their efforts to build the US factory base.

Provenance: An important autograph collection of Howard Goldman, the bulk of which sold at Sotheby's in 1995. Howard Goldman purchased the piece from James Lowe in 1983, and the original provenance will come with the archive.

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