By the early to mid 1890s, quality gun tubes were composed of crucible nickel steel(elastic limit of approx. 62k psi) and Krupp held the secret and the skilled labour to produce it. The crucible nickel steel could be associated with "Fluss Stahl" while the "Guss Stahl" was probably plain ole cast steel with some of the required components for a quality tube but were present by accident only. Sometime near 1903/1904 Special Weapons Grade tubes(Spezial Gewehr Lauf Stahl) were on the scene and for now I suspect chromium or something of that nature had been added to the crucible nickel steel. If anyone has a dated example that would narrow the date of Spezial Gewehr Lauf Stahl, I'd like to know it. Or if someone has info on it's composition that would be great. And NIROSTA followed in 1912 when Krupp definitely had a handle on the components of steel and their percentages.
Essen was king when it came to crucible nickel steel and by the mid 1890s there were between 35k and 36k folks empolyed and you can multiply that number by at least 3 to include the families. It was a self sufficient facilty where meat, bread, manufactured goods, haberdashery all were peddled within the compound. Friedrich Krupp, son of Alfred Krupp, laid out the compound with very accurate detail seeing each structure, tree, etc. were the mirror image of the one beside it. Houses had the same number of windows and in the same position. There were smaller sects within the compound such as Westend, Nordhof, Baumhof, Schederhof, Kronenbert/Cronenberg, Alfredshof, Altenhof(retired, disabled workers).
There was also the Annen Steel Works which employed about 900 folks.
Krupp also acquired a proving grounds as well as a port area to completely construct a ship with no outside assistance. Grusonwerk at Magdeburg-Buckau was the proving ground with about 4800 workers where shields, turrets and like were made and tested. Germaniawerft at Kiel-Garden was where the ships were made and it had at least 3500 workers.
Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
