S - H. Vogemann

when operations were running at a deficit. When the situation in shipping
visibly deteriorated, the steamships “Walküre” and “Rheingold” were sold in
the early 1890s.
In competition with Hapag. It was probably at the instigation
of Mr Gans, who as a result of his employment with the Edward Carr company
knew this business well, that a regular service from Hamburg to New York
was then established, initially as an agent for the Knott's Prince Line, and
later with chartered, mostly English ships. For a long time, a picture of Mr
James Knott wearing the robes of an English barrister hung in our offices.
Providing this service in competition with the Hamburg-America
Line was a very great risk as freight contracts were finalised for monthly
sailings, whilst the ships, mainly on a time-charter basis, were partially only
taken on later during the course of the year. At that time, the base cargo to
New York was unrefined sugar and later also potash salt. These loads could
be taken on very cheaply; profit lay in the higher rates which were available
for the additional cargo made up of piece goods. These were often finalised
by my father personally as he toured around the industrial regions, Thuringia,
Saxony and Bohemia in particular, and negotiated freight fixing for toys,
stoneware, glassware and such like for Woolworth, New York, Marshall, Field
& Co, Chicago etc. His travels even took him as far as St. Petersburg, Moscow,
Warsaw, Budapest etc. The amount of cargo necessary can be seen by the
Hamburg Fish Market.
Chapter 1 – History of the H. Vogemann Company 1886 – 1946 11
1890
Resignation of the Reichskanzler
Bismarck.
The German Empire hands Zanzibar
over to England and receives the island
of Helgoland in its place.
After the Anti-Socialist Laws lapse, the
Social Democrats record success at the
Reichstag elections.
Otto Lilienthal conducts first flight
trials with a bird-like glider.
1891
A new trade regulation comes into
effect. It prohibits working on Sundays
in addition to factory work for children
under the age of 13, and limits the
daily working hours of young people
aged under 16 to 10 hours and women
to 11 hours.
Illustration next page:
The Port of Hamburg.
Painting by Hans
Bohrdt, 1900.