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Victor Gustav Bloede (chemist)
Encyclopedia
Victor Gustav Bloede was a chemist
and manufacturer of chemicals, president of the Victor G. Bloede Company, and businessman.
, Germany
, the son of Marie Franziska (née Jungnitz) Bloede
and Gustavas "Gustav" Bloede. Gustav was a physician and member of the city council of Dresden during the German revolutions
. Gustav had to flee Germany and made his way to Antwerp where he waited for his family to arrive. The family (Marie, Gustav, and their three children, Gertrude
, Kate and Victor) sailed from Antwerp on July 14, 1850, aboard the Julia Howard, arriving in New York on August 21. Upon coming to the United States
, Gustav Bloede served as a surgeon in the American Civil War
. After the war the family settled in Brooklyn, New York. The cultured Bloede home became a salon, which attracted such 19th century figures as Thomas Bailey Aldrich
. Victor received the groundwork of his education in public school and by the age of 12 he began to support himself by working as an office boy and earned the means to pursue his studies. While working by day he studied at night at the Cooper Institute
in New York City
.
His mother, Marie Bloede was his chief inspiration, guiding, encouraging, and strengthening his growth. His family was one of marked culture, not only had his father distinguished himself by work in natural sciences, but on his mother’s side as well, two uncles had been prominent in literature and politics. Like his father Victor also became interested in natural science
as he studied at Cooper Institute, and he graduated in 1867, earning a chemical engineering degree
at the age of 18. His class was the first at the institute to receive diplomas for the chemical engineering course. He was also privileged to have been a personal acquaintance of the great Industrialist, Inventor, philanthropist and founder of the institution, Peter Cooper
, whose example and teachings were strongly influential in molding Victors character and in his life work.
. There he began to study chemical manufacturing and pharmaceutical preparations. In 1873 Bloede moved to Pomeroy, Ohio
, the center of salt
manufacturing along the Ohio River
. He joined the Oakes & Rathbone Company in Parkersburg, West Virginia
which produced sulfuric acid
for the bromine
distillers in the region. The plant was located on the south side of the Little Kanawha River
a tributary of the Ohio River. Oakes left the firm in 1875 and Bloede acquired his interests, the company became known as Bloede & Rathbone. The product line was extended to iron sulfate
, iron nitrate, tin salts, mordant
s and other chemicals used mainly by the textile
industry. Bloede’s familiarity with the textile industry led to the idea of manufacturing aniline
dye
s to increase profits. At the time most dyes were imported from Germany. There were only two companies producing dyes in the U.S. Bloede was determined to manufacture aniline by nitrating
benzene to form nitrobenzene
, followed by reduction. One problem he faced was to purify benzene
from the light tar oils, which was supplied in barrels by coal tar
distilleries and gas plants. Lacking a distillation column, he used an old boiler
shell connected with a condensing coil
but the benzene quality was poor.
He then consulted with a distillation expert, James A. Moffett, who was operating the Camden branch of the Standard Oil Company of Parkersburg, Moffett was convinced that dye manufacturing could be profitable and invested money in Bloede & Rathbone. Dye manufacturing was organized as a separate entity named the American Aniline Works. The founders of the new company had little dye making experience so they read German texts on the subject. There was no money left for new equipment, so they had to rely on scrapped equipment they obtained from the Standard Oil junk pile. Instead of a heavy cast iron nitrator, an old boiler shell with a capacity of 1,000 gallons (3785 Litres) was fitted with a central shaft of horizontal wrought iron
paddles. The valve regulating the flow of acid into the nitrator was operated by a wire several hundred feet away. The operator would periodically run close enough to the nitrator to read the thermometer and run back to safety. Cooling was accomplished by running cold spring water over the top and sides of the nitrator, keeping the reaction within a range of five degrees Fahrenheit. This procedure resulted in 7,000 to 8,000 pounds (3175 – 3628 kg) of nitrobenzene per batch. In 1883 he established himself in Baltimore as a chemist and manufacturer of chemical products; and decided that there was a wide field for improvement in the methods then in use in chemical factories. Applying his skills he made tremendous advances in the chemistry business, mainly in the methods of dyeing cotton fabrics; and between 1890 and 1895 he obtained 15 or 20 patent
s for his chemical processes, one of the most important patents being his process for the dyeing “sun-fast”, unfading shades.
In 1906 Victor Bloede organized the Avalon Water Works and the Patapsco Electric & Manufacturing Co. He financed the construction of Bloede's Dam, a hydroelectric dam
which impounds the Patapsco River
to serve as a power generating plant for the Patapsco Electric & Manufacturing Company, a service providing electricity to Catonsville, Maryland
and the surrounding areas. Bloede's dam was the first known Hydroelectric dam of-its-kind in the country. He also organized the First National Bank
of Catonsville, of which he was vice-president for 10 years, and in 1908 he was made president. He projected the Baltimore, Catonsville and Ellicott City
Electric railway, and he helped to organize the National City Bank of Baltimore, in 1910 and became one of its directors. His performance gave him notability in other business relations which contributed to him being in great demand on various boards of directors.
He died at his home in Catonsville, Maryland
.
While Victor Bloede received a number of medals for his various useful and economic inventions, he also proved himself a benefactor to society in general. On November 10, 1908, Victor Gustav Bloede presented the Hospital for Consumptives of Maryland (a tuberculosis
sanitarium
), with a new building. The institution came to be known as the Eudowood Sanitorium, began operation in June 1899, existed on a 23 acres (0.093 km²) campus in Towson, Maryland
until July 1964. Mr. Bloede's structure was dedicated as the “Marie Bloede Memorial Hospital for Advanced Consumptives” in honor of his mother, and was one of several buildings that made up the facility. It was accepted by Dr. Henry Barton Jacobs, as president, in the presence of the Governor of Maryland, Austin Lane Crothers
, Reverend Bishop William Paret, Mayor of Baltimore, J. Barry Mahool, and a large and distinguished gathering. Bloede was the underwriter of many other important benefactions, and made many improvements in his home town of Catonsville, Maryland
.
, who designed and built summer cottages on Eden Terrace in Catonsville. Earlier, he had designed many buildings in Toledo and was superintendent of the Toledo water works for over 15 years.
With this marriage he gained a life long companionship. Mr. and Mrs. Bloede had five children: Marie, Carl S, Ilse, Victor Gustav Bloede, II, and Vida. Bloede had a strong personality, alert, progressive and insightful. He believed in physical and mental exercise for a sound body and mind, he recommended to others which methods he himself had used and gained such success. In his free time he took interest in fishing, rowing and walking, he also enjoyed playing quoits
and other games with family and friends and found a wealth of enjoyment in his mental exercises.
Perseverance he believed, is the secret of success. He said:
One of his sisters was a noted poet, Gertrude Bloede
(1845-1905). His other two sisters were Kate (1848-1891; who married the American artist, naturalist and teacher Abbott Handerson Thayer
), and Indiana "Indie" (1854-1936; married Samuel Thomas King, a New York City area physician and surgeon).
His grandson was Victor Gustav Bloede, III.
(1920-1999), an advertising executive with Benton & Bowles.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and manufacturer of chemicals, president of the Victor G. Bloede Company, and businessman.
Early life and education
Bloede was born in 1849, in DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the son of Marie Franziska (née Jungnitz) Bloede
Marie Bloede
Marie Bloede was a American author of German decent, who also published under the pseudonym Marie Westland.-Biography:...
and Gustavas "Gustav" Bloede. Gustav was a physician and member of the city council of Dresden during the German revolutions
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
. Gustav had to flee Germany and made his way to Antwerp where he waited for his family to arrive. The family (Marie, Gustav, and their three children, Gertrude
Gertrude Bloede
Gertrude Bloede was a United States poet. She used the pen name “Stuart Sterne” for her publications.-Biography:Her father and mother were refugees who...
, Kate and Victor) sailed from Antwerp on July 14, 1850, aboard the Julia Howard, arriving in New York on August 21. Upon coming to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Gustav Bloede served as a surgeon in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. After the war the family settled in Brooklyn, New York. The cultured Bloede home became a salon, which attracted such 19th century figures as Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Thomas Bailey Aldrich was an American poet, novelist, travel writer and editor.-Early life and education:...
. Victor received the groundwork of his education in public school and by the age of 12 he began to support himself by working as an office boy and earned the means to pursue his studies. While working by day he studied at night at the Cooper Institute
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
His mother, Marie Bloede was his chief inspiration, guiding, encouraging, and strengthening his growth. His family was one of marked culture, not only had his father distinguished himself by work in natural sciences, but on his mother’s side as well, two uncles had been prominent in literature and politics. Like his father Victor also became interested in natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
as he studied at Cooper Institute, and he graduated in 1867, earning a chemical engineering degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
at the age of 18. His class was the first at the institute to receive diplomas for the chemical engineering course. He was also privileged to have been a personal acquaintance of the great Industrialist, Inventor, philanthropist and founder of the institution, Peter Cooper
Peter Cooper
Peter Cooper was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and candidate for President of the United States...
, whose example and teachings were strongly influential in molding Victors character and in his life work.
Career
In 1868 Victor secured a position at Chemical Works, a small chemical company in Brooklyn, New York, along the Gowanus creek canalGowanus Canal
The Gowanus Canal, also known as the Gowanus Creek Canal, is a canal in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, geographically on the westernmost portion of Long Island...
. There he began to study chemical manufacturing and pharmaceutical preparations. In 1873 Bloede moved to Pomeroy, Ohio
Pomeroy, Ohio
Pomeroy is a village in and the county seat of Meigs County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,966 at the 2000 census. During the late 19th century, Pomeroy was an important producer of coal and salt...
, the center of salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
manufacturing along the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. He joined the Oakes & Rathbone Company in Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
which produced sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
for the bromine
Bromine
Bromine ") is a chemical element with the symbol Br, an atomic number of 35, and an atomic mass of 79.904. It is in the halogen element group. The element was isolated independently by two chemists, Carl Jacob Löwig and Antoine Jerome Balard, in 1825–1826...
distillers in the region. The plant was located on the south side of the Little Kanawha River
Little Kanawha River
The Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 169 mi long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Ohio, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 2,320 mi² on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...
a tributary of the Ohio River. Oakes left the firm in 1875 and Bloede acquired his interests, the company became known as Bloede & Rathbone. The product line was extended to iron sulfate
Iron sulfate
Iron sulfate may refer to:*Ferrous sulphate, Iron sulfate, FeSO4*Ferric sulphate, Iron sulfate, Fe23...
, iron nitrate, tin salts, mordant
Mordant
A mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue. It may be used for dyeing fabrics, or for intensifying stains in cell or tissue preparations. The term mordant comes from the Latin...
s and other chemicals used mainly by the textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry. Bloede’s familiarity with the textile industry led to the idea of manufacturing aniline
Aniline
Aniline, phenylamine or aminobenzene is an organic compound with the formula C6H5NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the prototypical aromatic amine. Being a precursor to many industrial chemicals, its main use is in the manufacture of precursors to polyurethane...
dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
s to increase profits. At the time most dyes were imported from Germany. There were only two companies producing dyes in the U.S. Bloede was determined to manufacture aniline by nitrating
Nitration
Nitration is a general chemical process for the introduction of a nitro group into a chemical compound. The dominant application of nitration is for the production of nitrobenzene, the precursor to methylene diphenyl diisocyanate...
benzene to form nitrobenzene
Nitrobenzene
Nitrobenzene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5NO2. It is a water-insoluble pale yellow oil with an almond-like odor. It freezes to give greenish-yellow crystals. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to aniline. Although occasionally used as a flavoring or perfume...
, followed by reduction. One problem he faced was to purify benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
from the light tar oils, which was supplied in barrels by coal tar
Coal tar
Coal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity, which smells of naphthalene and aromatic hydrocarbons. Coal tar is among the by-products when coal iscarbonized to make coke or gasified to make coal gas...
distilleries and gas plants. Lacking a distillation column, he used an old boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
shell connected with a condensing coil
Condenser (laboratory)
In a laboratory a condenser is a piece of laboratory glassware used to cool hot vapors or liquids. A condenser usually consists of a large glass tube containing a smaller glass tube running its entire length, within which the hot fluids pass....
but the benzene quality was poor.
He then consulted with a distillation expert, James A. Moffett, who was operating the Camden branch of the Standard Oil Company of Parkersburg, Moffett was convinced that dye manufacturing could be profitable and invested money in Bloede & Rathbone. Dye manufacturing was organized as a separate entity named the American Aniline Works. The founders of the new company had little dye making experience so they read German texts on the subject. There was no money left for new equipment, so they had to rely on scrapped equipment they obtained from the Standard Oil junk pile. Instead of a heavy cast iron nitrator, an old boiler shell with a capacity of 1,000 gallons (3785 Litres) was fitted with a central shaft of horizontal wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
paddles. The valve regulating the flow of acid into the nitrator was operated by a wire several hundred feet away. The operator would periodically run close enough to the nitrator to read the thermometer and run back to safety. Cooling was accomplished by running cold spring water over the top and sides of the nitrator, keeping the reaction within a range of five degrees Fahrenheit. This procedure resulted in 7,000 to 8,000 pounds (3175 – 3628 kg) of nitrobenzene per batch. In 1883 he established himself in Baltimore as a chemist and manufacturer of chemical products; and decided that there was a wide field for improvement in the methods then in use in chemical factories. Applying his skills he made tremendous advances in the chemistry business, mainly in the methods of dyeing cotton fabrics; and between 1890 and 1895 he obtained 15 or 20 patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s for his chemical processes, one of the most important patents being his process for the dyeing “sun-fast”, unfading shades.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
which impounds the Patapsco River
Patapsco River
The Patapsco River is a river in central Maryland which flows into Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore...
to serve as a power generating plant for the Patapsco Electric & Manufacturing Company, a service providing electricity to Catonsville, Maryland
Catonsville, Maryland
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
and the surrounding areas. Bloede's dam was the first known Hydroelectric dam of-its-kind in the country. He also organized the First National Bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
of Catonsville, of which he was vice-president for 10 years, and in 1908 he was made president. He projected the Baltimore, Catonsville and Ellicott City
Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The population was 65,834 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Howard County...
Electric railway, and he helped to organize the National City Bank of Baltimore, in 1910 and became one of its directors. His performance gave him notability in other business relations which contributed to him being in great demand on various boards of directors.
He died at his home in Catonsville, Maryland
Catonsville, Maryland
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
.
Philanthropy
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
sanitarium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
), with a new building. The institution came to be known as the Eudowood Sanitorium, began operation in June 1899, existed on a 23 acres (0.093 km²) campus in Towson, Maryland
Towson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
until July 1964. Mr. Bloede's structure was dedicated as the “Marie Bloede Memorial Hospital for Advanced Consumptives” in honor of his mother, and was one of several buildings that made up the facility. It was accepted by Dr. Henry Barton Jacobs, as president, in the presence of the Governor of Maryland, Austin Lane Crothers
Austin Lane Crothers
Austin Lane Crothers , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 46th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1908 to 1912.-Early life and career:...
, Reverend Bishop William Paret, Mayor of Baltimore, J. Barry Mahool, and a large and distinguished gathering. Bloede was the underwriter of many other important benefactions, and made many improvements in his home town of Catonsville, Maryland
Catonsville, Maryland
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
.
Scientific affiliations
Victor Bloede was an active member of a number of scientific associations, such as- the International Society of Chemical Industry
- the American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
- the prestigious Chemists’ Club of New York City
- the Johns Hopkins Club
Writings
He contributed to many scientific literatures. He wrote:- Early Attempts to Establish the Aniline Industry-in United States (1923)
- The Reducer's Manual and Gold and Silver Worker's Guide (1867)
Personal and family life
On June 5, 1883, he married Elise Schon, daughter Carl Schon Sr. from Toledo, OhioToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, who designed and built summer cottages on Eden Terrace in Catonsville. Earlier, he had designed many buildings in Toledo and was superintendent of the Toledo water works for over 15 years.
With this marriage he gained a life long companionship. Mr. and Mrs. Bloede had five children: Marie, Carl S, Ilse, Victor Gustav Bloede, II, and Vida. Bloede had a strong personality, alert, progressive and insightful. He believed in physical and mental exercise for a sound body and mind, he recommended to others which methods he himself had used and gained such success. In his free time he took interest in fishing, rowing and walking, he also enjoyed playing quoits
Quoits
Quoits is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike . The sport of quoits encompasses several distinct variations.-The history of quoits:The history of quoits is disputed...
and other games with family and friends and found a wealth of enjoyment in his mental exercises.
Perseverance he believed, is the secret of success. He said:
One of his sisters was a noted poet, Gertrude Bloede
Gertrude Bloede
Gertrude Bloede was a United States poet. She used the pen name “Stuart Sterne” for her publications.-Biography:Her father and mother were refugees who...
(1845-1905). His other two sisters were Kate (1848-1891; who married the American artist, naturalist and teacher Abbott Handerson Thayer
Abbott Handerson Thayer
Abbott Handerson Thayer was an American artist, naturalist and teacher. As a painter of portraits, figures, animals and landscapes, he enjoyed a certain prominence during his lifetime, as indicated by the fact that his paintings are part of the most important U.S. art collections...
), and Indiana "Indie" (1854-1936; married Samuel Thomas King, a New York City area physician and surgeon).
His grandson was Victor Gustav Bloede, III.
Victor Gustav Bloede (advertising)
Victor Gustav Bloede, III. , was an advertising executive for Benton & Bowles who introduced the slogan Good to the last drop for Maxwell House coffee....
(1920-1999), an advertising executive with Benton & Bowles.