Inventor Name
Frasch, Herman
Repository
Chemical Heritage Foundation
Othmer Library
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-873-8265
http://othmerlib.chemheritage.org
Physical Description
1 linear foot
Summary
Herman Frasch (1851-1914) was born and educated in Germany. He came to the United States as a young man and established a chemical laboratory in Philadelphia. In 1887 Frasch patented a method of removing foul-smelling sulfur compounds from “sour” oil. In 1894 Frasch adapted the technology of the oil industry to sulfur mining and devised a means whereby the sulfur could be pumped out of the ground rather than mined. The process made American sulfur competitive with the more easily mined sulfur of Sicily. By securing an economical and reliable source for sulfuric acid Herman Frasch helped the infant U. S. chemical industry to break free from European domination. Frasch was awarded the Perkins Medal for his innovations. He died in Paris. This is a fragmentary collection of business records from the firm of Tiers & Co. The brothers Cornelius and Alexander H. Tiers were engaged in a variety of business schemes, one of which involved Herman Frasch’s revolutionary process for extracting sulfur. A portion of these records relate the brothers’ dealings with Frasch and his partner Franklin Rockefeller, but most involve their various other dealings. In addition there is a small selection of bank documents relating to the holdings and estate of Cornelius Tiers, who died in 1924. The bulk of the collection comprises a set of letter books from the firm of Tiers & Co. covering the years 1878 to 1909. The books for 1892–1895 and 1900–1903 are missing.
Finding Aid
http://othmerlib.chemheritage.org/search?/ttiers/1%2C2%2C2%2CB/frameset&FF=ttiers+frasch+collection
