Charles Rasp

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Charles Rasp, around 1890

Charles Rasp (born October 7, 1846 in Cannstatt , † May 22, 1907 in Adelaide , South Australia ) was a German-Australian mining entrepreneur who was the first to recognize the economic importance of the deposits in and around Broken Hill in Australia . Rasp was one of the founders of BHP , one of the largest mining companies in the world. His silver finds were the "... decisive impetus for the turnaround [South Australias] from a purely agricultural to a rich industrial nation".

Rasp originally came from the Stuttgart area - at that time Kingdom of Württemberg - and went to school there. He is said to have trained as a food chemist and worked in Hamburg, where he was valued for his knowledge of English, French and German. He is said to have later emigrated to Australia because of health problems. According to another source, historians say that he was an officer of the 12th Army Choir of the Imperial Army who deserted from his unit around 1870. He had reached Melbourne on the ship Peggy under the name of Hengel on February 8, 1871.

Rasp took on various jobs, for example in viticulture and on cattle stations in the Melbourne hinterland. He is also said to have tried his luck in the Victorian gold fields . From 1880 he had started a job at Mount Gipps Station , which was led by George McCulloch. (Coulls, 1976 and Camilleri, 2006).

Rasp was inspired by the silver rush in nearby Silverton and began geologically exploring the Broken Hill area .

In September 1883, while counting sheep, he discovered the minerals and formations that should be typical of Broken Hill. He teamed up with local entrepreneurs David James and James Poole and leased an area on which they sank a small shaft . Although the first analyzes were disappointing, they continued undaunted and received help from other colleagues who also worked at Mount Gipps Station and formed the 'Syndicate of Seven'. George McCulloch and Charles Rasp secured additional stretches across Broken Hill and originally named the area Wilyu-Wilyu-yong (Curtis, 1908).

They dug for tin, but the analyzes showed only a weak content, but traces of silver (Curtis, 1908).

It was not until 1884 or the beginning of 1885 that they were able to mine rich silver, which gave the company a great boost under the name BHP and the leased land was systematically developed. Rasp was assigned his own section and shares, and five years later he was a wealthy man (Coulls, 1976). On July 22, 1886, he married Agnes Kevesahl. He bought a house in the Adelaide suburb of Menindie , which he converted into a villa and named Willyama.

In 1900 Rasp traveled to Europe with his wife and returned in 1902. He held most of the shares in the BHP, was a director of the Kalgoorlie Bank of England Compagny and the West Collie Doalfield Bank , and he also held shares in other companies. After that he withdrew more and more from business life and died in 1907 at the age of 67.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Mysterious Background of Charles Rasp. ( Memento of March 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), but it is claimed there that this information is incorrect. It is said to have been much more of the Portuguese-born Hieronymus (Jerome) Salvator Lopez of Pereira.
  2. ↑ a b c d Rasp gave the impetus to turn around. In: 200 years of history of the German-speaking community in Australia. Part I, p. 29. Special Edition: The Week in Australia of January 1988. Europa Kurier Pty. Ltd. Bankstown. ISSN  0726-4860
personal data
SURNAME Rasp, Charles
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-Australian mining company
DATE OF BIRTH October 7, 1846
PLACE OF BIRTH Cannstatt
DATE OF DEATH May 22, 1907
Place of death Adelaide , South Australia