The journey starts from the Titanic

"Yes. He is an excellent young man, even better than we were when we were young. Well, he is dating Laura." Andrew nodded neither.

"Oh?" Flick was surprised. It was the first time he heard that Andrew has such a high evaluation of others. No one knows better than Flick. Although this guy is usually a little silent and withdrawn, he is proud in his heart. , Let alone his most precious daughter.

"Hello, Stonney, this is Henry Clay Frick." Flick stretched out his hand and said, his dry palm was so light that it felt like a gust of wind knocked the old man down.

"Mr. Frick, it's nice to meet you. I have heard Andrew talk about your deeds and I have always admired you." Situ Nan said respectfully.

"Haha! It's been a long time, and now I'm just a sick old man." Frick smiled, in a good mood.

The wrinkles on his face are slightly unfolded, a little kind.

"Sit in the house!" Flick introduced Situ Nan into the living room.Not to mention the luxurious decoration of the house, what impressed Situ Nan is that there are many paintings on the wall, and there are works of various genres like a gallery, and there are many masterpieces.

Frick greeted Andrew and Situ Nan after sitting down and said, "Old man, I recently got another painting, a great collection. I will show you later."

"Oh? Really? I need to see! Last time you could walk by my favorite Miller painting from me, I always remember it!" Andrew said.

"Damn! You are ashamed to say, did you owe me a picture of Degas last time? Tell you, don't want to take a piece of paper from me." Flick retorted immediately, still in that aggressive appearance. Does he look old just now?

"Why not? You guys don't want to be a rascal, that picture is clearly my first fancy, who told you to start slowly?" Andrew was not to be outdone.

The two brothers were so close to each other. When they were young, they often went to Paris to see art exhibitions together, but they often argued for a long time over a painting.

Not only them, but other wealthy Americans of their time have the habit of collecting European art. They often go to Europe on vacation. There, they buy a lot of art. Now most of the large and small art galleries in the United States are Private, most of the works displayed inside are also from Europe.

At that time, Paris, France was the center of art in Europe, and many people have left beautiful memories in that romantic city.It's not just works of art that attract people, but romantic and beautiful French women are also in the hearts of men, but people never tell them.

The history of the United States as an independent country is not short, at least much longer than Germany and Italy, but the American nation is made up of immigrants, and there is no time to accumulate the precipitation behind it on the New World.

In short, it is young and rich.The ancestors of most Americans came to the United States across the ocean from Europe, so culturally Americans have always longed for European culture, so collecting European art has become a habit of many people after their fortune. People abound.

I don’t know if it’s out of vanity or wanting to spread through the ages. The wealthy in the United States generally have built art galleries named after them, which display a large number of their art collections during their lifetime.

Frick is just such a person. He not only loves collecting, he is also a well-known antique dealer. After the death of J.P. Morgan, Frick bought a large number of artworks from the Morgan family, including more than 200 Many of Situ Nan’s favorite porcelains are now in the Frick Art Gallery on Fifth Avenue in New York.

Situ Nan sat aside and watched Andrew and Frick arguing like children. He couldn't help being a little funny. The two uncles were both very old and were still chattering about little things and bargaining.

Perhaps this is their unique friendship!

"I heard that you want to invest in my coal company?"

After a while, the quarrel between Frick and Andrew ended.

Well, finally it's serious.Situ Nan thought.

"Yes." Situ Nan said respectfully, waiting for Frick's following.

Andrew sat silently and watched the negotiations between the old and the young with a calm mind.

"I have to say that now is a good time to invest in coal. Coal, steel, and oil will soon soar. The grandsons in New York are clamoring for the government to declare war all day long. They can't wait to get it from the White House. To order."

Frick took a sip of milk from the glass and said.

His body can no longer withstand the ravages of alcohol, so he changed to mild milk instead of alcoholic beverages under the doctor's advice.But when it comes to business, Frick becomes shrewd, even if he is very old.

Situ Nan did not refute but nodded.

U.S. coal production reached 245 million tons in 1900, ranking first in the world; in 1918, it produced 615 million tons.Since then, production has continued to decline, rising to 624 million tons in 1947, the highest level in history; since then, it has been declining, and in 1960 only 380 million tons were produced.

It can be seen from this data that World War I was actually the most glorious period of the US coal industry, and it was also a peak in the development of the US steel industry. Steelmaking consumes a large amount of coke every year, accounting for 21% of the total coal consumption.

In addition, the major coal-consuming companies are still generating plants. In 1916, 65% of the coal produced in the United States was used for power generation, and with the increasing use of electricity, this proportion will continue to rise. After World War II, the United States exceeded 80%. All coal is used for thermal power generation.

In other words, even if oil is widely used in the future, the status of coal will decline, but it is still an industry with unlimited potential.

The Arabachian coal field is the most important coal field in the United States. All the coal in the industrial zone of the northeastern United States is provided by the Arabachian coal field.

The states of Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, which are distributed in the Alabachia Mountains, are all important coal-producing states in the United States, and Pennsylvania has the most developed coal industry.

Its coal fields centered on Pittsburgh and Cornellsville are the most important production areas of bituminous coal, and are closest to the northern steel industry, and Pittsburgh itself is an important steel production area in the United States.

In particular, the anthracite coal field in eastern Pennsylvania with Scranton as the center is now the largest anthracite producer in the United States and the main fuel base for the US steel industry.

Last year, in 1916, the output of this coal field was close to 80 million tons. In the following 1917 and 1918, Situ Nan used his toes to know that the output of this super coal field would definitely exceed 100 million tons.

The Guben Coal Company is the largest local coal company. It controls 10% of the US coal production and 18% of high-quality coal.Winning this company is equivalent to occupying a large share of American energy in the next few decades.

This is how Situ Nan is not moved.

The goal of this negotiation is to hold 30% of Guben Energy, which is ranked fourth in the US coal industry, held by Frick.In addition, Frick also holds 10% of the shares of Peabody Energy, the largest energy company in the United States. Although he has seldom made the limelight in these years, his status in the coal industry is still unmatched.

...

Chapter 101 Consolidated Energy Continued

Considering the limited funds, Situ Nan abandoned the huge Peabody Energy Company and set the target on Guben Energy Company.

United States Guben Energy Company is one of the oldest coal mining companies in the United States. It was founded in 1864. It was originally a coal company established by a combination of several small owners operating coal mines in Legone County, Western Maryland. I bought it.

Since its establishment, Guben Energy has continued to develop and grow, and its output has been steadily increasing. In 1899, its coal output reached 1.55 million tons. It began exporting coal overseas in April 1901. It is now the largest producer of high-calorie bituminous coal in the United States. The annual output exceeds 50 million tons, accounting for more than 15% of the nation's coal sales.

Situ Nan took a fancy to this point. High-calorie coal is the best fuel for steam engines. Nowadays, most ships are powered by steam except for diesel-powered warships, so there is a great demand for high-calorie bituminous coal.

Of course, the most ideal burning coal is actually anthracite. It has high fixed carbon content, low volatile yield, high density, high hardness, high ignition point, and does not emit smoke when burned. It is often used in warships.

But the price of anthracite is high. Commercial ships except warships choose high-calorie bituminous coal. So every time Situ Nan takes a boat, he often sees long black smoke from the merchant ships on the sea, which is the result of burning bituminous coal.

"Young man, go ahead, what is your bid?" Frick asked.He holds a 32% stake in Guben Energy, with a market value of approximately US$15 million to US$20 million.However, Situ Nan predicts that the company's market value will increase by more than 50% in the next two to three years, so he is determined to win this company.

"15 million U.S. dollars, all, the energy shares in your hands." Situ Nan said.

"No, it's not a good price." Flick shook his head quickly.

"16 million!"

"It's still too low. Now that the market has such a large demand for coal, the share price of Guben Energy has been rising, 16 million, which is too low. These shares in my hand will soon rise, so it is 22 million US dollars. "Frick said.

"No, we are talking about the present, not the future. Even as you said, the coal industry is indeed doing well now, but according to my understanding, most of Guben Energy’s equipment is aging, and his management is also very good. Oops, it has been losing money for several years. So I don’t think it is worth $22 million.

Well, I will add another 1 million U.S. dollars for a total of 17 million U.S. dollars, which is not low anymore."

Situ Nan landed to repay the money.

"Young man, you are too greedy. Don't want to get my consolidating energy for $17 million? Add more, $20 million!" Flick said angrily.

"Ok…"

Situ Nan hesitated for a moment, but did not immediately agree to Frick. In fact, the price was close to his ideal figure. What he was interested in was the prospects of the coal industry in the future, and the money he would earn by then would be two or three hundred more than this. Ten thousand dollars is much more.However, he felt that the price could be lowered.