“But it is time to cut short this digression. When I met my friend Kuskop again after my trip, it was at Stettin on the occasion of a launch. He happened to be in especially high spirits, and even more communicative than usual. He then told me the tale of his friend Senator Petersen, and it is such a good story that it would be a pity not to record it here.
“It had become customary for the ships’ captains and the other ships’ officers who could boast his friendship to treat poor Kuskop to the wildest canards in return for his supplying them with reading matter from their far-away home. One afternoon, when they were sitting over a bottle of old port in Hermann Bade’s wine restaurant at Stubbenhuk and it was getting late, one of them—he always referred to them as ‘them young fools'—told him that a river barge loaded with arsenic had just sprung a leak in the harbour, so that it might become necessary to prohibit the use of water for drinking purposes for some time. It was about five o’clock and Kuskop, according to his own account, did not even stop to finish his glass of port, but hurried to the offices of ‘his’ paper which, in its next edition, published it as a fact that a quantity of arsenic had vitiated the water of the Elbe. Next morning, when Kuskop was still soundly asleep, two detectives appeared at the house in which he lived, and escorted him to headquarters, where he was locked up. At ten o’clock he was taken up before Mr. Livonius—or whoever was the chief of police at that time—who, with much abuse, demanded particulars concerning the arsenic affair. Kuskop, seeing at once that one of ‘them young fools’ had been pulling his leg, refused to supply any information whatever. He was then brought before Senator Petersen, who, with a great display of persuasion, tried to make him reveal the name of his informant. Kuskop, however, remained obstinate, and the Senator, changing his methods from persuasion to coercion, had him locked up again. He remained in confinement till five o’clock in the afternoon, and was then taken before Senator Petersen for the second time, who now peremptorily demanded that he should state his informant’s name. Kuskop replied: ‘Herr Senator, if you were in my position, you would not give him away yourself.’ The Senator turned round to the police officials and said: ‘Mr. Kuskop is a gentleman, you see. We shall not get anything out of him. The best thing you can do is to chuck him out,’ which suggestion was thereupon promptly and most efficiently carried out by some of those who were present.
“Another of his adventures he confided to me when a trial trip had taken us right out into the North Sea. One of ‘them young fools,’ he said, whom he regularly met at Mutzenbecher’s tavern, had told him as the very latest news that Captain Kier had been taken into custody at Rio on the unfounded allegation of having committed theft. Kuskop, feeling somewhat sceptical on hearing this intelligence, but not believing himself justified in depriving the readers of the Fremdenblatt of such a highly interesting item of news, thought he would be extra careful this time, and so did not mention the captain by name, but merely referred to him as ‘a Mr. K——, captain of a Hamburg steamer.’ This happened in the good old times when there were still real winters in Hamburg, and when the Elbe was sometimes ice-bound for months. The Hamburg steamers were then compelled to take up winter quarters at Glückstadt—of all places—and Kuskop used to establish a ‘branch office’ at that town on such occasions. As bad luck would have it, he was fated one day to meet Captain Kier there, who, with some of his friends, was dining at his hotel. A huge tureen of soup with an enormous ladle stood on the table in front of the captain, who was just about to serve the soup when Kuskop entered the room. Without a moment’s hesitation the captain seized the ladle, the tureen, and everything he could lay his hands on, and hurled them at him. He was, as the latter afterwards confessed to me with the most innocent expression, offended by the newspaper report, because, as it happened, he was the only captain K—— on the route from Hamburg to Rio at that particular time. He subsequently brought an action against Kuskop, who had to retire from his business for some weeks in order to get over the consequences of the mistake he had made.
“These are only two of the minor adventures from Kuskop’s ample store of reminiscences. It is a pity that our sea-faring men are so reticent; otherwise they would be able to furnish a volume of material concerning Kuskop that would far exceed that relating to Kirchhoff, that other well-known Hamburg ‘character.’ I wish someone would collect all the Kuskop stories; for I do not believe that we shall ever again come across such a perfect specimen of his kind as he was, and it would be sad to allow such a man to be forgotten.
“Kuskop, however, was not only a ‘character': he was also a ‘real good sort,’ and he has been of real service to all those who have ever travelled on Hamburg vessels. Because of that it is certain that he will long be remembered; for it is not to him that the following quotation can be applied: ‘May each one of us—whether he works with his hands or with his brain to earn a living wage—always bear in mind that all that is best in him is gradually lost in the process of toil, and that, after he has departed this life, nobody will remember that he ever existed.’
“Our friend Kuskop never lost his good qualities in the process of toil, and he was always a friend and a helpmate to all decent people. I am sure in saying this I have the support of all who knew him, and so with us his memory will always be kept green.”
Ballin very frequently went to New York—which might be called the most prominent outpost of the company—because he recognized the value of being in constant touch with every aspect of the many activities carried on by the Packetfahrt, and especially with those persons whose interests it was of importance to the company to cultivate. The numerous pool conferences often took him to London, where he always made a point of keeping on friendly terms with the leading British shipping firms, and, later on, with some of the leading politicians as well. There were few people in Germany who could rival him in his knowledge of the psychology of the American or the British mind. This knowledge resulted from his great capacity for rapidly and correctly summing up the character of anyone with whom he had to deal. He had developed to a high degree the art of treating the different types of people he met according to their different individualities. His kindness of heart, his brilliant powers of conversation, his prodigious memory, his quickness of repartee, and his keen sense of humour made him a favourite wherever he cared to be one. One felt his charm as soon as one came into personal contact with him. His wonderfully alert eye, which could express so much kindness, the soothing tones of his melodious voice, and the firm and friendly grip of his hand, made one forget that he was not a handsome man, although his powerfully developed forehead and his head which, in later years, was almost bald, were of classic perfection.
Albert Ballin would never have gained the commanding position he held if the keenness of his intellect and the force of his character had not been supplemented by that pleasing amiability which distinguishes all really good men. To him was given a large measure of that noble courtesy which springs from the heart. He who could be hard and unyielding where the business interests entrusted to his care were at stake, was full of generosity and sympathy towards the members of his family circle and his friends. Nothing delighted him more than the happiness of others. Those whom he cared for he treated with a tender regard which was deeply touching. He loved to give presents, and did so with the most delicate tact. He never expected any thanks; it was sufficient for him to see the happy face of the recipient. And if he ever met with ingratitude or spitefulness, he ignored it and dismissed it from his mind.
Personally generous to the limit of extravagance, he never spent a penny of the funds of his company without being convinced that it would be to its benefit. He left nothing undone when he thought he could realize a profit to the company, or cut down expenses. Money, to him, was only a means to an end; and the earnings of the company were in the first place intended to be spent on increasing its scope and prosperity wherever possible. Those who know what remuneration the heads of other concerns receive may well be surprised to see how little Ballin made for himself out of his position, but they would do him a great injustice if they thought he ought to have made more out of it. He even spent the greater part of his income for purposes of representation in the interests of his company. His amiable charm of manner and his brilliant conversational gifts did much towards making the entertainments he provided the successes they invariably were; and even if so much representation, especially that in connexion with Kiel Week, became somewhat of a burden to him, his company reaped rich benefit from his munificence.
But to appreciate to the full the charm of his personality one must have been his guest at his beautiful home in Hamburg or at his beloved country seat near Hamfelde, and have listened to his conversation while sitting round the fire of an evening, or been his companion on his long walks and rambles through the neighbouring Forest of Hahnheide. His conversation was always animated, his witty remarks were always to the point, and he was unsurpassed as a raconteur. He was excellent as a speaker at committee meetings, and he always hit upon the right words suitable for a political toast. The skill with which he wielded the pen is proved by numerous newspaper articles, memoranda, and descriptions of his travels, but above all by his voluminous correspondence. He was probably one of the most versatile letter-writers, and yet so conscientious in this as to be almost pedantic. In his early years he had also tried his hand at poetry. His beautiful home, which was adorned with pictures and sculptures by eminent masters, was a source of great pleasure to him. He was very fond of music and congenial company, and he knew how to appreciate the pleasures of a full and daintily arranged table.