The following text was found in a document entitled "Herman Bacharach and his association with the Bacharach Industrial Instrument Co. from 1908 to 1935.

It was destiny and good fortune that Herman Bacharach spent the greater part of his life in the land of his choice, the United States of America.  Even before he set foot on his selected homeland, he loved it.  As a boy he studied maps of the United States and wondered about the many "squares' representing the various federal states.  His last discourse before leaving high school dealt with the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492.

When the American engineer, Mr. Mudge, was engaged by the Allgemeine Elektricitacts Gesellschaft, Herman Bacharach asked to become his assistant, although his knowledge of English was meager.  Mr. Mudge was a very able and independent engineer.  His way of working impressed his young assistant very much and added to his determination to give up a good job and and enjoyable :Berliner" life.  Against the advice of friends, he decided to say farewell to the Vaterland" and he sailed in August 1902 for the promising land, which was called by a prominent German: "Das Land der unbegrenzten Moglichkeiten" (The country of unlimited opportunity).

On August 5th, 1902, he arrived in New York after a very enjoyable ocean trip.  After a futile search in New York and New Jersey for employment, he left on August 13th by steamer for Albany.   The beautiful sights of the Hudson reminded him of the river Rhine.  His first trip cam to an end in Schenectady, where the General Electric Company gave him his first position as a controller designer.  He had the rare opportunity of meeting the great mathematician, Steinmetz who dined in the same boarding house.  When General Electric forbade smoking in the plant, Steinmetz gave them this ultimatum:  "Without smoke, no Steinmetz."  Of course he kept on smoking.

When Herman Bacharach's attempts to be transferred to the new steam turbine department were not effective, he left the company after only a five months' stay.

Before leaving for the West, he went to the inauguration of Governor Hughes in Albany and was very impressed.  Shaking the hand of such a high official was something new to him - a wonderful experience for a German greenhorn.

He arrived at his final "hometown", Pittsburgh, in January, 1903 and obtained a position as draftsman with the tool design department of the Westinghouse Machine Company.  One of the first designs he worked on was a jig for milling the blades of a steam turbine, a new Westinghouse development.  The position lasted for only a short time because of an extended strike.  The next position was with the Dilworth Porter Co., manufacturers of railroad spikes and ties.  He held this position for a number of years.  His duties were to improve and maintain the mill machinery.

The depression of 1907 taught him how easy it is to lose a job on short notice, though he was fortunate not to be idle for more than a few days at a time.

He made up his mind to try his luck and stand on his own feet. It caused him great worry at first and considerable hardship for some time.  But perseverance won out at last.

As a member of the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, Berlin, and a subscriber to its publications, he kept well posted on new developments in Germany.  We in the United States were far behind in this respect at the time.  Mr. Hood, chief engineer of the Bureau of Mines told him:  "When we need up-to-date, reliable instruments we have to get them from Germany."  World War I, however, changed this situation to our advantage.

Herman Bacharach obtained a short leave of absence from his employer, the Koppel Company, in 1908 and took a trip to Germany.  He called on a number of companies, including the Hydro Company, in Dusseldorf, builders of pressure recorders, gas meters. etc.  It took many months to obtain the permit for the U.S. sales from the company.  He eventually got it, but without a written contract (German mistrust).

Shortly after his return, the well known pyrometer expert, Mr. Stupakoff, offered him a corner in his office in the Lewis Block, the first skyscraper in Pittsburgh (tem floors).  The building was later torn down to make room for the Kaufmann and Baer Department Store, now Gimbel Bros.

Just about the time Mr. Bacharach was introducing the Hydro Recorders on the American market, Heinrich Koppers, Essen, Germany, built the first by-product coke ovens for the Illinois Steel Co., later the United States Steel Co., at Joliet.  After proving very successful, the steel company decided to install them in their new plant in Gary.  The most careful control of the draft in these ovens is required and this could only be obtained with the "Hydro", which measures pressure of draft accurately within a fraction of an inch.  Convinced of the value and need of the Hydro, the Illinois Steel Co. accepted it as their standard draft recorder and placed a substantial order of 45 units with Herman Bacharach.  This was a badly needed tonic.

Besides the by-product coke ovens, the steel companies were looking for, and employing, new machinery to improve the operation of their plants.  Among such equipment were high pressure steam engines, gas engines for air blowers, compressors, etc., newly installed.  Here again, devices for upkeep and operation were lacking in the United States.  There was especially needed, and not available, a high pressure indicator and recorder.  Mr. Bacharach secured this device in 1911 from Maihak in Hamburg, while on a trip to Germany.  It was on his most successful acquisitions.  Later, the able engineers of the Bacharach Industrial Instrument Company developed these instruments further to answer the many new problems industry constantly faced.  Today the diesel engine manufacturers and other users of this instrument could not well be without a Maihak.

Herman Bacharach gave impetus to the use of Pitot Tubes, Orifices and Patented Magnifiers.  He installed the first recording gas meter for measuring blast furnace gas at Carrie Furnaces in Rankin using pitot tubes in the main gas line.  The use of large orifices for measuring the air at the intake in mines was also originated by Mr. Bacharach.  To supplement the Hydro Recorders, he designed and patented several types of pressure indicators -- inclined, upright and magnifying gauges -- which found a good market for may years.  Mr. Vaughn, a former foreman of the BII Company, took over the manufacture of these gauges in his shop at Corry, Pa.

The continuous growth of the company encouraged Herman Bacharach to incorporate the company in 1915 under the name of the Bacharach Industrial Instrument Company.  The late Mr. Kunkel, Mr. Speidel, good friend Willibald Trinks, the first stenographer Peggy Coyne and Mr. W. McFall. still a friend and advisor of Mr. Bacharach, were all very helpful in starting the business and in keeping it rolling smoothly.

To Mr. Speidel, who died too early, goes a great deal of credit for the success of the BII Company.  He was invaluable at the start and through the depression years.  His keen judgment and financial knowledge were of inestimable value to the concern.

While visiting Germany in 1922, Mr. Bacharach obtained from Siemens Halske, Charlottenburg, the United states agency for their heat measuring instruments.  Besides base and rare metal and radiation pyrometers, Siemens Halske manufactured a CO₂ meter.  This instrument was a part of a design of the BII Company for use in automobile combustion adjustments and was called the Power Prover.  It was adopted and used for many years by City Service Co. and was well known all over the United States through a Friday Evening radio program featuring the singer, Jessica Dragonette.

The design of a small pocket CO₂ indicator, built and sold during the early years of the company, should be mentioned here.  It was the forerunner of today's "Fyrite".

During the pioneer days, 1909 to 1935, the company was fortunate enough to engage a group of fine and able men.  Many of them are still with the company:  The present president, Louis Vayda, started as a teen-ager; Arthur Stein (Carnegie Tech), the present chief engineer; Rudolf Ulrich, the versatile Sales engineer; Alfred Anderson, sales engineer, left in 1941 to join the army and is now a Colonel in the Signal Corps; R. Rossome, who is still active as a designer; and John Rudzik, who advanced steadily from the storeroom to his present position as purchasing agent.

One should not forget the excellent boys in the shop who did their share in making the fine instruments that have made the BII company so well known throughout the United States.  Hugo Semrau, who once "ran away" and was brought back from Germany by Mr. Bacharach is today's tool designer, par excellence.  Alfred Maier (with the beautiful bass voice) is still making Hydro recorders after 30 years on the job.

Last but not least on should not forget four "Trade School" boys who started with brooms in their hands and now, at middle age, are all holding responsible positions with the company - F McCloskey, J. Strahan, W. Temkovic and W. Michalky.

In conclusion, it may be said without hesitation that 1915 to 1935 was the pioneer period, when the solid foundation of the Bacharach Industrial Instrument Company was built.  On this foundation a healthy concern has grown.

The outlook for its future is very bright.  Always on the lookout for improvement and new products, it will stay abreast of the times, climbing to greater attainment and success.

This is the sincere wish of the founder, HERMAN BACHARACH