Ludolf Portong, from his 1902 obituary

In 1870 Ludolf Portong was making patent steam pressure gauges out of a shared industrial building in Brooklyn. By 1880 he was the U.S. representative of Schaffer & Budenberg (originally of Prussia, then officially a British company in 1902). Portong was the president of Schaffer & Budenberg Manufacturing Co. of New York and Chicago when he died in 1902 at age 70.

Schaffer & Budenberg pressure gauge. We have not seen any surviving Portong gauges.

Information Sources

• Brooklyn City Directories at archive.org provided some data points:
  • Year ending May 1st, 1868: no listings for Ludolf (or Rudolph) Portong.
  • Year ending May 1st, 1869: "Portong Rudolph [sic], h 56 Montrose av.
  • Year ending May 1st, 1870: "Portong Ludolf, steamgauges, 21 Dunham pl. h Lorimer n Montrose av". More.
  • Year ending May 1st, 1870:"Portong Ludolf, steamgauges, 21 Dunham pl. h Lorimer n Montrose av".
  • Year ending May 1st, 1871: "Portong Ludolf, steam gauges, 21 Dunham pl. h 49 Lorimer".
  • Year ending May 1st, 1875: no listing for Ludolf Portong.
• 1872 Curtin's Brooklyn business directory has no entry for anyone named Portong.
• March 1890 The Trow City Directory Co.'s Copartnership and Corporation Directory of New York City lists "Schaffer & Budenberg Building Co. (Ludolf Portong, pres.; Albert L. Portong, Sec.; Percival Knauth, Treas. Capital $40,000. Directors: Ludolf & Albert L. Portong, Percival Knauth) 40 John".
• 1902-04-01 The Plumbers Trade Journal.

  Ludolf Portong.

  The trade throughout the country no doubt will be shocked when the learn of the death of Ludolf Portong, the president of the Schaffer & Budenberg Mfg. Co. of New York and Chicago, which occurred on March 9th, 1902, at 11:23 P.M. Mr. Portong was the representative of the Schaffer & Budenberg Mfg. Co. on this side of the Atlantic. During the year 1880 manufacturing was undertaken at 40 John street, in this city, and during the year 1889 the extensive plant at Bedford, Canton, and Division streets, Brooklyn, was erected, and to-day is recognized by the trade at large as being the most progressive in the manufacture of pressure and vacuum gauges, injectors, ejectors, steam engine and boiler appliances.

  Mr. Portong was born in Hanover, Germany, on the 21st day of October, 1832,and was therefore in the 70th year of his age.

  A. L. Portong, the present vice-president of the company will succeed his late father in the presidency of the company, and W. H. Portong will still continue to represent the concern on the road throughout the United States.