what many would describe as a difficult, high-strung personality. Daniel Yergin, in his history of oil The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power wrote that "more than any other man", Kessler was responsible for the survival of the Royal Dutch. He said that "Kessler was a born leader, with an iron will, and with the ability to concentrate all his own energy and that of those around him on a single objective." Quoting from Kessler's letters to his wife, Yergin illustrates the obstacles faced by the daring oil explorer: "Half-heartedness, ignorance, indifference, dilapidation, disorder, and vexation are everywhere apparent," Kessler reported. "If things go wrong, my job and my name are gone and perhaps my sacrifices and my extraordinary exertions will be repaid with censure in the bargain. Heaven preserve me from all that misery." In constant rain, Kessler attempted to connect the drilling site and refinery with a pipeline. Steamkettles were transported through a jungle path on rails, which were removed after the kettles had been pulled up in order to be used for the next stretch. A storm interrupted the supply of rice, resulting in severe food shortages. The drilling produced barely any oil. Kessler, suffering from a fever, worked day and night and was everywhere with improvisations, giving instructions and managing the overall operation. With the greatest difficulty, Kessler and his team were able to get the supplies for a second tower. This one was a "spouter" and on Feb. 28, 1892, the first oil flowed through the new pipe to the refinery. The Dutch flag was raised. Kessler returned to the Netherlands, nearly nine months after his "inspection trip" began, and focused on trying to secure the necessary capital for the still shaky enterprise. But within two years, oil production had dramatically declined, the new on-site works manager had quit and the company was nearly bankrupt. Kessler again returned to Sumatra to save the infant company. With a small group of workers--"I demand the nearly impossible but there is no choice; everything rests on my shoulders"—Kessler again managed to turn things around and tripled oil production within a year. He stayed in Indonesia until 1895, before returning to the Netherlands to focus on the commercial end of the business. Under Kessler, the company relaunched its principal product under the brand name "Crown Oil," expanded refining capacity, built a fleet of tankers and constructed