New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-17
Il FAMILY OF LNVENTORS-THE BROTHERS
SIEMENS.
From CdSSeiTS Mdg0-ine.

'
numbered clght, of whom five are still living. AS
enIeht engineers, as men of enterprise. they stand
III thc hrst rank, and three of the brothers have
through their inventions, attained a worldwide
fame.
The eldest brother Werner Scmcns--the Berlin
Sieinehsi as he Is generally observation-disclosures born
at Lenthc near Hanover, in 1916. He received his
c ,.hn|n at me gymnasium OF Lubbock from
WIehce he went to Berlin and entered the Prussian
Ntillery a. volunteer His eminent talents soon
opened to hun the doors of the Military School IN
berlin but the theories of velocity ANA the effects
"a PoJeculeS seem not TO have had much ttractIon
Tor hun, ana he turned his attention mainly TO
practical chemistry and phys sizes. Thus his first in
venlon QS4l) was cmincnty a peaceful one
namely new method OF gliding and silverng by
along with his brother William, a new GOVERNOR
Tor steam engines which attracted much attention
and had an extensive ap,licauon In ism hc
brought out-alSO IN conjunction with his brother
tnr wei! known process OF anaStatic printing which
aiSo met win SIM Ar success. On the introduction
OF electric teicgraphs W erncr Sicmcnss name took
a prominent place. The conducting WIrcs beng at
that time iald under ground required an insulating
covering. For tins purpose " emcr Sicmens
Pio{ed gutta-peroha; anu the machine constructed
10y HIM for covering Is even now used in the manu-
facturc OF Cables. In 800 he left the army. and
WIN the valuable aid of MIR. lIalske. practical
mechanical engineer, founded the iariamcd nTm of
Sleincns ~ llaIHkc This establishment soon grew
I" il'e' dimensions. ana hccalue one oi the chIcI
centres Tor the application ol electricity and mag
nrtiSn to the industrial arts, While al the time
anoIuihS mean. oi practical training for many
young engineers. In l~OJ Werner established the
pneumalic dispatch system, which his brother Vii
nam IN lSTI introduced into England. A very inn
portant discovery OF Werner SIcnicns is the block
sigma! y stem on railways, the mclodious bell-hke
touc..,f which may Ice heard IN many countries, and
which gives not only more security to HE and limo.
but lends certain poetry to the tulnuit of IaIl
way journey. Since 1901 SitJnonS Brothers have
had m -. Petersburg "A large mandatory Tor tec-
graph apparatus, and thus business WAS I'LL 1863.
conducted bS Carl Sicmens. Werner Siemcns Is a
partner OF the London hrn OF Sicmens Brothers" 80;
indeed, the three INNS OF Berlin, London and ST.
Petersburg are the common property OF the brothers
Werner, William and Carl. From these three
centres issue forth many branch ADJUSTMENTS:
even III the tar Caucasus the brothers possess
copper works and oil springs. From this may be
gathered the magnitude and Importance OF their
Ncners newest invention is the electric railway
"a model Of which, exhibited at the late Berlin In
dustIial Exhibition, gave a. much pleasure aS II
called forth appreciation. Many honors have been
conferred on tins most fertile inventor.
leIe, We may now say few words with regard
To Carl Nicmcns, born lS29. ~ an inventor hr
HoeS not come much INTO the foreground, but the
brothers owe much to him for the energy with
which he has helped to further the extension OF
their INVENTIONS more especially III Russia. A.
formerly IN ~. Petersburg, lately in London lee
conducted the telegraph business with cminently
practical results. He has now returned TO ST.
Petersburg 10 he ut the head OF the establishment
there.
The London brother William Sicmcns. was born
at Leuthc. N23, and lac also received his prcpara-
tory education at the Gymnasium OF Lubbock. His
practical work began mt the curlnc-works of Couut
Stolherg. In 1913 1t WAS arranged with his brother
Werner that he should visit n4land order IN
trnducc the method of gliding and sil|rrin hv gnI
Nahlc deposit. year later lac returned to England
to patent the brothers Joint invention OF the differ
entail governor for stean-euenc-. In the Same
ing, Also an invention of the two brothers.
Between the years Is IL and lN47, William
Scmens was engaged IN railway works. in nnprov-
ing lioHles 'anco-pintlhE, and IN The invention of
his chronometuc governor. several of these GOV
crnoTs are in use at tie Royal Observatory ut
Greenwich. Tor controlling the motion of transit
and recording instruments. In 1AlG hc introduced
ms d"ubi"-cy hinder ar-Vump. which even to the
present diy Is cNcluNNcly used. Ia lSpl he nitro
dnccd ms celebrated Watrr-uctrrs beautiful
through their simplicity which are extensively
used both IN tins country and ON the Continent As
regards practical importance and economy IN fuel.
the invention of the rcgencIltiNe gas furnace.
which he worked out III conjunction with his
brother Frederick SIclncnS may hc looked upon
his greatest discovery. and one which should alone
secure for the brothers a Worldwide reputation.
For the laying of submarine cables William
Semcns planned and had built by MesNrs. Mitchell,
OF NeWcaStr, ths WeIi-Nn"Mn steamer 4raday'
work. The Indo-European lines, rs we'll a. several
works of ScmcnS Brothers ut " oolWich The most
Important of these submarine telegraph enterprises
was the Direct United States Cable for which the
talnday was conStrucied and with the laying OF
which Carl SlemcnS was entrusted.
The fourth of these highlygfted brothers Fred
crck-thc Dresden Sicmens, as he Is calrd-waS
born III ~ at MellendoIi. near Lnbeck, large
property rented by their father. Frederick, ike HIS
brothers, was intended to pass through the classes
of the Gymnasium of Lubbock, hnt having reached
the third class the desire OF liberty urged HIM 10
forth into the world. lie Went on board merchant
ship when scarcely sixteen years oi age, and there
TINS yonth whose mental capacities Afterwards
proved 50 great had 10 work as common sailor.
After two years of this scaiarlng life. ms brother
Werner tried at Berlin to get hum into the lrusslan
marine service. In the meantime frt derck Was
allowed TO assist iii the manifold experiments OF ms
brothers. This chained him with a very different
power from that which bound him 10 the ship, and
ont of the young sailor there was soon formed a
clever, industrious assistant, who was also an orIgl-
nator.
In 1913 Frederick went to England, and con
tinucd his practical studies with his brother VIII
liam The principal interest WAS the new ~ dscov-
cred rcgencratiyc system and he was SO ioruhat" as
10 make this system practical by LIS Application 10
the ordinary furnaces where a very high tempera-
turc is required. In 1898 Frederick buIIl, IN the
works OF the brothers in Berlin, the first rcgencra-
tive gas furnace, which was the precursor of the
many employed III Germany Austria, etc.
The second brother, Hans, possessed a large glass
mauuiactOry III DrcSdon and on his death IN 1907
Frederick undertook the management OF thus csiaD-
lishmcnt, and concentrated his great talents on
pcricctng the manufacture OF glass. HIS works AT
Dresden, regards the quantity exported, may DE
considered the most Important IN GoInianN. lie
has established three other factories IN Bohemia ana
SaXony, which give employment nj present To 900
wOrkmcn. The application of gas furnaces 10 glass
making was marked epoch IN tins branch OF IN
dustry. Important also, IL ms invention OF me
continuously working glass furnace. IN which The
materials are inserted, and flow out thoroughly
melted and ready for working further discovery
is new method Of cooling glass quickly. and thus
producing ughcncd glass; This material Will
soon compete, for many purposes Win Woou anu
iron. It's power of resistance Is extraordinary aud
even surpasses that of cast-ron. Frederick has
also turned his attention to the possibility of pro
ducing motor to perform cheaply ana ethclently
those small operations III workshops ana households
which have still to be done by manual labor-such
as turning the lqindstOnc chIrning butter, driving
So wing na chimes, etc. Although his idea has not
yet been realized. his water motor" devised
on scientific principle, has come near tne mi
Exhibition of S73 the medal for Progress The
newest invention of Frederick SienenS Is known as
the regeneratye gasburner one OF the most I'M
portaDt improvements in the system OF llulnlna-
ton. The effect produced by this gas burner APP
proachcs very nearly that Of electric hight.