'
CHAPTER V.
CHARLES WILLIAM SIEMENS.
Charles William Siemens was born on April 4, 1823, at the little
village of Lenthe, about eight miles from Hanover, where his father, Mr.
Christian Ferdinand Siemens, was 'Domanen-pachter,' and farmed an
estate belonging to the Crown. His mother was Eleonore Deichmann, a lady
of noble disposition, and William, or Carl Wilhelm, was the fourth son
of a family of fourteen children, several of whom have distinguished
themselves in scientific pursuits. Of these, Ernst Werner Siemens, the
fourth child, and now the famous electrician of Berlin, was associated
with William in many of his inventions; Fritz, the ninth child, is the
head of the well-known Dresden glass works; and Carl, the tenth child,
is chief of the equally well-known electrical works at St. Petersburg.
Several of the family died young; others remained in Germany; but the
enterprising spirit, natural to them, led most of the sons abroad--
Walter, the twelfth child, dying at Tiflis as the German Consul there,
and Otto, the fourteenth child, also dying at the same place. It would
be difficult to find a more remarkable family in any age or country.
Soon after the birth of William, Mr. Siemens removed to a larger estate
which he had leased at Menzendorf, near Lubeck.
Pages:
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145