484 Scientific Industries. 



Werner and William had for some time been at work on an im- 

 provement in electro-depositing, and in 1843 William came to this 

 country, as it took the lead in the manufacture of electro-plated 

 wares and offered the best field for the disposal of the idea. 

 Elkington of Birmingham bought the invention, further ideas 

 were developed by the brothers, and William again returned to 

 England in 1844 with the " chronometer governor " and the process 

 of " anastatic printing." He received so much encouragement 

 from leading engineers and scientific men here that he decided to 

 make England his home. 



Meanwhile, Dr. Werner was devoting his attention to the electric 

 telegraph, and in 1847 the firm of Siemens & Halske was established 

 in Berlin. William co-operated with them in making their inven- 

 tions known in England, while he at the same time, in conjunction 

 with his brother Frederick, developed his own inventions, especially 

 the " regenerative furnace." So rapidly was the electric business 

 especially submarine telegraphy developing, that it was found 

 necessary to establish a factory here, and in 1858 William took 

 small premises in Millbank, Westminster, where he had from 80 

 to 100 employees. He was principally engaged on the manu- 

 facture of telegraph instruments, batteries, etc., and also carried 

 out many experiments. The " regenerative furnace " was im- 

 proved in 1861 by substituting gaseous fuel in place of solid fuel. 



The capacity of the Millbank works soon became overtaxed by 

 the contracts on hand, and the firm chose a piece of land on the 

 banks of the Thames at Charlton Pier. Here came into existence, 

 in 1864, the embryo of the present works, designed for the manu- 

 facture of all kinds of telegraph instruments, apparatus, and 

 materials, including submarine cables, which could be easily shipped 

 into vessels alongside the wharves. The works gradually extended, 

 and now they cover an area of about 15 acres. The firm was 

 incorporated as a limited company in 1880. 



Sir William Siemens died in 1883, he having been knighted the 

 same year in recognition of his services to science and to the country 

 of his adoption. 



During the period 1904-5, the dynamo and motor branch of the 

 business, largely growing in importance, was transferred to new 

 works at Stafford. 



The works now comprise submarine cable shops, railway signal- 

 ling shops and electrical accessories, stores, instrument shops, also 

 shops for the manufacture of cable insulated with gutta-percha 

 and with paper, while there are saw mills, pattern- making and 

 joinery shops, and shops for all the various adjuncts in the manu- 

 facture of cables of all types. 



