MORE OF IAIN LOVELL’S MEMORIES OF THE SIEMENS’ MUSEUM
The First Wages Book was vey simple by comparison with its modern equivalent. The only details entered were the name, trade, and rate of pay of each worker. For each week there was a column for the hours worked, and another for the payment made, with a total. None of the many deductions, bonuses etc made today applied. Although operatives theoretically worked a 60 hour week, in fact they were paid only for the hours worked if there was insufficient work for the 60 hours. Overtime was paid at the same rate as normal pay. Rates varied from about 4/ to 24/- - a week, depending on the trade of the worker, quite good pay for the time. The only trade I remember was that of "Mechanician'.
The Letter Book was the office record of every letter sent out. All letters were hand written, and there was no method of copying them, apart from making a hand written copy in the letter book.
There were a number of periodicals from around the turn of the century, many printed in German. A title I remember was "The Tramcar and Street Railway World". Another, printed in German in 1898/9, consisted entirety of advertisements for rubber products (Gummiwaren). Of these, about 25% were for rubber insulated power and communications cables. The remainder were, rather surprisingly for the time, for contraceptives. It was lavishly illustrated throughout.
Unwisely as it turned out, I brought in a slim paperback biography of Joseph Swan which had been given to me as a boy, and contained quite a lot of useful information. Dr Sutton seized on this with great enthusiasm, and wanted a copy Enquiries revealed that it was out of print. Meanwhile, he said, he had told Dr Aldington (the Managing Director) about it, and he also was very keen to borrow and read it. Although reluctant I felt it unwise to refuse to lend it. Although I clearly wrote my name and address on the title page it was never returned.
In the course of research we also came across a number of bizarre anecdotes. Werner Siemens, in his autobiographical notes, described how he was arrested and imprisoned for acting as a second in a duel (socially this was considered a perfectly respectable, indeed honourable activity, but in law was treated as complicity in murder). The conditions were not too harsh, for he was allowed to conduct experiments on electro-deposition of gold in prison. The governor took a keen interest in this, and saw the potential for making money. Without his permission, he campaigned for Siemens' early release, with the intention of acquiring his apparatus and laboratory notes when they were abandoned in the prison. Siemens was put in the strange position of campaigning for his own continued detention until he could get his work removed. In this he was successful, and set up the electro plating business on his release.
We also learned that the first floodlit football match in history was played on Clapham Common in the l880's. There was an arc lamp behind each goal, one powered by a Bunsen battery, the other by a steam powered Siemens W40 magneto electric machine.
Another anecdote, which particularly intrigued Dr Sutton, was that of the Implacable. Soon after the invention of the incandescent electric lamp, the government decided to commission a new warship. Siemens Brothers saw the opportunity to sell electric lighting, and a salesman was invited to the Admiralty, where he demonstrated several bulbs to a group of senior naval officers, including Admiral Fisher. At the end of the demonstration he was asked what would happen if the bulb were broken by enemy bombardment. Surely fragments of the white hot filament would detonate any explosives if they came into contact? The salesman replied that as soon as the carbon filament met the air it would instantly vaporise harmlessly. He added that in that respect it would be far safer than gas or oil lighting, since there was no question of fuel escaping and igniting. Then, at a pre~arranged signal, a sailor entered the room carrying a tea tray, on which was a pile of gun cotton, liberally garnished with gunpowder, and a hammer. As the officers all moved away till their backs were to the walls of the room, the salesman was invited to hold a lit bulb six inches above the explosive mixture and shatter it with the hammer. This he did with no apparent sign of fear, and there was no explosion. After a tense silence of about twenty seconds, Admiral Fisher said, quietly but resolutely, "we shall have this lighting aboard the Implacable".
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