Johann Conrad Neher

Johann Conrad Neher (born August 8, 1818 in Schaffhausen ; † December 11, 1877 there ) was a Swiss industrialist.

biography

The second oldest son of Johann Georg Neher attended various schools in Schaffhausen, Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Stäfa together with his brother Bernhard Neher . In 1835 he stayed in Vevey , where he deepened his knowledge of the French language . From 1835 to 1836 he studied mining and metallurgy at the Karlsruhe Polytechnic and expanded his technical knowledge in a machine factory in Strasbourg .

From 1836 he worked in his father's ironworks and foundries, which he expanded further. Both his father and his two brothers Bernhard and Johann Georg Moser-Neher recognized that Johann Conrad was the best mineralogist and technician among the Nehers. His main task was the management of the ironworks in Laufen, but his advice was also sought in the Neherschen mine on Gonzen and in the ironworks in Thorberg with problems of all kinds . In 1837 it became apparent that the quality of the iron ore extracted from the Gonzen did not meet the requirements for modern processing, as it contained too much pyrites . This could not be destroyed when roasting the ore.

Johann Conrad traveled to Plons near Mels , where the Gonzen ore was smelted, and gave instructions that all of the ore should be washed and cut out by hand before roasting. As a result, the pebbles could be removed in sufficient quantities. He was also able to solve problems with too high a manganese content that had been broken in other tunnels of the Gonzen. He mixed soft pig iron from Scotland and iron rich in manganese from the Gonzen, melted it in a cupola furnace and was able to achieve that the high sulfur content of Scottish iron could be greatly reduced by the manganese.

In 1853, together with his brother-in-law Friedrich Peyer im Hof and Heinrich Moser, he founded the Swiss Waggons Factory in Neuhausen am Rheinfall , which was later renamed the Swiss Industrial Society (SIG) . While Moser was the most important donor in this establishment and Peyer guaranteed the connections with the railway companies, Conrad Neher took over the technical management of the new company. It was also thanks to Neher that the wagon factory was able to take part in the Paris World Exhibition in 1855 . The first products were wagons for the railroad as well as for the upcoming horse-drawn tram, which was called Rösslitram in Swiss cities .

Political offices

Johann Conrad Neher was Schaffhausen Cantonal Councilor from 1851 to 1854 and City Councilor of Schaffhausen from 1866 to 1876. In 1860 he founded the non-profit society Schaffhausen, which he chaired from 1860 to 1864.

He was married to Carolina Stokar von Neuforn .

literature

• Karl Schib : founder (Friedrich Peyer in the courtyard 1817/1900, Heinrich Moser 1805/74, Conrad Neher 1818/77) and foundation. In: Theo Keller (ed.): Swiss Industrial Society (SIG), Neuhausen am Rheinfall, 1853–1953. Neuhausen am Rheinfall 1953, pp. 49–72.
• Karl Schib: Conrad Neher . In: Schaffhauser Contributions to History. Biographies Volume II . 34th year 1957, pp. 43–47 ( PDF file; 383 kB )
• Hans Ulrich Wipf:  Neher, Johann Conrad. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 19, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-428-00200-8 , p. 39 ( digitized version ).
• Hans Ulrich Wipf, Karl Schmuki: Sonnenburggut. An old Schaffhausen patrician seat and its residents. Meili, Schaffhausen 1988, ISBN 3-85805-151-9 .

Web links

• Matthias Wipf: Neher, Johann Conrad. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .