Johann Diederich II.

Johann Diederich II.

J. Diederich Neuhaus manufactured winches for the locks at the river Ruhr and for the many horse driven carriages. But he also manufactured winches for the railroads which gained importance day by day as wagons had to be lifted, rails aligned and goods moved. Every year he also manufactured more and more winches for the arduous conditions found in the underground coalmines.

To manufacture a new winch has always been an art but now in times of technical progress in the mechanised age, additional demands were made of the winches. Not only in the manner of construction but also in the carrying capacities required: 1 ton, 2 tons, 5 tons, 20 tons. The material had to satisfy the highest standards. Therefore it was no wonder that the most important parts of a winch were still forged by hand in the Neuhaus smithy despite the technical progress in the remaining processes.

J. Diederich II was – as far as our records show -was the first winch blacksmith in the family who looked much further forward than his ancestors in that he encouraged his highly talented son Carl to study engineering at the academy in the city of Charlottenburg. His father hoped that Carl one day would “make something” out of the workshop. However ” as man proposes, God disposes” as we say in our country. Lieutenant Carl died in the war in 1870. But fortunately three sons had learned the art of a winch blacksmith. Carl had fallen, the youngest son died before he became a master. Consequently Louis Neuhaus, the third son now took over the winch factory of his father.