Philip Deidesheimer

Philip Deidesheimer (* 1832 in Darmstadt, † July 21, 1916 in San Francisco ) was a German mining engineer, who developed an advanced system for supporting mine shafts.

Life

Deidesheimer was born to Jewish parents. At the age of 20 he was a graduate of the Freiberg Mining Academy, emigrated to the United States and collected in 1851 for nine years mining experience in Eldorado County ( California). In November 1860, he moved to Virginia City ( Nevada). Here Deidesheimer was commissioned by the Orphir Company, to develop a system which should make the mining of ore for the miners safe; Orphir the Company operational at the time mining in the Comstock Lode, a gold and silver mine, which was the most important mine in the world at the time and influenced their mining methods, the mining technology to the 20th century.

The mining methods at the time were for the miners here very dangerous: In order to clear away the ore as quickly as possible, the mineralized layer was removed in wide trenches which were in danger of collapsing. A Simple Case of the trenches with wood was not an option because the ore was not deposited in a single wire, but like raisins in a cake distributed in the soil because of the geological conditions. Deidesheimer finally developed a system of short, heavy wooden beams, with whom he formed cubic cavities; with the system it was possible to create any size underground tunnels; it offered the miners an opportunity to tap into the various veins, without jeopardizing their safety. Deidesheimer was inspired in this development of the structures of honeycombs.

Deidesheimer did not patent his invention, but put them on the free use only. After developing the system, he received in Orphir Company for some time the post of superintendent. Mid- 1866 he moved to Montana, where he held a similar position at the St. Louis and Montana Mining Company. In 1868 he returned to Virginia City in 1875 and lost a lot of money in a stock market crash. At the age of 43, he subsequently moved to San Francisco. Here he acted with real estate and eventually lost his fortune at the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Deidesheimer finally died impoverished at the age of 84 years in San Francisco.

Worth mentioning

• The condition was in 1959 inspired a result of the U.S. series Bonanza, in the Deidesheimers origin, however - following the spirit of the post-war era - was reported as " Dutch " (rather than German ); the result bears the original title is The Philip Deidesheimer story.
• After Philip Deidesheimer the town of Philipsburg was named in the U.S. state of Montana.
• Deidesheimer was recorded in 1988 in the National Mining Hall of Fame of the United States.