Escher Wyss & Cie.

Escher Wyss & Cie., also known as Escher Wyss AG, was a Swiss industrial company with a focus on engineering and turbine construction. The company was headquartered in the Zürich quarter of Escher Wyss, which takes its name from the company.

Escher Wyss AG

Industry	Engineering
Fate	(incorporated in Sulzer)
Founded	1805
Products	Naval, railway, aviation mechanics; hydraulic turbines, pumps, motors

The Escher Wyss plant in Zürich in 1930

Escher Wyss's former Schiffbau or shipbuilding hall in Zürich now functions as a cultural centre.

ZSG steamships Stadt Rapperswil and Stadt Zürich at Bürkliplatz respectively Bürkliterrasse.

Share of the AG der Maschienfabriken Escher Wyss & Cie, issued 1. April 1912

History

The company was founded, as Escher Wyss & Cie., in 1805 by Hans Caspar Escher and Salomon von Wyss. Originally a textile spinning company, the two expanded the business to include a machine shop that manufactured textile machinery, water wheels, water turbines, power transmission equipment, and starting in 1835, ships, including boilers and steam engines.[1]

After 1860, under the direction of Hans Zoelly, the company concentrated on hydraulic systems, steam engines and cooling systems. Between 1904 and 1929 steam turbines were produced for thermal power plants, ships and locomotives. The company also manufactured the hydraulic systems of hydroelectric plants. The company remained in existence until it was taken over in 1969 by Sulzer AG,[1] now inside of the group Andritz AG.

Notable products

• A design of naphtha launches (1890)[2]
• The twin Lake Zürich paddle steamers Stadt Zürich (1909) and Stadt Rapperswil (1914) built for the Dampfbootgesellschaft,[3] both listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as Class A objects.[4]
• Two Lake Lucerne paddle steamers Unterwalden and Gallia (1902/1913)
• Propellers for the Hispano Aviación HA-1112

See also

• Barsanti-Matteucci engine

References

1. "Escher Wyss & Cie". Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). Retrieved 2011-09-30.
2. "Powered by Boiling Petrol". Museum of Retro Technology. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
3. "Geschichte der Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft" [History of Lake Zurich shipping company] (in German). ZSG. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
4. "A-Objekte KGS-Inventar". Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Amt für Bevölkerungsschutz. 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-06-28. Retrieved 2015-01-05.