2019 Breeze Jan-Feb

The Refrigeration Historian Volume XXII

Many times, those who are chosen to point out the mistakes of others, become despised by those they correct. This was not the case with Doctor John Siebel. Doctor Siebel was of such renown that even having your work critiqued by Dr. Siebel was a great honor. John Ewald Siebel was born in Hofkamp, Germany on September 18, 1845. Not much has been recorded of his parents Peter and Lisette Siebel. After a high school education at Hagen, Doctor Siebel received his PHD from the University of Berlin in 1865.

Zymotechnic Institute”founded in 1868. 1882 saw one of Doctor Siebel’s few failures. He co-founded an institute for brewers. This soon failed with Doctor Siebel moving many of his brewery courses to the Siebel Institute. With the renewed efforts in the Siebel institute, the 1890’s saw the edition of two of John’s sons (Fredrick and John Jr.) to the institute. His progeny would continue at the institute for generations. By 1907, five extended courses were offered in Brewing. Both in English and German. The brewery industry was predominately German prior to the Great War. Unfortunately, the coming of prohibition required the institute to diversify. While John is credited with these course modifica- tions, his sons were exhibiting more and more influence on the institute. Their new courses included: Courses in the making of carbonated beverages, industrial baking, industrial refrigeration and several more. John did not survive prohibition, but Fredrick and John Jr did, immediately establishing the Institute as an elite training center. John was a prolific writer and was published in refrigeration, beer, and bakery periodicals to name a few. These included: TheWestern Brewer, 100 Years of Brewing, editor of the American Chemical Review, and Ice and Refrigeration. Refrigeration and Brewery related articles include: “Ammonia,”published in February 1892. “A Model Motor,”published in 1893

“A Problem Solved,”published 1894 “Alcohol as a Stimulant and Nutrient,” presented at the Zymotechnic Institute and Brewing School Reunion October 11, 1911 “Arithmetic of Brewery Refrigeration,” published 1895 “Contamination of DistilledWater,”pub- lished 1897 “Discussions of Clearance,”published 1915 “Heat of Fermentation,”published April 1896 (Co-authored) “Incidents and Accidents in Refrigeration,” presented to the Southern Ice Exchange April 11, 1894. “Kinetic Stability,”published 1895 “Liquefaction of Liquid Air and its Future,” published May 1897 “Material Problems,”Presented to the 1896 Convention of the Southern Ice Ex- change. Incidentally, based on Doctor Siebel’s suggestion, the Southern Ice Exchange voted to provide analysis

Doctor Siebel left Berlin in 1865 and traveled to Chicago, where he became chief chemist for Belcher’s Sugar Refining Company of Chicago. He served as a chemist for the city for four years (1869-1873). The Siebel Institute of Technology, founded in 1872 by John, was based upon his early analytical chemical laboratories,“John E. Siebel’s Chemical Laboratory”and“The

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