James Craig (1844-1897)
James Craig (1844-1897)
1897 Obituary [1]
JAMES CRAIG, born in Aberdeen on the 24th July, 1844, became a pupil, at the age of seventeen, to Mr. William Boulton, of Montrose, under whom he was employed on survey and drainage work.
He was afterwards engaged, during the year 1865, as Assistant Borough Engineer to the corporation of Dundee on the extensive sewerage works then in progress in that town.
In 1866 Mr. Craig obtained by competitive examination the post of an Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department of the Government of India. He was posted to the Province of Hyderabad and served as Assistant Engineer in the Secunderabad Division for six years. During that time he was employed chiefly on the construction of new barracks for British troops, and in 1871 he received the commendation of the Government for the zeal and energy displayed by him in cleansing and purifying the Hussar barracks at Secunderabad after an outbreak of cholera.
Another important scheme - the water-supply of South Trimulgherry - was also projected and carried to successful completion by him.
In 1872 he was selected to assist Major Swetenham, R.E., in the construction of a complete set of new barracks for a British cavalry regiment in North Trimulgherry. The whole of the estimates and details were framed and elaborated by him, and for five years the construction of two-thirds of the project was carried on under him, for some time as Assistant Engineer, and at others as Executive Engineer, the quality of the work being acknowledged to be unsurpassed in India.
The general scheme for the water-supply of North Trimulgherry was also prepared by him, and was afterwards supervised and carried out by another officer, with but slight modification from the original design.
Early in 1878 Mr. Craig was posted to the executive charge of the West Berar Division, where he was employed on the construction of roads, buildings and impounding reservoirs, in addition to the ordinary maintenance works of a District Division.
Among other works upon which he was engaged may be mentioned the construction of 150 miles of new roads, and of two reservoirs of considerable magnitude at Sheogaon and Akutwarra, in the Akola District; the water-supply of the town of Ehamgaon; and the Akola-Hingoli railway survey.
During 1893 and 1894 he was employed in Burma on the construction of important waterworks at Moulmein.
Mr. Craig retired from the service of the Indian Public Works Department in 1895. After residing for a few months in Aberdeen, he settled at Newport, a suburb of Dundee, where he died on the 3rd May, 1897. Mr. Craig was a man of kind and genial disposition, and was specially attentive to young men about to go out to India, readily placing his experience and hospitality at their service.
He was elected a Member on the 3rd April, 1883, and two years later contributed a Paper on 'Flood-Discharge from Catchment-Areas,' for which he was awarded a Telford Premium.