James Hening Cuming
James Hening Cuming (1863-1898)
1899 Obituary [1]
JAMES HENING CUMING was born on the 26th December, 1863. After matriculating at the Royal University of Ireland, he was for one session an engineering student at Queen’s College, Belfast, and then went through the 3 years course at the Royal Indian Engineering College, Coopers Hill. There he obtained scholarships in mathematics and applied mechanics, and also the Fellowship of the College; but, owing to a defect in his eyesight, he was not appointed to the Public Works Department of India.
From November, 1886, to April, 1887, he was engaged as an Assistant on the construction of the Alexandra Graving Dock, Belfast.
In April, 1887, he went to India as an Assistant Engineer on the Bengal-Nagpur Railway, where he was first employed on the main line between Nagpur and Raipur.
In 1895 he was appointed District Engineer at Bilaspur, Central Provinces, and from March, 1897, he acted as personal assistant to the Agent and Chief Engineer.
Mr. Cuming was forced by ill-health to come home on leave in the summer of 1897. The change was unfortunately of no avail, and on the 1st November, 1898, he died at Nordrach in Baden. Mr. Cuming was full of energy and enthusiasm and his early death is much to be regretted.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution on the 4th February, 1890.