William Charles Coveney
William Charles Coveney (1860-1914)
1914 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM CHARLES COVENEY was born at Woolwich on 9th September 1860.
He was educated at Sir Stamford Raffles' School in Singapore, and at the age of sixteen became an apprentice with the Tangjong Pagar Dock Co., Singapore, with which firm he served five years.
From 1881 to 1884 he was employed as junior engineer in a number of local merchant steamers, and then became engineer in charge of machinery at Messrs. Byrne and Co.'s tin mine at Selangor.
In 1885 he passed a local examination for chief engineer, and three years later he obtained an Imperial chief engineer's certificate, issued in London. During this period he acted as chief engineer on various merchant steamers, and then, in 1892, entered the service of the Singapore Municipality as superintendent engineer of their water-supply department.
In 1895 he was appointed resident engineer in charge of their pumping station, and superintendent engineer of all the other machinery under the Municipality, and this position he held until his death. One of his inventions was a combination street stand-pipe, hydrant, and lamp-post, which was used in some of the Colonies.
His death took place, from blood poisoning, at Singapore, on 1st January, 1914, at the age of fifty-three.
He was elected a Member of this Institution in 1899.