Alexander Leslie
Alexander Leslie (1844-1893)
1894 Obituary [1]
ALEXANDER LESLIE, born at Dundee on the 16th of September, 1844, was a son of the late Mr. James Leslie, who died a little more than four years ago.
After being educated at the Edinburgh Institution and the Edinburgh University, he entered in May, 1862, the office of David and Thomas Stevenson, the lighthouse engineers. During his apprenticeship of three years with Messrs. Stevenson he was employed for a time on the Wick Breakwater works.
He was then engaged for a few months with Mr. Macbey, land surveyor, Elgin, so as to acquire some experience in land-surveying, which could not be had in the south to the same extent owing to the country having all been mapped out by the Ordnance Survey.
He was afterwards employed in the north of England on the construction of the Blaydon and Conside Railway, now part of the North Eastern system.
In the year 1865 Mr. Leslie entered his father’s office as an assistant and in 1871 was taken into partnership, the style of the firm being J. and A. Leslie.
Mr. Leslie took an active share in the business of the firm, which has been extensive and varied. He was especially engaged in the construction of the Edinburgh Waterworks (Moorfoot Extension), of the Dundee Waterworks (Lintrathen Extension), and of waterworks for Berwick-on-Tweed, Peebles, Dunbar, Peterhead, Thurso, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Galashiels, Bothwell, St. Andrew’s, Leven, and many others of less magnitude. He also carried out harbour-works at Montrose and drainage-works at Kirkwall, Lerwick, and other places, and was consulted as to many waterworks, among which may be mentioned those of Dumfries, Perth, Aberdeen, and Swansea. He acted as valuator for the Board of Trade in Scotland, under the Railways Clauses Act, and was largely engaged in valuations and arbitrations and in giving evidence before the Courts on engineering questions. He was frequently employed in Parliament. in supporting schemes for which his firm were the engineers, and in supporting or opposing the schemes of other engineers. He made an excellent witness, took care to be always well prepared, and was very ready in picking up any flaw in his opponent’s case which might become apparent in the course of the enquiry.
Mr. Leslie had special experience in the construction of reservoir-embankments, and possessed an eye remarkably quick in detecting faults of construction in any piece of work. He had a high ideal of what work ought to be and it was always his aim by careful preparation of specifications, and close supervision during execution, to attain perfection as far as possible. It may safely be said that the works which have been carried out under his charge bear witness to the thoroughness of his supervision. Since his father gave up active work in 1880, he took chief charge of the maintenance of the Edinburgh Waterworks, which comprise no less than twelve reservoirs, some of great magnitude, and necessarily include a great length of piping over an extensive area of distribution. That his services were highly appreciated will be gathered from the Minute of the Meeting on the 14th of December, 1893, of the Edinburgh Water Trustees :-
“ Prior to considering the business before the meeting, the Convener referred to the loss the Trust has sustained through the death on the 7th inst. of Mr. Alexander Leslie, senior partner of the firm of Messrs. J. and A. Leslie and Reid, the Trustees’ Engineers. During his long connection with the Trust, Mr. Leslie, he said, had been distinguished by the zeal and ability which he displayed in regard to its affairs, by his thorough independence and honesty of purpose, and by the faithful manner in which he discharged his duty to the Trustees and to the public.”
Mr. Leslie was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the Geological Society of London, and was President for two years of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts. His tenure of that office expired only a few weeks before his death, when he gave a very interesting address on the more modern system adopted for the examination of water, making special reference to the bacteriological aspect of the question. Expression was given to the feelings of that Society by his successor in the Chair in the following terms :-
“At the Ordinary Meeting of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts last night, the President (Dr. William Taylor) moved that the meeting be adjourned out of respect to the memory of Mr. Alexander Leslie, their late distinguished president ; and that they should record in the minutes an expression of their deep sense of the loss they had sustained by his death, and of their sincere sympathy with Mrs. Leslie and her family circle, in their sudden and severe bereavement. They had met, the President said, under the solemnity of a great bereavement. That day many of them had followed to the grave all that was mortal of their late beloved president. Few could realize how much he would be missed, for they all knew that no one loved the Society more than he, or contributed more towards the elucidation of the varied subjects which came before it. His mental grasp seemed to be all-embracing, and he seemed to have the power of mastering the intricacies of a new problem almost before its demonstration was completed. He worked silently and unostentatiously amongst them, but his influence was widely felt, and obtained for them the addition to their roll of many illustrious names. His sudden and early death had stirred every emotion of sympathy within them, and left a blank which they could not hope to fill. He dared not speak of what Mr. Leslie was to himself personally, and to all of them who knew him as a friend. He dared not speak of the many evidences of the ready hand and the generous heart which were indirectly known to him, and which were only really known to those who experienced them. He was following the dictates of his own heart, and giving an expression to the feelings of all, when he proposed that they should adjourn. Dr. R. M. Ferguson seconded the motion, which was agreed to unanimously.”
Mr. Leslie was of active habits and was able to attend to business to within a week of his death, which occurred suddenly on the 7th of December, 1893. He was cut off at the age of forty-nine, leaving a widow and son to mourn his untimely death. He had a highly versatile mind and was possessed of many accomplishments. He had travelled much, and a sense of humour, coupled with powers of observation, made him an excellent companion and brought him a large circle of friends.
Mr. Leslie was elected an Associate of the Institution on the 7th of December, 1869, and was transferred to the class of Member on the 23rd of December, 1873. He contributed three Papers to the Proceedings, two being accounts of the Paisley and the Edinburgh Waterworks, and the third a description of the various kinds of salmon ladders in use in Scotland. For the second of these he was awarded a Telford Medal and Premium and for the third a Telford Premium. To the Royal Scottish Society of Arts he contributed the following Papers :-
"Rainfall and Evaporation," an account of Berwick Waterworks, a description of an improved joint for a levelling-staff, an account of the Dundee Waterworks, and "Notes on Experiments on the Flow of Water over Triangular Weirs," for each of which he received a silver medal.
1894 Obituary [2]
1893 Obituary [3]