Alfred Apps
Alfred Apps ( -1913)
1913 Obituary [1]
ALFRED APPS was educated at a private school and at King's College. He first paid particular attention to the manufacture of lenses and also to balances of capacities from five tons to 1-10,000th part of a grain ; in connection with such balances he made the first fine aluminium wire produced in England, the 10,000th part of a grain being visible to the naked eye.
In 1865 he gave more attention to electrical and magnetic instruments, and his large induction coils first began to be widely known about 1867.
In 1869 he built the famous "Polytechnic" coil, which gave sparks 20 inches in length. This was followed in 1876 by the large coil constructed for the late Mr. W. Spottiswoode, which gave sparks 44 inches long. Another large coil was the one which he made for South Kensington in 1902. He also designed one of the earliest (if not the first) electric light installations using water power.
In 1911 he retired from active participation in the business, and died on 31st July, 1913, at the age of 74.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1890.