Walter Fearnside Irvine (1856-1929)
Born the son of Walter Forbes Irvine, Minister of Arbroath parish.
1911 Residing at 8 Durham Villas Kensington W: Fearnside Irvine (age 53 born Arbroath), Consulting Engineer (Employer). With his wife Janet and daughter Hope.[1]
1922 M.Inst.C.E., M.I.E.E., M.Inst.M.M., Consulting, Mining, Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, 1, London Wall Buildings, London Wall, E.C.2. T.A.:" Torquendo, Ave. London." T.N.: Central 11242. b. 1860. Ed. Arbroath and Dundee High Schools; Glasgow University. Apprenticeship, A. Shanks, Arbroath; J. & G. Thompson and P. & W. Maclellan, Glasgow. Assistant Engineer, Eastern Extension & Maintenance Cable Co., Singapore; Assistant Inspector Machinery, Indian Government; Assistant Engineer, Calcutta Waterworks; Assistant Engineer, Southern Maharatta Railways; Engineer to Pauling & Co., Contractors, Construction Cape Government Railways; Engineer and Manager several Gold Mining Cos., including the New Modderfontein G. M. Co., Johannesburg, Transvaal; Engineer to the African Gold Recovery Co.; Consulting Engineer to the Corner House, Johannesburg, now the Central Mining Corporation; Consulting Engineer, Santiago (Chile) Electric Tramways, The Mexico Electric Tramways, The Capetown Tramways, The Port Elizabeth Electric Tramways, The Lisbon Electric Tramways, The Prestea Gold Mining Co., West Africa, etc. Chief Works: Construction Hubli Station Yard with Locomotive and Carriage Workshops and Staff Quarters, Southern Maharatta Railway; Design and Construction of most of First Cyanide Gold Recovery Plants, Johannesburg; Design and Construction of complete re-equipment of the Heriot, Henry Nourse, City and Suburban, Robinson, Paarl Central, Crown Reef, and the New Modderfontein Gold Mines. The construction and equipment of the Lisbon Electric Tramways. Re. organization and re-equipment of the Capetown Tramways, The Port Elizabeth, The Mexico, and The Chilian Tramways; the complete re-equipment and re-organization of the Prestea Gold Mines, Gold Coast Colony; the installation and organization of Motor Bus Services in Capetown, and in Lisbon, etc.
1930 Obituary [2]
FEARNSIDE IRVINE was born at Arbroath in 1856.
He was educated at Glasgow University and received his early engineering training with Messrs. Alexander Shanks and Son, at Arbroath, Messrs. J. and G. Thomson, and Messrs. P. and W. McLellan, at Glasgow.
His first appointments were those of assistant engineer to the Eastern Extension and Maintenance Cable Co., at Singapore, and assistant inspector of machinery for the Indian Government.
Later, he acted as assistant engineer at Calcutta Water Works, engineer to the Cape Government Railways and Southern Mahratta Railways, and engineer to the African Gold Recovery Co., for whom he designed and equipped the first cyanide gold-recovery plant in the Transvaal. His appointment as engineer and manager at Johannesburg of several gold-mining companies, including the New Modderfontein Gold Mining Co., brought him the responsible task of equipping the Heriot, Henry Nourse, City and Suburban, Robinson, Paarl Central, Gold Reef, and New Modderfontein gold mines.
From 1910 to 1913 he was engaged in re-equipping the Prestea Block A gold mines, Gold Coast Colony, the work including the design and installation of a complete modern power-station plant.
He will be best remembered for his 30 years' association with the Capetown Tramways, Port Elizabeth Electric Tramways, and Lisbon Electric Tramways, for which systems he held the position of consulting engineer in London up to the time of his death on the 2nd November, 1929.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1896.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1911 Census
- ↑ 1930 Institution of Electrical Engineers: Obituaries