Joseph William Jenkinson
Joseph William Jenkinson (1855-1885)
1885 Obituary [1]
JOSEPH WILLIAM JENKINSON, son of Mr. Joseph Jenkinson, of Chertsey, Surrey, was born on the 9th of January, 1855. At the age of fifteen he entered the works of Messrs. Simpson and Co., of Pimlico, London, where he remained until 1879, taking during the latter years of his stay, and at the early age of twenty-four, a leading part in the design of the various large pumping-engines and other machinery constructed by the firm.
In December, 1879, he went out to Australia to take up an appointment as assistant to Mr. Oswald Brown, M.Inst.C.E., the then hydraulic engineer of the South Australian government. Whilst in the colony, Mr. Jenkinson assisted in designing and executing many works of water-supply, some of which were of a novel nature owing to the peculiarities of the country and climate; among these may be cited the Mount Gambier waterworks, in which the water is obtained from the crater of an extinct volcano.
In October, 1884, Mr. Jenkinson returned to England and proceeded to Pernambuco, to take charge of the construction of large works of water-supply designed by Mr. Brown., Owing to the presence of cholera in France, the steamer in which he sailed was, on arrival, refused admittance to the Port of Pernambuco, and the passengers were therefore taken on to Rio de Janeiro, where all were placed in quarantine. After some days, ‘pratique’ was granted, and Mr. Jenkinson hastened to Pernambuco by the first opportunity ; on his arrival there he complained of the effects of exposure to the sun whilst in quarantine, and it is feared he was ill-prepared to withstand the climate.
On the 7th of March, 1885, yellow fever declared itself, and he fell n victim to this scourge on the 10th of the same month. Although but thirty years of age at his death, Mr. Jenkinson had acquired extensive experience of his own branch of the profession, and had proved himself a man of no ordinary ability, combining theoretical attainments with practical skill, both in the design and execution of work.
He was elected an Associate Member on the 6th December, 1882.