William Aitken Duff
William Aitken Duff (1859-1902)
1903 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM AITKEN DUFF, born on the 30th November, 1859, obtained his first practical engineering experience with Messrs. Robert Ward and Company, railway contractors, and with Messrs. P. and W. Maclellan of the Clutha Ironworks, both Glasgow firms.
He then served a pupilage, from 1879 to 1884, to Mr. William Robertson Copland, of Glasgow, on water, drainage, pier and dock works.
After being employed in 1884 by John Strain in the preparation of railway plans and in Parliamentary and field work, he went to Spain, where he assisted in laying out a line of 15 miles in length for Mr. Strain, from Tharsis to the mines of the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Company at Calanas.
Mr. Duff was next engaged on the construction of a section of the Manila Railway, on the completion of which work he went to Hong-Kong to report on petroleum and gold-mining prospects in the island of Timor.
Returning to Manila in 1898 he started in business on his own account, being employed on harbour, dock and reclamation work, and remained there during the war between the United States and Spain.
Latterly he acted as Consulting Engineer to the Manila Railway until his death, which took place on the 20th March, 1902.
Mr. Duff was elected an Associate Member of the Institution on the 1st December, 1885.