Matthew Henry Simpson
Matthew Henry Simpson (1853-1892)
1893 Obituary [1]
MATTHEW HENRY SIMPSON, son of Mr. Matthew Simpson, of Lancaster, was born on the 12th of August, 1853, and was educated at Birkenhead Proprietary School.
After serving articles for six years in the engineering department of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead, he became in 1879 managing partner in the firm of Sharpe and Co of the Phoenix Foundry, Lancaster.
Feeling in the management of that foundry the lack of theoretical knowledge, he entered the metallurgical laboratory of the Royal School of Mines, where he passed the examinations in a highly satisfactory manner. Having a decided taste for original research, he spent a large portion of his time on returning to Lancaster in metallurgical investigations, more particularly in connection with the properties of iron and steel.
Mr. Simpson’s work at the Phoenix Foundry ceased in 1886, when he dissolved partnership. He then continued his metallurgical studies at the Royal School of Nines and in 1887 became Assistant to Charles Appleby, Mining Engineer, with whom he remained for some eighteen months, his time being devoted the the design of machinery and to the metallurgy of the precious metals. In dealing with processes for the extraction of gold from its ores by chlorine or by bromine, he realised the difficulty of transporting those materials and devised and patented a process for transporting bromine in a solid form. He had previously taken out, in conjunction with Francis Sharpe, a patent for a machine for breaking pig-iron.
At the beginning of 1889 Mr. Simpson went to British Guiana as Managing Engineer to the Demerara Gold Association, a company engaged in mining alluvial gold deposits. I n t h e summer of the following year he returned to England on the conclusion of his agreement with that Association, but shortly afterwards went back to British Guiana to take charge of an exploratory expedition which he himself had organised and fitted out. Unfortunately, however, he fell a victim to the unhealthy climate and died on the 29th of February, 1892.
Mr. Simpson’s enthusiasm for work and his genial manners and keen sense of humour made him very popular with all who knew him. He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution on the 3rd of March, 1891.
1893 Obituary [2]
MATTHEW HENRY SIMPSON, born on August 12, 1853, was educated at Birkenhead Proprietary School. After serving articles for six years with Messrs. Laird Brothers of Birkenhead, he became in 1879 managing partner in the firm of Messrs. Sharp & Co., of the Phoenix Foundry, Lancaster. Feeling in the management of that foundry the lack of theoretical knowledge, he entered the metallurgical laboratory of the Royal School of Mines, where he passed the examinations in a highly satisfactory manner.
Having a decided taste for original research, he spent a large portion of his time on returning to Lancaster in metallurgical investigations, more particularly in connection with the properties of iron and steel. Mr. Simpson's work at the Phoenix Foundry ceased in 1886, when he dissolved partnership. Subsequently he devoted his time to the metallurgy of gold and silver, and on February 29, 1892, fell a victim to the unhealthy climate of British Guiana, where he had charge of an exploratory expedition he had organised for mining alluvial gold deposits.
In 1888 he patented an improved process for the extraction of gold from its ores, and he had previously taken out, in conjunction with Mr. F. Sharpe, a patent for a machine for breaking pig iron. Mr. Simpson was an Associate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and in 1885 was elected a member of the Iron and Steel Institute.