Thomas Login (1823-1874)
1875 Obituary [1]
MR. THOMAS LOGIN, F.R.S.E., was born at Stromness, in Orkney, in 1823. He was the youngest member of the family, and lost his father when a child, and his mother when only in his teens.
Having a natural talent for Engineering, he was sent to Dundee, where he passed through a course of instruction, and obtained a practical knowledge by working at a factory.
He went to India in 1844; his two elder brothers, who had been brought up to the medical profession, having preceded him. His eldest brother, the late Sir John Login, who afterwards became guardian to H.H. the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, was Residency Surgeon at Lucknow.
Having obtained an appointment in the Public Works Department, Mr. Login served for three years under the present Major-General Sir W. Baker.
He was next engaged under the late Sir Proby T. Cautley in the construction of the Ganges canal, and took a leading part in establishing the works at Roorkee. Referring to this period, Sir Proby Cautley wrote:-
'Mr. Thomas Login, C.E., was under my orders in the Department of Public Works, North-Western Provinces of India, from the end of 1847 to April 1854, the date of my leaving India.
'Mr Login was employed during the whole of this time on most important works connected with mountain torrents situated between Roorkee and Hurdwar. Under his management the works at Dhunowri in connection with the Rutmoo torrent, and those for the passage of the Puttri torrent over the canal channel, were begun and completed - the latter, as connected with springs in which the flowings of the canal channel had to be laid 17 feet below their surface, was a work of extraordinary difficulty and engineering skill - the whole of the details having been carried out by Mr. Login with greet success. To Mr. Login’s advice and assistance, in fact, I consider that my design for the structure of this work was mainly indebted.'
Mr. Login was engaged in Burmah till 1856, when he was invalided and came to England, where he remained till the autumn of 1857.
On returning to India, he was appointed successively Executive Engineer of the Ganges and Darjeeling road, and of the Roorkee and Dehra roads.
After this, he had charge of the Northern Division of the Ganges canal, and in that capacity his 'fruitfulness in resources' was employed in arresting the progress of injury to the works of the canal, which at one time threatened to involve the necessity for laying out a large sum of money in repairs, or of entirely closing it. Although this course was recommended, it appears that, either from the measures taken by Mr. Login or from some other cause, the canal has continued to do its work and yield an important revenue up to the present time.
After again being engaged on road works, and in charge of salt-works, he was removed to Sealkote in 1864, and made the surveys for a projected canal in the Rechna Doab.
In 1865, he was transferred to Umballa, as Executive Engineer of the 7th division of Grand Trunk road.
In 1868, he came to England, and gave much attention to the abrading and transporting powers of water, having read papers on the subject at the meetings of the British Association both at Norwich and at Exeter. He also submitted to the Institution a Paper 'On the Benefits of Irrigation in India, and on the Proper Construction of Irrigating Canals,' for which he received a Telford Premium. If his life had been spared, he would have been permitted to carry out experiments on a large scale, with a view to obtain more certain data upon this important question.
The Suez Canal having been opened about the time of his return to India, he was ordered to visit it on his way out, and report upon it on his arrival. In passing through Egypt, he was much impressed with the mode of cotton cultivation practised there, which he considered had many advantages over that customary in India, and on his arrival at Umballa, he carried out some experiments on the ridge and furrow system, which apparently produced a much larger yield than the native broad-cast system.
Having been appointed Officiating Superintending Engineer at Umballa, he acted in that capacity for two years, and his appointment to that grade was confirmed in October 1873. His labours as Superintending Engineer of a large district were varied and onerous, and his health was failing; but he proceeded early in the following year to Sutlej and report on the roads north of Simla.
He had completed this survey, and was returning to his station, when an attack, in the valley of the Sutlej, of fever and paralysis ended in death, on the 5th of June, and his remains were interred at Simla on the following day. In Mr. Login the Public Works Department lost a talented officer of great experience, and upright and consistent in his conduct.
Mr. Login was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was elected a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers on the 19th of May, 1868, and by the presentation to the library of copies of various reports showed the interest he took in its prosperity.