John Bourdeaux
John Bourdeaux (1834-1890)
1874 Elected IEE.
1891 Obituary [1]
JOHN BOURDEAUX was born in London on the 13th of August, 1834.
At the age of fifteen he entered the service of the Electric Telegraph Co, with whom he stayed until 1859, when he received an appointment in the instrument department of the London offices of the Submarine Telegraph Co, and remained there until 1862, when he was transferred to Dover, and had charge of that and the Folkestone stations.
Some few years after this, he was appointed Assistant Engineer under Mr. France, who retired from the Company’s service in 1870, and Mr. Bourdeaux succeeded him as Engineer.
Up to this time the cables, which were owned and worked by the Company, had been repaired by various tugs fitted with the necessary gear at Dover ; but as time advanced, the work increased so much, that in 1871 it became necessary, in order that it might be more expeditiously effected, to have a steamer for the purpose, and eventually, under the direction of Mr. Bourdeaux, the paddle steamer 'The Lady Carmichael' was built, and with it and other means the work was carried on much more satisfactorily than hitherto. He remained as Engineer to the Company until the transfer to the Post Office in 1889, . . . [more]