John Chambers
John Chambers ( -1903)
1903 Obituary [1]
JOHN CHAMBERS, eldest son of the late Mr. Thomas Chambers, of Aherfoyle, Londonderry, began his engineering career as a pupil of the late Mr. J. Pitt Kennedy.
He was employed from 1862 to 1865 on the contract for the Tewkesbury and Malvern Railway, and from 1865 to 1867 on the St. Pancras contract of the Midland Railway.
In October, 1867, he was appointed an Assistant Engineer on the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway, and in 1870-71 he acted as Resident on the Kattiawar extension of that line.
In 1871-72 he was employed on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, and, returning to England, he acted as agent for T. and C. Walker, on the construction of the East London Railway in 1873-74.
He was next engaged for two years on the staff of the late Sir John (then Mr.) Fowler, Past-President, in the Soudan and Darfour surveys for the Rhedive of Egypt, and in June, 1879, he was appointed a Resident Engineer on the Imperial Japanese Railways, of the Tokio-Yokohama section of which system he was placed in charge in June, 1881.
Early in the year 1887, Mr. Chambers entered the service of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, and during the absence on furlough of Mr. D. Marr Henderson in 1888-89 he was appointed Acting Engineer-in-Chief to the Customs.
In 1889 he retired from that service and started practice in Shanghai as an Engineer and Architect. Mr. Chambers and the late Mr. Cory designed jointly the new Custom House at Shanghai, and the former subsequently superintended its erection.
He died at Shanghai on the 20th February, 1903.
Mr. Chambers was elected a Member of the Institution on the 9th January, 1883.