John Ewing Paterson
John Ewing Paterson (c1883-1935)
1935 Obituary [1]
JOHN EWING PATERSON had an extensive experience, both in this country and in South America, in charge of important factories producing cooked meats and meat extracts.
He was born in Stirling and received his technical education at Falkirk Technical School and Leith Academy.
In 1900 he entered the works of the Carron Iron Works Company, Ltd., as an apprentice, and served until 1905.
In the following year he went to Panama as engineer in charge of the building of temporary bridges, the laying of railway track, and the making of roads in connexion with the Panama Canal. He also took charge of the reconditioning of all dredgers abandoned there by the French firm of De Lesseps.
In 1908 he joined the Pacific Steam Navigation Company as third engineer on mail steamships, and rose to be chief engineer in 1914.
A year later he returned to England and became engineer surveyor to the Vulcan Boiler and General Insurance Company, of Manchester.
He again left for South America in 1920, on his appointment as chief engineer to the Swift Beef Company, when he took charge of the factories Rio Gallegos and at San Julian, in Patagonia. For a year he was also chief engineer of the firm's plant at Montevideo, but resigned in 1923 and returned to England.
Late in that year he went to Worksop, Notts, and took charge of the construction of an ice-making and cold-storage plant, and of the installation of the machinery.
In 1924 he went to Entre Rios, Argentina, as chief engineer to Liebig's Extract of Meat Company, and in 1928 was transferred to the firm's Paraguay factory. He was responsible for the construction of a new power station, for the installation of the turbines, and for new electrically operated water-pumping equipment. In addition he constructed it large store for corned beef at the factory.
He was appointed manager at Messrs. Maconochie Brothers, Ltd., at Fraserburgh, in 1931, and about a year later he invented and patented the mechanical method of smoking and curing fish, which is associated with his nano The process involves the conveying of the fish, hung on horizontal bars, into a kilo by means of a conveyor chain. They are then taken up to Hie highest and most humid point of the kiln, and gradually worked backwards tool forwards to the hottest and driest part. The kiln is heated by steam piping, whilst the meat, is generated outside, from oak chips; the process makes possible great economies in working costs.
In 1934 Mr. Paterson became manager of the cooked meat factory of the Scottish Co-operative Socky at Edinburgh, and held this position until his appointment as chief engineer at the Royal Holloway College, Englefield Surrey.
He accepted the latter appointment only a few months before his death, which occurred on 15th December 1935, in his fifty-second year.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1928.