Thomas Jones (1843-1927)
Thomas Jones (1843-1927) of Thomas Jones and Son
1927 Obituary[1]
"THE LATE MR. T. JONES.
It is with regret that we announce the death, as a result of pneumonia, at sea, on R.M.S.P. Arcadian, of Mr. Thomas Jones, senior partner of Messrs. Thos. Jones and Son, of 5, Little George-street, Westminster, S.W.l. Mr. Jones was born on October 25, 1843, and, at the early age of 15 he was articled to the late Mr. T. Pensor, of Oswestry, civil engineer and county surveyor for Montgomeryshire and Denbighshire. On the death of Mr. Pensor, 18 months later, Mr. Jones completed his articles under the late Messrs. R. and B. Piercy, M.M.Inst.C.E., of 28, Great George-street, Westminster, S.W.l. Altogether, he remained with this firm for seven years and, during this period, he was engaged upon the construction of the whole of the Cambrian system of railways. Upon leaving Messrs. Piercy, he joined the staff of Mr. A. M. Dunlop, of Westminster, as chief engineering assistant, and remained in that position for 21 years. He had charge of the engineering work in connection with the large Oakeley slate quarries at Festiniog, which quarries are the largest underground slate quarries in the world. In March, 1889, Mr. Jones started business on his own account, as a partner in the firm of Messrs. Tapp and Jones, quarry and mining engineers, Westminster. In the same year he was appointed consulting engineer to the Oakeley Quarries Company, and was later the acting and sole engineer of that company. He also became mining engineer to the Right Hon. Lord Newborough and to the Rev. Canon Haygarth, who owned the other large quarries at Festiniog. Subsequently he was given charge of Mr. Corbett’s granite quarries near Towyn, Merionethshire. He was consulting-engineer for the Glanrafon, upper and lower Glynrhonwy slate quarries in Carnarvonshire, the Valdres slate quarries in Norway, and the Bay of Islands slate quarry in Newfoundland, and mineral valuer for the London and North Western and the Midland Railways. Upon the entry of Mr. Jones’ son into the business, the firm became known as Messrs. Tapp, Jones and Son, and when Mr. Tapp retired in 1917, the present name of the firm came into being. Mr. Jones remained the active senior partner of the firm until his death. He became an associate of the Surveyors' Institution in December, 1881, and was elected to the fellowship in May, 1891. In the following year he became a member of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr. Jones joined the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, as a member, in June, 1897, and, when this association was incorporated with the Institution of Mining Engineers, he was made a member of the parent body. He was elected to full membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1899."