William Scott Taggart
William Scott Taggart (1865-1938)
1938 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM SCOTT TAGGART was well known as an authority on textile machinery, in connection with which he had taken out many patents, and had published several books. For many years he was in business as a consulting engineer in Manchester, where his expert knowledge of cotton spinning was much valued.
He was born in 1865 at East Woodley, Hants, and received his technical education at Owens College, Manchester. From 1882 to 1887 he served his apprenticeship in the Bolton works of Messrs. Dobson and Barlow, makers of textile machinery, and later entered the drawing office. For some years he also taught engineering subjects at evening classes in Bolton. Subsequently he took up consulting work as a textile machinery expert on the Continent.
During 1897 he was assistant to Sir Benjamin A. Dobson, M.I.Mech.E., at Messrs. Dobson and Barlow's works, but after Sir Benjamin's death in 1898 he returned to his consulting work abroad and established himself in Dusseldorf. A few years later he turned his attention to lubrication problems, and became chief engineer for the Continent to the Vacuum Oil Company, Ltd., for whom he carried out important tests on the lubrication of internal combustion engines, particularly in connection with early motor car engines in France.
In 1902 he returned to England and was appointed a director of the Manchester oil firm, Messrs. Henry Wells and Company, Ltd., for whom he was also chief consulting engineer. Subsequently he published a book on lubrication, but in 1907 he relinquished his appointments and took up general consulting work in Manchester. Naturally his most important work in this capacity was in connection with cotton-spinning machinery.
Between 1909 and 1923 he published several important textbooks on the subject, some of which have become standard works, and have been translated into German, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. During the War he held an executive position under the Ministry of Munitions, in connection with the production of tanks.
Mr. Scott Taggart, who was elected a Member of the Institution in 1900, died on 8th October 1937.