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'''John Scott Russell''' (May 9, 1808, Glasgow - 8 June 1882) was a Scottish naval engineer who built the [[SS Great Eastern]] in collaboration with [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]], and made the discovery that gave birth to the modern study of solitons.
[[Image:Im1901EnV92-p524.jpg|thumb| 1901. Engines of the paddle steamers Lyons and Orleans.]]
[[Image:Im1901EnV92-p525.jpg|thumb| 1901. Engines of the paddle steamers Paris and Orleans.]]


He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE). He was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) of London in 1849, as seen in Emmerson's book and also in his obituary published in the Proceedings of Royal Society (London), vol. 34 (1882-1883), pp. xv-xvii.
John Scott Russell (1808-1882) was a Scottish naval engineer who built the [[SS Great Eastern]] in collaboration with [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]], and made the discovery that gave birth to the modern study of solitons.  


He was born in a village close to Glasgow of Scotland in 1808. His middle name was the maiden family name of his mother. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1825, and moved on to Edinburgh University where he taught mathematics and natural philosophy.
'''See also
* [[John Scott Russell: Steam Carriage]]
* [[John Scott Russell: Obituaries]]


In 1834, while conducting experiments to determine the most efficient design for canal boats, he discovered a phenomenon that he described as the wave of translation. In fluid dynamics the wave is now called a Russell solitary wave or soliton. The discovery is described here in his own words:
1808 May 9th. Born in a village close to Glasgow of Scotland, the son of the Rev. David Russell (1785-1868) and his wife Agnes Clark Scott ( -1812).
 
1825 Graduated from the University of Glasgow, and moved on to Edinburgh University where he taught mathematics and natural philosophy.
 
1834 While conducting experiments to determine the most efficient design for canal boats, he discovered a phenomenon that he described as the wave of translation. In fluid dynamics the wave is now called a Russell solitary wave or soliton. The discovery is described here in his own words:


"I was observing the motion of a boat which was rapidly drawn along a narrow channel by a pair of horses, when the boat suddenly stopped - not so the mass of water in the channel which it had put in motion; it accumulated round the prow of the vessel in a state of violent agitation, then suddenly leaving it behind, rolled forward with great velocity, assuming the form of a large solitary elevation, a rounded, smooth and well-defined heap of water, which continued its course along the channel apparently without change of form or diminution of speed. I followed it on horseback, and overtook it still rolling on at a rate of some eight or nine miles an hour, preserving its original figure some thirty feet long and a foot to a foot and a half in height. Its height gradually diminished, and after a chase of one or two miles I lost it in the windings of the channel. Such, in the month of August 1834, was my first chance interview with that singular and beautiful phenomenon which I have called the Wave of Translation".
"I was observing the motion of a boat which was rapidly drawn along a narrow channel by a pair of horses, when the boat suddenly stopped - not so the mass of water in the channel which it had put in motion; it accumulated round the prow of the vessel in a state of violent agitation, then suddenly leaving it behind, rolled forward with great velocity, assuming the form of a large solitary elevation, a rounded, smooth and well-defined heap of water, which continued its course along the channel apparently without change of form or diminution of speed. I followed it on horseback, and overtook it still rolling on at a rate of some eight or nine miles an hour, preserving its original figure some thirty feet long and a foot to a foot and a half in height. Its height gradually diminished, and after a chase of one or two miles I lost it in the windings of the channel. Such, in the month of August 1834, was my first chance interview with that singular and beautiful phenomenon which I have called the Wave of Translation".


In 1834 he designed a 26-seater steam coach. These vehicles were built by the [[Grove House Engine Works]] in Edinburgh. They were powered by a two-cylinder vertical engine with a square bore to stroke of 12 in. There were connecting rods to the crankshafts, one for each cylinder. the back axle was on semi-elliptical springs. Six of these vehicles entered service with the Steam Carriage Company of Scotland.
1834 Designed a 26-seater steam coach. These vehicles were built by the [[Grove House Engine Works]] in Edinburgh. They were powered by a two-cylinder vertical engine with a square bore to stroke of 12 in. There were connecting rods to the crankshafts, one for each cylinder. the back axle was on semi-elliptical springs. Six of these vehicles entered service with the Steam Carriage Company of Scotland.
 
1836 December 27th. Married Harriette Osborne the daughter of Sir Daniel Toler Osbourne
 
1838 Birth of his son Osborne Scott Russell (1838-1852)
 
1838 Became a manager at [[Caird and Co]]'s engine works in Greenock.
 
1839 Birth of his son [[Norman Scott Russell]]
 
1841 Began tests on the resistance of different hull shapes on behalf of the [[British Association]].  Leased Virginia House and erected an experimental tank in the grounds of the house.<ref>The Engineer 1889/07/12</ref>


Russell moved to London in 1844, and organised the Royal Commission for the Great Exhibition of 1851. He worked on the design of yachts, boats, barges and ships, and he became a director of a ship-building company.
1844 Moved to London and, as secretary to the Royal Society of Arts, stimulated the idea of a national exhibition which was realised as the Royal Commission for the [[1851 Great Exhibition|Great Exhibition of 1851]]. He worked on the design of yachts, boats, barges and ships.


He was held in high regard by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] who made him a partner in his project to build the [[SS Great Eastern]]. At its time, this was to be the largest moveable object man had ever created. The project was plagued with a number of problems - Russell was in financial difficulties and the two men disagreed on a number of aspects of the design and construction of the ship. The [[SS Great Eastern]] was eventually launched in 1858.
1847 Elected Member of Inst Civil Engineers
----


''' Extract from Steam Locomotion on Common Roads by William Fletcher. Published 1891.  
1847 October. Listed as [[Robinson and Russell|Russell and Robinson]], Marine Engineers, Millwall, Poplar


Mr. John Scott Russell (the well-known designer and builder of the Great Eastern) in early life took great interest in steam locomotion. He made a small steam carriage which ran about the neighbourhood of Greenock successfully.  
1847 Russell and partners had taken over the old [[William Fairbairn and Sons|Fairbairn]] shipyard at Millwall, which took up an increasing amount of his time particularly from 1851 when he took sole control of the yard.  


In later years when residing in Edinburgh, he patented a steam locomotive intended for the
1849 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) of London
conveyance of passengers on common roads. Six of these
coaches were built under his patents and to his designs, by
the Grove House Engine Works, Edinburgh, for the Steam Carriage Company of Scotland.


In April, 1834, this company established a line of steam
1850 Designed a yacht, ''Titania'', for [[Robert Stephenson]] MP, which had very hollow bowlines but was constrained by British yacht-racing rules. The following year Titania was the only yacht to accept the challenge of the US yacht America; her defeat inaugurated the America's cup races.
coaches for the conveyance of passengers between Glasgow
and Paisley, which plied hourly for many months with the
greatest regularity and success. The distance between the
two places was a little more than seven miles, and the trip was run in 40 to 45 minutes. Mr. Russell's coaches were
very popular with the travelling part of the community, and
were repeatedly overcrowded, 30 to 40 persons finding places
on a vehicle and its tender, constructed to carry six inside
and twenty outside passengers. These carriages have been
briefly referred to by two or three writers on this subject,
but they have not been illustrated and described in any
recent work on steam locomotion; in fact, these coaches
have been practically omitted by previous writers, and in order to supply the missing link in the history of steam on roads, we devote a considerable amount of space to their description.  


Mr. Scott Russell, as an experienced engineer, designed his coach with great care. Fig. 48 shows a side view of the carriage, while Fig. 49 gives an end view of the engine to an enlarged scale. The- general appearance was far superior to many of its competitors, and we are told that "it was fitted up in the style and with all the comfort and elegance of the most costly gentleman's travelling carriage."
1851 Living at Charles Street, Lewisham, Kent: [[John Scott Russell]] (age 42 born Scotland), Civil Engineer. With his wife Harriet Scott Russell (age 42 born Ireland) and their five children; Osborne Scott Russell (age 13 born Scotland); [[Norman Scott Russell]] (age 11 born Scotland); Louisa Scott Russell (age 10 born Scotland); Mary Rachel Scott Russell (age 5 born Mddx.); and Alice Mary Scott Russell (age 3 born Mddx.). Three Servants.<ref>[http://ghgraham.org/johnscottrussell1809.html 1851 Census HO107-1591]</ref>


The boiler was of the multitubular type, with the furnace
He was held in high regard by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]]. By the spring of 1852 Brunel was discussing plans with Russell for a truly enormous ship, the [[SS Great Eastern]], at its time, this was to be the largest moveable object man had ever created. Before building work could begin, Russell's shipyard was devastated by a serious fire.  
and the return tubes on the same level, and similar to a
marine boiler. The improvements introduced by Russell  
consisted in constructing the boiler in such a manner that it
should everywhere consist of opposite and parallel surfaces,  
or as nearly so as circumstances allowed, and connecting
these surfaces together by means of stays of small diameter,
placed at distances proportioned to their direct cohesive strength, and to the degree of pressure to be resisted; the  
plates were much thinner than usual, so that the heat was
transmitted quicker; the copper plates were one-tenth of an
inch thick. The stays were only one-quarter of an inch in
diameter, there being thirteen hundred of them used. Mr.
Russell said that the boiler was safe, because he thought the
moment the pressure exceeds the maximum, the weakest of
the stays will give way; and one rod giving way will instantly
let out the whole of the water in the boiler, take off the
pressure, extinguish the fire, and prevent all chances of ex-
plosion. But we regret to find that Russell's ideas respecting
the safety of his boiler were not realised in practice, as we
shall see presently. The whole weight of the carriage was  
supported on springs.  


The engine had two vertical cylinders,  
[[David Napier (1790-1869)|David Napier's]] adjacent works had stood idle for fully a year before, in 1853, a further use was found for them. As the Napier Yard adjoined that where he was then starting construction of the Great Eastern, and the space and resources of both yards were found necessary, so an arrangement was made to combine them temporarily. Part of the Napier property was accordingly leased, in 1853 or 1854, and a small portion, that had been otherwise occupied, was arranged for at a later date.  
twelve inches diameter and twelve inches stroke. The piston
rods worked through the top cylinder covers, and were  
connected by crossheads to two side connecting rods ; the  
rods from each cylinder worked on to a separate crank shaft,  
as shown by Fig. 49. Each cylinder had four ports, which
were alternately opened and closed by slide valves, actuated
by eccentrics keyed on the crank shafts; one pair of these
ports were for the admission of steam, and the other for the
exhaust. On each crank axle was fixed a spur pinion
gearing into a wheel on the main driving shaft—ratio, two to
one ; the crank shaft and the driving axle being coupled
together by sun and planet straps, which kept the toothed
wheels properly in gear.  


The engine was mounted upon
The project was plagued with a number of problems - Russell was in financial difficulties; his shipyard, like several other Thames builders, failed in February 1856; the two men disagreed on a number of aspects of the design and construction of the ship.  
laminated springs, so beautifully arranged that each spring in  
its flexure described, at a particular point, such a circle as
was also described by the main axle in its motion round the
crank shaft; thus any irregularities in the road in no way
interfered with the proper working of the spur gearing. The
exhaust steam was turned into the chimney to create a blast.  


The water and coke were carried on a separate tender on
The [[SS Great Eastern]] was eventually launched in 1858.
two wheels, coupled to the rear of the engine ; at different
stations on the road spare tenders were kept in readiness,
filled, and were quickly connected to the coach. This tender
was mounted upon springs, and provided with seats back and
front for passengers. India-rubber tubes conducted the water
from the tank to the two brass feed pumps on the engine.
Three persons were required to be in attendance — a steers-
man on the front seat, an engineer on the back seat outside
above the engines, the stop valve and cocks being within his
reach ; he could also tell the height of the water in the boiler,
and the amount of steam pressure. The stoker stood on the
foot-plate in front of the boiler.  


These coaches were admirably worked out, and were said to be a "triumphant
1861 Living at Westwood Lodge, Beckenham, Kent: [[John Scott Russell]] (age 52 born Scotland), Naval Architect. With his wife Henrietta Scott Russell (age 52 born Ireland) and their four children; [[Norman Scott Russell]] (age 21 born Scotland), Naval Architect; Louisa Scott Russell (age 20 born Scotland); Mary Rachel Russell (age 15 born England); and Alace M. Scott Russell (age 13 born England). Four servants.<ref>1861 Census</ref>
success" after they had run regularly for four months. Russells coaches shared the same fate in Scotland that Sir Charles Dance's did in England. They had not been running
many months before the road trustees at the Glasgow end, in
order to cause an obstruction, put a thick coating of loose
stones on the road, but the steam carriages ploughed through
it. More men were then employed by the determined obstructionists to put another thick layer of stones on the top, so that the road was all but impassable. Ordinary road
carriages were injured thereby, and heavy carts were obliged
to desert the road, and go round by a different and much
longer route. After the steam coaches had travelled over this accumulation of road material for some time one of the wheels broke, and the carriage was nearly overturned. The whole weight of the vehicle rested on the boiler, and caused it to burst, and five of the passengers were killed.  


The Court of Session, in consequence of this accident, interdicted the whole set of carriages from running, for the time  at least. The editor of the Mechanics' Magazine said this was a fine specimen of Caledonian wisdom! Why not clear the
1871 Living at Westwood Lodge, Beckenham, Kent: [[John Scott Russell]] (age 62 born Scotland), Civil Engineer. With his wife Henriette Russell (age 62 born Scotland) and their daughter Mary Rachel Russell (age 25 born Surrey). Three servants.<ref>1871 Census</ref>
Clyde of steamers, because accidents happen with steamers
as well as with carriages? The Steam Carriage Company
brought an action for damages against the trustees of the
turnpike road for having compelled them to give up the running of the carriages on the Glasgow and Paisley road by "wantonly, wrongfully, and maliciously accumulating masses
of metal, stones, and rubbish on the said road, in order to
create such annoyance and obstruction as might impede,
overturn, or destroy the steam coaches belonging to the plaintiffs."


Russell's steam coaches were no longer used in Scotland,
1878 March 6th. Death of his eldest daughter Louise
but two of them were sent by steamer to London, and were
often engaged in running with passengers between London
and Greenwich, or Kew Bridge. Several trips were made to
Windsor. They were eventually offered for sale, and to show
their powers they started every day at one o'clock from Hyde
Park Corner to make a journey to Hammersmith. But they
remained unsold, and we hear nothing further respecting them.


Mr. J. Scott Russell, however, was actively employed in shipbuilding, his name being a "household word" in everything pertaining to steam navigation. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, vice-president of the Institute of Naval Architects, and a Member of Council of the Institute of Civil Engineers.  
1878 October. 'CHARGE  OF ASSAULT.- At the West Kent Quarter Session, on Thursday, a charge of assault was investigated, in which [[John Scott Russell|Mr. John Scott Russell]], the well-known engineer, was indicted for assaulting Thomas Strinson Rooke, clerk to a firm of London solicitors. From the evidence it appeared that the prosecutor, who held an order of foreclosure, took possession of Mr. Russell's house and estates on behalf of the Land Securities Company, which had a mortgage on the property. Mr. Russell ejected him from the house, and in so doing he committed the assault complained of. He was convicted and fined £10, and was ordered to enter into sureties to keep the peace.'<ref>Bristol Mercury - Saturday 19 October 1878</ref>


A contemporary, in speaking of Mr. Russell's death, which occurred as recently as 1882, said, respecting the coaches we have illustrated: "The springs of his steam carriages, and the manner in which the machinery adapted itself to the irregularities of the road, were triumphs of engineering."
1879 January. Sale of his possessions by auction. '...removed from Westward Lodge, Sydenham, the late residence of John Scott Russell, Esq., upwards of 1000 volumes of books, a vast quantity of plated articles, originally provided for the Great Eastern steam ship; silver plate...' [much more listed]. <ref>London Evening Standard - Tuesday 21 January 1879</ref>


1882 June 8th. Died at Ventnor, Isle of Wight.


1888. His wife Henriette died at Ventnor, Isle of Wight. 'Mrs Scott Russell, a lady, aged 70 years, lodging Ventnor, met with a sad death Tuesday. She fell with her head the firegrate, and was burned to death before she was found this position by the servants'<ref>Western Daily Press - Thursday 11 October 1888</ref> 'A shocking fatality occurred hero Tuesday, resulting the death Mrs. Scott Russell, who was the widow of the once well-known designer of the Great Eastern steamship. She was lodging at Carisbrooke House, Ventnor, and on Tuesday morning her maid took her breakfast to her in her sitting room, leaving her mistress there alone. A quarter of hour after the servant had left, the landlady of the house entered the room to obtain the usual orders, and was horrified to find Mrs. Scott Russell lying on the hearthrug enveloped in flames. Aid was summoned, and as soon as the flames were extinguished it was seen that the unfortunate lady had been frightfully burnt about the arms and body. Her condition was evidently critical, and she died before medical assistance could be rendered. Mrs. Scott Russell was 80 years age, and her death has caused a painful impression in the neighbourhood.'<ref>Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 13 October 1888</ref>


== See Also ==
== See Also ==
Line 139: Line 69:
== Sources of Information ==
== Sources of Information ==
<references/>
<references/>
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scott_Russell] Wikipedia
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scott_Russell Wikipedia]
* [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24328?docPos=78 Biography of John Scott Russel, ODNB]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, John Scott}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, John Scott}}
[[Category: Biography]]
[[Category: Biography]]
[[Category: Biography - Marine]]
[[Category: Steam Pioneer]]
[[Category: Steam Pioneer]]
[[Category: Births 1800-1809]]
[[Category: Deaths 1880-1889]]
[[Category: Institution of Mechanical Engineers]]
[[Category: Institution of Civil Engineers]]

Latest revision as of 16:41, 14 January 2023

1901. Engines of the paddle steamers Lyons and Orleans.
1901. Engines of the paddle steamers Paris and Orleans.

John Scott Russell (1808-1882) was a Scottish naval engineer who built the SS Great Eastern in collaboration with Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and made the discovery that gave birth to the modern study of solitons.

See also

1808 May 9th. Born in a village close to Glasgow of Scotland, the son of the Rev. David Russell (1785-1868) and his wife Agnes Clark Scott ( -1812).

1825 Graduated from the University of Glasgow, and moved on to Edinburgh University where he taught mathematics and natural philosophy.

1834 While conducting experiments to determine the most efficient design for canal boats, he discovered a phenomenon that he described as the wave of translation. In fluid dynamics the wave is now called a Russell solitary wave or soliton. The discovery is described here in his own words:

"I was observing the motion of a boat which was rapidly drawn along a narrow channel by a pair of horses, when the boat suddenly stopped - not so the mass of water in the channel which it had put in motion; it accumulated round the prow of the vessel in a state of violent agitation, then suddenly leaving it behind, rolled forward with great velocity, assuming the form of a large solitary elevation, a rounded, smooth and well-defined heap of water, which continued its course along the channel apparently without change of form or diminution of speed. I followed it on horseback, and overtook it still rolling on at a rate of some eight or nine miles an hour, preserving its original figure some thirty feet long and a foot to a foot and a half in height. Its height gradually diminished, and after a chase of one or two miles I lost it in the windings of the channel. Such, in the month of August 1834, was my first chance interview with that singular and beautiful phenomenon which I have called the Wave of Translation".

1834 Designed a 26-seater steam coach. These vehicles were built by the Grove House Engine Works in Edinburgh. They were powered by a two-cylinder vertical engine with a square bore to stroke of 12 in. There were connecting rods to the crankshafts, one for each cylinder. the back axle was on semi-elliptical springs. Six of these vehicles entered service with the Steam Carriage Company of Scotland.

1836 December 27th. Married Harriette Osborne the daughter of Sir Daniel Toler Osbourne

1838 Birth of his son Osborne Scott Russell (1838-1852)

1838 Became a manager at Caird and Co's engine works in Greenock.

1839 Birth of his son Norman Scott Russell

1841 Began tests on the resistance of different hull shapes on behalf of the British Association. Leased Virginia House and erected an experimental tank in the grounds of the house.[1]

1844 Moved to London and, as secretary to the Royal Society of Arts, stimulated the idea of a national exhibition which was realised as the Royal Commission for the Great Exhibition of 1851. He worked on the design of yachts, boats, barges and ships.

1847 Elected Member of Inst Civil Engineers

1847 October. Listed as Russell and Robinson, Marine Engineers, Millwall, Poplar

1847 Russell and partners had taken over the old Fairbairn shipyard at Millwall, which took up an increasing amount of his time particularly from 1851 when he took sole control of the yard.

1849 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) of London

1850 Designed a yacht, Titania, for Robert Stephenson MP, which had very hollow bowlines but was constrained by British yacht-racing rules. The following year Titania was the only yacht to accept the challenge of the US yacht America; her defeat inaugurated the America's cup races.

1851 Living at Charles Street, Lewisham, Kent: John Scott Russell (age 42 born Scotland), Civil Engineer. With his wife Harriet Scott Russell (age 42 born Ireland) and their five children; Osborne Scott Russell (age 13 born Scotland); Norman Scott Russell (age 11 born Scotland); Louisa Scott Russell (age 10 born Scotland); Mary Rachel Scott Russell (age 5 born Mddx.); and Alice Mary Scott Russell (age 3 born Mddx.). Three Servants.[2]

He was held in high regard by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. By the spring of 1852 Brunel was discussing plans with Russell for a truly enormous ship, the SS Great Eastern, at its time, this was to be the largest moveable object man had ever created. Before building work could begin, Russell's shipyard was devastated by a serious fire.

David Napier's adjacent works had stood idle for fully a year before, in 1853, a further use was found for them. As the Napier Yard adjoined that where he was then starting construction of the Great Eastern, and the space and resources of both yards were found necessary, so an arrangement was made to combine them temporarily. Part of the Napier property was accordingly leased, in 1853 or 1854, and a small portion, that had been otherwise occupied, was arranged for at a later date.

The project was plagued with a number of problems - Russell was in financial difficulties; his shipyard, like several other Thames builders, failed in February 1856; the two men disagreed on a number of aspects of the design and construction of the ship.

The SS Great Eastern was eventually launched in 1858.

1861 Living at Westwood Lodge, Beckenham, Kent: John Scott Russell (age 52 born Scotland), Naval Architect. With his wife Henrietta Scott Russell (age 52 born Ireland) and their four children; Norman Scott Russell (age 21 born Scotland), Naval Architect; Louisa Scott Russell (age 20 born Scotland); Mary Rachel Russell (age 15 born England); and Alace M. Scott Russell (age 13 born England). Four servants.[3]

1871 Living at Westwood Lodge, Beckenham, Kent: John Scott Russell (age 62 born Scotland), Civil Engineer. With his wife Henriette Russell (age 62 born Scotland) and their daughter Mary Rachel Russell (age 25 born Surrey). Three servants.[4]

1878 March 6th. Death of his eldest daughter Louise

1878 October. 'CHARGE OF ASSAULT.- At the West Kent Quarter Session, on Thursday, a charge of assault was investigated, in which Mr. John Scott Russell, the well-known engineer, was indicted for assaulting Thomas Strinson Rooke, clerk to a firm of London solicitors. From the evidence it appeared that the prosecutor, who held an order of foreclosure, took possession of Mr. Russell's house and estates on behalf of the Land Securities Company, which had a mortgage on the property. Mr. Russell ejected him from the house, and in so doing he committed the assault complained of. He was convicted and fined £10, and was ordered to enter into sureties to keep the peace.'[5]

1879 January. Sale of his possessions by auction. '...removed from Westward Lodge, Sydenham, the late residence of John Scott Russell, Esq., upwards of 1000 volumes of books, a vast quantity of plated articles, originally provided for the Great Eastern steam ship; silver plate...' [much more listed]. [6]

1882 June 8th. Died at Ventnor, Isle of Wight.

1888. His wife Henriette died at Ventnor, Isle of Wight. 'Mrs Scott Russell, a lady, aged 70 years, lodging Ventnor, met with a sad death Tuesday. She fell with her head the firegrate, and was burned to death before she was found this position by the servants'[7] 'A shocking fatality occurred hero Tuesday, resulting the death Mrs. Scott Russell, who was the widow of the once well-known designer of the Great Eastern steamship. She was lodging at Carisbrooke House, Ventnor, and on Tuesday morning her maid took her breakfast to her in her sitting room, leaving her mistress there alone. A quarter of hour after the servant had left, the landlady of the house entered the room to obtain the usual orders, and was horrified to find Mrs. Scott Russell lying on the hearthrug enveloped in flames. Aid was summoned, and as soon as the flames were extinguished it was seen that the unfortunate lady had been frightfully burnt about the arms and body. Her condition was evidently critical, and she died before medical assistance could be rendered. Mrs. Scott Russell was 80 years age, and her death has caused a painful impression in the neighbourhood.'[8]

See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. The Engineer 1889/07/12
  2. 1851 Census HO107-1591
  3. 1861 Census
  4. 1871 Census
  5. Bristol Mercury - Saturday 19 October 1878
  6. London Evening Standard - Tuesday 21 January 1879
  7. Western Daily Press - Thursday 11 October 1888
  8. Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 13 October 1888