Arthur Jacob (1868-1925)
Arthur Jacob (1868-1925)
1925 Obituary [1]
ARTHUR JACOB died at his home at Hatch End, Middlesex, on the 3rd April, 1925, at the age of 57 years.
He was the son of Archibald Hamilton Jacob, aurist, of Dublin, and received his technical education at the Royal College of Science, Dublin.
His early experience was gained under Dr. S. Z. de Ferranti, then engineer-in-chief of the London Electric Supply Corporation, Ltd. - the first company in London to undertake the supply of electricity for lighting and power purposes. Mr. Jacob was assistant engineer with this company for five years, having successively charge of their mains, substations and Deptford power station; this plant, as is well known, was at the time an unique example of the possibilities of economic power distribution by the use of large units (1 500 h.p.) and high pressure (10 000 volts).
Mr. Jacob's later experience included the position of resident engineer to the Electricity Supply Co. for Spain, Ltd., at Madrid.
Subsequently, as chief resident engineer to the British Thomson-Houston Co., Ltd., he was responsible for the conversion of the entire Dublin United Tramways system from horse to electric traction, the contract including the erection of two power stations and substations for the supply of polyphase and direct current for the operation of 300 cars on 42 miles of track. On completion, Mr. Jacob operated this system for a period of three months before handing over.
Later, as general manager of the British Schuckert Electric Co., he was responsible for traction, power and lighting schemes for the Corporations of Paisley, Coventry, Southampton and Birmingham, respectively, as well as for the Dunlop Rubber Co. and numerous other municipal and private undertakings.
On the acquisition of the British Schuckert Electric Co. by Siemens-Schuckertwerke, Berlin, Mr. Jacob joined Siemens Brothers and Co., Ltd., and upon the formation by that company of Siemens Brothers Dynamo Works, Ltd., undertook the management of the latter company's central station department.
In January 1908 he became a member of the management of the British Aluminium Co., Ltd., aluminium producers, and until the time of his death was charged with the development of the use of aluminium for industrial purposes in general, and electrical purposes in particular; in later years he also directed certain of the company's subsidiary undertakings.
Mr. Jacob was a member of the Overhead Transmission Line Materials Committee of the British Engineering Standards Association; also a member of the Overhead Wires Committee of the British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association. In addition to being a Member of the Institution he was a member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the American Electrochemical Society, an original member of the Institute of Metals, and a member of Executive of the Federation of British Industries, the British Engineers' Association, the Industrial League and Council and other organizations. To his colleagues, as well as to a large circle of friends and acquaintances in this and other countries, the untimely death of Mr. Jacob brought a distinct sense of loss. A man of no mean powers, he combined with these a soundness of character, an attractive personality, warm sympathies and a ready wit, establishing in the course of years an extensive personal connection in the engineering industries.
He was elected a Member of the Institution in 1901.
1925 Obituary [2]