Henry Bryant Howe
Henry Bryant Howe (1840-1912)
1912 Obituary [1]
HENRY BRYANT HOWE was born on 1st June 1840.
At the age of nine years he accompanied his parents to Sydney, New South Wales, where he resided all his life. Having served an apprenticeship of seven years, he was engaged on millwright and marine work by Messrs. P. N. Russell and Co., Sydney.
In 1861 he left this firm to take charge of the large saw-milling plant of Messrs. Wilkinson Brothers, and was their engineer-in-charge for several years.
Two years later he assisted Mr. E. D. Nicolle in perfecting and erecting the first ammonia ice-making machine in the colony of New South Wales.
In 1864 he joined the New South Wales Railway service as a mechanic in the machine shop at Eveleigh, and soon afterwards he became one of the leading hands in charge of repairs.
In 1871 he was appointed foreman of the turning and machine shops, and later was promoted to be general foreman of the workshops.
In 1883 Mr. Howe was transferred to the Randwick steam tramway workshops as assistant locomotive superintendent, and remained in this position until 1889, when he returned to the Eveleigh locomotive shops to take charge as general works manager, a post he filled up to the time of his retirement in December 1910.
On two occasions he had visited America on behalf of the Railway Commissioners, and as a result the Railway Department profited largely from his observations and recommendations.
When at a later data it was decided to build the engines at Eveleigh, Mr. Howe was entrusted with the work of installing the plant and starting the scheme, which proved a financial success.
Apart from his duties as works manager, he devoted much spare time to other railway matters, such as the advancement of the Railway Educational Centre and the Institute.
For two years he held the position of President of the Engineering Association of New South Wales.
On his retirement from the railway service at the end of 1910 he commenced practice as a consulting engineer and acted as the representative of the Baldwin Locomotive Company of America. But ill-health overtook him and he was forced to retire.
His death took place at his residence at Kensington, Sydney, on 16th April 1912, in his seventy-second year.
He became a Member of this Institution in 1901.