Inventor of the wire rope, of machinery for the manufacture of hemp and wire ropes, and of box door-springs, and the solid-iron revolving shutters.
Established the firm of Andrew Smith, Flood and Co., mechanical engineers, of Grimsby and Millwall.
1825 Birth of son William Smith (1825-1878)
1840 The creditors under a Fiat in Bankruptcy awarded against John Lionel Hood, of Princes street, Leicester-square, and of Great Grimsby, Lincoln, Rope-Manufacturer, Dealer and Chapman, were requested to meet the assignees of the said bankrupt's estate and effects to decide on filing a bill in equity against Mr. Andrew Smith, of Princes-street, Leicester-square, Engineer, for the purpose of taking the partnership accounts of the firm of Andrew Smith and Company (of which firm the said bankrupt was, at the date of his bankruptcy, a member);... and also (decide) as to the propriety of the assignees bringing an action of trover against the said Andrew Smith, for the recovery of the separate property of the said bankrupt now in the possession of the said Andrew Smith, and withheld by him from the assignees of the said bankrupt; and also to (decide) .... on bringing an action against a certain person, to be named at the said meeting, for the recovery of a certain indenture,... made between Maximilian Richard Kymer and John Lionel Hood... [1]
1841 Andrew Smith 40, engineer, lived in Charing Cross, St Martins in the Fields, with Julia Smith 35, William Smith 15, engineer, Margaret Smith 15, Archibald Smith 13, Jannett Smith 11, Andrew Smith 7, Thomas Smith 5, Julia Smith 1[2]
1844 Produced a galvanized wire rope 123 miles long for electrical communication for one of the railways[3]
1844 Published a testimonial from the owner and captain of the schooner Marshall that the ship had been equipped with Andrew Smith's patent wire as rigging for 8 years with satisfactory results[4]
1848 Bankruptcy awarded against him[5]
1849 of Mary-le-bone Street, Regent St, Middx, late of Millwall, Poplar, wire rope manufacturer, was granted a certificate in acknowledgement of his conforming to the conditions of his bankruptcy[6]
1854 Patent concerning improvements in the manufacture of certain kinds or descriptions of wire and other ropes and strands[7]
1854 Patent concerning an improved safety-cage and apparatus for miners[8]
1855 Patent to Andrew Smith, of Princes-street, St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, Engineer, and James Thompson Mackenzie, of Lombard-street, Merchant, for the invention of "improvements in ordnance and small arms, by applying thereto projectile force obtained from high-pressure steam"[9]