Edward Henry Keating
Edward Henry Keating (1844-1912)
1912 Obituary [1]
EDWARD HENRY KEATING, fourth son of the late Mr. William Henry Keating, barrister, for many yews Deputy Provincial Secretary of Nova Scotia, was born at Halifax, N.S., on the 7th August, 1844.
Educated at the Free Church Academy and at Dalhousie College, he at first took up architecture, but soon turned to engineering, being trained under Mr. George Whiteman, Engineer to the Government of Nova Scotia. For 3 years he was engaged on surveys, location and construction of the Truro and Pictou Railway, and as chief draughtsman of the Windsor and Annapolis Railway, Nova Scotia.
At the close of 1867 he entered the service of the Intercolonial Railway, serving as Assistant Engineer on some of the heaviest construction, until near its completion. Early in 1872, Mr. Keating was appointed Division Engineer in charge of exploration on the Canadian Pacific Railway surveys. This position he resigned at the end of the year to become City and Water Engineer of Halifax, as well as Resident Engineer of the Halifax Graving Dock.
Mr. Keating remained City Engineer of Halifax until the end of 1890, and during that time designed waterworks also for Truro, Windsor and Dartmouth, N.S., and Moncton, N.B.
During 1891 and 1892, he was City Engineer of Duluth, Minnesota, where he designed extensive improvements in the waterworks system. He returned to Canada to become City Engineer and Chief Engineer of the Waterworks of Toronto. Here, among other work, he designed extensive additions to the waterworks system, which were subsequently carried out, and made improvements: in Toronto Harbour, the Keating Channel being named after him.
In 1898 he resigned the office of City Engineer to become General Manager of the Toronto Street Railway for 6 years.
In 1904 he went to Mexico, where for 2 years he was Engineer and Manager of the Monterey Railway Light and Power Company’s Street Railway and power-plant, and of the Monterey Waterworks and sewerage system, subsequently acting as Consulting Engineer to these bodies. For the last 6 years of his life he engaged in private practice at Toronto.
At various times Mr. Keating advised on waterworks and sewerage systems for Ottawa, Hamilton, Victoria, B.C., and other cities. In 1903 he was appointed chairman of the Royal Commission to inquire into and report on the construction of a graving dock for the City of Montreal.
Mr. Keating was a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, serving on the Council of the latter body for 6 years and becoming President in 1901. He was appointed a member of the Board of Examiners in Engineering by the University of Toronto in 1907, and was chairman of this Board until early in 1912, when he resigned on account of ill-health. Two months before his death his illness became acute, and he died on the 17th June, 1912.
Mr. Keating was elected an Associate of The Institution on the 2nd December, 1873, was transferred to the class of Members on the 3rd December, 1878, and represented Canada on the Council of The Institution in 1911.