Difference between revisions of "Francis Joseph Edward Spring"
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He had been a Member of the Institution since 1896 and was also a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. | He had been a Member of the Institution since 1896 and was also a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. | ||
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'''1934 Obituary <ref> [[1934 Institution of Civil Engineers: Obituaries]] </ref> | |||
Sir FRANCIS JOSEPH EDWARD SPRING, K.C.I.E., M.A.I., son of the Rev. Edward Spring, rector of Magourney, County Cork, was born on the 20th January, 1849. | |||
He was educated at Middleton | |||
School, County Cork, and then passed on to Dublin University, | |||
where he received the degree of L.C.E. He served an apprenticeship | |||
for one year under [[Alexander McDonnell|Mr. A. McDonnell]], M.Inst.C.E., then locomotive | |||
superintendent of the [[Great Southern and Western Railway]], Ireland. | |||
In 1870 he entered the Indian Public Works Department and was | |||
engaged for 24 years on canal surveys and projects in the Punjab Irrigation Department. | |||
He then joined the Punjab Northern State Railway, and spent the next 5 years, from 1873, on survey and construction of various parts of that Railway and on the [[Chenab Bridge]]. | |||
In 1878 he was promoted to the temporary position of Executive Engineer, which was confirmed in 1880, and had charge of a division of the [[Bhavnagar-Gondal Railway]]. | |||
He came back to England for 2 years, and then returned to India on the [[Bengal-Nagpur Railway]] | |||
survey and the [[Benares-Cuttack Railway]] until 1884, when he was appointed Under-Secretary to the Government of Bengal on the Public Works Department, Railway Branch, and assistant to the Chief Engineer of Bengal. | |||
In 1888 he became Secretary for Railways, Bombay, a post which he only held for a few months as he then received the appointment of Government Consulting Engineer in | |||
Assam. After holding that post for 3 years, he became Secretary | |||
for Railways to the Government of Madras, an office he occupied for | |||
5 years, after which he became Deputy Secretary of the Railway | |||
Department of the Government of India. In the following year he | |||
was appointed Secretary to the Department, and in 1904 he retired | |||
with the rank of Chief Engineer, 1st class. | |||
Several months before his retirement from the Public Works | |||
Department, Sir Francis accepted the Chairmanship of the Madras | |||
Port Trust, and in 1905 he became, in addition to his other duties, | |||
Chief Engineer of the Trust ; he thereupon devoted his time to the | |||
construction of a modern port at Madras. When he commenced | |||
his work there, the harbour was sheltered by two arms each about | |||
3,500 feet long, the entrance, which was 500 feet wide, being directly | |||
exposed to the swell from the eastward. There was no place for | |||
small craft to lie in shelter in dangerous weather, and the only landing | |||
facilities were native surf-boats, a few 10-ton lighters, and an old | |||
screw-pile pier. On the beach were a few straggling railway-sidings | |||
and two or three sheds ; the beach was to be seen at all times littered | |||
with goods of all descriptions in dire confusion. The entire dutiable | |||
trade of Madras had to pass through one 10-foot Customs House gateway. | |||
By 1912, working with [[H. H. G. Mitchell|Mr. H. H. G. Mitchell]], M. Inst. C.E., | |||
as executive engineer, he had transformed Madras into a modern and | |||
efficiently-equipped port. The old exposed harbour entrance was | |||
closed and a new sheltered entrance made, rendering the harbour | |||
water smooth enough for ships to lie alongside wharves in practically | |||
all weathers. Extensive wharves for lighterage and for vessels, a | |||
boat-basin, timber-basin, efficient railway-sidings, a fine fleet of | |||
large lighters, and adequate sheds and warehouses were provided, and | |||
the average time required to discharge general-cargo steamers was halved. | |||
He presented Papers to The Institution dealing with "Remodelling and Equipment of Madras Harbour"; "Coastal Sand-Travel near Madras Harbour"; "The West Quay of Madras Harbour" (with | |||
Mr. H. H. G. Mitchell, M. Inst. C.E., as co-Author); "Restoration of a Cyclone-Damaged Breakwater-End in Madras Harbour" and a second Paper on "Coastal Sand-Travel near Madras Harbour." | |||
All these Papers were read and discussed at Ordinary Meetings of | |||
The Institution; for the Paper dealing with the West Quay he was | |||
awarded the George Stephenson Gold Medal and an Indian Premium, | |||
and for the Paper on Damage to the Breakwater-End he received a Telford Premium. | |||
Sir Francis retired in 1919, shortly after his seventieth birthday. | |||
He was created a Commander of the Indian Empire in 1894, and | |||
promoted to Knight Commander in 1911, whilst Dublin University | |||
conferred upon him the degree of M.A.I. | |||
He was elected an Associate Member of The Institution in 1881, | |||
and transferred to the class of Members in 1885. He served for 3 | |||
years (1910-13) as the representative Member of the Council in India. | |||
He married, in 1873, Charlotte Becher, daughter of Mr. S. | |||
Townsend, J.P., who died in 1930. | |||
Sir Francis died on the 25th August, 1933, at St. Aubin, Jersey, | |||
where he had spent the last 14 years of his life. | |||
---- | ---- | ||
Revision as of 18:16, 12 June 2015
Sir Francis Joseph Edward Spring (1849-1933), Indian Railways and Port of Madras
1915 Indian Biographical Dictionary
Spring, Hon’ble Sir Francis Joseph Edward, K.C.I.E., 1911; C.I.E. 1894; Chairman and Chief Engineer. Port Trust, Madras; Member, Madras Legislative Council, since 1913; s. of Rev. E. Spring of Cork, Ireland; b. 1849; educ: Middleton School, Cork, and Trinity College, Dublin; joined service, 1870; has been connected with the working of Indian Railways for 45 years; Major, South Indian Railway Volunteer Rifles; Director, Railway Construction; Deputy Secretary to Government of India; Under Secretary, Government of Bengal; Engineer-in-Chief, Krishna Bridge; Engineer-in-Chief, and Manager of the late East Coast Railway; Fellow, Madras and Calcutta Universities; Secretary, Government of Madras (P.W. Branch) for seven years; also Senior Government Inspector for Railways, Madras; retired, as Chief Engineer, 1904; became Chairman and Chief Engineer, Madras Port Trust; maker of Madras Harbour of today; is a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers; Member, American Society C.E; M.A.I, honoris causa; L.C.E. Trinity College, Dublin. Publications: Has written on technical education, light railways for District Boards in India and on the training and control of great rivers; many reports on Madras harbour and its improvement. Address; Harbour, Madras. Clubs: Oriental, Bengal, Bengal United Service, Madras.
1933 Obituary [1]
Sir FRANCIS JOSEPH EDWARD SPRING, K.C.I.E., had been for thirty-four years concerned with railway construction and operation in India, and for an additional fifteen years was chairman and consulting engineer to the Port of Madras, holding this position until his retirement in 1919.
He was born in 1849 and received his theoretical training at Trinity College, Dublin.
He then spent one year in the locomotive shops and drawing office of the Great Southern and Western Railway.
In 1871 he went to India, where he was concerned with the construction of railways and locomotives. He was responsible for the construction of the Kistna bridge, consisting of twelve spans of 300 feet each, and of other important bridges. He was appointed engineer-in-chief to the East Coast Railway and later became manager.
From 1893 he had acted as consulting engineer to the Government of India upon railway affairs and was created C.I.E. in 1894. He was Director of Railway Construction, India, and Deputy Secretary to the Government of India. He was also Under-Secretary for Railways to the Government of Bengal and Senior Government Inspector of Railways.
In 1904 he was appointed chairman and consulting engineer to the Port of Madras and later acted as consulting engineer to the port authority at Chittagong. A knighthood was conferred upon him in 1911.
He died in Jersey on 25th August 1933, at the age of 84.
He had been a Member of the Institution since 1896 and was also a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
1934 Obituary [2]
Sir FRANCIS JOSEPH EDWARD SPRING, K.C.I.E., M.A.I., son of the Rev. Edward Spring, rector of Magourney, County Cork, was born on the 20th January, 1849.
He was educated at Middleton School, County Cork, and then passed on to Dublin University, where he received the degree of L.C.E. He served an apprenticeship for one year under Mr. A. McDonnell, M.Inst.C.E., then locomotive superintendent of the Great Southern and Western Railway, Ireland.
In 1870 he entered the Indian Public Works Department and was engaged for 24 years on canal surveys and projects in the Punjab Irrigation Department.
He then joined the Punjab Northern State Railway, and spent the next 5 years, from 1873, on survey and construction of various parts of that Railway and on the Chenab Bridge.
In 1878 he was promoted to the temporary position of Executive Engineer, which was confirmed in 1880, and had charge of a division of the Bhavnagar-Gondal Railway.
He came back to England for 2 years, and then returned to India on the Bengal-Nagpur Railway survey and the Benares-Cuttack Railway until 1884, when he was appointed Under-Secretary to the Government of Bengal on the Public Works Department, Railway Branch, and assistant to the Chief Engineer of Bengal.
In 1888 he became Secretary for Railways, Bombay, a post which he only held for a few months as he then received the appointment of Government Consulting Engineer in Assam. After holding that post for 3 years, he became Secretary for Railways to the Government of Madras, an office he occupied for 5 years, after which he became Deputy Secretary of the Railway Department of the Government of India. In the following year he was appointed Secretary to the Department, and in 1904 he retired with the rank of Chief Engineer, 1st class.
Several months before his retirement from the Public Works Department, Sir Francis accepted the Chairmanship of the Madras Port Trust, and in 1905 he became, in addition to his other duties, Chief Engineer of the Trust ; he thereupon devoted his time to the construction of a modern port at Madras. When he commenced his work there, the harbour was sheltered by two arms each about 3,500 feet long, the entrance, which was 500 feet wide, being directly exposed to the swell from the eastward. There was no place for small craft to lie in shelter in dangerous weather, and the only landing facilities were native surf-boats, a few 10-ton lighters, and an old screw-pile pier. On the beach were a few straggling railway-sidings and two or three sheds ; the beach was to be seen at all times littered with goods of all descriptions in dire confusion. The entire dutiable trade of Madras had to pass through one 10-foot Customs House gateway.
By 1912, working with Mr. H. H. G. Mitchell, M. Inst. C.E., as executive engineer, he had transformed Madras into a modern and efficiently-equipped port. The old exposed harbour entrance was closed and a new sheltered entrance made, rendering the harbour water smooth enough for ships to lie alongside wharves in practically all weathers. Extensive wharves for lighterage and for vessels, a boat-basin, timber-basin, efficient railway-sidings, a fine fleet of large lighters, and adequate sheds and warehouses were provided, and the average time required to discharge general-cargo steamers was halved.
He presented Papers to The Institution dealing with "Remodelling and Equipment of Madras Harbour"; "Coastal Sand-Travel near Madras Harbour"; "The West Quay of Madras Harbour" (with Mr. H. H. G. Mitchell, M. Inst. C.E., as co-Author); "Restoration of a Cyclone-Damaged Breakwater-End in Madras Harbour" and a second Paper on "Coastal Sand-Travel near Madras Harbour."
All these Papers were read and discussed at Ordinary Meetings of The Institution; for the Paper dealing with the West Quay he was awarded the George Stephenson Gold Medal and an Indian Premium, and for the Paper on Damage to the Breakwater-End he received a Telford Premium.
Sir Francis retired in 1919, shortly after his seventieth birthday. He was created a Commander of the Indian Empire in 1894, and promoted to Knight Commander in 1911, whilst Dublin University conferred upon him the degree of M.A.I.
He was elected an Associate Member of The Institution in 1881, and transferred to the class of Members in 1885. He served for 3 years (1910-13) as the representative Member of the Council in India.
He married, in 1873, Charlotte Becher, daughter of Mr. S. Townsend, J.P., who died in 1930.
Sir Francis died on the 25th August, 1933, at St. Aubin, Jersey, where he had spent the last 14 years of his life.