Frederick William Cross
Frederick William Cross (1860-1933)
1933 Obituary[1]
"THE LATE MR. F. W. CROSS.
The death of Mr. Frederick William Cross, which occurred suddenly as the result of heart failure, on October 14, at his home at Loughton, Essex, removes a well-known figure from the ranks of the gas engineers of this country. Mr. Cross was born at Bristol, on November 6, 1860, and served his pupilage with Messrs. H. F. Willey and Company, engineers, Exeter. In 1882 he became assistant to Mr. Thomas Canning, engineer to the Newport (Mon.) Gas Company, and during the succeeding four years prepared all the drawings, under Mr. Canning’s supervision, for the new works at Crindaw, Newport. He assisted in the superintendence of the erection of the works'until their completion and subsequently helped in their management. In 1886 Mr. Cross proceeded to Hong Kong, to take up the appointment of engineer to the gasworks there, a position he continued to occupy for seven years. During this period he carried out to completion considerable extensions and alterations, including a new retort plant and gas-pumping station, and works on the Kowloon Peninsula ; he was also responsible for the laying of gas mains to the Peak District, 1,200 ft. above sea-level. On his return to this country, Mr. Cross took up the position of engineer to the Wellington (Salop) Gas Works in 1894, and retained that office for two years.
Mr. Cross’ long association with the Lea Bridge District Gas Co, Leyton, Essex, began in 1896, when he was appointed engineer to the Company. During the following years, he became responsible for considerable extensions to the mains to meet the development of the district.- He also designed and erected a large gasholder and tank, retort houses, hydraulic plant, engines, boilers, purifiers and other plant. Between his appointment in 1896 and 1909 the output of the works increased from 90 million cub. ft. to 330 million cub. ft. of gas per annum. Further extensions were subsequently made, and the present annual output is upwards of 1,000 million cub. ft. In 1910 Mr. Cross was appointed general manager as well as engineer to the Company. Early in 1926 he relinquished the position of engineer, and was succeeded by his son, Mr. Douglas Cleave Cross. He retained the general managership, however, until December, 1929, when he retired altogether, and was elected to the Board of the Company, taking his seat on January 1, 1930. Mr. Cross was elected an associate member of the Institution of Civil Engineers on May 5, 1896, and became a full member on April 27,1909. He was made a member of the Institution of Gas Engineers in 1896, and was also for many years a member of the Southern Association of Gas Engineers and Managers, of which body he was a past-president."