Henry Nicholas Harvey
Henry Nicholas Harvey (1857-1892), senior partner and managing engineer of the firm of Harvey and Co
1893 Obituary [1]
HENRY NICHOLAS HARVEY, eldest son of the late Nicholas Oliver Harvey, senior partner and managing engineer of the firm of Harvey and Co of Hayle, Cornwall, was born on the 3rd of June, 1857.
He was educated at Allhallows School, Honiton, at Malvern College, and at King’s College, London, after which he was practically trained in the shops and drawing-office at Hayle, under the late William Husband, who, on the death of Mr. N. 0. Harvey, had become managing partner of the firm.
In January, 1882, he took charge of the Company’s office in London, where he remained until 1885, when he returned to Hayle to assist in the management of the engineering department, of which he became chief two years later.
During the period of his management extensive additions and improvements were made, notably in the forge, machine-shop, and shipbuilding and boiler-making departments, which enabled the firm to build steamers of carrying capacity up to 4,000 tons.
Mr. Harvey also took great interest in the improvement of mining machinery, particularly in the adoption of iron pump-rods in place of the cumbersome wooden ones, of revolving stamps and of compound-winding and air-compressing machines. Shortly before his death he erected revolving-stamps at the Dolcoath Mines in Cornwall. He was much interested too in the construction of Cornish-boilers, on which subject he read shortly before his death an exhaustive Paper before the Mining Institute of Cornwall.
In April, 1891, he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for the county. But unfortunately his career was destined to be cut prematurely short. For some six years he had suffered from an affection of the lungs which ended fatally on the 14th of December, 1892.
Mr. Harvey possessed great force of character and was energetic and determined in the prosecution of his work-qualities which are the more noteworthy when the state of his health, never very robust, is taken into consideration. He was a kind and considerate master and socially a great favourite.
Mr. Harvey was elected an Associate Member of the Institution on the 9th of January, 1883.