John William McCool
John William McCool (1866-1906)
1906 Obituary [1]
JOHN WILLIAM McCOOL, was born at Plumstead on 4th March 1866, and was educated at the Roan School, Greenwich.
On leaving school in 1881 he went to Brisbane, Queensland, where his father was in business, and assisted him as an engineer and machinery importer.
From 1882 to 1889 he served an apprenticeship at the works of Messrs. Smith, Forrester and Co., Brisbane, and passed through the various shops.
On its completion, he was employed as a supernumerary engineer in the Harbours and Rivers Department of Queensland, and then went to Charters Towers, where he undertook contracts for dismantling and re-erecting machinery at the gold mines.
Owing to the great depression in trade following the serious floods in Queensland, he returned to England in 1890, and obtained employment in the erecting shop of Messrs. Merryweather and Sons, Greenwich.
In 1891 he went to South America as erector and engineer at the new metallurgical works of the Compania Huanchaca de Bolivia, and, on the completion of this contract in 1894, he returned to England.
He next obtained an appointment in Bombay as manager for Messrs. G. Hill and Co., machinery importers and engineers, and subsequently became a partner.
Owing to depression in business the partnership was dissolved in 1902, and he took up temporarily the work of inspecting fire appliances for the Bombay Fire Insurance Agents' Association.
Later, he received the appointment of inspector and surveyor to the Calcutta Fire Insurance Agents' Association, holding this position to the time of his death, which took place from small-pox at Calcutta on 15th March 1906, at the age of forty.
He became an Associate Member of this Institution in 1905; and was also a Member of the British Fire Prevention Committee.