Obituary.] THOMAS BROOK. 491 Mr. and Mrs. Brook, and their personal influence with others, is mainly due theerection of Emanuel Church, Shelley, and from its opening, nearly eighteen yearsago, to his death, heserved as vicar’s warden. Mr. Erook was an ardent Conservative. He was chair- man of the Kirkburton Conservative Association, and an active worker in theHolmfirth division and also in the borough of Huddersfield. He served for some years on the Board of Guardians for the township of Almondbury ; he was a member of the Shelley School Board from its formation to his death; chairman of the Eirkburton Gaslight Company ; was a trustee and a manager of the National Schools, and in other ways took and was willing to take his part in town and district affairs. Mr. Brook was elected an Associate Member of the Institution on the 29th of May, 1883. WILLIAM COOPER was born at Bolton-le-Uoors, Lancashire, on the 20thof June, 1831. He was the eleventh childof John Cooper, a cotton manufacturer at the same place. Having shown a great taste for engineering and a desire for mathematical pursuits, he was apprenticed when fifteen years of age to Messrs. Thomson and Coles, engineers, Bolton, and was afterwards employed by Messrs. John Hick and Son, and Messrs. Musgrave and Sons, of the same town. On the expiry of his apprenticeship, finding there was not sufficient scope in Bolton, he was, when only twenty-one, sent to Launceston, Tasmania, in charge of the erection of a large quantity of sugar-machinery ; but the ship in which sailedhe became a total wreck off the Cape de VerdIslands, and after waitingseveral weeks he wasrescued by a homeward bound ship, On arriving in England in 1854, he at once joined the Peninsular and Oriental SteamNavi- gation Company’s service, and was with thiscompany when their vessels were engaged in transporting troops during the Crimean war. After three years’ service he was appointed chief engineer of the P. and 0. ss. “ Alma,”’ at that time one of the largest of the company’s steamers. In 1861 thisship waswrecked, andthe testimonial given toMr. Cooper by the commander, Captain George F. Henry, contained the following words : cc At the unfortunateloss of the ship his conduct was most praiseworthy. When his services in his own department were of no further use, he volunteered with eighteen native firemen to pull in one of the cutters to the island of Jebel Zugur in the liedSea in quest of water, and returned on the second day with a good supply. This was awork of much Downloaded by [] on [11/09/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved. 492 WILLIAX COOPER. [Obituary. exposure, fatigue, and danger, and subsequently, during a stay of ten weeks on the Moorshedgerah reef, he was of much assistance, and worked very hard in rescuing passengers, cargoes, stores, &C., from the ship.” In 1874 he patented on ‘‘ Improved Compound Rotary Steam- Engine,” and two years later an “ Improved Compound Water- tube Boiler.” In 1880 his third and most successful patent was produced, being a 3-Cylinder Radial Condensing or Non-Condensing Steam-Engine. In 1878 Mr. Cooper was made Superintending Engineer to the Peninsular and OrientalSteam NavigationCompany, Bombay, which post he held for upwards of seven years. During this period the company’s dry dock at Bombay was extended under his designs andsupervision, and theice-machinery, being in a badstate, was rebuilt; and improved. In 1878 he was also appointed by the Governor-General of India a Member of the Board of Examiners for passing Engineers, and an assessor to the Portof Bombay ; and in 1883, a member of the Commission to hear Appeals. In 1884 he was called upon to inspect and value the vessels of the Indus Steam Flotilla, and also on several occasions was consulted as an arbitrator in cases of engineering disputes. During his long service of thirty-three years he was esteemed by all who met him as a man of indefatigable energy and will, refined and exceedingly cheerful, while of a most generous and honourable character. He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution on the 6th of April, 1880, and died, after one year’sillness, dueto climatic influences, on the 1st of April, 1887. LEATHOM EARLE ROSS was born and cducated at Inverness, and after servinga regular period of pupilage in theshops of the Great Western Railwayat Wolverhampton, during the years1854 to 1857, was articled to Mr. G. B. Bruce, President Inst. C.E., from 1857 to 1860. In 1861 he was employed at Malta by Mr. Gabrielli, the con- tractor for the harbourextension, and then for the five years 1862 to 1866was one of the executiveengineers in charge of the construction of the MauritiusRailway, by Messrs. Brassey, Wythes, andLongridge. From 1867 to 1870, Mr. Ross was a first-class Upon this incident the well-knowu drama called ‘‘The Overland Route” was founded. Downloaded by [] on [11/09/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved..