374 DOM LUIZ I. [Obituary. was owing, in a large degree, to the direct action of Dom Luiz and the Emperor workingtogether. He died prematurely on the 19th of October, 1889, when barely fifty-one years old, in a small bed-room of the citadel of Cascaes near the sea he so loved, surrounded by the sorrowing Queen and Princes, and regretted by the whole Portuguese people. His Majesty was elected an Honorary Member of this Institution on the 6th of February, 1877, his certificate stating that : “From hisdistinguished attainments and exalted position heis emi- nently enabled to render assistance in the prosecution of public works.” __ DAPJIEL ADAMSON was born at Shildon, Durham, in 1818, and in 1835 became a pupil of Mr. Timothy Hackworth-the first man who ever performed the functions of locomotive superintendent to a railway-at the Shildon Works of the Stockton and Darlington Company. Mr. Adamson’s pupilage ended in 1841, and he then became a draughtsman in theShildon works. In 1847 he was made Superintendent of stationary engines, and two years later became Manager under Mr. William Bouch, Hackworth‘s successor. In 1850 Mr. Adamson became General Managerof the Heaton Foundry, and in 1851 he commenced business on his own account at Newton Wood and Newton Moor Iron Works, near Manchester. Here for twenty yearshe carried on an extensive business as a manufacturing engineer andboiler-maker until hisoperations outgrew the capacity of the works. In 1872 he erected, from his own designs, new and more commodious works atHyde Junction, Dukinfield. These wereafterwards enlarged, and exemplified to thefullest degree the modern essentials of an engineering establishment. Mr. Adamson introduced many improvements in connection with his business, and was in the front rankfor activity and enterprise. In 1852 hepatented the flange-seam for high-pressureboiler- flues, which is now in general use among boiler-makers, and is known as the LL Adamson flange-seam.” He also patented improve- ments in the superheatingof steam between cylindersof compound- engines, &c. In 1857 and 1858 hefirst applied steelin the construction of steam-boilers, and subsequentlymade more than two thonsand eight hundred steelboilers for working atpressures vary- ing from 50 lbs. to 250 lbs. per square inch. In 1858 he patented hydrauliclifting-jacks and improvements inthe application of hydraulic power for rivetingmetallic structures. During 1861 Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 1890.100:374-378. 0bituary.J DANIEL ADUSON. 375 and 1862 hebuilt a triple-expansion compound-engine, andin 1873 quadruple-expansion compound-engines under a further patentfor reducing and economising steam. In 1862 he com- menced the making of steam-boilers by drilling the rivet-holes throughthe two plates together after the plates are put into position. This method of drilling holes is now generally de- manded in the practice of boiler manufacture. In 1863 and 1864 he erected the Yorkshire Steelworks at Penistone, and was part- owner of the first works in this country thatdepended entirely on the making of steel on a large scale solely by Bessemer plant. But undoubtedly his principal professional achievement was his share in the introductionof steel as a materia1 forsteam-boilers, and the story of his connection with the greatadvance is best told in Bessemer’s own words. At the annual meetingof the Iron and Steel Institute on the 9th of May, 1888, while he held the office of President, Sir Henry Bessemer, at the request of the Council, presented to Mr. Adamson the Bessemer gold medal. Without in any way making an invidious comparison, Sir Henry said the unanimous decision of the Council to award the medal to their President met with his most cordial and entire approval. He recounted how, twenty- eightyears ago, Mr. Adamson had induced Mr. JohnPlatt, of Oldham, to let him use Bessemer steel for six boilers under order, and how those boilers were still at work at the time Sir Henry was speaking.l In 1863 Mr. Adamson patented improvements in converters for Bessemer steel. In 1863 and 1864 he introduced improved blast- engines for Bessemer blows. Upto the time of hisdeath Mr. Adamson manufactured all classes of heavy machinery as well as general millwright work and hydraulic machinery, and was sole manufacturer for several American specialities, notably of engines fitted with the Wheelock automatic expansion gear. Mr. Adamson hadin recent years patented other inventions, such as com- pressing machinery, boiler-furnace, and testing machinery, and at his works were manufactured testingmachines of from 30 to 2,000 tons power for testing the breaking strength of bridge members and other purposes. Among his recent inventions was a labour- saving arrangement by which as many as twelve tools could be worked simultaneously on a 60-ton lathe-bed. Mr. Adamson also took an interest in the fight betweenguns and armour-plates, and recentlypatented a new breech-loading gun, its principal cha- racteristic being a new and effective arrangement of the breech. * The Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute, 1888, p. 9. Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 1890.100:374-378. 376 DANIEL ADAMSON. [Obituary. He also from time to time wrote Papers on subjects of interest to the mechanical world, among which may be mentioned one on “ Quadruple Expansion Engines,” read before the Iron and Steeh Institute in Manchester, at its meeting in 1876. At the meeting. in Paris in 1878 he read a Paper on the “Mechanical and other Properties of Iron and Mild Steel.” Outside his special vocation Mr. Adamson employed his restless energy in various directions open to a wealthy manufacturer. AS a metallurgist he was frequently consulted by persons interested in new speculations. In additionto being atthe head of the. boiler and engineering works at Dukinfield, he was Chairman of the North Lincolnshire IronCompany, Limited, andof the Newton NoorSpinning Company, Limited,which run two large mills with one hundred and seven thousand spindles. In official life Mr. Adamson wasa prominent figure. He was on the Conlmission of the Peace for the countyof Chester, and was. also a Magistrate for the city of Manchester. He was a Director of the ManchesterChamber of Commerce, in whose important functions he took great interest; and he was the President of the Ironand Steel Institute for 1888 and 1889, being one of the original members of that body. At one time he occupied the Presidenq of the North Staffordshire Institute of &lining Engi- neers. He was a member of theNorth of EnglandInstitute of Alining and Mechanical Engineers, a Fellow of the Geological Society, and of variousother scientific societies. Butthat by which Mr. Adamson will be best remembered is his connection withthe Manchester Ship Canal, of which he was thevirtual founder. On the27th of June, 1882, Mr. Adamson convened a meeting athis residence, The Towers, Didsbury,the object of which was to consider the practicability of constructing a water- way, which should afford direct communication between Man- chester and the great ports throughout the world to which her. commodities are consigned. As a result of the meeting, a pro- visionalcommittee was appointed, with Mr. Adanlson as Chair- man, to inquire into the whole bearings of the subject, and report uponthe practicability of the project. A preliminaryfund to cover the cost of detailedsurveys was liberally subscribed to, andthe project was received bythe public with the greatest enthusiasm. TheProvisional Committee, afterreceiving the reports of the engineers, who had been appointed to make the surveys, decided to apply to Parliament for powers to carry out the undertaking; and a Parliamentary guarantee fund was sub- scribed to cover the expenses of the application. Scores of meetings Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 1890.100:374-378. Obituary.] DANIEL ADAMSON. 377 were held throughout the city and district, at which the vigorous eloquence of Mr. Adamson was heard as he expounded the scheme with a force and energy born of confidence in its wisdom and feasibility. Zeal for the project was infectious, especially amongst the working classes, and in the first stage of the movement the ShipCanal was victorious all along the line. To describe the part which Mr. Adamson played in the early stages of the Ship Canal undertaking would be to recount thehistory of that enterprise,’ which is already well known. When the Ship Canal Bill received the Royal assent on the 6th of August, 1885, Mr. Adamson occupied the post of Chairman of the Directors, and in that capacity he did muchuseful work. Two yearslater, how- ever, financial difficulties arose which caused Mr. Adamson to retire from that position. In the initial stages of a great com- mercial enterprise something more than enthusiasm and engineer- ing skill is necessary, and the failure of the attempt to float the Ship Canal Company naturally led to much discouragement. The contvetemps induced many leading men to make a critical analysis of thesituation. The conclusion was soon arrived atthat it would be useless to make a fresh appeal to the investing public until steps had been taken to place the facts and financial prospects of the Ship Canal beyond reasonable doubt. For that purpose it . was decided to invite a number of prominentcitizens unconnected with the scheme bo form a Consultative Committee, to investigate the facts on which the prospects of the company were founded, andto report its conclusions to the shareholders. This was un- doubtedly a critical period in the history of the canal, and great prudence and foresight were necessary. The Consultative Com- mittee prepared a report, which was in every way favourable, but appended to it a recommendation that the Board should be recon- structed before any further attempt was made to float the com- pany.