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WITH the description of the
improvements recently effected in the harbour of Fraserburgh, it is thought
that a sufficiently long list of more important engineering works,
undertaken and sucessfully completed, has been given, to enable the reader
to form an independent judgment as to the utility of the life reviewed. It
will have been noted that Mr. Abernethy’s long professional career was spent
mainly in the furtherance of one particular branch of civil engineering,
namely, harbours and docks, and that by applying himself to that branch, and
having the good fortune to be appointed as engineer to carry out such works,
and thereby acquire the necessary experience, he had, at a comparatively
early age, reached a position of some distinction as a specialist. He was
possibly aided in achieving an early success by the circumstance of the
majority of the leading engineers of the day devoting themselves to the
construction of railways, a new department of civil engineering which opened
out in the first quarter of the present century, and increased with
startling rapidity during the reign of William the Fourth, and the first few
years after Her Majesty had ascended the Throne, and which, to a large
extent, diverted the attention of the profession. With the prospect of a
large amount of work to be done in the near future, in consequence of this
new adaptation of steam power, the majority of the younger engineers were
also borne away with the current known as the “railway mania,” and thus he
may, to some extent, have been relieved from competition with many men of
ability of equal standing, who would otherwise have proved formidable rivals
in the special branch of the science which he had selected to follow up.
The tendency towards
specialization in any given science can be traced back for a long period,
and it is one that has steadily increased. Pope recognised its value and
certain future in the lines :—
“One science only will one
genius fit,
So vast is art, so narrow human wit,
Not only bounded by peculiar arts,
But oft in these confined to single parts.”
and the selection of harbours
and docks as special subjects, was by no means an unfortunate one sixty
years ago. For as “all returning rivers run towards the sea,” so in
conformance with the law laid down by Nature, the majority of railways in
this country- lend down to the coast, and it is there that the hydraulic
engineers’ services are required.
But whatever circumstances
may have combined to assist him in making a good start, to himself alone
must be attributed the credit of having thenceforward maintained and
steadily improved the position he had so early won, and for having done this
in a manner which commended itself to brother engineers and thereby earned
their respect. The secret of the ultimate success of his numerous works
seems to be contained in drawing a correct line of demarcation between
theory and practice, and while always willing to accept the former, at the
same time, never to do so before applying some previous test to ascertain
its possible value, and ever bearing in mind that:
“Nature like art is but
restrained,
By the same laws which first herself ordained.”
Mr. Abernethy’s first
important work was, as has been already stated, at his native city Aberdeen,
and his last at Fraserburgh, some forty-seven miles further north in the
same county, and during the interval of fifty-six years he had practically
completed a circuit of work around the coast line of Great Britain.
On the Western and Northern
shores of Scotland few schemes of importance have been projected during the
long interval, and consequently his scenes of operations in those parts are
few and far between, though it may be here mentioned that for several years
he acted on behalf of the Clyde Trustees; but on the Eastern coast at Leith,
Dundee, and even the far off Wick, his advice has at times been solicited,
and given in the form of reports.
It was on the shores of
England and Wales, however, that his chief scenes of work are located and in
order to avoid the tedium which would be likely to attend an exhaustive
enumeration of the seaport towns at which he has been engaged, the
accompanying map has been prepared with the intention of conveying the same
information at a glance, and so perhaps in more acceptable form, to the
reader. Each harbour on the coast at which his professional services have,
in the author’s judgment, been of sufficient consequence to warrant the
association of his name with it, will there be seen marked in red letters,
and the illustration will, it is hoped, bear out and substantiate the
statement of his having completed a circuit of the entire coast line of
England and Wales.
Many of the places mentioned
on the map there make their first and last appearance in this book, but they
suggest much additional useful work, though perhaps not of sufficient
importance or interest as to call for special mention. In a few instances
the places marked in red have reference to schemes designed only and not
executed, as docks at Dagenham, at Tranmere near Birkenhead, and at Heysham
near Morecombe, for the Midland Railway Company, the last named project
however, will shortly be commenced by Messrs. J. A. McDonald and G. N.
Abernethy, members of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
There is no engineering work
cf consequence to record n connection with London, and therefore it has not
been marked on the map. But from another point of view It should have been
w'ritten in large type, for Westminster had been the centre of his business
since 1854, and for forty years of his life he had acquired a large
additional practice there as a consulting engineer, especially in supporting
or opposing Engineering Bills before Parliamentary Committees.
The omission of London
further seems to increase in gravity when it- is remembered that in 1882-4
served as a member of the Royal Commission on Metropolitan Sewage Discharge,
of which the late Lord Bramwell was Chairman, his fellow Commissioners
being, the late Sir John Coode, C.E., Sir P. Benson Maxwell, Prof. A. W.
Williamson, F.R.S., Col. C. B. Ewart, C B. R.E., and Messrs. F. S. B. de
Chaumont, F.R.S., and Thomas Stevenson, M.D. Meetings were held for the
examination of witnesses on sixty different occasions, extending over a
period of two and a quarter years, and an elaborate first report was
presented on January 31st, 1884, and 1 second and final report on November
27th of the same year.
But it may be asked by some
readers, what has he done for Ireland? The answer is, nothing of much
importance, but something, and that he would have liked to have done more if
the opportunity had been given. The “something” consists mainly in having
acted as a Member of the Royal Commission on Irish Public Works in the years
1886 and 1887, in conjunction with the late Sir James Allport, Managing
Director of the Midland Railway Company, Messrs. J. Wolfe Barry, K.C.B.,
Pres. Inst. C.E., and J. Todhunter Pim of Dublin, with Mr. S. E. Spring Rice
as Secretary, and having as a member of that Commission been a party to
recommending certain improvements for the welfare of that country, some of
which have been since effected by the Government.
The subjects entrusted to the
Royal Commissioners for enquiry were principally three: 1. Deep Sea
Fisheries; 2. Arterial Drainage; 3. Railway Extension and Organization. To
the second of these headings, which stated more fully, involved an enquiry
as to “what measures are required with due regard to the improvement or
preservation of any necessary facilities for inland navigation, for the
completion and maintenance of the system of arterial drainage in Ireland,
especially in the districts of the Shannon, the Barrow, and the Bann,” the
Commissioners directed their attention first, and reported that the
catchment area of every river as far as the limit of tidal water, should be
put in the charge of a separate bod}- of conservators, to be composed of
representatives of the various interests concerned, who were to be held
responsible for the maintenance and improvement of the main watercourses,
and who were to have the necessary powers given to them for executing works,
and obtaining funds.
The composition of the Board
of Conservators would accordingly as recommended, consist of representatives
of the lands benefited, the catchment area, the towns, and the Government
Drainage Department.
Commencing with the River
Shannon, the first and finest river in Ireland, the Commissioners suggested
certain controlling works in the form of sluices, and the use of Lough Allen
as an impounding reservoir, and advised the abandonment of the navigation of
the river above Athlone and the utilization of its various locks for
discharging flood waters, and that the Government should contribute towards
these works. For the River Barrow, the upper portion of which is more
subject to floods than any other Irish river, though the lower portion owing
to a more rapid fall, and the height of its banks, is more fortunately
situated, controlling works were also advocated. The removal of portions of
piers and shoals which impeded the current, deepening the river bed at
stated places, and the formation of embankments with back drains, were also
deemed advisable.
In the case of the River Bann
similar regulating works were advocated, the river bed was to be deepened,
and certain sluices erected, and the Government were asked to authorize an
outlay of £20,000 towards the expense of improvement. Having sent in a
report upon “Arterial Drainage,” dated April 9th, 1887, they proceeded to
investigate the two remaining subjects, Deep Sea Fishing, and Railway
Extension and Organization.
Deep Sea Fishing, an
expression which is defined in the second report of the Commissioners as
meaning “sea fishing which is carried on at a considerable distance from
land and in deep water,” was a less difficult subject of enquiry.
It was found that some 1900
boats were engaged in this industry, about 400 of this number regularly and
exclusively, but that a more general use of decked sailing boats of larger
tonnage was advisable. Many of the boats then in use were only eighteen to
twenty feet in length, and Undecked, or rowing boats of various sizes down
to the primitive “curragh,” made of tarred canvas stretched over a wooden
framework. The inferiority of the gear and nets, and the defective local
knowledge possessed by the fishermen of the fishing grounds were also minor
points noticed but deemed of sufficient importance to call for mention in
the Report.
In many of the naturally
protected harbours, such as the Cove of Cork, Berehaven, Lough Swilly and
others, it was reported that there were no proper facilities for landing
cargoes, and that frequently such harbours were inconveniently situated with
regard to the fisher-folk and fishing grounds. In these natural harbours
too, piers were much required.- and in districts where no natural shelter
existed, harbour accommodation was needed. In the case of existing Fishing
Stations much had already been done by State Agency. For by 9 and 10 Viet.
c. 3 (1646), the Government had been empowered to make free grants to the
extent of £5000 upon any such one harbour, the balance being provided by a
loan charged either on the county, the district, or the proprietors of
adjacent lands, according to the character and extent of the benefit
conferred, in respect of general advantages as well as regards sea
fisheries, the invitations in making application for such assistance being
left to the locality interested. Such works when completed remained vested
in the Government, and were to be maintained out of the tolls received for
their use.
But not only were the places
and means of landing fish found to be defective, but there was a great want
of facilities for bringing the fish to market when landed, by sea. road, or
rail. The last named was clearly the best means, provided that the physical
convenience were accompanied by moderation of rates.
Under the heading of “
Railway Extension” to afford these facilities several lines were recommended
as Downpatrick to Ardglass and the Mulroy Bay and Sheep Haven Railway,
alternative lines to KiHibegs, Ballina to Belmullet, and Galway to Clifden.
They advised also the
connection by rail of Tralee with Dingle, Killorglin with Valencia, and
Skibbcreen with Baltimore, a branch line at Kinsale Harbour, and two short
lines at Bantry and Durgarvan.
The second report was issued
on January 4th, 1888, and several of the recommendations have since been
adopted, more especially providing additional facilities for the fishing
industry.
In order to obtain
information respecting the three subjects submitted, enquiries were held by
the Commissioners at various towns in Ireland, and witnesses examined, and
in the month of June, 1887, H.M.S. “Enchantress,” under the command of
Captain Vine, R.N., was placed at their disposal, and on the 1st of that
month they started from Kingstown on a four weeks cruise to inspect the
harbours upon the Irish coast. This brief period sufficed to complete the
circuit of Ireland, in effecting which the log registered a voyage of 1941
miles.
In a letter of June 26th
1887, after referring to a vi*it of the Commissioners to Donegal on the 21st
inst., and holding a enquiry there, he wrote: “We returned to the
‘Enchantress’ at Killibegs, which was anchored in front of the town in deep
water and under perfect shelter, and next morning being Her Majesty’s
Jubilee day, Captain Vine read prayers, all the officers and crew being in
grand trim, after which the whole crew joined with us in singing ‘God Save
the Queen,’ which resounded over the hills and far away. An officer on a
revenue cutter anchored close to us, managed to fire a royal salute in good
time from the only two pieces on board, and when night came we fired oft
rockets and fireworks. The loyal houses in the town illuminated their
windows, and the lofty hill behind had a large bonfire blazing on its
summit.” This extract from one of his letters, which affords strong evidence
of his loyalty as a subject, serves as an appropriate introduction to a
reference to other personal qualities. Those who knew him professionally,
are equally qualified, however, to testify to these, and their testimony
will perhaps be received with
less suspicion of partiality
if they are called, instead of his son. “Engineering” of March, 20th 1896
said of him:—“Wherever he stayed he made friends, and everywhere he left
behind him the remembrance of his bright cheery personality, and of his
goodness of heart,” and the editor of “Transport” in the issue of March
13th, of the same year:—“With him there passed away probably the last of the
old school of harbour engineers: and not a few of the younger men who are
now coming to the front will remember many a kind encouragement which they
have received from Mr. Abernethy, for one of his most marked
characteristics—and this I can speak to personally—was the almost
exceptional interest he showed in the progress of his younger brethren.”
Perhaps the branch of
engineering with which it has been attempted to permanently associate his
name, is not one that appeals very forcibly to the popular imagination, but
it should be remembered that in many instances the completion of an
undertaking was in fact a local victory gained over the sea, and that much
of his best work, by means of which a series of such victories have been
won, remains hidden either under land or under water.
He joined the Institution of
Civil Engineers in 1844 and became its President in 1881. He was also a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a member of the Society of Arts,
an Associate of the Royal Society of Naval Architects, and Justice of the
Peace for the Counties of Kent and Middlesex. Rut perhaps the most
appropriate title, was that conferred upon him in his old age by members of
his own profession: “Father of Marine Engineering." |
