| Made continuous improvements to marine
engines which became the world standard and made the Clyde the most
important shipbuilding river in the world. In
1883 the first Naval Architecture Chair in the world was created at
the University of Glasgow. The John Elder Chair of Naval Architecture
was resulted from the friendship between Professor William J. Macquorn
Rankine and the Clyde shipbuilder, John Elder. Ten years after the death
of John Elder in 1873, his widow Isabella Elder endowed the Chair as a
memorial to her husband. This was the beginning of the Naval Architecture
Department.
John Elder, like Robert Napier, was truly
one of the fathers of modern shipbuilding. It was his development of the
compound steam engine (every bit as important as James Watt's condenser)
that gave the River Clyde and Randolph, Elder and Co. the technological
edge which led to the Clyde being at the forefront of the world
shipbuilding industry. He encouraged his workers to attend evening classes
and even paid the fees of those who could not afford them. His influence
was such that most businesses in Govan closed as an expression of respect
at the news of his death. |
