Sir William Galloway - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Sir William Galloway (1840-1927) was the eldest son of William Galloway (1799-1854), JP, Paisley

Paisley

Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...

shawl manufacturer and coal and iron master of Paisley, Scotland and his second wife Margaret Lindsay (1818-1902), daughter of Thomas Lindsay, brewer

Brewer

Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...

of Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. He was educated firstly in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, then in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

and London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. He qualified as a mining engineer and spent much of his life as an Inspector of Mines, before being offered the post of Professor of Mining at the University College of Wales. His life was spent tirelessly improving the lot of miners and working to determine the causes of explosions and accidents in mines and finding ways of preventing them or alleviating their impact. His efforts were eventually recognised by the country when in 1924, at the age of 83, he was knighted.

Education

William attended a private school then went to Germany and studied at the University of Giessen

University of Giessen

The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...

and the Technische Universitat Bergakademie Freiberg

Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg

The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg is a small German University of Technology with about 5000 students in the city of Freiberg, Saxony...

. He also studied at University College, London. He was proficient in six languages, and in later life received an honorary degree D.Sc. at the University of Wales, where he was employed as a Professor of Mining.

Mining Career

In 1861, at the age of 21, William Galloway was employed as Colliery Manager at Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...

, Scotland.

He is granted a First Class Certificate as Manager of Over Possil mine on the June 20, 1873, and of F.Dinas

Dinas

Dinas may refer to one of several places:Wales* Dinas, Carmarthenshire* Dinas, Gwynedd**Dinas railway station, Gwynedd* Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire* Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan**Dinas Powys railway station* Dinas Rhondda, Rhondda Cynon Taf...

in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

on the June 16, 1879.

As mining inspector in Scotland he was called on to investigate the causes of accidents in between 60 and 80 instances before moving to Wales.

On the December 3, 1875 at Old Pit, New Tredegar

New Tredegar

New Tredegar is a former coal mining community in the Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly county borough, Wales , within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire....

, after a minor explosion the previous day where no gas had been detected, the men entered the pit against orders and at 8am there was a tremendous explosion killing 20 men and boys instantly with 2 more dying from injuries sustained..

Just three days later, on the December 6, 1875, at Llan

Llan

Llan is a village in Powys, Mid Wales, located on the B4518 road to Llanidloes, from Llanbrynmair.The parish church of St Mary is located here. This area was the original centre of Llanbrynmair up to the early to mid 19th century...

Colliery, Pentyrch, there was another explosion killing 12 men and boys. William Galloway was called in as Mining Inspector, and reported his findings at the Inquest. He had found that both the timbers and the miners furthest from the point of ignition were the most severely burned, which re-enforced his theory that in dry mines the coal dust spread the explosion. His conclusions were accepted by the Inquest

Inquest

Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...

and the introduction of 'watering' and the laying of stone

STONe

is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Sin-Ichi Hiromoto. Kodansha released the two bound volumes of the manga on April 23, 2002 and August 23, 2002, respectively.The manga is licensed for an English-languague released in North America be Tokyopop...

dust was a direct result of his observations at Llan.

In 1876 he delivered lectures in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

with Jules Pierre Callon and Sir Clement le Neve Foster, which have been translated and printed in 'Lectures on mining delivered at the School of Mines, Paris'http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-iiLZwEACAAJ&dq=Professor+william+galloway&hl=en&ei=MyrMTsCQDoGG8gOL7rjuDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBjiWAQ

By the start of the 1880's his theories on the dangers of coal dust were being taken more seriously and have been discussed in many books and articles from then to the present day.

In 1884 he was called upon to give evidence at the Penycraig disaster and his evidence, as printed in the Cardiff Western Mail 1884, is held by the NEIMME, along with a course of lectures on mining given by him for the South Wales Institute of Engineers in 1900.

On Apr 23, 1887 he was elected as a Member of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers

North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers

The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers is a British institution dedicated to the research and preservation of knowledge relating to mining and mechanical engineering...

.
and from 1896-1903 and 1907-1910 he was a Council Member of the Institute of Mining Engineers for Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

.

January 23, 1907 he was called before the Royal Commission

Royal Commission

In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...

on Mines to give evidence with regard to 'watering' the mine floor and its effectiveness, and in 1910 his evidence was given to the Miners' Federation after the Wellington Pit Disaster.

Not all the loss of life in the mines was caused by explosions. Some like the Troehydriw disaster of 1877 and the Townhead

Townhead

-Location:Townhead has no fixed boundaries. In ancient times it was the undeveloped area north of the cathedral and town. If we use this description then it is bordered to the west by the area of Cowcaddens, to the north by Sighthill and the east by Royston and south by Merchant City...

disaster of 1913 involved extensive flooding of the pits. In both these cases some men survived only after air and supplies were passed to them through bore holes while they awaited rescue. The rescue took ten days in Troehydriw and the country including Queen Victoria expressed concern for the men and she requesting photographic proof of their safe rescue. The survivors at Townhead had to wait for five days before rescue in 1913. Both of these were incidents that William Galloway had to attend as mining inspector.

By 1923 he followed his family tradition in ownership/directorship of mines being the Chairman and Director of the East Kent Colliery Co. Ltd and Director of the Snowdown Collieries Ltd. companies

Inventions and Research

In 1870 William started investigating the cause of explosions in dry mines, and became convinced that the cause was the coal dust

Coal dust

Coal dust is a fine powdered form of coal, which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal.-Explosions:...

, as well as fire damp. He was called upon, as a mining inspector, to investigate the causes of between 60 and 80 explosions in Scottish mines and it became his 'life's work' to find ways to reduce the risk to the lives on miners underground. He carried out tests with safety lamps, finding that the flame

Flame

A flame is the visible , gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic reaction taking place in a thin zone...

was deflected through the gauze

Gauze

Gauze is a thin, translucent fabric with a loose open weave.-Uses and types:Gauze was originally made of silk and was used for clothing. It is now used for many different things, including gauze sponges for medical purposes. When used as a medical dressing, gauze is generally made of cotton...

when shots were fired, measured the varying size and colour of flame depending on the atmospheric conditions and composition. He wrote up papers on all his findings and presented them to the Institute of Mining, the Royal Society

Royal Society

The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...

, the Athenaeum Club, London

Athenaeum Club, London

The Athenaeum Club, usually just referred to as the Athenaeum, is a notable London club with its Clubhouse located at 107 Pall Mall, London, England, at the corner of Waterloo Place....

and anyone else who would listen.

In 1872 he wrote, as Inspector of Mines, an article together with Robert H. Scott F.R.S., Director of the Meteorological Office entitled 'On the connection between colliery explosions and the weather in 1872'. Showing that there was more likelihood of explosions in dry weather than wet in shallow mines. This was published by the Royal Meteorological Society in their Quarterly Journal of 1875, Vol. 2, Issue 12, pp 195-205.

He did numerous experiments to determine the size of the flame on lamps which determined the percentage of fire damp in the atmosphere, details that were ridiculed at the time, but have since been found to be extremely accurate.

William Galloway devised an improved walling cradle enabling two teams of workers to operate on different levels at the same time. He also devised a means of substituting the cages

Cages

Cages is a 2005 film, directed by American film director Graham Streeter which tells the story of a single mother named Ali Tan who attempts to escape repeated bad releationships which puts her before the man she resents the most—her father, Tan...

with water tanks to remove large quantities of water from flooded mines in much less time. These became known as the Galloway pneumatic tanks

In 1875 he patented the idea of using twin guides or guide ropes for the kibble

Kibble

Kibble is the act of coarsely grinding something such as grain.Kibble may also refer to: adam kibble.* Kibble, a component of dog food or cat food, as in Kibbles 'n Bits* Chris Kibble , British jazz musician...

, allowing two kibbles to be used in the 'sinking' of a shaft

Shaft

- Long narrow passages :* Elevator shaft* Ventilation shaft, vertical passages used in mines and tunnels to move fresh air underground, and to remove stale air* Shaft , an underground vertical or inclined passageway...

. He also devised improved counter balanced doors to cover the top of the shaft. This speeded up operations, but also reduced the danger of injury to the men, and damage to the shaft.

He designed a steel bucket

Bucket

A bucket, also called a pail, is typically a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with an open top and a flat bottom, usually attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail. A pail can have an open top or can have a lid....

to carry the coal underground

Underground

Underground most commonly refers to:* The regions beneath the surface of the EarthUnderground may also refer to:-Places:* London Underground, a rapid transit system* The Underground , a Christian-affiliated concert venue...

with wheels

Wheels

Wheels is the plural of wheel.Wheels or WHEELS can also refer to:In literature:*Wheels , by Arthur Hailey*Wheels *Wheels Magazine In music:...

lubricated from the hollow axle boxes and buffers to give a smoother ride and lessen the amount of coal dust dropped on the road, and he also devised a small engine

Engine

An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...

, small enough to be taken down in a cage and which could run along the tracks and be connected up to compressed air

Compressed air

Compressed air is air which is kept under a certain pressure, usually greater than that of the atmosphere. In Europe, 10 percent of all electricity used by industry is used to produce compressed air, amounting to 80 terawatt hours consumption per year....

to operate, thus removing the need for pit ponies to be used to haul coal trucks. He installed a compressed air

Compressed air

system using two engines to raise and lower equipment at Llanbradach

Llanbradach

Llanbradach is a village in the Welsh county borough of Caerphilly, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, south Wales less than 3 miles north of the town of Caerphilly....

colliery. These and others are mentioned in 'A Text Book of Ore and Stone Mining'

Later Life

Being unable to gain promotion in Wales

Wales

to senior inspector, possibly because he was a Scotsman

Scotsman

Scotsman may mean:* a man from Scotland, in common parlance - see also Scottish people.* No true Scotsman, a common logical fallacy.*The Scotsman, a national newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland....

in Wales, William Galloway resigned his post as Assistant Inspector

Inspector

Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...

of Mines.

He became the first Professor of Mining in the newly formed University College of Wales in Cardiff

Cardiff

, some of his lectures now being available on line. Resigning from there in 1902.

He hired himself out as a Consultant Engineer

Engineer

An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...

and took on work both in Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

and abroad, for example, Assam

Assam

Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...

,and The Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...

.

On February 22, 1917 he presented a paper to the Commission

Commission

Commission may refer to:* Commission , a form of payment to an agent for services rendered* Commission , a document given to commissioned officers....

on Mines at the Houses of Parliament with regard to his findings over the years with regard to the explosive properties of coal dust

Sir William Galloway died November 2, 1927 at his home in Park Place, Cardiff and is buried in Cathay Cemetery, Cardiff with a very distinctive marker.

Honours

Honorary Degree. D.Sc from the University College of Wales

William Galloway was knighted in the New Year's Honours List of 1924, becoming Sir William Galloway

Shaw Gold Medal by the Royal Society of Arts

Royal Society of Arts

The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...

Medal by the Institution of Mining Engineers

Special Gold Medal by the South Wales Institute of Engineers

South Wales Institute of Engineers

South Wales Institute of Engineers was founded in 1857 as a learned society for engineers and scientists in the area, arranging lectures and publishing the Proceedings of the South Wales Institute of Engineers. In 2007, the body was re-constituted as South Wales Institute of Engineers Educational...

in 1925

His Portrait presented by the Monmouthshire

Monmouthshire

Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...

and South Wales

South Wales

South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...

Coalowners Association, and he was later also presented with a gold watch

Watch

A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...

Family

William Galloway's father William married firstly: Agnes Muir (1803-1830) by whom he had three children: John Galloway (1825-1899), coal master of Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...

, Ayrshire

Ayrshire

Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...

, and Margaret (1827-) and William (1830-)who both died young.

In 1837 William Galloway snr. married Margaret Lindsay (1818-1902) in Paisley

Paisley

Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...

and they had the following children:

Margaret Galloway (1838-1912) who married John Corry, son of Robert Corry founder of James P. Corry & Co. shipping company, later the Star Line shipping company
William Galloway (1840-1927) Mining Engineer, University Professor and Inventor;
Thomas Lindsay Galloway (1842-1850);
Robert Lindsay Galloway
Robert Lindsay Galloway
Robert Lindsay Galloway Mining Engineer and Author, son of William Galloway , Paisley Shawl Manufacturer and Coal Master and Margaret Lindsay daughter of Thomas Lindsay, Glasgow brewer...

(1844-1908)Coal master and author;
James Jack Galloway (1847-1928)Civil Engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...

/Coalmaster;
Thomas or T. Lindsay Galloway
T. Lindsay Galloway
T. Lindsay Galloway MA, FRSE. FGS, AMInst, MInstME was the youngest son of William Galloway shawl manufacturer and coal master of Paisley, Scotland and Margaret Lindsay...

(1854-1921)Civil and Mining Engineer and Author.

William Galloway married firstly Christiana Maud Mary Gordon (1853-1880) by whom he had four children: Sarah Christiana W Galloway (1877-1878); William Albert Denis Galloway

Denis Galloway

William Albert Denis Galloway , better known as Denis Galloway, was a Scottish ethnographic artist and photographer. The elder son of Sir William Galloway , Mining Professor at University College of Wales in Cardiff, and Christiana Maud Mary Gordon . His younger brother was Christian Francis John...

(1878-1957); Christiana Margaret Gordon Galloway (1879-1880) and Christian Francis John Galloway (1880-1960)

He had two daughters by Ada Rose Cliffe (1867-1949): Marjorie Galloway Cliffe (1894-1976) and Gertrude Galloway Cliffe (1896-1957)

His second marriage was to Mary Gwennap Douglas Killick, formerly Wood, who had three children from her former marriage to Richard Killick (1850-1930).

Finally with Charlotte Jane Galloway, formerly Sparkes (1887-1977), he had two daughters Constance Olivia Galloway (1914-2004) and Ruth Viola Galloway (1919-1991)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.