FAMOUS CIVIL ENGINEER.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 77, 31 March 1924, Page 8

FAMOUS CIVIL ENGINEER.

ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH'S REPRESENTATIVE. MAN WHO IS TO BUILD THE KATDvATI RAILWAY. Colonel S. H. Greenhough, the technical representative of the Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Company, of Elswick, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England | (the firm which has contracted with the j Government to build the Katikati-1 Te Puna section of the East Coast railway), is a British engineer of long and wide experience, says the "Dominion." Prior to the war—now ten years ago — ! he was for many years in the employ of S. Pearson and Sons, of London, a big firm which undertook large works in any part of the world, but Colonel Greenhough's experience has been pretty well devoted to harbour works and railways. In the Pearson firm's employ he was in charge of the reconstruction and widening of the South Devon section of the Great Western Railway, and later took charge of the construction of the Lancashire-Derbyshire railway, which serves a very important part of England. After successfully completing that work he was placed in charge of the dock building at Port Talbot in South Wales. One of the most interesting works Colonel Greenhough planned and carried out was the building of Vera Cruz harbour (in the Gulf of Mexico) for the Mexican Government in the years 1896----97. This was a complete work, inclusive of the throwing out of moles, construction of docks, etc., the result of which is a very fine harbour, which today stands as a monument to the enterprise of the Diar Government. As this work was carried out during the thirty years' peace, there was never any trouble caused by revolutionaries, and the big work proceeded smoothly and expeditiously from beginning to end. It will be remembered that towards the close of the nineteenth century the British Government became alive to the strategic importance of Dover, and the Admiralty figured out that in the event of war with any of their neighbours in Europe this port would either be a source of strength or danger in the defence of British interests in the English Channel. With something like providential premonition the Admiralty decided to make it a port for defence and offence, and in giving Dover the I good 'kick" it proved to have in tho Great War, Colonel Greenhough was engaged from 1597 to 1903. So satisfactory was his work in that connection that he was afterwards entrusted with the reconstruction and strengthening of Grande Harbour at Valetta, Malta, of which island dependency he has some interesting memories. Having had a good innings at big harbour works, Colonel Greenhough was appointed engineer in charge of the Nigerian railway construction works, and built a line "00 miles in length from Lagos (on tbe West Coast of Africa), inland to Kano. Whilst there he also built a branch line, 150 miles in length, to tap a tin mine field, and another line from Port Harcourt to the Udi coalfields; all of these works were done by Pearson and Co: for the Colonial Office. Following their completion came the Great War, in which Colonel Greenhough served throughout as an officer of the Royal Engineers. The Armstrong Whitworth group of companies has not for long had a civil engineering side to their business, but the firm is known the world over as shipbuilders and armament manufac- | turers on the largest scale. They are |at present carrying out big harbour works at Lagos, and have recent!}- completed the erection and equipment of extensive locomotive works at the same African port. The firm is also engaged on the construction of hydro-electric | works in Newfoundland, to cost about £4.000,000. Referring to the East Coast railway contract, Colonel Greenhough said that of the £461,000 involved, about one-third would be paid out for labour, whilst a very large amount would, in addition, be paid for Australian and New Zealand timber and New Zealand cement. The section of the railway to be built by Armstrong Whitworth and Co. skirts a range of mountains which runs practically parallel to Tauranga Harbour. The time limit imposed in the contract is three years from the date of , signing up. \ Incidentally, it might be mentioned j that the company will be among the j tenderers for the Government hydroelectric works at Arapuni.