RAILWAY PIONEER.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 78, 2 April 1928, Page 8

RAILWAY PIONEER.

DEATH OF MR. J. H. LOWE. PIKE RECORD OF SERVICE. LONG ASSOCIATION WITH N.Z.

Advice has been received of the death in London of Mr. John Henry Lowe, who was at one time chief engineer of the New Zealand Railways, a position he held from 1887 to when he retired in 1900.

Mr. Lowe came out to New Zealand in the ship Belinda Dudley, arriving in Auckland in 1862, and transhipped to a scow in Auckland harbour, intending to go to Wellington. Bad weather intervened and the vessel had to put into Marlborough Sounds. She then went to Nelson. It was the days : the old provincial Governments. An engineer by training, Mr. Lowe called at the head office, and was engaged as engineer of the first triangulation survey of the Nelson province. He also undertook the supervision and formation cf arterial roads and located Cobden. On account of the indisposition of Mr. Kennersley, district magistrate and a goldtields warden at -hat time, Mr. Lowe was temporarily ippointed to take up those duties, holdng office to 1870. That year he returned ■o England to be married. In 1873 Mr. Uowe came back to New Zealand just is the Government had let a contract o Brogden and Co., English contractors, to H.'il « ra»way from Wellington •Wg engineer, SiSTA squares; he South minnd Main TJSFJESJ

was finished Mr. Lowe was appointed engineer of working railways in the South Island with headquarters at Christchurch. Subsequently the head office was removed to Dunedin, and in 1887 Mr. Lowe went to Wellington as the first engineer of working railways, where he was associated with the railways construction development policy that came in later years. Mr. Lowe left the service and went to India with the object of assisting in missionary work. At Poona he established a rest home for young missionaries who needed accommodation on furlough. He returned to England, where he lived in the old home in Somerset.

Mr. Lowe was the son of John William Lowe, one of the famous lawyers of his day of the Inner Temple. The latter was born deaf and dumb and concentrated on conveyancing work. With the object of extending his business to all parts of the world he made himself conversant with 34 different languages, so that if a Chinese came in he could deal with him direct. Mr. Lowe's father was engaged in many famous international cases.

Mr. John Henry Lowe was aged 86 years. He leaves four sons and a daughter, Mt. Charles Lowe, tobacco expert for the New Zealand Government; Dr.. Ernest Lowe, of Buenos Ayres; Dr. Edward Lt>we, England; Mr. J. K. Lowe, district engineer New Zealand railways at -Auckland; and Miss A. Lowe, who lived with him up to the time of his death.