DEATH OF JOHN GELL

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 281, 22 August 1940, Page 7

DEATH OF JOHN GELL

Noted Telegraphic Inventor

LIVED IN WELLINGTON

News has been received in Wellington of the death in London on August 15 of Mr. John Geil, formerly of the New Zealand Telegraph Department. Mr. Geil was born in Cuba Street, Wellington, his parents, John and Martha Geil, having arrived from England by the ship Bombay in 1842. Mr. Geil was educated at a private school in the Te Aro district, and afterward attended Wellington Boys’ College in Clifton Terrace. He was probably the oldest old boy of the college living; for many years he was a member of the London branch of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Association, retaining Ids membership to the time of bis death.

After leaving college be joined the Telegraph Department as a cadet in 1871. He made such advances on the technical side of his profession that be was given a position at Cable Bay at the time when the transtasman cables used that point as New Zealand terminal. About the end of last century he became interested in inventive work. One of iris products was a patent keyboard perforator and transmitter; in 1001 he went to England to develop and place the invention which bore his name. The Geil inventions proved successful, and were taken up by several Governments in Europe; leading newspapers also installed them to facilitate the receipt and dispatch of news. These inventions, it is understood, served their term admirably, but were rendered less valuable when Marconi came on the scene. However, a private company has continuously been in existence to exploit Mr. Geli’s inventions, one of the latest being a paper-making testing machine. Up to tiie time war was declared last year Mr. Geil, though 84 years old, was in the habit of visiting the factory once or twice a week, so keen was his interest in the work.

Mr. Gell will be remembered in Wellington by elderly people as a man, over six feet in height, who invariably wore a morning coat. He was an adherent of the Taranaki Street Wesley Methodist Church, and was the leader of the Young Men’s Bible Class attached to the Sunday school. He was also a church officer and a local preacher.

Mr. Gell was the oldest life member of the Star Boating Club, and was the last foundation member of the Aorangi Lodge of Freemasons, Wellington. He desired to revisit New Zea land for the centennial celebrations, and had actually booked his passage to leave in December, but because of the war the visit had to be postponed. Mr. Gell was married in 1897 to Miss fanny Gamble (member of the then well-known Wellington family), who still lives in London. There are also three daughters, Mrs. Brown, Bishop Stortford, England, Mrs. Barn-’s Liverpool, and Mrs. L. W. Tiller Northland, Wellington.