PERSONAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 397, 11 August 1921, Page 6

PERSONAL.

The Into Mr Michael Burgess, who passed away at Organie on August. sth, was a ship building engineer by. profession. Born 78 years ago at. Waterford, Ireland, he wont to Australia 56 years ago. Ho was shipwrecked at the entrance (o Port Philip (Melbourne) and swam ashore carrying the lady who afterwards became his wile. Rounding tho Horn in a fearful storm on a subsequent voyage the rigging of his ship was' carried overboard, but -Mr Burgess I saved Tho vessel by crawlng out along the bowsprit and cutting the wreckage adrift. Later he joined the cabjo service in Aus-

i i.ralia and laid tho cable .between Port j | Darwin and Java While m the. cable, scr | j vice he travelled extensively. • Coming to i New Zealand for health reasons, he, settled! at Bulls, where he supervised the' construct j Ron of the first bridge over the Rangitikei ' river near that town, lie was engaged.

by (ho Government to supervise -.the con-. Struct ion-of the chief bridges on the Napier, I lino and was also associated with the build ing’ of the- main bridges and viaducts on tho Main Trunk'line.: i lie also acted as bridge inspector for many years.. Deceased was the first known .user of ferro-eoncrelo

jii this part of tho world, using barbed ( wire as the. reinforcing medium and. sped-' mens of his work are still to bo seen id -use and are Round; On tho outbreak of the j South African war (1800) Mr Burgess i joined llie Royal Engineers (Imperial Army) and served throughout the earn paign. and later was engaged by (lie Government of South Africa to supervise the reconstruction of the railways of the Orange ( Free Slate which had been damaged during tho fighting. He was also called in as advisory engineer in the, construction oi various difficult pieces of the <Zu!uland railways. hi every way was deceased renogj itised as a master of ihe principles of bridge j construction. Predeceased by ins wife seven years ago, Mr Burgess is survNed by lour ons (three of whom saw service in the late war). and two (laughters. 'lhe sons ,".i'e: William (land age,id, Morton), Jack (consulting engineer, London),' Peter (King George- Hospital, Rotorua), and Christy (Papua, a\ present in New Zealand), and the daughters. Mrs Li Larsen (Dannevirke) and Mrs P. Brail; (Whakaronga).