George Smith Duncan
Encyclopedia
George Smith Duncan was a tram
way and mining
engineer best known for his work on cable trams
, and for his work in the gold
mining industry.
Duncan was born in the New Zealand
city of Dunedin
in 1852, the son of recent Scottish
immigrants. He was educated at Clifton College
near Bristol
in England
, and at both the University of Edinburgh
in Scotland
and the University of Otago
in New Zealand. He was subsequently appointed engineer for the District of Otago
.
Between 1879 and 1883, Duncan was responsible for the development of the Dunedin cable tramway system
. He was then appointed consulting engineer (and subsequently engineer) for the development of the Melbourne cable tramway system
in Australia
, a post he held until 1892, being largely responsible for the development of over 44 miles of cable tram route.
Shortly after leaving his post in Melbourne, Duncan travelled to both America and Europe. Whilst in London he was elected a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
for his efforts on the Melbourne cable tramway system. However what he saw on his travels lead him to question the future of cable tramways, and on his return to Australia he advised Brisbane
against adopting such a system in favour of electric
traction.
From 1894, Duncan became involved in the gold mining industry of Victoria, introducing the cyanide process for extracting gold from ore
and mine tailings
, and founding the firm of Duncan, Noyes & Co. He later became involved in experiments to extract gold from seawater
, and achieved this in 1912 from the waters of Port Phillip
. He continued to experiment until shortly before his death, but failed in his aim of making the process economically viable.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
engineer best known for his work on cable trams
Cable car (railway)
A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required...
, and for his work in the gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mining industry.
Duncan was born in the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
city of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
in 1852, the son of recent Scottish
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...
immigrants. He was educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and at both the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
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...
and the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
in New Zealand. He was subsequently appointed engineer for the District of Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
.
Between 1879 and 1883, Duncan was responsible for the development of the Dunedin cable tramway system
Dunedin cable tramway system
The Dunedin cable tramway system was a group of cable tramway lines in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is significant as Dunedin was the second city in the world to adopt the cable car .- History :...
. He was then appointed consulting engineer (and subsequently engineer) for the development of the Melbourne cable tramway system
Melbourne cable tramway system
The Melbourne cable tramway system was a cable car public transportation system operated from 1885 to 1940 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, a post he held until 1892, being largely responsible for the development of over 44 miles of cable tram route.
Shortly after leaving his post in Melbourne, Duncan travelled to both America and Europe. Whilst in London he was elected a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
for his efforts on the Melbourne cable tramway system. However what he saw on his travels lead him to question the future of cable tramways, and on his return to Australia he advised Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
against adopting such a system in favour of electric
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
traction.
From 1894, Duncan became involved in the gold mining industry of Victoria, introducing the cyanide process for extracting gold from ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
and mine tailings
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
, and founding the firm of Duncan, Noyes & Co. He later became involved in experiments to extract gold from seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
, and achieved this in 1912 from the waters of Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
. He continued to experiment until shortly before his death, but failed in his aim of making the process economically viable.
External links
- Web page on George Smith Duncan (from the website of the Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot)
Sources
- Web page http://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/papers/duncan.htm, as retrieved 12:00 GMT, 28 September 2011.