Person
Stone, William (1858 - 1949)
- Born
- 12 May 1858
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia - Died
- 25 January 1949
Kew, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Electrical engineer
Summary
William Stone was an electrical engineer who, having joined the Victorian Railways in 1883, oversaw the electrification of Melbourne's suburban rail network. After a report commissioned by the Victorian Government recommended such electrification, Stone undertook a study tour of Europe, Britain and the United States. On his return to Melbourne, he embarked on the project in 1913: it was completed in 1919. In 1893 and 1917 Stone was involved in inquiries into the use of coal in the generation of electricity. The recommendations of the latter inquiry included the establishment of the State Electricity Commission and government generation and distribution of electricity for industrial development. Stone retired from the Victorian Railways in 1920 and pursued his other interests. These included assisting his friends H. G. Grayson in making ruling engines for microscope test plates and diffraction grating; and A. G. M. Michell with his crankless engine. Stone maintained his connection with the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Melbourne until 1937.
Details
Chronology
- 1883 - 1905
- Career position - Electrical Foreman, Victorian Railways
- 1900
- Career position - President, Victorian Institute of Engineers
- 1903 - 1937
- Career position - Member, Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne
- 1905 - 1912
- Career position - Electrical and lighting engineer, Telegraph Branch, Victorian Railways
- 1913 - 1920
- Career position - Chief Electrical Engineer, Electrical Engineering Branch, Victorian Railways
- 1917 - 1920
- Career position - Member, Advisory Committee on the utilization of brown coal, Victorian Railways
- 1920
- Life event - Retired from Victorian Railways
Related entries
Colleague
Archival resources
The University of Melbourne Archives
- William Stone - Records, 1893 - 1939; The University of Melbourne Archives. Details
Published resources
Book Sections
- Bolton, H. C., 'Stone, William (1858-1949), electrical engineer and physicist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 12: 1891 - 1939 Smy-Z, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1990), p. 101. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120117b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- Bolton, H. C., 'The Development of Ruling Engines in Melbourne, 1890-1940: a Link between Amateur and Professional Science', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (4) (1987), 493-505. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9870640493. Details
- Russell, K. F., 'William Stone (1858 - 1949): a pioneer in Australian radiology', Australasian radiology, 19 (3) (1975), 216-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1673.1975.tb01950.x. Details
- Stone, W., 'Grayson's micro rulings', Journal of scientific instruments, 11 (1) (1934), 1-6. Details
- Stone, William, 'Presidential address 1901 (vol. III)', Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers vol. III (1903), 1-20. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/24280. Details
- Stone, William, 'Notes on a test of Parson's Steam Turbines, at Spencer Street Railway Station (Paper & Discussion)', Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers vol. III (1903), 65-69. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/24276. Details
- Stone, William, 'A few notes on the air pump (Paper & Discussion)', Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers vol. III (1903), 1-36. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/24273. Details
- Stone, William, 'Notes on and exhibit of a transmission dynamometer (Paper & Discussion)', Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers vol. IV (1905), 67-76. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/24295. Details
- Stone, William, 'Condenser tube corrosion and erosion (Illustrated)', Commonwealth Engineer, 7 (6) (1920), 171-172. Details
- Stone, William, 'A proposed method for solving some problems in lubrication - II (Illustrated)', Commonwealth Engineer, 9 (5) (1921), 139-148. Details
- Stone, William, 'A proposed method for solving some problems in lubrication - I (Illustrated)', Commonwealth Engineer, 9 (4) (1921), 115-122. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21539626. Details
- 'Stone, William', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1467112. Details
Resource Sections
- 'Stone, William', in Physics in Australia to 1945, R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham, Australian Science Archives Project, June 1995, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/physics/P000802p.htm. Details
McCarthy, G.J. and Helen Cohn
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 10 October 2023
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