Person

Mais, Henry Coathupe (1827 - 1916)

Born
14 May 1827
Westbury-on-Trym, Gloucestershire, England
Died
25 February 1916
South Yarra, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Civil engineer and Mechanical engineer

Summary

Henry Mais MInstCE, MIMechE, MVIE, MASCE, was the Engineer-in-Chief, Public Works, South Australia from 1867 to 1887. Under his direction most of the South Australian Government Railways and many narrow gauge mineral railways were constructed. After he moved to Victoria, in 1890, Mais helped established the Victorian Advisory Committee of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and was its Chairman for 16 years. He had a keen interest in microscopy and donated his extensive library to the Royal Society of South Australia.

Details

REPORTS:
As Engineer-in-Chief for South Australia, he was responsible for about one hundred reports published as parliamentary papers.

Reports on Railways include:
* 'Port Caroline to Border Railway' SA PP 1868-9 (40);
* 'Construction of railway' SA PP 1870-71 (77);
* 'Reports on Port Augusta Railway Scheme' SA PP 1870-71 (111);
* 'Report on economic street tramway' SA PP 1870-71 (206);
* 'Railway routes in the District of Victoria' SA PP 1872 (45);
* 'Port Augusta and Willochra Railway' SA PP 1877 (55);
* 'Reports on railway to Bordertown' SA PP 1877 (231);
* 'Purchase of railway rolling stock from New Zealand' SA PP 1878 (45);
* 'Report and estimate of cost of railway from Adelaide to Nairne' SA PP 1878 (141);
* 'Port Darwin and Pine Creek Railway' SA PP 1879 (47);
* 'Observations on railways and other subjects' SA PP 1884 (230).

Reports on Water Supply include:
* 'Proposed new waterworks reservoir' SA PP 1868-9 (41).

Reports on Bridges include:
* 'Particulars respecting Murray Bridge' SA PP 1867 (160);
* 'Report on proposed site of Murray Bridge' SA PP 1869-70 (110);
* 'Murray and Port Bridges' SA PP 1877 (254);
* 'Report on Port Bridge' SA PP 1877 (255);
* 'Timber structures - Kapunda to North-West Bend Railway' SA PP 1880 (187);

Reports on Navigation include:
* 'Report on harbor improvements' SA PP 1869-70 (125);
* 'Proposed River Murray Canal' SA PP 1874 (93);
* 'Proposed shipping pier LeFevre Peninsula' SA PP 1875 SS(4);
* 'Cost and stability of Port Adelaide Lighthouse' SA PP 1877 (79);
* 'Plan and cost of dry dock at Port Adelaide' SA PP 1885 (108).

PUBLISHED PAPERS:
* 'Report on Observations on Railways during a tour in 1883', incl. Illustrations accompanying the Report.

Chronology

- 1844
Education - Bishop's College, Bristol
- 1848
Career position - Articled to engineer William M Peniston, (assistant to I K Brunel), Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway.
1848 - 1850
Career position - Assisting engineer, Broad Street Foundry, Birmingham.
1850
Life event - Migrated to Sydney, Australia
1851 - 1853
Career position - Acting Engineer, Sydney Railway Company
1853 - 1856
Career position - Assistant Engineer, Sydney City Council
1858 - 1862
Career position - Engineer for Contractor, Cornish and Bruce. Melbourne to Bendigo Railway.
1862 - 1865
Career position - General Manager and Engineer, Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company
1865 - 1867
Career position - Engineer, Water Supply Department, Victoria
1867 - 1887
Career position - Engineer-in-Chief, Public Works, South Australia
2 Dec 1879
Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1883 -
Career event - Fellow, Royal Society of South Australia
1883
Career event - Member (MASCE), American Society of Civil Engineers
1884
Career event - Member (MIMechE), Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London
1884 - 1885
Career event - President, Royal Society of South Australia
1888
Career event - Member (MVIE), Victorian Institute of Engineers
1888 - 1912
Career position - Consulting engineer and Abitrator
1890 - 1916
Career position - Chairman, Victorian Advisory Committee, Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1912
Life event - Retired
1916
Life event - Buried, Boroondara Cemetery, Victoria

Related Corporate Bodies

Related People

Published resources

Books

  • Cumming, D. A., Some Public Works Engineers in Victoria in the Nineteenth Century (Melbourne: University of Melbourne, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, 1985), 59 pp. pp.20-21. Details
  • Cumming, D. A.; Moxham, G. C., They built South Australia : engineers, technicians, manufacturers, contractors and their work (Adelaide: D.A. Cumming and G.C Moxham, 1986), 241 pp. pp.126-128. Details

Book Sections

Edited Books

  • Bailey, M. R.; Chrimes, M. M.; Cox, R. C.; Cross-Rudkin, P. S. M.; Hurst, B. L.; McWilliam, R. C.; Rennison, R. W.; Ruddock, E. C.; Sutherland, R. J. M.; Swailes, T. ed., Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 2: 1830-1890 (London, United Kingdom: Thomas Telford Publishing, 2008), 907 pp. 'Mais, Henry Coathupe', pp.513-514. Details

Journal Articles

Newspaper Articles

Resources

See also

  • Serle, Percival, Dictionary of Australian biography (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1949). Details

Ken McInnes

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