Reminiscences of Arthur Dudley Dobson, Engineer, Tauranga in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty for sale
Arthur Dudley Dobson (ADD) came to NZ from England in 1850 with his father, who was an engineer and architect, and son was to follow father into the engineering profession. G M L Lester, in his preface to the book, described ADD as one of the best known men in the South Island and that he played an imporant part in the development of Canterbury. Initially ADD worked mainly in surveying, topographical and geological, as well as on the West Coast goldfields, also gaining some knowledge of road making techiques. Appointed district engineer for the Nelson-West Coast goldfields in 1869 and Provincial Engineer and Surveyor in 1871, he then became District Engineer for Public Works in 1875. Three years later he went to Christchurch to join his father's engineering business. ADD had been closely involved in planning for a Canterbury to West Coast railway and in 1885 he revisited England as one of a three-man delegation to arrange finance for this project. That mission successful, he returned to Christchurch to find that demand for engineering services had slackened. He recrossed the Tasman to test the market in Melbourne for engineering skills. Work soon came his way when, with two partners, he secured a contract to build a substantial breakwater, with a suspension bridge following that project. In the1890s he returned to Christchurch and took over his father's business, as he was then in his 80s. In 1901 ADD was appointed Christchurch City Engineer, a post he held for 20 years, completing many important civic projects in that time. ADD certainly lived a full, productive and, at times, exciting life. His reminiscences are replete with experiences, anecdotes and tales from the gold-fields, the bush, the mountains and, as was pointed out in the preface, he left his mark wherever he went. ADD's"reminiscences"are a graphic and powerful reminder of how much things have changed --- from when the horse was the main form of transport, no matter how rough the territory or wild the weather, when steam was replacing sail at sea, when roads were slowly being improved and railways being established, when electricity was a wonderful novelty and the dawn heralding the internal combustion engine about to break. A scarce book. First edition of 1930 from Whitcombe and Tombs, 224 pages including index. seven b/w photos including frontis portrait of author and his sketch of Franz Josef Glacier. Red hard covers are VG with black front/spine titles, few light marks to front board, light sunning to spine. Former owner ink name etc top front pastedown, light mottle foxing to both end-papers, text block otherwise excellent. Size: 18.5cm By 12.5cm
Author
A Dudley Dobson
Title
Reminiscences of Arthur Dudley Dobson, Engineer
Publisher name
Whitcombe and Tombs, Auckland
Shipping time
2 - 4 days
Publication year
1930
Edition
First edition
Binding type
Hard cover
Listing condition
Used
Item condition
Very good
Vendor name
BOPBooks
Vendor rating
Key words
New Zealand, Early Settler, Engineer/surveyor, Canterbury, Nelson, West Coast
Abebof326d