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Men Worth Knowing.

27th April 1905, Page 17
27th April 1905
Page 17
Page 17, 27th April 1905 — Men Worth Knowing.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Mr. Jesse Ellis.

A buoyant and characteristic personality who is ever popular with all he meets, Mr. Jesse Ellis would indeed make matters " hum" in the motor world were he 20 years younger. Born at Cranbrook on April 14th, 1846, Mr. Ellis has just entered upon the Goth year of his life, which has certainly been a busy and useful one. His energy and sprightliness, not to mention his keenness in business affairs, are singularly attractive, and it must not be supposed from the introductory comment on the subject of our sketch that he is a man to be lightly passed over notwithstanding the three score years which are nearly upon him. There is probably nobody in the heavy motor vehicle industry who has seen more of the inside working of road haulage than Mr. Ellis. Most of his early training as a mechanical engineer was secured under the charge of the late Mr. Thomas Aveling, of the firm of Aveling and Porter, of Rochester, and his actual experience of the manufacture and prarticn1 management and control of traction engines, ploughing tack I e , thrashing kits, steam road rollers, and last of all, but by no means least, steam motor wagons, is probably unique in the motorcar world. Mr. Ellis is managing director of Jesse Ellis, Ltd., Invicta Works and Suffrance Wharf, Maidstone, wh i c h company is widely known throughout Great Britain as roadhaulage and road-repairing contractors, their principal work including the remaking of the Thames Embankment and of main roads in the county of Kent. Mr. Ellis has been a hearty supporter of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, of the Bath and West of England Show, and of other similar societies. after the Maidstone Show of 1884 his fellowtownsmen entertained him at a complimentary dinner, on which occasion he was the recipient of a handsome engraved silver salver, weighing 134 ounces, and an epergne valued at upwards of £100, each suitably inscribed to convey a mark of the high esteem in which he was held by his numerous friends in connection with that particular work, as in everything else. Mr. Ellis finds time to attend regularly to his duties as quartermaster-sergeant to the West Kent Yeomanry Cavalry, and, it may be added, as an example of his versatility, that he visited Egypt in igom for the purpose of driving the first of the steam motor wagons which he sent to that country. He was received and complimented by the Sirdar, Sir Reginald Wingate. Mr. Ellis is a founder member of the Automobile Club, a Freemason of long standing, and a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. All who meet him admire both his genius and his genial ways, which, added to his engineering skill, have resulted in his present large business.

Mr. Jesse Ellis.

Mr. T. Blackwood Murray.

One of the managing directors of the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., of Glasgow, Mr. Murray, is a native of Lanarkshire, and was educated at George Watson's College, Edinburgh. He spent three years at Edinburgh University, and graduated as Bachelor of Science in Engineering. in carrying out special research work he had the privilege of coming closely in contact with the late Professor Tait, one of the greatest physicists of modern times, whilst his practical training was received in the workshops of Messrs. King, Brown, and Company, electrical engineers, and of Messrs. Kennedy, of Glasgow. For some time he practised as consulting engineer, and in that capacity designed and carried out a number of important electric light and power transmission schemes, during which period of his career he visited numerous electric light stations in the United Kingdom on behalf of the Edinburgh Corporation., lie successfully brought out and perfected a patent hydraulic turbine governor, which has been most success fully fitted to numer ous water-power electric-lighting plants. As an in stance, it may be mentioned that eight of these patent governors were fitted by Messrs. Gilbert Gillis and Co., of Kendal, on the tur bines in the Central Electric Lighting Station of I,aunces ton, Tasmania. For two years Mr. Mur ray was employed by Messrs. Mayor and Coulson, of Glas gow, one of the

leading electrical firms in the North, as superintendent or manager of their In

stallation Department, and during that time had charge of the erection of numerous electric-power and light plants.

Some nine years ago he turned his attention to the design and construction of electrical motorcars on behalf of the Mo-Car Syndicate, and visited most of the accumulator makers in this country and on the Continent, carrying out exhaustive tests. Owing to the impossibility of obtaining suitable accumulators, it became evident to him that the scope of such vehicles was extremely limited, and he therefore devoted his energies to the development of the petrol motor. In partnership with Mr. Norman Osborne Fulton, he formed the Albion Motor Car Company over five years • ago, and commenced the manufacture of the now wellknown Albion motorcars. The complete chassis of these cars have all along been entirely constructed in the company's own works, the. design embracing a number of Mr. Murray's patents. His governor, which controls the speed of the engine, regulates the mixture of gas and air, and automatically advances and retards the ignition, is one of many unique features, as is the magneto ignition.

Mr. T. B. Murray.


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