|
May Brothers and Company was an engineering and manufacturing firm founded by Frederick and Alfred May in 1885.〔‘The Late Mr. Fred. May’, The Bunyip, 24 December 1897, retrieved from ‘Testimony to founder’, The Bunyip, Gawler, 02/12/1981〕 In 1986, during South Australia’s 150th Jubilee celebrations, Frederick May was named one of the 150 individuals to have made an outstanding contribution to the state’s development.〔’Plaques honour Martin, May’, The Bunyip, Gawler, 22 October 1986〕 A personalised plaque in his honour can be found in the footpath of North Terrace, Adelaide, as part of the Jubilee 150 Walkway. ==History== Frederick May (b. 1840) and Alfred May (b. 1852) were two children in a family of nine who emigrated from Cornwall to Adelaide in 1858.〔‘Those glorious days! May Dynasty is Recalled’, The Bunyip, Gawler, 02/12/1981.〕 Upon arrival, the family travelled to north to the mining town of Burra, where Frederick, (then aged 18), gained employment in a copper mine with his father, Henry, and two brothers, William and Joseph. Alfred, who was only six at the time, attended school until the age of 15 when he then began work as a "picky-boy" – a menial job involving sorting ore on the surface of the mine. Although not formally qualified in engineering, Frederick’s keen interest and skill in machinery meant that he was soon promoted to the position of mine engineer, overseeing the installation of a steam-powered lift in the Schneider shaft in Burra.〔M.W. Evans, 1981, The Days of May, Rigby Publishers Ltd., Adelaide, pp 75-76.〕 The fact that workers could obtain better positions in the new colonies based on skill and merit was one of the reasons Frederick’s father had chosen to bring his family to Australia.〔M.W. Evans, 1981, The Days of May, Rigby Publishers Ltd., Adelaide, pp 5.〕 During the 1860s, the part of Yorke Peninsula known as the Copper Triangle – in particular the towns of Moonta, Wallaroo and Kadina – experienced a mining boom. Towns were growing quicker than mining equipment could be built and installed, and engineers were in high demand. Frederick’s skill and efficiency at the Schneider shaft had earned him a reputation, and in 1861 he was appointed by pastoralist and mining magnate, Walter Watson Hughes, as chief engineer at the Moonta mine.〔〔M.W. Evans, 1981, The Days of May, Rigby Publishers Ltd., Adelaide, pp 87-90.〕 In 1862 Frederick married Mary Ann Mitchell, and in 1870 he took on Alfred, (then aged 18), as an engineering apprentice.〔M.W. Evans, 1981, The Days of May, Rigby Publishers Ltd., Adelaide, pp 131.〕 In 1872 Frederick was approached by industrialist James Martin. Martin’s company was a manufacturer of mining and agricultural implements, and his foundry in Gawler was the largest in the area, employing at times over 700 men.〔M.W. Evans, 1981, The Days of May, Rigby Publishers Ltd., Adelaide, pp 147-152, 253.〕 Martin aimed to expand operations and offered Frederick a partnership. Frederick accepted and secured a position for Alfred also, who was now a fully trained engineer.〔M.W. Evans, 1981, The Days of May, Rigby Publishers Ltd., Adelaide, pp 153-155.〕 Frederick remained partner with James Martin until 1885, when he decided to establish his own business with Alfred. On 28 February the partnership between Frederick May and James Martin was dissolved.〔M.W. Evans, 1981, The Days of May, Rigby Publishers Ltd., Adelaide, pp 184-187.〕 The foundations for May Brothers were laid in June that year.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「May Brothers and Company」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|