Dowlais Steel Rail Inspectors approx 1880 to 1920s

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My great grandfather and great great gandfather John Prosser Davies and John Prosser respectively were both Rail Inspectors at Dowlais Steel Works. I presume this means that they checked the quality of the steel rails bound to make railway lines in the UK and Europe before they left the works. I have attached the census of their house at 1 Russell Street where they are both living.

My father told me that John Prosser Davies visited Russia at some stage - I presume to advise the Russians on checking the quallty of their steel.

I have another document which I will attach in the next thread which shows the name (amongst many) of my Grandfather John Prosser Davies as a committee member (and his wife) at a 1906 Meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute in London. The meeting invited the Council of the American Institute of Mining engineers to visit the UK.

I have a nice family anecdote. My grandfather (also a John Prosser Davies) was in the trenches of the First World War when he saw the stamp (JPD) of his father's on one of the steel girders in the trench.

Does anyone have any information about the Rail Inspectors job etc. How can I get information about visits to Russia by people working at the Dowlais works. Is there any other information available about any the above available? Thank You

Jane Davies

Attachments:

[robertjones]

FASCINATING FAMILY STORY.
SORRY .... No knowledge of rail inspection.
However, Sue Edwards of the Glamorgan Archives is an expert on industrial links between Wales and Russia.
There were links between Merthyr Tydfil and Russia from the time of Sir John Josiah Guest and Lady Charlotte when the Dowlais Works supplied iron of the developing railways and a Russian Arch-Duke visited Dowlais. It is hardly surprising that when Imperial Russia wished to develop its own industry and exploit its mineral resources that a Welshman should be invited to lend technical expertise. Such assistance came from John Hughes, an engineer born in Merthyr Tydfil around 1815 whose father was an engineer with the Cyfarthfa Works.
In 1869 John Hughes started his great enterprise in the Donbass region of the Ukraine, a sparsely populated area of open steppe. With his key workers he went on to open collieries and build blast furnaces in this challenging new environment. The winter of 1870 was exceptionally harsh and there was an outbreak of cholera, but despite the hardship and difficulties, John Hughes and his small workforce built the first blast furnace in less than eight months. The first phase in Russia’s stupendous industrial development was about to begin. By April 1871 the first iron was smelted. Skilled Welsh workers, such as John Jones of Dowlais, were vital but courage and determination was essential. By 1874 all difficulties had been overcome and the puddling furnaces were in continuous action, producing about 150 tons of iron a week and over 8,000 tons of iron rails were rolled each year. Within 10 years there were over two thousand persons employed and iron smelting exceeded 20, 000 tons.
Welsh emigrants were recruited to work in this New Russian Company’s Works and Mines. Link were maintained between Russia and Dowlais until WW1.

[michaelz20]

Aug 4, 2013 18:24:43 GMT 1 robertjones said:

FASCINATING FAMILY STORY.
SORRY .... No knowledge of rail inspection.
However, Sue Edwards of the Glamorgan Archives is an expert on industrial links between Wales and Russia.
There were links between Merthyr Tydfil and Russia from the time of Sir John Josiah Guest and Lady Charlotte when the Dowlais Works supplied iron of the developing railways and a Russian Arch-Duke visited Dowlais. It is hardly surprising that when Imperial Russia wished to develop its own industry and exploit its mineral resources that a Welshman should be invited to lend technical expertise. Such assistance came from John Hughes, an engineer born in Merthyr Tydfil around 1815 whose father was an engineer with the Cyfarthfa Works.
In 1869 John Hughes started his great enterprise in the Donbass region of the Ukraine, a sparsely populated area of open steppe. With his key workers he went on to open collieries and build blast furnaces in this challenging new environment. The winter of 1870 was exceptionally harsh and there was an outbreak of cholera, but despite the hardship and difficulties, John Hughes and his small workforce built the first blast furnace in less than eight months. The first phase in Russia’s stupendous industrial development was about to begin. By April 1871 the first iron was smelted. Skilled Welsh workers, such as John Jones of Dowlais, were vital but courage and determination was essential. By 1874 all difficulties had been overcome and the puddling furnaces were in continuous action, producing about 150 tons of iron a week and over 8,000 tons of iron rails were rolled each year. Within 10 years there were over two thousand persons employed and iron smelting exceeded 20, 000 tons.
Welsh emigrants were recruited to work in this New Russian Company’s Works and Mines. Link were maintained between Russia and Dowlais until WW1.

Hello!
Could you please help? I am looking for contacts with people who have old photos from Huges's adventure. My great grandfather was a photographer in Bakhmut (not far from Hugesovka (Yuzovka)) and I try to restore a history of photography in the whole area. I suspect that just photographers from Bakhmut (Rubanchik or Gorie) took first Hughes pictures in Russia. I am looking for information on logotypes on the backside of the photos.
I"ll very appreciate your help!
incerely,
Michael Zilberbrand
[e-mail]