Hugh Edmiston
EDMISTON, Hugh, MWAIE AMIEAust (1864-1951)
Hugh was born in 1864 at Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of woollen shawl weaver Robert Edmiston and his wife Margaret Edmiston (nee Macbeth).
In 1874, at age 9, Hugh was an assisted migrant with his parents and siblings to New Zealand. They arrived in Otago in September 1874, travelling on the ship “Parsee”, from Glasgow. By 1877, Robert had been allocated 200 acres at Chatton, between Invercargill and Dunedin. By 1893 the family was living at Mosgiel near Dunedin.
In New Zealand, Hugh studied electricity and magnetism at technical schools before securing a position in 1883, as an electrical fitter, with the Anglo American Brush Corporation. An early project was the electrification of the crushers at the Phoenix Gold Mine near Queenstown. This was the first use of hydroelectric power and transmission lines in New Zealand. It involved two Pelton Wheel dynamos and a power transmission line over 2 miles long. The crusher was run by a 40 horsepower electric motor. It was commissioned in 1886.
In 1888, he moved to Melbourne to work with the British Electrical Engineering Company as a dynamic winder and fitter.
Around 1892, he became a partner in Palmer, Struthers and Edmiston who were civil, mining and electrical engineers.
In 1894 he visited Perth at the request of the Perth Gas Company to investigate the lighting of Perth.
In 1895 he was Manager for Henley’s Telegraph Company in Victoria. He was involved with the electrification of the BHP mine at Broken Hill in 1897.
He was also employed as Asisstant Engineer for the Crompton Company.
Around 1897 he formed the partnership of Edmiston and O’Neill with John Marshall O’Neill, a former electrical engineer with the Austral Otis Engineering Company. The firm of Edmiston and O’Neill continued to operate when Hugh left Victoria.
In 1895, Hugh married Emma Morgan in Victoria. They had three daughters Edith Marion (born 1895), Margaret Emma (born 1897) and Helen Kathleen (born 1902).
Around 1900 he came to Western Australia to work on the Coolgardie Pipeline, supporting James Couston with the equipment for mechanised lead caulking of pipe joints. He also worked on Pumping Station construction with the Public Works Department for one and a half years.
In 1902 he was employed by Splatt Wall and Co on designing and constructing small power systems. In 1906 he was employed by the Fremantle Tramways Board for nine months.
Hugh was appointed as City Electrical Engineer with the Perth City Council in 1907. The employment contract expired November 12, 1909 and was not renewed.
Hugh returned to work with Splatt Wall and Co, which operated the electrical power supply for Cottesloe until 1912. He later worked for T Eilbeck and Son. He then worked as an Engineering Consultant and installed electrical lighting equipment in Broome, at the Wyndham Freezing Works, and on a tin mine in Malaya. He also acted as a consulting engineer for the installation of an electric power system for Bunbury in 1911 and Wagin in 1914.
Hugh joined the WA Institution of Engineers, Australia as a founding Member in 1910 and was a member of the WAIE Council from 1913 to 1919. He was a founding Associate Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia.
Edmiston's published papers include The prospects of electrical development in WA, PWAIE 4, 1913; and Long electric transmission systems, Comm Eng 1 (5), Dec 1913, pp. 175-6.
Hugh died on May 19, 1951 aged 87. He was survived by his two children Edith and Kathleen.
References:
Adelaide Observer, 6.8.1887, p. 31.
Barrier Miner, 14.5.1896, p. 2.
Western Mail, 13.7.1907, p. 26 and p. 33.
West Australian, 24.7.1909, p. 3.
Daily News, 14.12.1909, p. 5.
