James Mackintosh Bell died at Almonte, Ontario, Canada, on March 31st, 1934, in his 57th year.
He was a nephew of Sir Robert Bell, Director of the Canadian Geological Survey, and the son of Andrew Bell, a well-known mining engineer. He graduated from Queen’s University and School of Mines, Kingston, Ontario, in 1899, with the degree of M.A., having taken the Honours Course in applied chemistry and mineralogy.
From 1899 to 1901 he was on the staff of the Geological Survey of Canada, and did pioneer work in the region of the Great Slave and Great Bear Lakes, the Barren Lands and the Mackenzie River. From 1901 to 1903 he was mining geologist for the Lake Superior Power Company, but during the winters of 1902, 1903 and 1904 he studied at Harvard University, and received the degree of Ph.D., in mining geology and allied branches of applied technical work. During the summer of 1903 he conducted geological explorations for the Ontario Bureau of Mines in Northern Ontario, and in the following summer on the Michipicotin Iron Ranges, north of Lake Superior.
In the first term of the session 1904-5 he was Austin Teaching Fellow in mining and metallurgy at the Harvard University School of Mines. In 1905 he was appointed Director of the Geological Survey of New Zealand and during the ten years thus occupied, he re-organized the department and not only carried out important exploration work in New Guinea but conducted researches into the minerals of Siberia and Russian Turkestan. In 1911, he was elected President of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers.
In 1915, he joined H.M. Forces and obtained a commission as Captain in the 73rd (Royal Highlanders) Battalion of Montreal. He served with that unit in France until 1917, when he was attached to the British Military Mission in Russia, and for nearly two years he operated in Siberia with the Intelligence Branch of the service.
He returned to Canada in 1919, and engaged in consulting practice and a certain amount of authorship. He contributed several papers to the Transactions of the Institution: ‘Outlook for the Mineral Industry in Canada’ (vol. xxiii, 1913-14), ‘The Occurrence of Silver Ores in South Lorrain, Ontario, Canada ’ (vol. xxxi, 1921-22), and ‘Carbonaceous Matter at Porcupine: Its Geological Occurrence’ (vol. xxxiii, 1923-24), the last-named being written in collaboration with André Dorfman. He also took part in the discussion of other papers during his visits to London.
Dr. Mackintosh Bell was elected a Member of the Institution in 1911, and for five years, from 1923 to 1928, he was the overseas representative for Canada on the Council of the Institution.
Vol. 44, Trans I.M.M. 1934-5, p. 565
