Eldred Arthur Knapp died at the age of 63 on 16th February, 1956, at his home at St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex.
After two years at South Crofty Mines, Mr. Knapp entered Camborne School of Metalliferous Mining in 1911 and gained a first class Diploma in 1914. He was employed by Cornwall Tailings Co. for a year as an assayer and later assistant to the works manager.
During his service with H.M. Forces from 1915 to 1919 Mr. Knapp was a bombardier with the Cornwall Royal Garrison Artillery (Territorials), and was commissioned 2nd lieutenant in 1917, serving with the 10th Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.
In 1919 Mr. Knapp took up the post of mining engineer with Anglo-Continental Mines, Ltd., in Northern Nigeria, and spent the following year in Venezuela as engineer with British Controlled Oilfields, Ltd. From 1921 to 1922 Mr. Knapp was employed as cyanide operator at Domes Mines, Ltd., South Porcupine, Northern Ontario, then worked for six months in Salavena, Mexico. During 1923 to 1924 he was engaged on mill testing and design for Stearns Roger Manufacturing Co., Ltd., in Denver, Colorado, and from 1924 to 1927 was metallurgist for the Mexican Candelaria Company, S.A., at San Dimas, Duranzo, being responsible for enlarging and supervising the Contra Estaca and San Dimas mills. Following this post he worked on mill design for Denver Equipment Co., Colorado, and then for Cia Minera de Peñoles S.A., in Monterrey for some months ; in 1929 he took over flotation research and the design of a mill for Cia Minera de la Paz y Anedas en Matehuala, S.A. After seeing the plant in operation he returned to England in the same year.
From 1929 to 1931 Mr. Knapp was employed by Selection Trust, Ltd., as a flotation research engineer, during which period he did research in Rhodesia and Yugoslavia. In 1931 he set up in private practice as a consulting metallurgical engineer, and immediately visited the Burma Corporation, Ltd., in Namtu, investigating the milling problems there. On his return to London Mr. Knapp formed a partnership with the late Mr. W.R. Bates, under the style of Knapp and Bates, consulting metallurgical and mechanical engineers. The firm has since become well known in the sphere of mineral dressing, to which Mr. Knapp contributed substantially both in plant and practice.
He was the author of several papers in the technical press, and submitted a paper entitled ‘Concentrating ores by pneumatic tables’ to the Institution’s Symposium on Mineral Dressing held in 1952.
Mr. Knapp was elected a Member of the Institution in 1936. He was also a Member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers.
Vol. 66, Trans IMM 1956-547, p.48
