John Marshall Cairns died on October 20th, 1940, at the age of 61.
He received his technical education at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College and University and was afterwards articled to Messrs. Tatlock & Thomson, of Glasgow. In 1899, on completion of his articles, he was appointed chemist and assistant metallurgist to Messrs W. Beardmore & Co., of Glasgow, and in the following year he went to Spain as miner and assayer.
For the next five years he was in Italy and the Island of Elba, on behalf of John Corry & Co., of Cardiff, and the Cav. Emilio Cortese, Mining Engineer and Geologist to the Government of Italy From 1906 to 1908 he was engaged on special work for the Prince Hohenlohe of Germany, mining and prospecting in Turkey, Asia Minor, Egypt, Brazil, Uruguay and Italy.
After a year’s professional work in Scotland, he had a brief trip to the Republic of Colombia, and six months in Spain on the, experimental cyanide plant of the Marquis Girona in Barcelona For six years from 1910 to 1916 he was in India and Baluchistan, chiefly on manganese and chrome properties, and in the latter year he returned to England to join H.M. Forces, serving in the Royal Engineers in France and Italy. He retired with the rank of Captain.
At the end of the war he was engaged by Messrs. Pease & Partners in general mining work in Spain and Norway, until 1921. After that date he practised as a consulting mining engineer on behalf of various firms, and visited India, Spain, Portugal and Germany.
Mr. Cairns was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1907 and was transferred to Membership in 1920.
Vol. 51, Trans I.M.M. 1941-2, pp. 331-2
