Carl Raymond Davis, Past-President of the Institution, died in Capetown on 16th January, 1956, at the age of 82.
He was born in America of an old New England family. After working in various Montana mines he studied at Michigan College of Mines from 1892 and at Colorado School of Mines in 1895, and received the degree of Engineer of Mines of both schools.
In the last six months of 1895 Mr. Davis worked as a miner at Leadville, Colorado, and was subsequently employed as surveyor to Union Leasing and Mining Co., and Coronado Mining Co. From 1897 to 1899 he was in charge of surveying and development work at copper mines at Butte, Montana, and for the next six years was general superintendent at Centre Star Mining Co. and War Eagle Consolidated Mining Co., Rossland, B.C.
In 1905 he left America for the Transvaal where he was general manager of Lancaster Gold Mining Co. and later of Lancaster West Gold Mining Co., Krugersdorp. He held this post for seven years and also did mining examination and consulting work for Messrs. A. Goerz & Co. and was their technical representative at Voorspoed diamond mines. From June, 1912, to March, 1919, Mr. Davis was general manager of Brakpan Mines, Ltd. In 1919 he was appointed consulting engineer to Anglo American Corporation of South Africa, Ltd. , and was later given charge of development of the Northern Rhodesia Copperbelt. In 1928 he came to live in England on being made technical director of Anglo American Corporation of South Africa, Ltd. He was responsible for all technical departments, also did consulting work for various important gold and diamond mines in South Africa. Apart from his place on the board of Anglo American Corporation, Mr. Davis had been a director of Rhodesian copper companies and of Mawchi Mines, Ltd., Burma (in all sixteen gold and copper mining companies), and was chairman of West African Gold Corporation, Ltd. He had been member of the Transvaal Chamber of Mines and of the Gold Coast Chamber of Mines London Advisory Committee.
Since 1951, some years after his retirement, Mr. Davis had lived in Capetown.
He was elected to Membership of the Institution in 1925. He served on the Council for nineteen years, from 1930 to 1949, having held the office of Vice-President in 1934-35 and of President of the Institution during the session 1935-36. His Presidential Address (Transactions vol. 44, 1934-35) was entitled ‘Some features of mining reports and engineers’ responsibilities’. Mr. Davis was awarded the Gold Medal of the Institution for 1945 ‘in recognition of his services to the Gold Mining Industry in South Africa and West Africa, to Mining in Northern Rhodesia, and to Mining Education as the Representative of the Institution for eight years on the Governing Body of the Imperial College of Science and Technology’.
Mr. G. Keith Allen writes: The death of Carl Davis is a sad event to all those who enjoyed his friendship and professional association during his long and distinguished career.
It was in 1924, when I was a young engineer on Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia, that I had the privilege of meeting him for the first time. He had come in his capacity as Consulting Engineer to the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa to investigate the mineral possibilities of the country and from that visit can be dated the interest in Northern Rhodesia that led to his company’s participation in the development of the Copperbelt. Nobody could rightly have claimed more credit for this achievement than he.
Following his transfer to London in 1928 one of his many activities was to play a leading part in the rehabilitation of the gold mining industry of the Gold Coast, being for some 15 years prior to his retirement chairman of a consulting engineering company connected with that field. It is of this period, when I was a member of the company, that I especially recall with pride and pleasure his friendship and wise counsel always readily available when needed.
The award of the Gold Medal of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy in 1946 was never more deserved and was widely regarded as a most fitting recognition of his services to mining.
Carl Davis had vision and wide experience and was exceptionally quick in grasping the essentials of a problem. He had great personal dignity and charm and set an example of professional conduct that was in the best traditions of his profession.
Vol. 65, Trans IMM 1955-56, pp.250-51
