Thomas Jones died at sea, on the R.M.S.P. Arcadian, between Messina and Piræus, on February 4th, 1927, at the advanced age of 83. He was suffering from bronchitis and had ventured on a pleasure cruise with a view to benefiting from a warm climate.
At the age of 15 he was articled to the late Mr. T. Pensor, of Oswestry, a civil engineer occupying the position of county surveyor for Montgomeryshire and Denbighshire, and on the death
of Mr. Pensor some eighteen months later he completed his indentures under Messrs. R. and B. Piercy, of Westminster. On the termination of his articles, he remained with the firm for seven years, during which period he was engaged on the construction of the Cambrian system of railways and the Wrexham Mold and Connah’s Quay Railway, in addition to making many surveys of colliery undertakings.
On leaving the late Messrs. Piercy, he joined the staff of Mr. A.M. Dunlop, of Westminster, as chief assistant, with whom he remained for 21 years, during which he prepared the greater part of the firm’s mineral surveys, valuations and reports. In March, 1889, Mr. Jones became a partner in the firm of Tapp & Jones, quarry and mining engineers, with head offices in Westminster, and in the same year he was appointed consulting engineer, afterwards sole engineer, to the Oakeley Slate Quarries Co., at Festiniog. Within a short time he was also engineer to most of the slate quarries in Wales, and to others in Norway and Newfoundland, and he was appointed mineral valuer for the London & North Western and Midland Railway Companies. Mr. Jones’s son entered the business, which changed its style to Tapp, Jones & Son, but on the retirement of Mr. Tapp in 1917, the present style of Thomas Jones & Son was adopted. In spite of his age, Mr. Jones remained the active senior partner of the firm until his death. In the course of his long career he acquired membership of a number of technical societies.
Mr. Jones was an original Member of the Institution, having been elected in 1892.
Vol. 37, Trans IMM 1927-28, pp.575-6
