Percy Henry O’Nians died on 2nd April, 1957, at the age of 65, after an operation.
Some of Mr. O’Nians’s early experience was in civil engineering. He worked it South America from 1910 to 1914 on railway construction work in Chile and sampling, prospecting, timbering and shaft-sinking for various mining companies in Chile and Peru. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1914 and worked for a year for McAlpine and Sons, leaving for West Africa to join Prestea Block A, Ltd., as surveyor.
He joined the Flying Corps and served in the R.N.A.S. until September, 1917, when he took a post with the Ministry of Munitions Mineral Resources Department as surveyor at Cae Coch pyrites mine in North Wales.
In 1918 Mr. O’Nians left for Burma, doing mine surveying for some months before taking an appointment in Borneo as engineer-in-charge, P.W.D., for the Government of Sarawak. In 1920 he went to New Zealand, and while taking a special course in geology and mining at the Waihi School of Mines did underground development work with Waihi Gold Mining Co., Ltd.
He travelled to Mexico in 1922 and became mine surveyor of Tezuitlan copper mines of the Mexican Corporation. In the following year he was appointed superintendent of the Borda Antigua group of mines of Cia Minera Las Dos Estrellas and took charge of exploration for the company. During 1925 and 1926 he visited Peru, examining Aporama gold placer deposits, and in December, 1926, was made superintendent of the Cabrestante and San Eligio groups of mines belonging to Mazapil Copper Co., Mexico, holding this position until 1930.
During 1931 Mr. O’Nians was mine superintendent of the San Telmo pyrites mine in Spain for British Non-Ferrous Mining Co., Ltd., and from 1931 to 1932 worked in Canada for Lake Shore Mines, Ltd., Ontario, leaving to spend two years in the Dutch West Indies doing exploration and examination. He was similarly employed for the next six years in Central Australia, California, Mexico and Nigeria.
From 1940 to 1946 he worked in South America, for the first two years as mine superintendent for Frontino Gold Mines, Ltd., Colombia, and in 1942-3 forming the Association Colombiana de Minerales Estrategicos to produce war metals, carrying out examinations in Mexico for strategic minerals until 1945. He did underground work and diamond drilling in Mexico, and after working in California for a few months returned to England in 1947.
He went to Spain for two years for Rio Tinto Co., Ltd., and after a short assignment with Mackenzie Engineering Co. and some months in Norway for Derby and Co., he returned to Spain in the employ of Iberian Ores, Ltd. From 1954 to 1955 Mr. O’Nians was acting general manager of Mawchi Mines, Ltd., Burma, and in 1956 examined wolfram mines in Portugal and subsequently did consulting work for Mackenzie Engineering Co.
He was elected to Associate Membership of the Institution in 1922 transferred to Membership in 1929.
Vol. 67, Trans IMM 1957-58, pp.571-2
