Page:Dictionary of National Biography, Second Supplement, volume 1.djvu/151

 ments in the organisation of 'The Times' service in that field. He was an ardent imperialist, and by his creation or improvement of news services as well as by his personal influence he did no little to further that cause.

Bell's overflowing energies prompted him to utilise the resources of 'The Times' for many enterprises that were strictly beyond the bounds of journalism. He acquired for the newspaper in 1895 the MS. and copyright of Dr. Moritz Busch's 'Bismarck: Some Secret Pages of his History' which he published through Macmillans in 1898 (3 vols.) But 'The Times' itself undertook an ambitious series of publications, including 'The Times Atlas' (1895), a reprint of the ninth edition of the 'Encyclopædia Britannica' (1898) with supplementary volumes (1902-3), and the well-known 'History of the South African War.' (7 vols., 1900-9). Another of Bell's enterprises was 'The Times' Book Club, established in September 1905, which provided a circulating library gratuitously for subscribers to the newspaper, frankly with a view to increasing its circulation. A furious conflict followed with publishers and book-sellers, who deemed their interests injured by the club's practice of selling off second-hand copies soon after publication. Bell defended the club's position unflinchingly, and gave way only after two years' stubborn resistance. In the course of the struggle he attacked many publishing methods, and one result of his strenuous polemic was a general reduction in the selling price of books. Down to 1908 'The Times' was owned by a large number of proprietors without definite liability, but legal proceedings arising out of conflicting rights compelled in that year a reconstitution on the principle of limited liability, and it was mainly owing to Bell's diplomacy and exertions that the transition was smoothly effected. When 'The Times' publishing company was formed in 1908 he became managing director.

Of a commanding personality Bell was for many years a well-known figure in London life and society. In person he was tall and massive of frame and of a constitution that seemed never to know illness or fatigue. But unsparing labour eventually weakened his heart, and he died suddenly in 'The Times' office, while writing a letter on some question of newspaper copyright on 5 April 1911. He was buried in Brompton cemetery. He married in 1875 Ethel, eldest daughter of Rev. James Chataway, by whom he had two sons and four daughters; the eldest daughter died before him.

A portrait painted by Mr. Emile Fuchs in 1904 is in the possession of Bell's widow.

 BELL, HORACE (1839–1903), civil engineer, born in London on 17 June 1839, was son of George Bell, merchant, of Harley Street, London, by his wife Frances Dade, of Norfolk. Educated in France and at Louth, Lincolnshire, he began engineering at fifteen, under Mr. John Wilson, in Westminster, served as apprentice to Messrs. D. Cook & Company of Glasgow, and spent some time later in the workshops of the Caledonian railway. After employment on the London, Chatham and Dover railway he entered the Indian public works department as a probationary assistant engineer on 1 July 1862. At first he was employed on the Grand Trunk road in the Central Provinces (1862-70). On 1 April 1866 he became an executive engineer, and in that capacity, after a few months on the Chanda railway survey, served on the Indore (1870), the Punjab Northern (1874), the Rajputana (1875), and Neemuch (1878) state railways. On the opening of the Punjab Northern in 1883 he was mentioned in the list of officers employed, and was congratulated by the viceroy. Promoted a superintending engineer on 1 Jan. 1880 and a chief engineer, third class, on 22 Oct. 1890, and first class on 31 Jan. 1892, he was successively (1881-4) chief engineer of the Dacca-Mymensingh railway surveys, and (1884-7) chief engineer to the Tirhoot state railway, of which for a time he was also manager. He received in 1887 the thanks of the government of India for services in connection with the completion of the Gunduck bridge on that railway. His next employment was as engineer-in-chief on the surveys for the Great Western of India and the Mogal-Serai rail ways. From 8 Aug. 1892 until his retirement in June 1894 he was consulting engineer to the government of India for state railways, acting for a short time as director-general of railways. Bell published 'Railway Policy in India' (1894), which dealt with constructional, financial, and administrative matters. A paper by him, 'Recent Railway Policy in India' (1900), was reprinted from the 'Journal' of the Society of Arts. For natives of India he published at Calcutta a 'Primer on the Government of India' (3rd edit. 1893) 