Page:The Cyclopedia of India (Specimen Issue).pdf/100

 D A \‘l l) S O N & C.. 1.10.. Enginewrn. etc. Belfa~t. Calcutta. Columhu. 8m, &t'. Mr. Samuel (fleland Davidson. Chairman and Managing Director owning and operating the " Sirocco " Engineering Works, Belfast. are a firm which nerd no introduction in India. In connection with the tea industry Mr. ltavidson'a name luu he come a houwhold word At a time «hen the struggle agnimt China tcaa Wu {term-it he was one of the «ranged factor in popularising the Indian pnr duct: he was ulsu one Hf the ﬁn! to introducr: commercially and to establish Agenda for the sale of Indian teas in Europe and America. As. an in- ventor. his reputution i» utdesprad,

THE CYCLOPEDIA OF INDIA.

his account of the sad airframe athmled by the ﬂopping which strewed the lunks of the Hooghly river near Calmtnt, he rnentions a Luge steamer which Lt) high .ind dry in the Bota- nical Harder“ close to the famous Banyan tree. For two yean he acted as A‘sistttnt Manager of or estate a: t'arhnr and then became Manager of the one in which his father ‘15 lnlcrtﬂtd. “n the death of the Litter in 1369 he bought the interest of his co partner and became sole proprietor. He now found ltitnselftn a position to «any out wme contemplated improve. ment~ in the primitive method‘ pro railing in the manufacture of ten. Before long he had replaced the

Limited “ability Cotttpnny in :898 un. der the mute Davidson & (In, Ltl. No- thing iﬁ manufactured by the (‘ompttny but Mr. lhiidsunk patented ntncht- nery. which tlt addition to that whirh handleu the tea leaf includu the “snot-m” tam. an entirely new type of centrifugal fun. and one which reverses in atlmmt every detail. hitherto accepted principles While in India Mr. Iltviilson was known to» an ardent tpurtmun. As it polo player. hunt» man. and tom racer he tlispltt) ed that \llltc enthugiasm and vigour which has. brought him at far to the front in the bustine'u field. At the “Sirocco " blachinery Depot, 2. 3, 4, 5 and (u. [all Bazar, Calcutta. it complete Mock

Luce Dow! hurt "Stem" axn Murm'it'm Start.

the famous “Sirocco “machines which cotter every pm of the manufac- ture of the tea lmf from the time 04

ticking to its packing, are entirely iis inventions. and these machines are at present employed on almost every ten eetnte in India, Ceylon, Java, Russia and Natal.

Mr Daﬁdson was born in County Down, Ireland, in 1846, his ancestors, who were Scots. having settled in Ulster in 1028. He obtained his scholastic training at the Royal Acn- dt-rnical Itotitttte, Belfast. At the age of 15 he entered the ofﬁce of Mr. William HI‘UD“, in Belfast ('ivil Engineer, uhere he spent three years in acquiring a knowledge of surveying and engineering. Hit father having purchased I tea plantation in ISM he was sent out to India to learn the husiness of growing tea Mr. David- son’s arrival in Calcutta up only a few days after the terriﬁc cyclone which devastated the muntry genenill). ln

wicker basket method of drying, and the " hand and feet" rolling nuni- pulation, with mechanical devices for doing the work. The decided merit of the intention was apparent at once, but there as such prejudice in the minds of the planting community against doing away with the old Chinese methods; that it was not until the demand for teas from the 1);"an estate had in creased the prices for his products, that prejudice ﬁnally gave way. There came a demand for machinery such I: he mu ustng, and in t8” he mld his property. and returned to Belfast to xuperintcnd Its manufacture hy Mess”. (futuhe, Karin-m and Comhe. In ixxt he orga- ntred the Sirocco Engineering Works. acting for some time its his owtt ltntughtsrrtan and Manager. .\t that time he employed only about ll duen hand~z now it takes 600 hand».- and a large commercial and ofﬁce staff. and right branches, to handle the husine». The business no conterted into a

“5mm cu " (Assn Fan

of all chose» of spare parts and renew ah. are maintained, in addition to a number of complete machines, “tiers. Rollers, Sorters. Packers. and Fans of various silct'x from 5 inches to foo inches in diameter.

Davidson & Cu. l.tl., Calcutta :ue Sole Agents in India for the following well-known frmts :—

Baheovk .\' \\”tlco.\, Ld.. Water— tube Butler: and acceswriea. Ii. R. t\- E. Turner. [1]., Steam Engines. 0. 5: j. Weir, l.tl., hteitut l'tllltptl, Condensers. etc. L'nhrenltuhle Pulley t\’ M. (5. Cu, 1.11.. W. l. Pulleys, Hansen, Bracken, etc, etc. lrwell & Eastern Ruhhet Ca. Ltl.. Mecha- nical Ruhher goods. Samuel Osborn 5; Co, .‘ltthhel High Speed Stet-In, Files, etc. 1'. H. t\' (i. Huggie. Steel Wire Rom, At-rittl 'l’mmvmyn. Scottish .\~besto.~ (fit, l.(l.. .\.~lre5to.\ good». The Ceylon Branch of lhuid son Gt (it. [.d.. is sit Forbes Road. Colombo.