PIONEER OF CONCRETE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 92, 12 January 1935, Page 18

PIONEER OF CONCRETE

Man Who Scorned ‘The Impossible’

Concrete, the strong and enduring lock on which Sir Robert McAlpine, the world's greatest builder, founded his fame and fortune —and to which, indeed, his resolute character may well have been likened—is fittingly to be the material of his tomb now that he is dead. Sir Robert was buried in a beautifully wrought mausoleum made wholly of concrete, which had stood awaiting him for some time in a peaceful corner of the Surrey countryside near Oxshott, Surrey. The mausoleum was . designed and built at his wish about six years ago, and it is to be the resting place of other members of the renowned family as they die. The body of Sir Robert, who founded that fam(ily, is the 'first to occupy it. Many were the messages of sympathy and respect received at his lovely home at Oxshott, following his death at the age of 87. They came from all parts of the kingdom and the world. Their senders ranged from men whose names are world-renowned ■ to more humble friends who can vouch I for his wonderful and never-failing I kindness. The true story of this man’s life, ■ given to a correspondent of the “Daily 1 Jkfail” as it is told in a private volume written solely for members of his wellloved family, is the story of one who by rocklike resolution forced his way upward from the status of an oddjob man in a coal mine to become the controller of an enterprise which in his lifetime carried out contracts to the total colossal value of £100,000,000. One incident above all others illustrated Sir Robert’s profound contempt for such words as “impossible” and “failure.” At the same time it emphasises his equally profound love for those who belonged to’ him. Years ago, when he was building an extension of the West Highland Railway from Fort William to Mallaig his son Malcolm—now Sir Malcolm McAlpine—was struck down and gravely injured by a piece of rock which was hurled more than 1000 ft. in a blasting operation. Sir Robert, who was in Glasgow, was told in,a telegram that Malcolm could not recover, one of the factors against him being that he was lying in an inaccessible spot 140 miles from Glasgow and out of the reach o.f skilled help. The father resolved that nothing should stop him from taking a surgeon to his son. He nersuaded the late Sir William Mac Ewen. the famous surgeon, to desgrt his duties for a time on a seemingly useless task. This alone was a triumph for his indomitable personality. Then Sir Robert asked for a special train to take the surgeon and himself lto his son. This request could not be I wanted because the day’s service had (finished and all stations and signal [boxes were closed down. At length, however, haying obtained . permission to take a train about 20 miles, this resolute father set off. When • the train reached the 20-miles limit he forced the driver to descend, unlock switches —thus breaking the law —and Continue the journey. He ordered a repetition of this action at every station along the line, and at 5 o’clock the following morning the train had reach-

ed Tort William. What had been re-' carded as the impossible had been made possible.

Sir Robert then revealed for the first

time to Sir William Mac Ewen that they had another 40 miles to travel over rough country roads. He hired horses and eventually they reached his son’s

side. The surgeon said Malcolm would have to be taken as soon as possible to Glasgow if his life were to be saved. A stretcher was improvised, workmen were taught how to bear it, and the little party at length set out on its long and arduous journey. By covering long distances on foot, in barges, and by train, it eventually reached Glasgow. The superhuman efforts made by Sir Robert on his son’s behalf were fully rewarded. Malcolm recovered completely.' Sir William Mac Ewen later wrote a full record of the case, and in it paid lavish to Sir Robert’s superlative' doggedness, pluck and ingenuity. It was by qualities such these that Sir Robert succeeded. After

starting work in a mine at the age of 15, he became successively an engineer and a bricklayer, and began business on his own account at 22.

Once young McAlpine was offered a

contract which would have brought him a profit of £5O, but he had not enough money to pay the men be would have had to engage. He pawned his watch, borrowed £ll from a butcher, and carried out the job. Nothing, it seemed, could stop his progress. Before he was 30 he had built and owned almost the whole of a suburb at Hamilton, in Lancashire. He was soon employing thousands of men and earning a fortune.

Famous all over England are monuments to Sir Robert. The following are some for which be and his firm were responsible: Empire Exhibition at Wembley; the great Singer factory at Clydebank; British Dyes building at Huddersfield; factories and housing schemes of the British Celanese Co. at Spondon, near Derby; the £3,000,000 Tilbury Docks; the Dorchester Hotel. He also helped to build the first tube railway In Great Britain and played a foremost part in countless other projects during the last 30 years.

Thirty-eight members of Sir Robert’s family, including his sons, now work in the firm which he created from sueh modest beginnings. Many of the younger ones are starting at the bottom of the ladder. His sons share equal partnerships in the concern, ft is his decree that they shall be equally poor dr wealthy.

Sir Robert had none of the advantages of modern education, but 'taught himself when a young man by hours of evening study after fatiguing work during the day. In 1877 he became the first man to exploit the possibilities of reinforced concrete. He was told by experts that he was on the wrong track, but he knew otherwise, and proved himself right. Sir Robert’s first wife died in 1888, and his second in 1909. The heir to the baronetcy is his son Robert, who is 66. [ A