Arthur L. Collins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 8 July 1868 Truro, Cornwall, England |
| Died | 21 November 1902 (aged 34) |
| Cause of death | Assassinated by unknown gunman |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | metallurgist & mine owner |
| Spouse | Margaret M. G. Becker |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Henry Collins and Frances Miriam Denny |
Arthur Launcelot Collins (8 July 1868 – 22 November 1902) was a British metallurgist, mining engineer and mine manager of properties in Mexico and the United States. He was born 8 July 1868 in Truro, Cornwall, England, the son of a prominent mining expert, Joseph Henry Collins, and brother of Henry, George, and Edgar Collins[1] and William Collins, the Bishop of Gibraltar. Joseph H. Collins founded, and with his sons Henry, Arthur, and George, operated J. H. Collins & Sons, Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, an international mining consulting business headquartered in London, England.[2]
When he was 15 years of age, Arthur Collins traveled with his father and brothers Henry and George to Andalusia, Spain, in the great mining region of Rio Tinto, where Joseph Collins was appointed chief chemist and assayer of the Peña del Hierro copper mine.[1][3] Under his father, Arthur began his practical work in the laboratory and continued his studies in chemistry and mineralogy, and was soon employed as assayer and underground surveyor by the Peninsular Copper Co., in Southern Spain.[1][4] Joseph H. Collins and his sons returned to England in 1885, where Arthur was put in charge of an experimental smelting works near Breage, in Cornwall.[1]
In 1886, Arthur was appointed as assayer and chemist at the Berkeland zinc mine, near Stavanger, Norway. It was here that he erected his first concentrating mill.[1] For the next few years he was engaged as a partner in the firm of J. H. Collins & Sons, examining and investing in mines around the world, including in Burma, Norway, Spain, Australia, Tasmania, and Mexico. In 1892 he was appointed geologist and mining engineer to the Amir of Afghanistan, and spent a year traveling in the region.[4]
In early 1894, Arthur and his brother George left England to manage mine holdings in Central City and Georgetown, Colorado, as stockholders and consulting engineers for the Gold Coin Mines Company of New York.[4] In the following year Arthur married Marguerite Morton Becker, the daughter of Gilpin County Judge Clayton F. Becker.[5]
At age 31, Arthur Collins became general manager of the Smuggler-Union Mining Company which was a significant silver mine near Telluride in San Miguel County, Colorado. While the Smuggler-Union was a major producer in the district, its output consisted of low-grade ore.
- ^ a b c d e Lawrence, Benjamin B. (1904). "Biographical Notice of Arthur L. Collins". Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. 34: 835–837.
- ^ The Scientific Publishing Co., NY and London (1898). "The Professional Directory of the Mineral Industry". The Mineral Industry. VI: 981.
- ^ "St Austell China Clay Museum" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ^ a b c The Scientific Publishing Co., NY and London (1898). "Contributors". The Mineral Industry. VI: xxix.
- ^ MaryJoy Martin The Corpse on Boomerang Road, pp. 32–33.