John Frederick Allan died at Frankfurt, in Germany, on June 2nd 1931, at the age of 71.
He was educated at Farnah Hall, Derbyshire, and in March, 1880, he entered the service of the Tharsis Sulphur & Copper Co. Ltd, as assistant surveyor under the late Mr T.A. Allan, being afterwards promoted to be surveyor and assistant mining engineer.
In August, 1882, he entered on a course of metallurgical study at the Freiberg School of Mines, during which period he visited the principal mines and smelting works of Central Europe. In November, 1884, he joined the staff of the Rio Tinto Company as assistant engineer, and after one year’s work was appointed resident engineer at the North Lode. Leaving the company’s service in September 1887, he went to South America to take charge as general manager of the West Argentine and Glenrock Co’s mines, and in 1889 started in practice Buenos Ayres as a consulting civil and mining engineer. In this capacity he reported on various properties and was in charge of the erection of the La Plata dock sheds. Three years later he transferred his office to London, but in 1894 he relinquished his consulting business to take the position of deputy manager of the Mexican Gold & Silver Recovery Co., of which he was appointed general manager in the following your, a position he retained for eight years. He then practised for a short period as at consulting engineer in Mexico City, and during his stay in the country he examined, and superintended the development of a large number of mines.
In 1905 he returned to Spain as Madrid manager of the Rio Tinto Company, and two years later took the position of general manager of the Caucasus Copper Co. Ltd. From 1909 to the time of his death, he was consulting engineer to mining companies operating in Canada, Egypt, Great Britain, Mexico, and Spain, in addition to reporting on properties in other countries.
He contributed only one paper to the Transactions of the Institution, on “A typical example of Magmatic Injection” (Vol. xxxi), but he took part in the discussion of other papers as occasion arose.
Mr. Allan was an original Member of the Institution, his membership dating from 1892.
Vol. 41, Trans IMM 1931-2, pp.652-3
