Joseph William Sutton (21 October 1844 – 21 February 1914), identified in the print media as J. W. Sutton, was an Australian engineer, shipbuilder, inventor, pioneer in electric lighting and x-ray pioneer in Queensland.
Life and times
In 1844, Sutton was born in Stepney, London, England. His parents were George Sutton (Shipwright) and Elizabeth Kemmesat.England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837–2008. Database. FamilySearch. Joseph William Sutton, 1844. England & Wales Births, 1837–2006. Database. Citing Birth Registration. Stepney, London, England. Citing General Register Office. Southport, England. He was christened on 1 December 1844.England Births and Christenings, 1538–1975. Database. FamilySearch. Joseph William Sutton, 1 December 1844. Citing: Saint Dunstan, Stepney, London, England. Reference. FHL microfilm 596,913 - 596,916. After Elizabeth's death, the George Sutton with three of his children (Hannah, Henry and Joseph) moved from London and arrived in Sydney 15 October 1852 on board the "Coldstream". (A year later Hannah and Henry were married in the same service 22 December 1853, to Daniel McLauchlan and Jemima Evans respectively at Christ Church St Laurence). Joseph married Mary Hurley (15 September 1847 – 11 July 1926) on 21 October 1869 in Balmain, Sydney. Download They lived for many years in "Stonehenge" on Bowen Terrace, overlooking the foundry on Kangaroo point. The couple built a home, Hurlton (a name derived from their surnames Hurley and Sutton) in Laurel Avenue, Chelmer in Brisbane. After the death of his widow, Hurlton was purchased in 1928 by William Robert Black, a philanthropist who donated it to the Presbyterian Church for use as a children's home; the house, which is highly modified, is now listed on the Brisbane Heritage Register.
Sutton was a prominent figure in Brisbane at the end of the 19th century. Throughout his life, he was keen on experimenting and inventing. Of particular note is the invention of the gold extraction process, which was utilized at the Mount Morgan field.Editor. (22 February 1894). Sutton's Gold Saving Process. The Otago Witness. Issue 2087. Page 12. Sutton was interested in the early development of telephones, electric lights and Rontgen rays.Editor. (24 May 1930). Iron Ships and Bridges. Kangaroo Point. Past and Present. Pioneer Industries. The Brisbane Courier. Page 22.Trainor, J.P. (1946). Salute to the X-Ray Pioneers of Australia. W. Watson & Sons. Sydney, Australia.
Personal life Family: Ellen O'Donnel, (b.27 Sept 1870, d. 2 Jan. 1951), married William Charles Costin (Charles William) Clerk of the Legislative Council and Clerk of Parliaments. Mary Allen, (b. 11 April 1872, d. 26 Feb 1935), married Edward Barton, a prominent electrical engineer and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Joseph William Sutton jun., (b. 10 September 1874, d. 20 Aug. 1941), A.M.I.E.E. was a prominent electrical engineer for the Postmaster General, Brisbane. George Moorehead, (b. July 1876, d. 1 Jun 1879. Georgina Moorehead, (b. 1879, d. 1926). Helen Allison, (b. 1881, d. 1 July 1903), married Henry Beresford Cox Corfield. Sylvia Lenore, (b. 1888, d. 2 September 1888). Sutton died 21 Feb. 1914 and was buried at Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane.Australia. Queensland Cemetery Records, 1802–1990. Database with images. FamilySearch. Joseph William Sutton, 1914. Citing Burial, Rogers Queensland index. Queensland. Private collection of Jim and Alison Rogers. Bargara. FHL microfilm 1,669,659.Editor. (27 February 1914). J. W. Sutton. Obituary. The Week. Brisbane, Queensland. Page 28. At the time they were living at "Inglenenk" Gladstone Road South Brisbane. The Sutton family plot has been long gone, and is now a grassy patch.
Early career Joseph received his education in Sydney then indentured at the Sydney firm of John Fitzpatrick, coppersmith. One year after Sutton became a journeyman, he moved to Brisbane. In May 1870, he started business with his friend James Hipwood as Hipwood and Sutton. The partners, with others, started the Bulimba Smelting Works, Mr. Sutton taking the position of manager. To illustrate the language and sign of the times, the following advertisement of 9 June 1870 in The Brisbane Courier is provided.Editor. (9 June 1870). Classified Advertising. Brisbane Courier Notice. To all those interested in Sugar Making, Distilling, Brewing, Engineering, &c. Messrs. HIPWOOD & SUTTON will commence business as COPPERSMITHS, BRASSFOUNDERS, FINISHERS, PLUMBERS, &c. about MONDAY, June 13, and are prepared to execute any orders that they may be favored with. Vacuum, Wetzel, Bour, and Tache Pans, Clarifiers, &c.; Rum Stills from 100 to 2000 gallons; Wine and Whiskey Stills, 15 to 100 gallons; Brewing Coppers and Tinned Copper Pipes of all sizes; Copper and Iron Pipes, Lamps, Oil Feeders, &c., and every requisite for the Engine Room. Address: Hipwood & Sutton, Northern Copper Works, Eagle-street, Brisbane. 4858. – The Brisbane Courier The company of Hipwood and Sutton did business as coppersmiths and brassfounders, and remained in business until 1877, at which time the company disbanded.Morrison, W. Frederick. (1888). The Aldine History of Queensland. The Aldine Publishing Company. Sydney.
J. W. Sutton and Company
Sutton reorganized and continued in business as J. W. Sutton and Company, Engineering Works. In 1880, the business was expanded to Kangaroo Point, as Sutton foresaw the growth of the company to meet the needs of the sugar industry and the engineering trades. At Kangaroo Point, two partners were brought into the business, W. Bussell and W. Hiley.
In the 1880s the J. W. Sutton and Company's shipbuilding yard and foundry was a prominent industrial complex at Kangaroo Point.Gordon and Gotch. (1888). The Australian Handbook (incorporating New Zealand, Fiji, and New Guinea) Shippers, Importers and Professional Directory & Business Guide. Brisbane, Australia. Prior to establishing J. W. Sutton and Company, Sutton was manager at the tin smelting works and foundry at Bulimba. There is a good description of the company in "The Queenslander" 17 June 1883. At this point they employed about 200 men at Kangaroo Point works.
In 1885, the city directory listed the business: "SUTTON, J. W., and Co. (J. W. Sutton and W. Hiley), engineers, iron and brass founders, coppersmiths, and iron ship builders, 29 Eagle street; tel. 43. Works, Kangaroo Point; tel. 48".Editor. (1885). The Brisbane Post Office Directory and Country Guide. Watson and Ferguson. Queensland. The listing (presumably Sutton's residence) that preceded this entry was: "Sutton, J. W. (J. W. Sutton and Co.), Stonehenge, Bowen terrace". Pugh's Almanac in 1885 listed J.W. Sutton and Co. at Kangaroo Point as a boat and ship builder; as coppersmith and brass founders at 25 Eagle-street and Kangaroo Point; as engineers and iron-founders at Eagle-street with boiler works at Kangaroo Point, smelter and assayer at Eagle-street.Editor. (1885). Pugh's Queensland Almanac, Law Calendar, Directory, and Coast Guide. Thorne and Greenwell. Queensland. The Alexandra Mine and Battery at Palmerville Station, Maytown, Queensland was equipped with a battery plant. The battery plant that supplied electricity included a Cornish boiler in a brick mount with a flue leading to an intact nine metre high metal chimney. The Cornish boiler was manufactured by J. W. Sutton & Co.Webmaster. (2014). Alexandra Mine And Battery. The University of Queensland/FAIMS. The firm provided materials and aided in bridge construction for the South Coast railway line in Queensland. In addition, several key sugar factories were equipped with machinery from J. W. Sutton and Co. During the floods of 1893, the original foundry was destroyed. Sutton rebuilt the foundry and was flooded again in the same year. Not long after, the company was sold to Evans, Anderson and Phelan.
Kitson Lighting and Heating Company Limited Joseph William Sutton was a manager and consultant engineer. At the end of 1902 Sutton took an extensive trip to Europe and America for the Kitson Light Co. An article on this trip was written in the Brisbane Courier 17 Jan 1903 entitled "An Australian in England and America" From the Richmond River Express 17 Nov 1903: "On Saturday last Ald. Frost, who has been a consistent advocate for a trial of the Kitson light, for the purposes of, town lighting, was kept busy with the able electrical engineer, Mr. J. Sutton, who was sent from Brisbane by the Kitson Light Co. to instal the lamp at the intersection of Walker and Canterbury streets, in putting up the iron post and fixing the necessary machinery for the production of the light."
Electrical pioneer On 9 December 1882, at Brisbane Queensland, the public was introduced to electricity by having a demonstration that utilized eight arc lights, erected along Queen Street. The lamps were erected on 20 foot cast iron standards. The power to supply these arc lights was taken from a 10 horsepower Crompton DC generator driven by a Robey steam engine in the foundry of J. W. Sutton & Co. at Adelaide Street.Becconsall, Brian. (2016). Electricity Industry Chronology – Technical Development. Engineering Heritage Queensland. Engineers Australia. Canberra, Australia. Later, the Brisbane Courier newspaper received electricity supplied from the foundry of J. W. Sutton at Foundry Lane, later called Isles Lane (now the site of a multi storey building). The power was from a 10 hp Crompton DC generator.Editor. (2014). Electricity in Brisbane 1882 – 1888. History of Electricity. Scholz Electrical. Brisbane. On 10 December 1882, the J. W. Sutton & Co. offices at Adelaide Street in Brisbane were lighted by electricity for the first time in Queensland. Sutton was the father-in-law of Edward Barton who was also heavily involved in Brisbane's electric lighting. From The Telegraph, Brisbane; 24 Feb 1921. "Mr. W. M. L'Estrange, of the Ipswich Electric Supply Company, Limited; had stated that the residence of Mr. C. Hardie Buzacott, of Chelmer, was one of the first houses in Australia to be lit up by electric light, as Mr. Buzacott had brought a plant out from England about the year 1887, and which he had installed at his residence for lighting purposes. Mr. L'Estrange also stated that about the same time Mr. Sutton, of Laurel, avenue, Chelmer also installed an electric plant at his residence, and, that probably Mr. Sutton's residence with that of Mr. Buzacott's could be claimed to be the first private dwellings to be lit up by electricity in Australia."
Education pioneer Sutton was keenly involved in all things educational. Sutton was a founding member of the Brisbane Technical College from September 1882. The college was originally part of the Brisbane School of Arts. In November 1892 Sutton was involved in organising the separation from the School of Arts. Sutton became the chairman of the subcommittee (1897), handling the separation and obtaining a new building. By 1900 Sutton was Chairman of the Brisbane Technical College 1899–1901. In Aug 1900 Sutton was appointed a member of the council of the Brisbane Technical College. By donating to the building fund Mr and Mrs Sutton became life members of the college. Sutton was reappointed to the council in November 1903. He remained as an ordinary member till post 1904. Sutton was also involved with having physics as a foundation discipline in its own right included in the curriculum for the University of Queensland. Post 1904 Sutton's health (most likely deteriorating from his exposure to radiation from X-rays as well as to radium) caused him to slowly withdraw from public life.
Photographic pioneer Joseph William Sutton was involved in the very beginning of the Queensland Photographic Society: