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DEATH OF LORD GLANTAWE. -…

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DEATH OF LORD GLANTAWE. Venerable Baron Expires in His I Eightieth Year. A CAREER OF INDUSTRIAL ROMANCE. From the Tinworks to Leadership of Trade. It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Lord Glantawe, which took place at eleven o'clock this morning at his -residence, The Grange, Blackpili. His Lordship, who celebrated his eightieth birthday on May 10th last, had been iii for the pa-t eight months, suffer- ing from a general breakdown in health. It had hoon noticed by his mors intimate acquaintances during the latter part of last year that his Lordship's health was to some extent failing, but it was not un- til December that he was confined to bis bedroom. Eor-CH then strong hopes were •entertained for his ultimate recovery, and he was on several occasions able to get about the private grounds of The Grange. Advancing age, however, militated con- siderably ago,mat any chance of recovery, end a short time ago he suffered, a relapse from which he never recovered. His Two Daughters. He leaves two daughters, the Hon. Mrs Horace Darnell, and the Hon. Elaine Jenkins. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH The iate Lod Glantawe's life was an industrial romance. He rose from small beginnings, and i>ec&me one of the most irriueiitiai of South Wales business mag- nates. Un the last occasion, as chief magi- strate of the borough, Lord Glantawe had the honour of entertaining; King Edward VII. and Qll Alexandra (then Prince and Princess of Wale-,) who visited Swan- sea in 1881 for the purpose of inaugurating the Prince of Wales Dock. He went into that function plain Mr. Jenkins and arose out of it Sir John Jones Jenkins, having received from his Prince and Princess the honour of Knighthood. In 18% h3 was made the recipient of the Freedom of the Borough, in recogni-i ti-on of SO years' service to the town and district, and 1ll June. 1906, his elevation to the Peerage came as a fitting reward t a. loug period of honour a bio service for the Principality. The career of Lord Glantawe has very aptly been described as a romance of in- dvstry. He was the architect of iiir, own fortune, and an example of what can be achieved by perseverance—which he adopted as his motto—and indomitable j energy. A Democratic Trade. Years ago the ch ronicles of South Wales used to be picturesquely diversified by references to Iron Kings and Coal Kings. But there was, and is, another industry almost as wide in its range, and is full of potentiality of wealth. The tin- plate trade had established mills, but there must have been something funda- mentally democratic in its constitution, for no one has ever heard of Tin Kings, Dr evon Tin Princes. At all events, the tinplate trade was essentially democratic, so far as Lord' urlantawe was concerned. He entered, upon it at the very lowest rung of the ladder, and by the exercise of the same quality as that exhibited by Brace's *pider, in a very short period, he climbed to the top. There are, or were. tinplate work3 in the valleys of the Loughor, the Ebw, and the TJsk, but they always clustered more thickly in the Swansea Valley, and right in the midst of them, at Clydach on Tawe, in 1835, a baby boy was born. Whatever may have been the dreams of that fond mother, whatever visions of future great- ness for the crooning infant she gently bushed to slumber, they can scarcely have been more spacious, more glorious than the sabeequent actuality. i Boy in the Tinshop. He was a sou of Mr. Jen kin Jenkins. of Morrieton, and of Sarah, daughter of John Jones, of Clydaoh. The boy was well grounded in a local school, and there; laid at lea st the foundation of a good education. which the self culture of a, f i u- r ea&bled him to develop into all the qualifications cf a successful business j n-ian, and a. sufficient store of the attri-I btptes of a genial mao of the world. At the age of 15, he went to work in the Upper Forest Tinplate Works, Mor- riaton, the property of Messrs. Hallam and Co., one of the largest in tae trade. He laid the foundation of his future siic- opes by his perseverance in acquiring a practical knowledge of the industry in which he was employed. His was a brain anxious to acquire knowledge, and, even at that age, he showed great ambition. He gave a great deal of attention to the "Friendly Socicty movement, and was a etodious member of the local literary ciamtee. At the age of 10. he married Miss Mar- garet. daughter of the late Josiah Ree?,' of Morriston, hut his marital happiness was destined to be of s hort duration, for ♦be died nine years later. By diligence and industry he soon mastered the details of the diffprent processes in the trade, and m WúTl the confidence of his employers that t,Lte,' v showed their appreciation of his integrity and ability by appointing him out-door manager. He was now only 23 years old. The Brain Factory. True then. as later, to the wise policy of giving close attention to the human element in industrial effort. the young manager made many endeavours to im- j iyrgvc the condi tion of the workmen iindpr his chargo. He started singing classes, j and formed a library at the works. He did all he (ould to impress on those with whom he associated the advisability of widening their mental horizon by means of books and music, and many men who had been be-for but hand workers by day &nd beer barrels by night, developed through his influence into foremen in Forest and other factories. Shortly after, a few local capitalists invited the young manager to join them as a partner in the Beaufort Tinplate I Works at Morriston. He became chief partner and manager of the Beaufort, and remained -so till 1860. His Secora Marriage. In the meantime, in 1861, he had again married Miss Katherine, daughter of the late Mr. Edward DanieL C.E., of Morris- ton. In 183S Lord Glantawe allied himself I NM"l ol plailam with Mr. Voss in the works at Cwmbwrla, and on Mr. Voss's withdrawal to Yspitty, in the Loughor Valley, Mr. J enkius be- came sole head of that great concern, and j still later he increased his interest in tin- plate manufacture by taking the Cwm- Min Works in hand. Cwmbwrla Works jwere enlarged and improved, and a new steel works constructed. And, &pite of Mc-Kinley tariffs, keen competition, and industrial unrest, the. trade Lard Glanhwe spent his life in, notwithstanding various vissitudes, has, on the whoie, been a lucrative one, in whioh large fortunes have been made, and from which the young Morriston workman has derived the substantial re- wards traditionally associated with in- dustry and capacity. Thrice Mayor of Swansea. I Lord Glanitawe was elected to the S_ uansea iown Council in ISSo, at the age oi SO. lour years later he was rnado J j Mayor. That was an eventful year for the newly-es-i-ablished Iron and Steel In. stitute paid a visit to Swansea-. The late Duke. of Devonshire, its president, and a host of distinguished ironmasters and j engineers gathered together to see for themselves the progress of the iron and coal industry of Glamorgan. Un- j doubtedlj the visit brought the town and port and i'heir resources under notice. md probably led to the selection of Lan-dore as the site of the -Sicilian's Steel | Works, soon afterwards created. Lord Glantawe had the honour of be- ing elected a second year to the Mayoralty, and in that year he began his zealous advocacy of a Free Library for Swansea, a scheme which was realised in 1(1,75 by the- founding of the Library in Goat-street. Ten years later Lord Glantawe was once more raised to the Mayoral seat; and in that year the Prince and Princess of visited the town to open the new dock basin, and to christen it the Prince of Wales Dock. Loyal Swansea went into ecstacios of de. light over the works and the Royal visitors II is Lordship's intimate connection with the auspicious incident, as promotor and as Mayor, gained him his Knighthood, and further strengthened his popularity. His Municipal Munificence. On the foundation stone laying of the East Dock, Sir John had entertained the leading inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood in the Music llall-now the Albart Hall—at a ball which was a iuar-vol of magnificence and liberality. In August, IS80, the British Association callie to Swansea, and the soiree given by the genial tinplate magnate was one of the most notable functions of an event- ful year. At the centenary of Sunday Schools, celebrated in November, the new Mayor presented the scholars of the town with 11,500 Testaments, an act of gener- osity which served not ozily to commemor- ate the occasion, but provided the chil- dren with a pleasing memento of the day. lle a Dumber of the Harbour Tm-* from 18B9, and its chairman from 1892 to 189!5. It was during this period, in 1895, this _vr i o d Ti IS95, that Sir John wa? accorded the Freedom of the Borough at a meeting characterised by much enthusiasm. Rhondda and Swansea Bay. Sir John unsuccessfully contested the Parliamentary seat of Carmarthen Boroughs in 1880; but in 13S2, on the re- | -tiremcnt of Mr. B. F. Williams he was returned unoppos+xl; in 1S55 he wa- again returned by a majority of 1,708, but in 18S(5, as a Liberal Unionist, defeated by Sir Arthur Stepney. In 1892, he unsuccessfully contested the -seat with Major Jones, bur in lS9o defeated that gentleman, and sat for Carmarthen Sorollghs till 1000. Lord Glantawe was one of the chief partners is Messrs. E. Morewood and Co., •Llanelly, proprietors of the South Wales Iron, Steel, and Tinplate Works, one cf the most modern and best arranged, in Wales- He devoted a great deal of his time and capital to railways. He was a director of the Lianelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway, a short but useful line of 12 miles, con- necting the two places. As chairman of the P ho ad da and Swan- sea Bay Railway Co., he essayed a great task which may well be said to be the crowning work of his life. The under- taking was not without its engineering difficulties, the tunnel near Treherbert being an especially troublesome and costly work, but the physical obstacles were not so serious as the obstructions en- countered in getting the Bill through Parliament. But Lord Glantawe (or Sir John, as he then was) never abated his exertions until success was won. never hesitated in his conviction that the little line had a great future of usefulness and profit before it. Mumbles Trains Too Fast! As one of the promoters, and managing owner cf the Swansea and Mumbles Rail- way, a (ontiuuation of the primitive Oystermouth tramway to the Mumbles Head. he enjoyed the unique experience among railway managers of being com- plained of by the County Council for running his trains at too great a rate of speed. It was mainly through his enterprise that the Pier at the Mumbles was erected. Lord Glantawe was a director of the NorLh British and Mercantile Insurance Co., of the Metropolitan Bank of Eng- land and Wales, of the Swansea and Mumbles Railway, Ltd.. of the Mumbles Railway and Pier Co., and of St. David's Tinplate Co. Although essentially a man of com- merce, he could claim to be a man at arms in his connection with the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, of which he was an hon. lieutenant. He was Sheriff ic. 1889. He was a J.P. for Glamorgan- shire, Carmarthenshire, and Swansea. He was President of the Royal Institu- tion of South Wales in 3S89-90, and was a member of the Governing body of the Intermediate and Technical schools. A Genial Optimist. Known as Swansea's optimist, he dis- pensed liearty hospitality at the Grange, I THE LATE LORD GLANTAWE. 1 and not a few Swansea men have reason! to remember him as a onerous friend. Not only did Lord Glantawe gain dis- tinction for himself in the field of in- dustry, and in the service of his town, but throughout his life he devoted (-on- siderable attention to the cause of edu- cation and religious equality, and for these services he stood high in the esteem of the people. | THE FUNERAL. t The nineral service "will ho conducted I in Oystermouth Church on Saturday after- noon at 3 o'clock, and the interment will follow in the Oystermouth Churchyard. No special invitation will be issued, but old friends desiring to attend the funeral are asked to do M. Messrs. D. C. Jones and Son, Swansea, will have charge of the arrangements. I Further Particulars will be found on Page One). I I -'a1IIIL.w .Å- ).'IJ:!I!I r.

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