The Forth Bridge/Mr. Joseph Phillips
Mr. Joseph Phillips.
The fourth member of the firm of contractors for the Forth Bridge, Mr. Joseph Phillips, commenced his professional career in 1844, as a pupil to Messrs. Grissell, of London, and after serving his time he entered the service of Messrs. Fox, Henderson and Co., who were then building the Exhibition of 1851. When the firm erected the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, Mr. Phillips acted as one of their outdoor superintendents, and he afterwards was in charge of the construction and erection of Newark Dyke Bridge, on the Great Northern Railway, the largest ever constructed on the Warren truss principle. His next work was the Birmingham Railway Station roof, which is of 212-ft. span, and at that time was by far the largest roof in existence. Since then Mr. Phillips has frequently been consulted by engineers on the subject of large-span roofs, and has carried many into execution. While still in the employment of Messrs. Fox and Henderson he paid much attention to the system of sinking caissons by compressed air, invented by Mr. Hughes, and first adopted in constructing the foundations of the Rochester Bridge by Messrs. Fox, Henderson, and Co.
Mr. Phillips joined the firm of Messrs. Cochrane and Co., of Dudley, in 1856, as their manager, and he subsequently undertook for them the erection of such well-known structures as Westminster Bridge, and the Charing Cross and Cannon-street railway bridges over the Thames. He was also associated with the same firm in the construction of the bridge across the Mersey at Runcorn. Further recognition of his ability came with the adoption of his patent for wrought-iron caisson cofferdams, put down by open sinking or by compressed air, for the most difficult parts of the Thames Embankment, and, by the Government, at the Spithead forts. Later on he was associated with the late Mr. T. Parry in the contract for the Central Railway Station and line at Liverpool, and the Whitehaven Docks. He afterwards carried out by himself the contracts for the Campos Bridge over the River Para, for the Brazilian Government; the extension of the Derby Water Works (under Mr. Hawkesley), and the Great Western Dock at Plymouth, for the Great Western Railway Company. The foregoing are only some of the works upon which Mr. Phillips has been engaged, but, of course, he has besides undertaken many others, for which much skill and ability were necessary.
Mr. Phillips' career has been all the more remarkable because he was removed from active life for a long while by a very serious illness, at a time when he was busily engaged upon important matters, and which, after his recovery, left him in a much less advantageous position for progress than he had formerly occupied. Since the starting of the Forth Bridge seven years ago he has resided on the spot. Mr. Phillips was specially interested in the sinking of the deep foundations of the main piers, and in the execution of which the contractors co-operated with, the eminent French contractors M. Coiseau. The difficulties of that part of the undertaking will be realised by what we have already said. Since the foundations were completed, Mr. Phillips has been actively engaged with Mr. Arrol in superintending the erection of the superstructure.