390 OBITUARY. 



Mr. Sneddon was a thorough mechanic and a born executive, keenly alive to all improve- 

 ments and adopting them in his own plants where appropriate. It has been well recognized 

 throughout the profession that the high reputation of his company for the excellence of its 

 product is due in large measure to his technical and executive ability. 



Although marine boilers are the smaller part of the output of his company, the large 

 number turned out under his supervision in the last fifteen years, particularly for naval 

 vessels, made him a very important factor in the marine work of this country, and he was 

 well known to all of the leading shipbuilders, who thoroughly appreciated his ability. 



Probably the greatest opportunity for his efficiency as an executive and technician came 

 with the enormous demand for marine boilers on account of the Great War. His company 

 was called upon to build about 400 destroyer boilers, more than a hundred other naval 

 boilers, and about 1,200 boilers for the Emergency Fleet Corporation. For the first time in 

 the history of marine boilers this gave an opportunity to manufacture them and to apply 

 the principles governing quantity production. All of these Mr. Sneddon was quick to utilize, 

 with the result that the works were soon turning out three boilers per day for the Emer- 

 gency Fleet, one large^tube boiler per day for the Navy, and one large express-type boiler for 

 destroyers per day. This involved, of course, a great extension of the works and equipment 

 and a double turn. Even more was involved, because it was necessary to duplicate some 

 of the large, special tools which had been built by the company itself, both for increased 

 production and to guard against any possible stoppage of work. To do this it became neces- 

 sary to make some large machine tools ancillary to the fabrication of the special boiler- 

 manufacturing tools, because the machine-tool builders of the country were absolutely 

 swamped and could not possibly make delivery in time. A machine of the required type 

 which was in the works was dismantled, work ing drawings made from it by the Draughting 

 Department, the necessary castings made in the company's foundry, and finished in its own 

 machine shop. With such indomitable energy as a driving force no obstacle was allowed to 

 interfere. 



There had been some concern in the Navy Department, and in the Emergency Fleet, 

 that the company might not be able to deliver in time the enormous program which had been 

 assigned to it, but it is gratifying to record that under this untiring executive all the various 

 classes of boilers were delivered before the dates stipulated, and, in some cases, a consid- 

 erable period before the shipbuilders could utilize them. It is a stroke of good fortune to 

 have an opportunity to make such a record, but the successful fulfillment of the opportunity 

 is not good fortune but is due to ripe experience, executive ability of the highest order, and 

 the further ability to inspire zeal and loyalty in the subordinates who are to carry out the 

 great program. 



Mr. Sneddon died on June 11, 1921, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, after un- 

 dergoing two operations, and thus lacked only a month of being 58 years old. There was 

 every reason to anticipate many remaining years of usefulness, but he could certainly feel 

 that he had made an enviable record and had thoroughly fulfilled every duty which came 

 upon him. 



He was a handsome man of striking appearance, due to his prematurely white hair, and 

 his personality had a charm which will long be remembered by the wide circle of those who 

 were privileged to count themselves as his friends. 



He had been a member of this Society since November, 1905, and was also a member 

 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and of the Engineers' Club of New York. 



He is survived by his widow, a son and a daughter. 



