Charles Hesterman Merz
Encyclopedia
Charles Hesterman Merz was a British electrical engineer who pioneered the use of high-voltage three-phase
AC power distribution
in the United Kingdom, building a system in the North East of England in the early 20th century that became the model for the country's National Grid.
the Tyneside ship builder. He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne
and attended Armstrong College in the town. He then entered an apprenticeship at the Newcastle Electric Supply Company (NESCo), which had been founded by his father, the industrial chemist John Theodore Merz
, in 1889. In 1898 Merz became the first Secretary and Chief Engineer of the Cork Electric Tramways Co. Ltd in Cork, Ireland. In 1899 Merz set up a consulting firm which, with the arrival of William McLellan
in 1902, became Merz & McLellan
. Merz and McLellan had first worked together in Cork. His next major project was the Neptune Bank Power Station
in Wallsend
near Newcastle. It was the first three-phase electricity supply system in Great Britain, and was opened by Lord Kelvin on 18 June 1901. In the same year he toured the USA and Canada. He was known affectionally, within the electricity industry, as the "Grid King".
He was a consultant to a local tramway company on the electrification of their horse-drawn routes and, subsequently, to the Tyneside local lines of the North Eastern Railway
, a pioneer of British mainline railway electrification
, whose electric systems were turned on in 1904. As well passenger commuter lines, these included a 0.75 mi (1.2 km) freight line using the ES1
electric locomotive.
In 1905 he first attempted to influence Parliament to unify the variety of voltages and frequencies in the country's electricity supply industry, but it was not until World War I
that Parliament began to take this idea seriously, then appointing him head of a Parliamentary Committee to address the problem.
Between 1907 and 1913 Merz was hired by Thomas James Tait
to electrify the railway system in Melbourne
, Australia
. The new system began operation in 1919.
In 1916 Merz pointed out that the UK could use its small size to its advantage, by creating a dense distribution grid to feed its industries efficiently. His findings led to the Williamson Report of 1918, which in turn created the Electricity Supply Bill of 1919. The bill was the first step towards an integrated system. He also sat on the Weir Committee, which produced the more significant Electricity (Supply) Act of 1926, leading to the setting up of the National Grid.
Merz's own system ran at 40 hertz, 20,000 volts, but he was forced to convert it to 50 hertz to match the European system.
In 1940 Merz designed the electric drive equipment for the TOG 1
tank
. In the same year, he and his two children were killed at their house in Kensington
, London
, by a German bomb.
manages a Charles Hesterman Merz Fund.
The School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne is located in a building named Merz Court.
Three-phase
In electrical engineering, three-phase electric power systems have at least three conductors carrying voltage waveforms that are radians offset in time...
AC power distribution
Electricity distribution
File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg|thumb|380px|right|Simplified diagram of AC electricity distribution from generation stations to consumers...
in the United Kingdom, building a system in the North East of England in the early 20th century that became the model for the country's National Grid.
Life
Merz was then eldest son of John Theodore Merz (a Quaker from Germany) and Alice Mary Richardson, the sister of John Wigham RichardsonJohn Wigham Richardson
John Wigham Richardson was one of the great figures of British industrial life, and a leading shipbuilder on Tyneside during the late 19th and early 20th century.-Career:...
the Tyneside ship builder. He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and attended Armstrong College in the town. He then entered an apprenticeship at the Newcastle Electric Supply Company (NESCo), which had been founded by his father, the industrial chemist John Theodore Merz
John Theodore Merz
John Theodore Merz was a German British chemist, historian and industrialist. Merz was born in Manchester, England and educated at Göttingen, Heidelberg, and Bonn universities....
, in 1889. In 1898 Merz became the first Secretary and Chief Engineer of the Cork Electric Tramways Co. Ltd in Cork, Ireland. In 1899 Merz set up a consulting firm which, with the arrival of William McLellan
William McLellan
Colonel William McLellan CBE was a Scottish electrical engineer. Born in Palnackie, McLellan joined Charles Merz in 1902 to form the Merz & McLellan consulting partnership. In the 1920s, then Colonel McLellan, he designed the Galloway Hydros hydroelectric power scheme.-References:***...
in 1902, became Merz & McLellan
Merz & McLellan
Merz and McLellan was a leading British electrical engineering consultancy based in Newcastle.-History:The firm was founded by Charles Merz and William McLellan in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1902 when McLellan joined Merz's existing firm established in 1899...
. Merz and McLellan had first worked together in Cork. His next major project was the Neptune Bank Power Station
Neptune Bank Power Station
Neptune Bank Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated on the River Tyne at Wallsend near Newcastle upon Tyne. Commissioned in 1901 by the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company, the station was the first in the world to provide electricity for purposes other than domestic and...
in Wallsend
Wallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
near Newcastle. It was the first three-phase electricity supply system in Great Britain, and was opened by Lord Kelvin on 18 June 1901. In the same year he toured the USA and Canada. He was known affectionally, within the electricity industry, as the "Grid King".
He was a consultant to a local tramway company on the electrification of their horse-drawn routes and, subsequently, to the Tyneside local lines of the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
, a pioneer of British mainline railway electrification
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
, whose electric systems were turned on in 1904. As well passenger commuter lines, these included a 0.75 mi (1.2 km) freight line using the ES1
British Rail Class ES1
British Rail Class ES1 was a class of two electric locomotives commissioned by the North Eastern Railway in 1902. They were of steeplecab design....
electric locomotive.
In 1905 he first attempted to influence Parliament to unify the variety of voltages and frequencies in the country's electricity supply industry, but it was not until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
that Parliament began to take this idea seriously, then appointing him head of a Parliamentary Committee to address the problem.
Between 1907 and 1913 Merz was hired by Thomas James Tait
Thomas James Tait
Sir Thomas James Tait was a Canadian-born rail executive.Born in Melbourne, Quebec, the son of Melbourne McTaggart Tait, Tait entered the service of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1880, and by 1903 he was manager of transportation with Canadian Pacific Railway company.In March 1903 Tait was appointed...
to electrify the railway system in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The new system began operation in 1919.
In 1916 Merz pointed out that the UK could use its small size to its advantage, by creating a dense distribution grid to feed its industries efficiently. His findings led to the Williamson Report of 1918, which in turn created the Electricity Supply Bill of 1919. The bill was the first step towards an integrated system. He also sat on the Weir Committee, which produced the more significant Electricity (Supply) Act of 1926, leading to the setting up of the National Grid.
Merz's own system ran at 40 hertz, 20,000 volts, but he was forced to convert it to 50 hertz to match the European system.
In 1940 Merz designed the electric drive equipment for the TOG 1
TOG1 (tank)
The Tank, Heavy, TOG 1 was a prototype British heavy tank produced in the early part of the Second World War in the expectation that battlefields might end up like those of the First World War and was designed so it could cross churned up countryside and trenches...
tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
. In the same year, he and his two children were killed at their house in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, by a German bomb.
Legacy
The Faculty of Engineering at the University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
manages a Charles Hesterman Merz Fund.
The School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne is located in a building named Merz Court.