Tysoe for Westcombe News

 

This is about the adventures in 1905 of an important man from Westcombe Park in Brazil. This was Joseph Tysoe who lived at Ardarvon, 45 Westcombe Park Road from 1890 to 1905 when he moved to the much larger no 57. After his death in 1913 his widow moved back to no.45 remaining there until 1942.Tysoe was the first manager of East Greenwich gas works.  

In 1902 South Metropolitan Gas Co sent him to Brazil to investigate, and hopefully acquire sources of monazite which was the source of Thorium which was needed to make gas mantles for lighting.  At the time supplies were controlled by the German Welsbach Company.  Tysoe wrote an article for the Journal of Gas lighting about his visit to Brazil -here are some of the highlights.

 

Tysoe arrived in Rio de Janeiro and was very impressed with the view of ‘universal red tiled roofs’ and Rio Gas Works with its holders ‘a picture which must be seen to be appreciated’.  He then went down the coast by steamship.... not “first class from an English standpoint” although the coast was ‘beautiful viewed from a distance’ and there was a derelict gas works – ‘all that was left was the guide framing of the holder and various pipes ... and vultures perched in the ruins”.

But he needed to go to where the monazite deposits sites were - at Guarapari they are on the shore. He said Guarapari was all ‘mud hovels’ and he stayed at ‘what was described as a hotel’ and ate his dinner which consisted of one course by the light of one candle. They travelled by mule to the black beaches where the monazite deposits were – the radioactivity was unknown then.

Today the ‘black beaches’ are very much in evidence at Guarapari and you can get on to Google Street View and go along a seaside path –lined with tower blocks –and see them.

Tysoe left quite quickly – not clear why - but the steam launch had problems and he was s frightened of an accident at sea so he got a horse and a guide. The ride back took two days with an overnight stay half way. He was very pleased not only that it was safer but the ‘scenery and objects of interest in the forest were full recompense for the inconvenience’.

He had failed to get any concessions for South Met Gas. – but he kept quiet about that! He clearly hated his mission and couldn’t wait to get back to Westcombe Park and also see how the management of East Greenwich gas works had survived without him.