1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Milne, John

MILNE, JOHN (1850-1913), British seismologist and mining engineer, was born at Liverpool Dec. 30 1850, and was educated at King's College, London, afterwards studying at the Royal School of Mines. He then worked as a mining engineer in Newfoundland and Labrador, and in 1874 went as geologist with Dr. Beke's expedition to north-western Arabia. In 1875 he was appointed professor of geology and mining in the Imperial Engineering College at Tokyo, and for nearly 20 years made his home in Japan, marrying a Japanese lady. Prof. Milne made a special study of seismology (see 8.817, 819, 820), and was recognized as the first authority on the subject. He travelled widely in the East in pursuit of his researches, and about 1880 established the seismic survey of Japan, with 968 stations. He also invented or perfected various forms of seismograph. In 1894 his books and instruments were destroyed by fire, and he returned to England, settling at Shide, I. of Wight, where he established an observing station. During the ensuing years he was largely responsible for the establishment of seismological stations throughout the world, in connexion with his work as secretary of the seismological committee of the British Association. He published two standard works, Earthquakes (1883) and Seismology (1898), besides books on scientific mining and crystallography and many papers in scientific journals. He died at Shide July 30 1913.