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120th anniversary of the death of Joseph Lindley

On April 20, 1906, in Ober Ursel (Oberursel), Joseph Lindley died at the age of only forty-seven. We recalled it on our pages a decade ago. Today we look back at Joseph's life story again.

He was the youngest of the three Lindley brothers and lived from 1859 to 1906. He came to Warsaw in December 1888 to replace his older brother Robert and represent in Warsaw the oldest of the three brothers, chief engineer William Heerlein, and to supervise the city's measurements as well as the construction of sewage and waterworks.

 Joseph Lindley stayed with Warsaw for seventeen years. A nervous illness, despite his stay in a southern climate and treatment in a renowned sanatorium in the Taunus Mountains, he ended his "busy life" there.

Joseph Lindley with his wife, Emily Suermondt

Joseph Lindley left behind his wife Emilia Suermondt, son Henry William and daughter Julia Anita. The Great Universal Illustrated Encyclopedia wrote: "for 16 years he developed a very useful activity in our country. Warsaw owes his great diligence and energy for completing these [sewerage] works."

In our E-library under the title "The Fourth Lindley" we have included an article on Joseh Lindley. We encourage you to read it again. We gave him the attention he deserves.

The London fair in 1814 on the Thames

125 years ago died William Lindley

Lindley, William (1808–1900), civil engineer, was born on 7 September 1808 at 1 Surrey Square, Old Kent Road, London, the youngest of four children of Joseph Lindley (1756–1808), of Heath, Yorkshire. In 1827 he became a pupil of Francis Giles and assisted him in the design of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway and the London and Southampton Railway. In 1836–8 he worked on the regulation of the River Mersey and on the Thames Tunnel with Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

On Brunel's recommendation Lindley was in 1839 appointed engineer-in-chief to the Hamburg and Bergedorf Railway, and subsequently was responsible for a number of projects in Hamburg. However, Lindley's great reputation as an engineer largely stemmed from his role in halting the disastrous fire which raged in Hamburg in May 1842. Under his direction controlled explosions of threatened buildings retarded the conflagration and eventually extinguished the fire. The town council appointed him consulting engineer to the Hamburg water board and the board of works. In the years 1848–60 he supervised that great spate of urban reconstruction. He also designed, executed, and supervised the construction of the Hamburg sewage system and water supply, with later extensions, and the gas works on the Grasbrook.

In 1863 he was invited by the city authorities of Frankfurt am Main to report on its drainage and two years later he was appointed its consulting engineer. In 1868 he submitted a report to the city of Pest on its water supply. Construction of new waterworks began the following year and Lindley was assisted by his eldest son.

Warsaw Water Company

In later years Lindley senior was consulted on water supply systems by the authorities of Düsseldorf, Chemnitz, Basel, Galatz, Brăila, and Jassy. His last, extensive design was sewerage and water supply for the cities of St Petersburg and Warsaw. The latter was carried out by his three sons, William, Robert, and Joseph. Lindley retired from active work in 1879. He died at his home outside London, 74 Shooter's Hill Road, Blackheath, on 22 May 1900, in his ninety-second year.

Excerpts from R.Ż,, Lindley, William (1808-1900), civil engineer, The Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press 1965, Vol. XX, s. 968-969.

January 1880 William Heerlein Lindley first time in Warsaw

During three subsequent meetings, various aspects of the water supply and sewage project submitted by Father William Lindley to the city of Warsaw in 1878 were discussed. They were attended by, "apart from engineers, Warsaw civil and military dignitaries in large numbers, due to the importance of the subject." Although he seemed very young to the distinguished group (he was only 27 years old), but "as one could conclude, he was talented, and especially good at speaking", he made a very good impression on the gathered people. Starynkiewicz supported him with the means at his disposal. He not only responded in the press to all attacks on Lindley, the sewage system, the water supply system or the management of the Magistrate in general, but he was also able to reach individual people to prove his arguments in a personal conversation" - recalled the city engineer Julian Majewski.

Warsaw City Hall, 1878

The greatest advantage of these three-day sessions was that the Warsaw engineers could express their opinions, and Lindley had the opportunity to present his own point of view. Lindley himself was also given an excellent opportunity to meet Polish specialists whom he was to employ to carry out the project. The direct result of the discussion was the conclusion of a preliminary agreement with William H. Lindley, commissioning him to carry out the construction of water and sewage systems in Warsaw.

Lindleys’ water works in Warsaw in the centre of help for the victims of floods in Poland

Warsaw residents show a great heart to the victims of floods. Since the announcement of Warsaw's President Rafał Trzaskowski on September 15, 2024, the collection of all kind of goods, the heart of Varsovians beats towards the south of the country - municipalities, cities and towns that suffered as a result of the flood. Collection at the water treatment plant Filters started on Sunday, September 15 at 17.00. Help is taken at the entrance gate to the Filter station from ul. Raszyńska. The generosity of the inhabitants is huge. Cars also came to gifts left in the offices of the capital's districts. The entrance gate to the filter station is practically besieged by cars loaded with gifts.

 Collecting the goods

See the film from this action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt4wyodjwcg

On the road towards Kłodzko, Lądek Zdrój and Nysa, on September 18, the first convoy went: 2 trucks and 4 transporters, which accommodated a total of 35 pallets of bottled water, 22 pallets with hygiene products, 8 pallets with cleaning products and 18 pallets with food. MPWiK also donated several huge pumps to dry flooded rooms. This is not the end of the capital's generosity - people are constantly reporting more gifts. Their collection will last until further notice.

Modern equipment of Warsaw Water Company against all Lindley's works