Background
John Adams Church, the son of Pharcellus and Chara Emily (Conant) Church, was born on April 05, 1843 in Rochester, New York, United States.
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John Adams Church
Edit ProfileEducation
John Adams Church received the Master of Engineering degree from the Columbia School of Mines. After graduation he went to Europe, and while pursuing a course at Clausthal visited numerous continental metallurgical establishments. His technical observations were embodied in a publication, Notes on a Metallurgical Journey.
Career
Church was an assistant editor of the Engineering and Mining Journal from 1872 to 1874. Later he took over Prof. Egleston’s course at the Columbia School of Mines, and from 1878 - 1881 he was the professor of mining and metallurgy at the Ohio State University. In 1877 he became a member of the United States Geological Survey West of the 100th Meridian and produced a monograph on the Comstock Lode, containing an ingenious theory that kaolinization was the cause of the high temperature of the ore body. The publication of this theory led to an interesting and spirited discussion, Church’s view being opposed notably by G. F. Becker of King’s Survey.
In 1881 Church resumed his metallurgical work as superintendent of the Tombstone Mining & Milling Company. In 1886 he went to Ku Shanza, Manchuria under contract with Li Hung Chang, then viceroy, to introduce American methods into certain mining districts in China, taking with him a few Americans to act as mine and smelter foremen. In sharp contrast with the spirit of modern development shown by Li Hung Chang was the unwillingness of the Chinese officials to disregard an ancient superstition as to a sacred dragon supposed to dominate a conveniently located coal mine. This made it necessary for Church to obtain the fuel for his Ku Shanza smelting operations from a coal deposit, at an almost prohibitive distance, located beyond the reach of the imagined dragon.
The Chinese metallurgical operations, at the time of Church’s arrival, were as primitive, in their way, as was such a belief in the existence of the dragon. The smelting furnaces were about the size of ordinary washtubs, the air being supplied by the most crude hand bellows. One can therefore imagine the initiative, patience, and resourcefulness which were required to develop commercially successful metallurgical operations under such conditions, especially when hampered, as Church was, by deep-seated prejudices and unreasonable demands on the part of his native labor, and by the constant danger of depredations from marauding robber bands. Nevertheless he successfully fulfilled his contract with Li Hung Chang.
He returned to the United States in 1890 and established a consulting practise which he continued until his death.
Achievements
Connections
On July 30, 1884, Church was married to Jessie A. Peel, by whom he had one son.
