Memoir of deceased member

Jacob Chester Chamberlain was born in India, of American parentage, on July 3, 1860, being the son of Jacob Chamberlain, M.D., D.D. He died of bronchial pneumonia at New York, July 28, 1905, aged 45 years. In 1872 he was brought to this country to complete his education. He was graduated with honors at Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N. J., in 1882. In 1883 he took a post-graduate course in chemistry. Soon after this he entered Mr. Thomas A. Edison´s laboratory, in Goerick Street, taking an active part in the pioneer electric lighting work of those days. He was engaged as an electrical engineer in the historic first Edison electric light station in Pearl street; while in this position he devised a number of improvements for locating grounds which at that time occurred frequently in the street feeders. In 1886 he was engaged as electrical engineer and superintendent of construction for the Sawyer-Mann Electric Company. He then became interested in traction, and in 1889 was engaged as electrical engineer of the Julien Traction Co., which was introducing storage-battery cars. While with that company he took out a large number of patents relating to the improvement and development of the storage-battery system for railway work; some of the patents relating to controllers were quite fundamental and were acquired by the General Electric Company. In connection with traction work he developed and patented some special gears and pinions to reduce the losses which occurred in transmitting power from the motor to the car axle. The motors at that period were comparatively high speed, so that double reduction was resorted to, involving rapid depreciation of the pinion. About this time he received the degree of Master of Science from Rutgers College.