Bell, Michael Maria

BELL, Michael Maria (1855–1936) was born at Carrowmore, Galway, Ireland, only son of George William Bell, civil engineer, of Claremorris, County Mayo, and Margaret Egan. He was probably articled to an engineer, possibly his father, before he migrated to Australia, arriving in Brisbane as a full fare paying passenger on the Carnatic in October 1881. In July 1882 he was appointed temporarily as a draftsman in the Chief Engineers Branch of the Queensland Railways @ 13/4pd which was increased in 1883 to £4/10/-pw and in 1885 to £250pa. He married Jessie McIntosh at Brisbane in 1884. Bell resigned from the Railways in 1889 but the timing was unfortunate as economic conditions deteriorated from 1890 and by 1892, he was insolvent. He later returned to the Railways Department, continuing to work as a draftsman and civil engineer in Brisbane until the 1920s when he moved to Sydney where he was listed as a draftsman in 1930. He died at Sydney.