E.J. Bagnall

In the March 4, 1893 issue of the Western Electrician an article¹ appeared that profiled some of the members of the recently organized St. Louis Electric Club. One of the members highlighted was E. J. Bagnall, and the paragraph below is reproduced from that issue:

"E. J. Bagnall, is 37 years of age and was born in England, but reached America when 4 years old. A large part of his life was spent in Cleveland, where he early identified himself with the Brush company at the beginning of electric light work, and was with that company for many years as foreman. In 1885 he came to St. Louis, and leased the newly constructed Brush arc station, and operated it in partnership with A. W. Dutton. When this company, with the other arc lighting companies of the city, was merged into the United Electric Light company, Mr. Bagnall was appointed general superintendent of all the plants, and continued to occupy that position until the stations were absorbed by the Municipal company. Mr. Bagnall was intimately connected with the early work in storage batteries in St. Louis, having charge of the work done by the Lindell Railway company. In 1887, when the Lindell Railway company established its electric power plant, he was appointed electrician, which position he held until a few weeks ago, when ill health forced him to give up his duties and take a trip to Cuba."

In 1895 the Swan Lamp Manufacturing Company of Cleveland closed and a new company was formed by five men². One of the founders was E. J. Bagnall. The company was named the Adams-Bagnall Electric Company and Bagnall was to be in charge of dynamo and motor construction. The new company was to make arc lamps, incandescent lamps and possibly railway motors.

One of the employees of the new company was Samuel Edward Cox, who had worked for the Brush Electric Company. He was granted U. S. Patent No. 548,036 for a design of a tipless lamp. It was marketed as the "A-B" lamp.³