Charles Combes

Charles Pierre Mathieu Combes (26 December 1801 – 11 January 1872) was a French engineer. He was Inspector-General of Mines and the Director of the School of Mines in Paris. His name is on the Eiffel Tower.

Career

In 1825 he became a teacher of mathematics at the Ecole de Saint-Etienne, a post he held for two years. He then worked in industry but returned to the Saint-Etienne school in 1827 and stayed until 1831.

In 1832 he started at the School of Mines in Paris.

Combes' wife Louise Pauline (born Bousquet) died young in 1841.

As the manager of the Firminy colliery, Combes took a special interest in the question of underground mine ventilation at which he became an expert and which, according to A. de Lapparent,

Combes took an interest in his students. A young Marcel Deprez failed to complete the course at the School of Mines. He must have made a good impression as he was employed as Combes' secretary. Deprez went on to show that electricity could be transmitted over long distances.

He has been recognised as a model of what is now called a consultant engineer. He was called on to arbitrate in disputes. He ruled on the ventilation of the mines in Belgium as well as advising foundries and collieries. In 1868, he was awarded the Italian Commander of the Order of St. Maurice and Lazarus and he was made a Commander of the Order of Leopold of Belgium.

Legacy Combes was one of seventy-two people whom Gustav Eiffel chose as people who had made his achievement of building the Eiffel Tower possible. Combes is number fifty in this list. His name is on the side opposite the military academy.