- Benjamin Drake Van Wissen
Benjamin Drake Van Wissen (March 17, 1892 – November 5, 1984), was an
Australia ncivil engineer .Born in
Melbourne , Van Wissen joined the World War I (WWI)war effort as an engineer, but was best known as the first manager of the mining operations of the largeguano deposit located onNauru after its capture following WWI. Guano was mined for itsphosphate s for use as a fertilizer, most of which were shipped back to Australia.Van Wissen designed an efficient harvesting machine for the guano that maximized the extraction of phosphates from the island, and to this day a similar system is in place.
Van Wissen remained on Nauru for most of his life. A statue of him can be found on the island, commemorating his investment of time and energy in the Nauru guano mining program, as well as his many innovations in its harvesting. Due to the large number of
seagull s inhabiting the island, the artist remarked, "He'll keep on collecting guano well into the next life".citequoteReferences
* [http://www.denbarsys.com/ Guano (Quechua)] at denbarsys.comdead link|date=August 2008
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