Lives and works of civil and military engineers of America

Front matter

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Preface

To commemorate the lives of American citizens eminent in the profession of engineering, and who are no less illustrious for their virtues and patriotism, this work is designed.

The object of the author has been to briefly portray the lives of pioneer American Engineers, and to collect some of the reminiscences of the earlier works of engineering of the country, with which their names are identified.

The description of the works alluded to in this volume is necessarily general in its character, and embraces less of detail than it would were it intended for professional reading alone.

Few circumstances have contributed so much to promote the commerce and great prosperity of the States as our system of internal improvements, for which we are largely indebted to the skill, foresight, and integrity of the Civil Engineer, and there is no profession to whom, in this country, less public justice has been accorded.

In the arrangement of the several subjects, reference is had to their succession in time, commencing with those

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4 PREFACE.

who were most conspicuously identified with our first public improvements, and noting some of the most prominent men and works at various periods, down to recent dates.

Brevity, and fidelity of statement, has been his aim rather than literary style or eloquence of description.

In the limit of time embraced he is conscious of having included but a few only of those whose lives and labors deserve to be more fitly and fully recorded than he is able to do. But the aid and encouragement that has been tendered in behalf of the undertaking by the most prominent Engineers in every State of the Union, in the collection, not only of information embodied in the following pages, but of Engineers for whose biographies he is collecting material, encourages the hope that, as intervals of time can be had from active professional engagements, other volumes will succeed this, until some slight degree of justice shall have been done to other deserving men of the profession.

In executing the design, on all occasions of doubt and uncertainty resort has been made to the best sources for information to which access could be had, and no diligence or research has been neglected to make the work complete. If errors are found to exist, the author would feel grateful to those who might direct his attention to them, that corrections may be made in future editions.

In a work of this kind much, from its nature, must be compilation, and to those of whose previous labors the

PREFACE. 5

author has availed himself he gratefully acknowledges his obligations.

The author desires also to acknowledge the gratification he has derived from the many encouraging letters he has received, and the assistance which the numerous voluntary contributions of valuable information and important data have afforded him in the preparation of this work.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. NIAGAKA BAILWAY SUSPENSION BRIDGE face title-page.

2. FIRST AMERICAN STEAMBOAT, 1786 face page 20

3. PORTRAIT OF JAMES GEDDES " " 36

4. PORTRAIT OF BENJAMIN WRIGHT " " 48

5. FIRST AMERICAN CANAL BOAT page 58

6. DEEP ROCK CUTTING AT LOCKPORT " 61

7. VIEW OF THE AQUEDUCT AT LITTLE FALLS " 63

8. PORTRAIT OF CANVASS WHITE* face page 74:

9. VIEW OF THE AQUEDUCT AT ROCHESTER page 97

10. COMBINED LOCKS AT LOCKPORT " 114

11. PORTRAIT OF GRIDLEY BRYANT face page 119

12. HENRY CLAY'S FIRST RAILROAD RIDE page 138

13. PORTRAIT OF JESSE L. WILLIAMS * face page 141

14. PORTRAIT OF CAPTAIN JOHN CHILDE * " « 177

15. PORTRAIT OF MAJOR DAVID BATES DOUGLAS " " 199

16. CARROLLTON VIADUCT page 226

17. FIRST AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE " 233

18. FIRST RAILROAD PASSENGER CAR " 236

19. PORTRAIT OF BENJAMIN H. LATROBE face page 243

20. PORTRAIT OF COLONEL CHARLES ELLET, JB " " 257

21. FAIRMOUNT BRIDGE page 268

22. ^LLET'S BASKET RIDE OVER NIAGARA RIVER " 274

23. CINCINNATI SUSPENSION BRIDGE » 315

24. EAST RIVER SUSPENSION BRIDGE.. « 322

* Engraved for this work, 1859. 1

Contents

MAJOB ANDREW ELLICOTT,

Surveyor-General of the United, States.

SURVEYING BOUNDARY LINES BETWEEN THE STATES AND TERRITORIES. — COMMISSIONER TO LOCATE WESTERN AND NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF PENN- SYLVANIA.— GEOGRAPHER OF THE UNITED STATES. — WESTERN BOUNDARY OF NEW YORK. — FIRST ACTUAL MEASUREMENT OF NIAGARA FALLS. — SUR- VEY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND" WASHINGTON CITY. — BOUN- DARY LINE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SPANISH POSSESSIONS.