Difference between revisions of "James Eads"
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[[File:Eads Bridge.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Eads' engineering masterpiece, the Eads Bridge connecting St. Louis to Illinois]] | [[File:Eads Bridge.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Eads' engineering masterpiece, the Eads Bridge connecting St. Louis to Illinois]] | ||
| − | '''James Buchanan Eads''' (1820-1887) was a self-taught civil engineer who first made a fortune | + | '''James Buchanan Eads''' (1820-1887) was a self-taught civil engineer who first made a fortune salvaging material from wreckage at the bottom of the [[Mississippi River]], and then built for $10 million the Eads Bridge that was the largest of its time after the [[Civil War]]. |
Eads was an innovative, but demanding, engineer who had the audacity to return a massive amount of steel to [[Andrew Carnegie]]'s company because its quality was not high enough for Eads. His bridge was such a marvel of engineer that it continues to carry trains, cars, and pedestrians across the river to this day. | Eads was an innovative, but demanding, engineer who had the audacity to return a massive amount of steel to [[Andrew Carnegie]]'s company because its quality was not high enough for Eads. His bridge was such a marvel of engineer that it continues to carry trains, cars, and pedestrians across the river to this day. | ||
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*first steel-truss bridge | *first steel-truss bridge | ||
*first bridge to carry railroad tracks | *first bridge to carry railroad tracks | ||
| + | *first major bridge over the [[Mississippi River]] | ||
*first to rely entirely on cantilever construction for its superstructure | *first to rely entirely on cantilever construction for its superstructure | ||
*first to use tubular cord members | *first to use tubular cord members | ||
*first in the [[U.S.]] to use pneumatic caissons in constructing piers, sunk to a record-breaking depth of 123 feet | *first in the [[U.S.]] to use pneumatic caissons in constructing piers, sunk to a record-breaking depth of 123 feet | ||
| − | Construction began in 1867 and it was dedicated on July 4, 1874.<ref>https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/city-landmarks/Eads-Bridge.cfm</ref>His project was not commercially successful at the time. | + | Construction began in 1867 and it was dedicated on July 4, 1874.<ref>https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/city-landmarks/Eads-Bridge.cfm</ref> His project was not commercially successful at the time. |
== References == | == References == | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[category:engineering]] | [[category:engineering]] | ||
Latest revision as of 02:22, July 31, 2022
James Buchanan Eads (1820-1887) was a self-taught civil engineer who first made a fortune salvaging material from wreckage at the bottom of the Mississippi River, and then built for $10 million the Eads Bridge that was the largest of its time after the Civil War.
Eads was an innovative, but demanding, engineer who had the audacity to return a massive amount of steel to Andrew Carnegie's company because its quality was not high enough for Eads. His bridge was such a marvel of engineer that it continues to carry trains, cars, and pedestrians across the river to this day.
This bridge accomplished many "firsts":
- first steel-truss bridge
- first bridge to carry railroad tracks
- first major bridge over the Mississippi River
- first to rely entirely on cantilever construction for its superstructure
- first to use tubular cord members
- first in the U.S. to use pneumatic caissons in constructing piers, sunk to a record-breaking depth of 123 feet
Construction began in 1867 and it was dedicated on July 4, 1874.[1] His project was not commercially successful at the time.