Complex sentence: Besides fulfilling this position for the government, Meigs was an inventor: he invented a "canvas coffer-dam" and he pioneered the application of crude oil to dirt roads to improve driving conditions by controlling dust and mud.
Split into simpler sentences: Besides fulfilling this position for the government, Meigs was an inventor. He invented a "canvas coffer-dam," and pioneered the application of crude oil to dirt roads to improve driving conditions by controlling dust and mud.