Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-07-19
JAMys 3. EADs.


gineering works of the age. He entered
upon manhood in a most unpretentious
way, and by indomitable energy, the
exercise of rare good judgment OF natural
phenomena-and OF men toby close
study. and under the stimulus of natural
talent for construction, Mr.. Eads has taken
some of the boldest stands in engineering
enterprise, and has carried out his ideas to
such successful conclusions, that he is now
among the most widely known Of his pro-
| fession in the world, and commands the
confidence of those who are called upon to
supply the means for great works in as high
degree as any living engineer, and in our
own country in a higher degree perhaps
The successful engineering management of
the great st. Louis bridge enterprise is
due to him, although he has freely given
much credit to one or two of his assistants
for their services in the mathematical de-
termination and proportioning of the parts.
To this great work, in a paper recently read
| DclOTt bHC DIltlSu luSolLuIC vi WIN LII
gineers on the Recent Progress in En-
q cheering" and published in Yam Nos
traad's Magasiae for January of this year,
the first place is assigned as an engineering
feat accomplished during the last half cen
fury. Mr. Eads became familiar with the
Mississippi and Ohio rivera when in his
early years he was engaged in running
steamboats, on their waters. It is said
that he was first a. steamboat clerk, pilot
and then a master. Subsequently he be-
came an owner of boats, manager of
works for a large boating and contracting
company, and while thus engaged in super
intending the raising of snnken vessels, the
construction of wharves and other river
works, he was afforded special opportuni-
ties for studying the laws governing the
science of hydraulics as applicable to the
improvement of rivers, and daily presented
to view by the flow of the Father of
Waters. During the war of the rebellion
he became prominent as a contractor and
builder of ironclad vessels, and showed his
ability in successfully conducting various
other engineering enterprises. Since that
time his two principal achievements have
been the construction of the bridge over
the Mississippi at st. Louis as noted, and
the improvement of the mouth of the Mis-.
sissippi by means of jetties.
In the first mentioned work engineers
give him principal credit for the novel and
economical method he adopted of sinking
the enormous iron tubes-in which the
piers are built-through the deep sands of
the river bed to the solid foundation be-
meath. The process was carried on by
working out the material on the inside of
the tubes, and at the same time keeping
out the water by means of compressed air.
It is to be noted that this general idea was
not original with Eads, but the particular
means he used in its application were novel
and attracted engineering criticism to his
praise throughout the land.
In his second great work Mr.. Eads
won high credit, chiefly for having per-
sistently advocated the jetty system as a
means of opening deep nayigable mouth
to the river, against the most strenuous OPP.
position on the part of other engineers, who
declared that the effect of jetties in obtain
ing and maintaining a deep water channel
in this instance would not be favorable, and
that the true method was to make an arti-
fetal canal with locks as an entrance to the
great river Further than this Mr. Eads,
with great energy and enterprise, secured
the capital to carry out his ideas, procured
the passage of bill through Congress
pledging the Government to pay certain
sums upon the. accomplishment of certain
desired results as to deep-water channel,
and has carried out the work in most
economical and efficient manner to an
apparently successful issue.
The use of jetties as means Of contract
ing the flow Of river currents and forcing
the securing out of channels through shall
low places or bars is quite an old plan of
action amongst engineers but the
circumstances under which they have and
may be applied are SO varied that success
has not always been attained, neither is it
to be invariably expected. Frequently the
effect of engineering works can only be
told by trial for a series of years, and the
localities where any particular works are
applicable may only be recognized by care
full study of the field. The great familiar
ity and practical experience of Captain
Eads with the Mississippi peculiarly fitted
him to deal with the problem he under
took, and in which he succeeded. Within
a year, we learn, he has visited many of
the chief rivers OF Europe where improve
ment has been in progress for many years,
and he has thus further fitted himself to
deal with and judge of kindred matters
in this country, and to look into
the problems which just now so deeply
concern the people of the Sacramento and
San joaquin valleys. The law passed in
1878, creating the Office Of State Engineer
in California, provided for the appointment
OF two consulting engineers, who were to
advise with the State Engineer upon pro-
posed plans OF improvement of the rivers,
etc. Under this Act General Alexander
and Colonel Mendell OF San Francisco
were appointed. General Alexander died
during the first year of his service, and
the vacant place was, by the advice of
those most interested, Offered to Mr.. Eads,
for it was thought that his experience in
river engineering would be peculiarly val
liable, ana most of all it was believed that
the perfectly independent position he would
occupy towards this work would give great
weight to his opinion before the public
of this State. Many persons are inclined
to regard the attempt to improve our rivers
as something like hopeless task. This
opinion, it is quite certain, issues out of
want OF thorough understanding OF the
subject, and the lack of definite and con-
else information regarding the matters in
volved in the problem. To all who have