From the time it was organized in 1880, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers recorded aspects of the history of the mechanical engineering profession and the careers of some of its notable practitioners. The Society’s CHRONICLES OF historical efforts were formalized in 1971 with the creation of a History and Heritage Committee. This volume commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of that committee and collects, in a single place, many of the historical contributions published over the past fifty years in ASME’s flagship journal Mechanical Engineering. In preparation for the United States’ bicentennial year, and later the Society’s centennial, the editors of Mechanical Engineering contracted with engineer-historian Fritz Hirschfeld for a long series of articles about the county’s early mechanical engineering heritage and the lives of notable mechanical engineers, particularly those associated with ASME’s founding. Hirschfeld’s articles form the foundation of this volume. To supplement Hirschfeld’s work, the editors have added numerous other historical articles published in Mechanical Engineering. The engineering innovations described by these articles have been enormously important to the development of modern technological society, and the stories behind their development should be of interest to engineers interested in the history of their profession, as well as anyone interested in American Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 history. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CHRONICLES OF MECHANICA L ENGINEERING IN THE UNITED STATES Two Park Avenue New York, NY 10016 www.asme.org EDITED BY: THOMAS H. FEHRING, P.E. TERRY S. REYNOLDS, PH.D. ASME FEHRING Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 CHRONICLES OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING IN THE UNITED STATES COVER ILLUSTRATIONS Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 FRONT (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) The Hart Parr tractor was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by ASME as the first commercially successful tractor driven by an internal combustion engine. This early image, from a glass plate negative, is courtesy of Jeff Wahl. See page 385 for further information. In the 1860s, oil fields like this one at Pioneer Run Creek, Titusville, Pennsylvania, quickly followed the discovery of oil by Edwin Drake on August 27, 1859. Drake’s well wasn’t the first strike of oil in history, but it was the first that intended to exploit oil commercially as a fuel. See page 211. A 1908 replica of Fulton’s North River steamboat, generally referred to today as the Clermont. See articles beginning on page 46 about America’s quest to develop the steamboat. Start-up ceremonies in 1926 for a new steam turbine-generator at the Lakeside Power Plant in St. Francis, Wisconsin. Engineers Fred Dornbrook (left) and John Anderson are pictured with Anderson’s daughter Miriam. At the time, Miriam was the only female mechanical engineering student at the University of Wisconsin. The plant was an engineering marvel in its day—a model for power plants throughout the world and an important landmark in the evolution of modern, efficient, electric power production. Photograph courtesy of We Energies. See Chapter 5 for further information about the history of power generation in the United States. BACK This book includes numerous biographies of significant early mechanical engineers, including those of Robert H. Thurston, John F. Fritz, George H. Corliss, John Edison Sweet, and Lillian and Frank Gilbreth, all shown here. See Chapter 3. The famous Centennial Engine of George H. Corliss, which powered (by line-shafts located underneath the floor) all of Machinery Hall at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial International Exhibition, the first official World’s Fair to be held in the United States. See page 130. Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 CHRONICLES OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING IN THE UNITED STATES EDITED BY: THOMAS H. FEHRING, P.E. TERRY S. REYNOLDS, PH.D © 2021, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA (www.asme.org) Produced by the History and Heritage Committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 including photocopy, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Information contained in this work has been obtained by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither ASME nor its authors or editors guarantee the accuracy of completeness of any information published in this work. Neither ASME nor its authors and editors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of the use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that ASME and its authors and editors are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional services. If such engineering or professional services are required, the assistance of an appropriate professional should be sought. Because of the dynamic nature of the internet, web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. ASME shall not be responsible for statements or opinions advanced in papers or ... printed in its publications (B7.1.3). Statement from the Bylaws. For authorization to photocopy material for internal or personal use under those circumstances not falling within the fair use provisions of the Copyright Act, contact the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, tel: 978-750-8400, www.copyright.com. Requests for special permission or bulk reproduction should be addressed to the ASME Publishing Department, or submitted online at: https://www.asme.org/publications-submissions/books/bookproposals/permissions ISBN: 9780791884843 Library of Congress Control Number: 2021904165 First Printing: June 2021 This book is published in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the formation of the History and Heritage Committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It is dedicated to all those who have worked to Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 document and preserve the history of mechanical engineering. Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THIS BOOK ................................................................................................................................................................ XI FOREWORD .......................................................................................................................................................................... XV INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ebooks/book/chapter-pdf/6715821/356056_fm.pdf by guest on 05 August 2021 A SENSE OF THE PAST: HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS .................................................... 1 FIFTY YEARS OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING HISTORY: ASME’S HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMITTEE, 1971-2021....................................... 10 CHAPTER 1: ENGINEERING IN THE NEW NATION .................................................................................................................. 17 LAYING THE GROUNDWORK ............................................................................................................................................................ 18 SUBMARINE WARFARE: GENERAL WASHINGTON’S SECRET WEAPON ..................................................................................................... 22 OF BLANCHARD’S BALLOON AND WASHINGTON’S PASSPORT ................................................................................................................ 26 SAMUEL SLATER MEETS MOSES BROWN AND A TEXTILE EMPIRE IS FOUNDED .......................................................................................... 30 DESALINATION CIRCA 1790 ............................................................................................................................................................ 34 THE UPS AND DOWNS OF ELI WHITNEY ............................................................................................................................................ 38 PAUL REVERE RIDES AGAIN ...........................................................................................................................................................