Lewis Wernwag and the Colossus of 1812
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 15, Issue 3
Abstract
Lewis Wernwag was one of the leading long span wooden bridge builders in the early 1800s. While he built many major bridges, his most well known one was a bridge he built across the Schuylkill River in 1811–1812, commonly known as The Colossus. It was the longest single span (340 ft and 3 in.) wooden bridge in the United States for many years. It was burned by an arsonist in 1838 and replaced by Charles Ellet’s Fairmount Suspension Bridge in 1842.
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References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 15 • Issue 3 • August 2010
Pages: 217 - 230
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 22, 2009
Accepted: Aug 24, 2009
Published online: Jul 15, 2010
Published in print: Aug 2010
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