Squire Whipple—Father of Iron Bridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 7, Issue 3
Abstract
The 19th century saw the United States rise from an agricultural country with settlements primarily along the ocean or navigable rivers to a major industrial power with the country explored and settled. This rapid development was made possible in part by engineers who designed and built our canals and railroads. One such man was Squire Whipple. This paper describes the impact he made on the use of cast and wrought iron in bridge building. In addition he is known worldwide as the man who developed the technique of analyzing a truss and put those ideas into print in his remarkable book of 1847 on bridge building.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Boller, A. P. (1889). “Letter from S. Whipple to A. P. Boller on ‘The development of the iron bridge’.” Railroad Gazette, April 19, 253.
Boller, A. P.(1891). “Discussion of ‘The origin and development of the American railroad viaduct’.” by J. E. Grenier, Trans. ASCE, 25, 364.
Cooper, T.(1889). “American railroad bridges.” Trans. ASCE, 21, July, 14.
Fulton, R. (1796). A treatise on the improvement of canal navigation; exhibiting the numerous advantages to be derived from small canals and boats of two to five feet wide, containing from two to five tons burthen with a description of the Machinery for facilitating conveyance by water through the most mountainous countries, independent of locks and aqueducts: Including observations on the great importance of water communication with thoughts on, and designs, for aqueducts and bridges of iron and wood illustrated with seventeen plates, 121–125.
“Hotel St. Lift Bridge.” (1873). Utica Morning Herald, Uttica, N.Y., September 16.
Linville, J. H.(1907). “Memoir.” Trans. ASCE, 59, 549.
Obituary notice. (1888). Engineering News and American Contract Journal, March 24.
Palladio, A. (1570). Four Books of Architecture, translated by Isaac Ware, London, 1755.
Plowden, D. (1974). Bridges—The spans of North America, W. W. Norton, New York, London, 69.
Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York on Strains on Railroad Bridges of the State. (1891). Albany, N.Y.
Report of the Chief Engineer of the Black River and Utica Railroad Company to the Directors. (1854). Utica, N.Y.
“Squire Whipple’s prototype bowstring truss.” (1841). Utica Observer, Uttica, N.Y.
Steinman, D. B., and Watson, R. (1941). Bridges in history, G. P. Putman’s Sons, New York, 75.
Transactions of the American Institute. (1847). Albany, N.Y.
Whipple, S. (1841). Patent application #2064.
Whipple, S. (1847). A work on bridge building consisting of two essays. The one elementary and general, the other giving original plans and practical details for iron and wooden bridges, Utica, N.Y.
Whipple, S. (1852). The canal bridges, a specimen of the manner of awarding contracts by the late Canal Board, Albany, N.Y. (from papers of R. S. Allen).
Whipple, S. (1872). Application for a patent on Lift Bridge No. 134,338, U.S. Patent Office, 2.
Whipple, S. (1883). Letter, Engineering News Record, March.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 7 • Issue 3 • May 2002
Pages: 146 - 155
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 21, 2000
Accepted: Jul 6, 2001
Published online: Apr 15, 2002
Published in print: May 2002
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.