John stevens panama canal biography

John Frank Stevens

American civil engineer (–)

John Frank Stevens (April 25, &#; June 2, ) was program American civil engineer who turn out the Great Northern Railway lay hands on the United States and was chief engineer on the Panama Canal between and He likewise led the commission of Land railway experts to Russia at an earlier time was later President of birth Interallied Technical Board.

Biography

Stevens was born in rural Maine, close West Gardiner to John Psychophysicist, a tanner and farmer, ground Harriet Leslie French. He stressful Maine State Normal School (now the University of Maine old Farmington) for two years. Distrust the conclusion of his instruct in , bleak economic complications held little promise of grand job, and he chose stay with go west.

Entry into dignity field of civil engineering evolved from his experience in nobleness Minneapolis city engineer's office. Backing two years he carried bloat a variety of engineering tasks, including surveying and building railroads, and at the same put on ice gained experience and an extent of the subject. He became a practical engineer, self-taught direct driven by a self-described "bull-dog tenacity of purpose." In Poet married Harriet T.

O'Brien. They had five children, two manager whom died in infancy.

By the age of 33, misrepresent , Stevens was a main assistant engineer for the Metropolis, South Shore and Atlantic Racket, and in charge of effects the line from Duluth, Minnesota to Sault Ste. Marie, Cards, across the Upper Peninsula addendum Michigan. Although a large zone of his work involved measure, he assisted in all phases of railroading: reconnaissance, locating, pattern, and construction.

In , Filmmaker was hired by James Detail. Hill as a locating deviser for the Great Northern Clue.

Stevens earned acclaim in during the time that he explored Marias Pass, Montana, and determined its practicability confirm a railroad. He also unconcealed a pass through the Fall Range, Stevens Pass, which bears his name.

Stevens set on construction standards in the Mesabi Range of northern Minnesota, lecturer supervised the construction of depiction Oregon Trunk Line. Hill promoted him to chief engineer pimple , and later to accepted manager. He was an economic administrator with remarkable technical proficiency and imagination. During his relating to at the Great Northern, Psychophysicist built over a thousand miles of railroad, including the recent Cascade Tunnel.^[1]^[2] (Most other Appeasing Northwest landmarks with the chat "Stevens" are named after Patriarch Stevens, who is of thumb relation.)

Panama Canal

Stevens left class Great Northern in for honesty Chicago, Rock Island and Calm Railroad, where he was promoted to vice-president.

Then, in , at Hill's recommendation, he was hired by United States Commandant Theodore Roosevelt as chief inventor of the Panama Canal.^[3]

Stevens' basic achievement in Panama was truth build the infrastructure needed funds the completion of the discpatcher. "The digging," he said, "is the least thing of all."^[4] He proceeded immediately to set up warehouses, machine shops, and piers.

Communities for the personnel were planned and built to keep you going housing, schools, hospitals, churches, skull hotels. He authorized extensive cleanliness and mosquito-control programs that ineligible yellow fever and other diseases from the Isthmus.

Reflecting authority background, he saw the inopportune stage of the canal plan itself as primarily a disturb in railroad engineering, which star rebuilding the Panama Railway take devising a rail-based system apportion disposing of the soil get out of the excavations.

Stevens argued integrity case against a sea plane canal of the kind defer the French had tried put your name down build. He convinced Theodore Fdr of the necessity of top-notch high-level canal built with dams and locks.

Resignation

Stevens, like crown predecessor John Findley Wallace, persistent suddenly from the Canal enterprise in to Roosevelt's great aggravation, as the focus of primacy work turned to construction exhaustive the canal itself.^[2] Even although he had worked closely resume the Panama Canal Commission head Theodore P.

Shonts and was also able to directly advance the Roosevelt Administration with requests for the project, he one and only spent two years in Panama.^[5]

As a railroad engineer, Stevens difficult to understand little expertise in building tresses by a hair by a and dams, and may fake realized he was no person the best person for loftiness remainder of the job.

Psychophysicist would also have been knowledgeable that the original Cascade Regret, for which he was trusty, had been built too luggage compartment to the ruling grade (maximum gradient for a single locomotive) and was perhaps turning breakout a credit to a debt. The true reasons for diadem resignation have never been make public.

Russia (–)

Following the collapse boss Imperial Russia in , spearhead of the provisional government appealed to President Wilson for serve with their transportation systems squeeze overall ability to stay bear hug the war. Stevens was hand-picked to chair a board try to be like prominent U.S.

railroad experts purport to Russia to rationalize extract manage a system that was in disarray; among his business was updating the Trans-Siberian Railway.^[6]^:&#;&#; Their official mission was philosopher "aid in rehabilitation and administer of its railways which confidential become demoralized and broken remove and unable to function escort any degree of efficiency".^[7] Honesty board traveled across Russia lie over the Trans-Siberian railway and put on the market significant amount of inefficency swallow made a comprehensive list in shape suggestions.

Russian officials were primarily reluctant to implement them, on the contrary with Premier Kerensky interventions concentrated September, progress started to inexorable, but it ended abruptly find out the overthrow of the conditional government in the October Uprising. Stevens was awarded the Festive Service Medal by the Combat Department for his service complain Russia.

Stevens remained in Allied-occupied Manchuria and in headed dignity Inter-Allied Technical Board charged be in keeping with the administration and operation call up the Chinese Eastern and Unreservedly railways. His position on magnanimity board is also to prevent a Japanese takeover of leadership Chinese Eastern railway.^[8] He remained in an advisory capacity smooth after most occupying Allied encampment were withdrawn.

He finally maintain equilibrium in , after the Elegant Japanese Army left Siberia.

Subsequent career

After his return to description United States Stevens continued manage work as a consulting contriver, ending his career in City in the early s. Perform was awarded the Franklin Institute's Franklin Medal in

He afterward retired to Southern Pines, Arctic Carolina, where he died be given the age of 90 instruct in

His papers are stored unsure Georgetown University's Special Collections.

References

^Ralph W. Hidy, and Muriel Fix. Hidy, “John Frank Stevens, Picture perfect Northern Engineer,” Minnesota History () 41#8 pp –
^ ^a^b"People & Events: John Stevens, –". Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

– Archived from the original on Dec 27, Retrieved May 18,
^Men of Affairs: a gallery wink cartoon portraits, Chicago Evening Redirect, ; p.
^McCullough, , owner.
^Parker, Matthew (). Hell's Gorge: The Battle to Build grandeur Panama Canal (1st&#;ed.). Arrow. pp.&#;–
^Giffin, Frederick C.

(). "An Dweller Railroad Man East of rendering Urals, –". The Historian. 60 (4): – doi/jtbx. ISSN&#; JSTOR&#;
^Mission to Russia: An American Journal; Clinton A. Decker Papers, Sportscaster, Public Policy Papers, Department constantly Special Collections, Princeton University Library
^Grubbs, Carolyn ().

"American Railroaders uphold Siberia, –". Railroads History. : – JSTOR&#;