GATEWAY TO GREATNESS – A PROFILE OF JAMES B. EADS

摘要

James Buchanan Eads (1820-1887) is today recognized as one of America's greatestcitizens, and in 1932, the Deans of American Colleges of Engineering named him asone of the five greatest engineers of all time, placing him in the company of ThomasEdison and Leonardo Da Vinci (PBS, 2002). He is perhaps best known for his role inconstructing the St. Louis Bridge, now called the Eads Bridge, across the MississippiRiver in St. Louis, Missouri. This bridge was completed in 1874, and at the time itwas the longest span bridge in history and was the first of its kind to employ a steelarch design. As a testament to Eads' engineering expertise, the bridge is still in usetoday by St. Louis's Metro light rail system and by highway traffic. It was, and stillis, considered a great accomplishment of engineering and aesthetics.Though Eads was never formally educated as a civil engineer, his years of experienceas a river salvage captain helped him amass his vast knowledge of the workings ofthe Mississippi River, and provided him with the wealth and influence necessary tolaunch future business ventures, including building the St. Louis Bridge. Theaccomplishments of James Eads also included design and construction of steampoweredironclad warships during the Civil War; these ships were pivotal in thedefeat of the Confederacy. In all, Eads intimate knowledge of the River allowed himto make several long lasting contributions to both his country and his profession.