Engineering Counterparts of Henry George Clopper Ketchum
Engineering Counterparts of Henry George Clopper Ketchum

Contents
Sir Benjamin Baker

Sir James Brunlees
Edwin Clark
James Buchanan Eads
Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice
Sir John Fowler
Thomas Coltrin Keefer
Sir Collingwood Schreiber



Sir Benjamin Baker                  
Baker, Sir Benjamin (1840-1907)
               
Benjamin Baker was born in Somerset, England, and trained under renowned civil engineer Sir John Fowler, eventually becoming his assistant.


Achievements include the construction of:


Baker was also responsible for the relocation and installation of Cleopatra’s Needle at the River Thames, London.

Sir John Fowler, Sir Benjamin Baker and Henry George Clopper Ketchum, were the three senior engineers employed on the Chignecto Ship Railway.






Sir James Brunlees
Brunlees, Sir James  (1816-1892)   

James Brunlees was born in Kelso, Scotland. 

Achievements include the design/construction of :


Brunlees was Consulting Engineer with the original Channel Tunnel Company which planned to link Britain and Europe.  Also, together with E.B. Webb, he proposed a ship railway across the Suez Isthmus in preference to a canal.
   
Henry George Clopper Ketchum worked under Sir James Brunlees on the São Paulo Railway in Brazil 1860-1865. 


Edwin Clark
Clark, Edwin (1814-1894)      

Edwin Clark was born in Buckinghamshire, England.

Achievements include design/construction of :

   
Edwin Clark and Henry G.C. Ketchum were contractors on the Eastern Extension of the New Brunswick Railway.  Edwin Clark was also the inventor of the lifting docks to be used on the Chignecto Railway, a Board Member and a Provisional Director of the Chignecto Marine Railway Company.




Capt. James Eads
Eads, James Buchanan (1820-1887)

Captain James Eads was born in Indiana, U.S.A. 

Achievements include :


Eads put forward a proposal for the building of a ship railway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico
as a viable alternative  to a canal; the proposal was not accepted and the Panama Canal was built in its place.   
   
Captain Eads was a supporter of the Chignecto Marine Railway and confirmed the validity of Ketchum’s claims in writing to Sir Charles Tupper (then Minister of Railways and Canals in the Canadian Government).



Sir Maurice FItzmaurice
Fitzmaurice, Sir Maurice (1861-1924)   

Maurice Fitzmaurice was born in England. 

Achievements include:

 
Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice was one of the key engineers employed on the Chignecto Ship Railway.








Sir John Fowler
Fowler, Sir John  (1817-1898)

John Fowler was born in Sheffield, England.  He was both an architect and engineer and was knighted in 1890.  

Achievements include design/construction of :


Fowler was also consulting engineer on the Great Western Railway, England.

Sir John Fowler, Sir Benjamin Baker and Henry George Clopper Ketchum, were the three senior engineers employed on the Chignecto Ship Railway.





Thomas Coltrin Keefer
Keefer, Thomas Coltrin (1821-1915)   

Thomas Keefer was born in Ontario, Canada.

Achievements include design/construction of:

Keefer was the Chief Engineer of the Montreal Water Board, and was well known for his writings which include The Philosophy of Railroads and The Philosophy of Canals.  Keefer was also co-founder and first President of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.

Keefer was a Provisional Director of the Chignecto Marine Railway Company and also wrote several articles with Ketchum for the Ottawa Free Press and the Montreal Gazette relating to the Chignecto Marine Railway.

 


Sir Collingwood Schreiber


Schreiber, Sir Collingwood  (1831-1918)

Collingwood Schreiber was born in Essex, England, and emigrated to Canada in 1852.

Achievements include:

  
Ketchum’s proposals for the Chignecto Ship Railway were referred by the Canadian Government to Collingwood Schreiber (Chief Engineer of the Department) who supported the idea from a practical and economical viewpoint.






Sources:
Canadian Civil Engineering History & Heritage. “Collingwood Schreiber”.
     In http://collections.ic.gc.ca/civileng/eng/engDetails.asp?id=34
Canadian Civil Engineering History & Heritage. “Thomas Coltrin Keefer”.
    In http://collections.ic.gc.ca/civileng/eng/engDetails.asp?id=1
Civil Engineers Obituaries C-D. “Edwin Clark”.
    In http://nzsghamilton.co.nz/obitc-d.htm
Encyclopaedia Britannica 2004.  "James B. Eads.".
    In http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=32235
Encyclopaedia Britannica 2004.  "Sir Benjamin Baker".
    In http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=1195
Encyclopaedia Britannica 2004.  "Sir John Fowler.".
    In http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=35695
People and Peoples M-P.  “Maurice Fitzmaurice”.
    In http://www.sneaker.net.au/docs/encyclo/C5.HTM
Nottingham Victoria.  “Sir James Brunlees”.
    In http://members.tripod.com/~TimothyPlatypus/NottinghamVictoria/railwho.html#B

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Last Update:  2004/03/31