Howe, William

Howe, William
SUBJECT AREA: Civil engineering
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b. 12 May 1803 Spencer, Massachusetts, USA
d. 19 September 1852 Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
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American bridge engineer.
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He was uncle of Elias Howe and spent his youth in the neighbourhood of his birthplace, primarily as a farmer. In 1838 he was commissioned to build a bridge at Warren, Massachusetts, for the Boston \& Albany Railway. He worked on this for two years, incorporating some novel features for which he applied for patents. His design was a truss with wooden diagonals and vertical iron ties in single and double systems which was said to be an improvement on the Long type of truss, introduced by Colonel Stephen Long in 1830. Howe was the first to incorporate the rectangular truss frame. Soon after this, he was to use his patent truss over the Connecticut River at Springfield for the Western Railroad. So successful was he that he became engaged for the rest of his life in the design of bridges and roof trusses, which, together with selling royalties for the rights to his patents, brought to him a considerable fortune. Many Howe truss bridges were built until the introduction of the iron bridge. In 1846 he took out a third patent for an improvement in the original rectangular truss, consisting of a curved timber member rising from each buttress to the centre of the span and greatly adding to the strength.
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Further Reading
Dictionary of American Biography, 1932–3, New York: Charles Scribner.
IMcN

Biographical history of technology. - Taylor & Francis e-Librar. . 2005.

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  • Howe, William — ▪ American inventor born May 12, 1803, Spencer, Mass., U.S. died Sept. 19, 1852, Springfield, Mass.       U.S. inventor who pioneered in the development of truss bridges in the U.S.       An uncle of Elias Howe, the sewing machine inventor,… …   Universalium

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  • Howe, William Howe, 5° vizconde — (10 ago. 1729–12 jul. 1814, Plymouth, Devonshire, Inglaterra). Jefe militar británico. Hermano del almirante Richard Howe, combatió en la última guerra francesa e india (1754–63), en la que adquirió fama de ser uno de los generales jóvenes más… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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  • Howe — /how/, n. 1. E(dgar) W(atson), 1853 1937, U.S. novelist and editor. 2. Elias, 1819 67, U.S. inventor of the sewing machine. 3. Gordon (Gordie), born 1928, Canadian ice hockey player. 4. Irving, 1920 93, U.S. social historian and literary critic.… …   Universalium

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