Baker, Sir Benjamin

Baker, Sir Benjamin

▪ British engineer
born March 31, 1840, Keyford, Somerset, Eng.
died May 19, 1907, Pangbourne, Berkshire
 English civil engineer and the chief designer of the railway bridge over the Firth of Forth (Forth Bridge), Scotland.

      In 1861 Baker became an assistant to the consulting engineer John Fowler (Fowler, Sir John, 1st Baronet) and by 1875 was his partner. Baker became Fowler's chief assistant in 1869 and as such was responsible for the construction of the subterranean District Railway from Westminster (Westminster, City of) to the City of London (London, City of). He also served as consultant for the building of other London Underground lines, all bored deep in the London clay. His other projects included the docks at Avonmouth and Hull and the ocean transport (1878) of the 180-ton obelisk Cleopatra's Needle from Egypt and its reerection in London.

      In 1867 Baker wrote a series of articles, “Long Span Bridges,” discussing the application of cantilevers, which were later used in his Forth Bridge (1882–90). At the completion of that bridge, Baker was knighted. He served on numerous government commissions and boards and, among other assignments as a consultant, implemented William Willcocks (Willcocks, Sir William)'s plans for the Aswān Dam (1898–1902). In the United States he was consulted by James B. Eads (Eads, James B.) on the construction of his steel bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri, and, when the first Hudson River tunnel threatened to fail, Baker was called in to design a tunneling shield that allowed work to be completed. Baker was president of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1895–96 and a vice president of the Royal Society from 1896 to his death in 1907.

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  • Benjamin Baker — Sir Benjamin Baker (KCB, KCMG) (* 31. März 1840 in Keyford, heute Teil von Frome in Somerset (England); † 19. Mai 1907 in Bowden Green, Pangbourne (Großbritannien)) war ein englischer Bauingenieur …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Benjamin Baker — Métadonnées personne NOM Sir Benjamin Baker NOMS ALTERNATIFS COURTE DESCRIPTION éminent ingénieur britannique qui a travaillé dans la seconde moitié de l époque victorienne. DATE DE NAISSANCE 31 mars 1840 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • BAKER B — UNITED KINGDOM (see also List of Individuals) 31.3.1840 Keyford/UK 19.5.1907 Pangbourne/UK Had Benjamin Baker only been connected in a high capacity to the Forth Bridge in England and the Aswan Dam in Egypt would have been exceptional distinction …   Hydraulicians in Europe 1800-2000

  • Baker —   [ beɪkə],    1) Sir Benjamin, britischer Ingenieur, * Keyford (County Somerset) 31. 3. 1840, ✝ Bowden Green (County Berkshire) 19. 5. 1907; baute 1883 90 mit J. Fowler die 2,5 km lange Eisenbahnbrücke aus Stahl über den Firth of Forth bei… …   Universal-Lexikon

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  • Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet — Infobox Engineer image width = 150px caption = An 1868 engraving of Sir John Fowler by Thomas Oldham Barlow from a portrait by Sir John Everett Millais name = John Fowler nationality = English birth date = 15 July 1817 birth place = Wadsley,… …   Wikipedia

  • Baker — /bay keuhr/, n. 1. Sir Benjamin, 1840 1907, English engineer. 2. George Pierce, 1866 1935, U.S. critic, author, and professor of drama. 3. Howard H(enry), Jr., born 1925, U.S. politician: senator 1967 85. 4. Dame Janet, born 1933, English mezzo… …   Universalium

  • Fowler, Sir John, 1st Baronet — ▪ British engineer born July 15, 1817, Wadsley, near Sheffield, Yorkshire, Eng. died Nov. 20, 1898, Bournemouth, Hampshire  English civil engineer who helped design and build the underground London Metropolitan Railway and was joint designer of… …   Universalium

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  • Sir William Arrol & Company — Sir William Arrol Co. war ein 1872 in Glasgow, Schottland gegründetes Brücken und Kranbauunternehmen, das durch den Bau einiger der bekanntesten Brücken weltweit bekannt wurde. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 William Arrol and Co of Dalmarnock Ironworks,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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