1914

The United States became interested in a water route through the Panamanian isthmus in the mid-1850s, but it was the French who first attempted to build the Panama Canal. Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal in Egypt, the French began the project in 1876. Conditions were brutal: rampant yellow fever and malaria; massive landslides and flooding; sweltering heat; and construction equipment that was too light for the job.

In 1898, with a little more than one-tenth completed, the French started negotiations to sell the project rights to the United States. Congress authorized the U.S. to complete the Panama Canal, and construction began in May 1904. American engineers, including John Frank Stevensand Col. George Washington Goethals, faced many of the same challenges as the French, but succeeded by implementing a truly monumental construction plan.

Tags

Panama

Canal

Isthmus

Wallace

Image Credit

Courtesy Flickr/Naval Surface Warriors (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Image Caption

Panama Canal

Belle of Louisville

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 07:39:39 +0000

Belle of Louisville

(not verified) Wed, 07/25/2012 - 03:39

Society

Main Category

Sub Category

Era

Date Created

Location Country

Coordinates

38.254167, -85.760278

City

Louisville

State

Country

USA

Website

http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/water-transportatio…

http://files.asme.org/asmeorg/Communities/History/Landmarks/22719.pdf

Creator

James Rees & Sons

The Belle of Louisville, built in 1914, is the oldest operating “western rivers” steamboat. It has the shallow-draft flat-bottom hull braced by hog-chain trusses, multiple fire-tube boilers, paddlewheel propulsion, and superstructure configuration that were characteristic of hundreds of steamboats that plied America’s rivers during the 19th and 20th centuries

Tags

Image Credit

Courtesy Flickr/Bailey Visual Life (CC BY 2.0)

Image Caption

Belle of Louisville, still in operation

Burton Farmers Gin Mill

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 07:38:52 +0000

Burton Farmers Gin Mill

(not verified) Wed, 07/25/2012 - 03:38

Society

Main Category

Sub Category

Era

Date Created

Location Country

Coordinates

30.180474, -96.594577

Address1

307 North Main Street

City

Burton

State

Country

USA

Zip

77835

Website

http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/textile/-173-burton…

Creator

Lummus Cotton Gin Company

This is the earliest known survivor of an integrated cotton ginning system widely used to process cotton from wagon to bale in a continuous operation. The gin machinery was designed and built in 1914 by the Lummus Cotton Gin Company. It can process seven bales per hour. Five gin stands, stick machine, burr machine, separators, cleaners, press pump, and pneumatic conveying fans are driven by a 125-hp Bessemer oil engine. This gin ran commercially until 1974 and was restored to operating condition in 1993. The Bessemer engine powered the entire mill, removing manual labor from the ginning process and allowing the Texas industry to evolve into the age of mechanization and integrated machine systems. The Burton Farmers mill has been restored to full operation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The documentation, the surviving machinery, and that it still runs make it a landmark of exceptional integrity.

Tags

Pneumatic Conveying Fan

Bessemer Oil Engine

Lummus

Image Credit

Courtesy Flickr/John W. Schulze (CC BY 2.0)

Image Caption

Burton Farmers Gin Mill

A.B. Wood Screw Pump

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 07:38:41 +0000

A.B. Wood Screw Pump

(not verified) Wed, 07/25/2012 - 03:38

Society

Main Category

Sub Category

Era

Date Created

Location Country

Coordinates

29.944399, -90.071654

Address1

Sewerage and Water Board

Address2

625 St. Joseph

City

New Orleans

State

Country

USA

Zip

70165

Website

http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/pumping/-3-a-b--woo…

Creator

Wood, Baldwin

With a water table several feet below ground level, New Orleans faced a crisis after every heavy rainfall, not just through flooding but also through disease (yellow fever and malaria) caused by impure water. New Orleans was dependent on mechanical means for lifting water from its canals and sewage systems. A. Baldwin Wood (1879-1956), a young assistant city engineer, designed and installed a system of large screw pumps (axial flow machines) to syphon water and accelerate drainage. By 1915 the Wood screw pump became the most advanced drainage pump in use. After their successful operation in New Orleans, Wood's pumps were built in the Netherlands, Egypt, China, and India. Wood also redesigned Chicago's drainage system.

Tags

Image Credit