From "Edward Southwick Philbrick - A Memoir," by Albert H. Howland, Desmond FitzGerald and Walter Shepard, Boston Society of Civil Engineers; published in the Journal of the Association of Engineering Societies VIII (August 1889), pp. 435-440.
Edward Southwick Philbrick, son of Samuel and Eliza (Southwick), was born Nov. 20, 1827, and died Feb. 13, 1889. He was descended from Quaker ancestry that had been native to the shores of Massachusetts Bay from near the date of the settlement of Boston. He was born in Boston, but except during early infancy his home was always in the adjacent town of Brookline. His father was a merchant in Boston, a director in several corporations, and for thirty years treasurer of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.
In 1843, after fitting for college at the Brookline High School, he entered the sophomore class at Harvard College. Paternal consent to this step, however, was conditional upon his living at home, walking the three miles each way to and from college daily, and spending no time on the study of Greek. These requirements were strictly complied with, but the restriction as to Greek prevented his receiving the customary decree on the completion of his course; at a later date, however, in recognition of his merits in other directions, the degree was conferred as of the class of 1846, to which he belonged. In the list of its members are the names of Senator George F. Hoar, Dr. Calvin Ellis, Dr. Charles D. Homans and Professors Francis J. Child, George M. Lane and Charles E. Norton.
In the summer of 1847, after spending a few months in the office of the late Samuel M. Felton, he began field work on the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, in Vermont, holding the position of assistant engineer on location and construction. Upon this work he was engaged some three years. Then going to Canandaigua, N. Y., he was employed in the construction of some branches of the Erie Railway. He held here the position of resident engineer of location and construction, and this work occupied another three years till near the end of 1853.
The decade that included these six years was marked by striking advances in the application of iron to bridge work. The great Conway and Britannia tubular bridges were built; the Victoria tubular bridge over the St. Lawrence at Montreal was begun; suspension bridges were built over the Ohio at Wheeling and the Niagara at Lewiston; and the great railroad suspension bridge at Niagara Falls was finished. Several of these structures were near the territory within which Mr. Philbrick was engaged in railroad building, and the subject of iron bridge construction so strongly engaged his attention that he soon took an opportunity to extend his knowledge of such structures as well as of public works in general.
A few months after he had finished work in western New York he sailed for Europe, and remained abroad a year and a half. Several months were spent at Paris in professional studies. Then, much of the time with knapsack on his back, he traveled through Great Britain, France, Belgium, Austria, Italy and Turkey. Passing beyond Europe he extended his travels to Egypt and Syria, spending in these countries the last six months of his stay abroad. Mr. Philbrick was a close observer, and being furthermore the possessor of a retentive memory, he gathered during these travels a store of information that was a frequent source of surprise to those with whom he conversed, minute details even not escaping him, especially such as had a professional bearing.
In the summer of 1855 he returned home and soon afterwards entered the employ of the Boston & Worcester Railroad as Assistant Superintendent and Engineer. For five or six years he was engaged in improving the location of the road and rebuilding some of its structures. A bridge that he designed and built during this period, namely, the "Arsenal Bridge," in Brighton, should be mentioned in this connection, not on account of its size (for it is merely a plate girder of eighty-seven feet span in the clear) but as an instance of his early preference for riveted work, and as evidence of the soundness of his judgment in selecting at that day a type of structure for spans approaching even one hundred feet, that after a quarter of a century's experience has come to be pretty generally approved as the most suitable. This was built in 1860. In the early part of the next year Mr. Phibrick again spent several months in Europe.
Near the beginning of 1862, after Port Royal had been captured by the Union forces, and had become the refuge of the negroes of the neighboring country, true to his inherited anti-slavery principles and his own convictions, Mr. Philbrick undertook the organization of labor on a dozen or more abandoned plantations in that and the neighboring islands, including the education and training of the freed men as citizens. Many volunteers from this vicinity accompanied and assisted him in the work, which was carried on for two years under the direction of the United States Treasury Department on government account. Subsequently- the government sold the plantations for taxes, and the work was continued by a corporation formed for that purpose, which was successful commercially as well as in respect to its main purpose.
After the war closed Mr. Philbrick was employed upon some town improvements in Brookline and connected with some manufacturing enterprises. In 1869 he was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts Inspecting Engineer of the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad, to which the State had made a loan of $3,000,000.
About this time the Boston & Albany Railroad was formed by the consolidation of the Boston & Worcester and the Western railroads. The traffic of the road increased to such an extent that the work of rebuilding its bridges in iron was decided upon and Mr. Philbrick was appointed Consulting Engineer and had charge of it. A large number of bridges were built, mostly between Worcester and Albany. The type he adopted was the riveted lattice, or for small spans the plate girder. The most notable among these bridges was that over the Connecticut at Springfield, and it occasioned a good deal of controversy as to the comparative merits of riveted and pin-connected trusses. Without entering into the details of the question (for the controversy is by no means ended) it seems proper to say that Mr. Philbrick's judgment is supported by the practice of some of the largest and best managed roads and that even pin-connected bridges in recent years have been made to conform in some features to the riveted type. Mr. Philbrick's preference for riveted connections did not extend to very large spans. Other works on the Boston & Albany Railroad constructed under his charge were the large Union Station at Worcester, and the grain elevators in Boston, that at East Boston being notable on account of the difficulties encountered in securing good foundations.
Near the close of 1868 the State of Massachusetts contracted for the completion of Hoosac Tunnel. The Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company had previously received State aid to the amount of several million dollars to build the tunnel and connecting railroad, but after twenty years' efforts much the larger part of the tunnel remained unfinished and the State had come into possession. A year or two after the contract was made Mr. Philbrick was consulted upon some questions that arose as to alignment and quantities, and was soon afterwards appointed Consulting Engineer to the Governor and Council for this work, and held that position till the tunnel was opened. The amount of this contract was over $4,500,000. The accuracy with which the headings met was remarkable: at two wiles from the east portal, where the heading from the central shaft was met, the deviation was only 5/16ths of an inch in line and 1¼ inches in level. Besides the tunnel proper there was a large amount of work in improving the line and building iron bridges on the connecting road, of which Mr. Philbrick was engineer.
The improvement of the flats at South Boston was also carried out under Mr. Philbrick's charge, and is a work of considerable local importance. The State contracted for building the sea walls and filling a portion of the flats in the latter part of 1873. A large area adjacent was owned by the Boston & Albany Railroad, and a contract was made for filling this at the same time. Mr. Philbrick had charge of this also. The territory thus made available now forms the terminal grounds of the New York & New England Railroad, provided with extensive freight sheds, grain elevator and wharves and docks for ocean steamers, distant only about a half mile from the post-office. These sea walls are notable for their substantial construction, and the Harbor Commissioners say, in one of their reports, that "no work, to their knowledge, has been undertaken in any harbor of our country superior in its design or workmanship to the plan and execution of the heavy sea wall, so far as it has progressed."
When the growth of the town of Brookline necessitated a public water supply the construction of the works was intrusted to Mr. Philbrick. The supply is taken from a filtering gallery near Charles River at a point a few miles from the town. These works were constructed during 1874-5 at a cost of a half million of dollars.
As a sanitary engineer, Mr. Philbrick had a wide reputation and was esteemed an eminent authority. The building, ownership and care of nearly a score of houses gave him opportunity for long continued experiment and a practical knowledge of the actual conditions to be met. The results of his experience in this branch of engineering were given to the public in a book on "American Sanitary Engineering," in pamphlets on " Defects in House Drainage and Their Remedies," and on " Disposal of Sewage in Suburban Residences," and in contributions to periodicals and discussions at society meetings. The publications form an interesting and important part of the sanitary branch of engineering literature. They have been extensively used in the practice of engineers and are often referred to as standard works on the subject.
Included in his professional practice were consultations as to the foundations of Trinity Church and the new public library building in Boston; service on commissions to award damages for diversion of water by the city of Worcester from Blackstone Valley, and by the city of Cambridge from Stony Brook, and to investigate the causes and management of the Great Fire in Boston ; reports on sewerage in several neighboring towns; building of highway and railway bridges over the Merrimac at Haverhill, and others of less note. New England is the field where most of his professional work has been done. Domestic ties and the care of a large property tended to prevent him from seeking other fields.
His membership in our Society dates from June 8, 1874, and in the American Society of Civil Engineers from May 6, 1876. The transactions of the latter contain several or his papers and discussions, among which is a paper on the South Boston Flats improvements.
Marked characteristics of Mr. Philbrick were a directness, simplicity and candor that won the confidence of those with whom he dealt. These qualities with his practical knowledge and varied experience caused his services to be sought for where the construction of expensive works demanded unquestioned fidelity and ability. With contractors he was sometimes considered rather strict, but he was fair-minded and considerate and ready to yield if he found himself in error. He was a man of varied interests; the newest book and the latest achievement of science received his attention.
Mr. Philbrick was free from all ostentation, and while professional duties and the care of his property and of trust funds engrossed much of his time, there were many enterprises benevolent in nature or aiming to promote the general welfare which received his active and devoted support. "Well known among these is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of whose corporation he had for many years been an active member. In benevolent efforts his aim was to avert as well as to relieve misfortune and suffering.
As a citizen he was public-spirited, independent in politics, and deeply interested in whatever tends to promote good and honest government, often devoting time and money to this end though seeking for himself no conspicuous part.
In religious belief he was a Unitarian and served as treasurer of the First Unitarian Church in Brookline for many years.
On the 16th of September, 1857, he married Miss Helen M., daughter of the late Alfred Winsor, of Brookline, who, with his mother, now 96 years of age, are the survivors of his household.
The works of the engineer often receive but little of the popular appreciation that their merits deserve. They may be located in remote and unfrequented places, or buried where the light of day never reaches them; often they are so unobtrusive that they seem to be almost a part of nature's own handiwork. Hence there is a peculiar satisfaction, when an occasion like this makes it fitting to recount them, in considering what a monument it is that he leaves behind him in the highways that bring to the people the products of a continent, the structures over which millions pass in safety, the warehouses where the food of the nations is stored, the grounds where the products of the world are distributed, the appliances that secure health to our homes. Such works bear witness to his skillful designing, fidelity in execution, patient toil in overcoming obstacles that seem almost insurmountable, foresight in providing for emergencies, correctness in reasoning, and an integrity that will not deviate from an honest course to secure in a. day the profits of a life-time. Such qualities will be freely ascribed to Mr. Philbrick : and the warm personal esteem of those who knew him well will ever cause them to hold him in grateful remembrance.
Edward Southwick Philbrick, son of Samuel and Eliza (Southwick), was born Nov. 20, 1827, and died Feb. 13, 1889. He was descended from Quaker ancestry that had been native to the shores of Massachusetts Bay from near the date of the settlement of Boston. He was born in Boston, but except during early infancy his home was always in the adjacent town of Brookline. His father was a merchant in Boston, a director in several corporations, and for thirty years treasurer of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.
In 1843, after fitting for college at the Brookline High School, he entered the sophomore class at Harvard College. Paternal consent to this step, however, was conditional upon his living at home, walking the three miles each way to and from college daily, and spending no time on the study of Greek. These requirements were strictly complied with, but the restriction as to Greek prevented his receiving the customary decree on the completion of his course; at a later date, however, in recognition of his merits in other directions, the degree was conferred as of the class of 1846, to which he belonged. In the list of its members are the names of Senator George F. Hoar, Dr. Calvin Ellis, Dr. Charles D. Homans and Professors Francis J. Child, George M. Lane and Charles E. Norton.
In the summer of 1847, after spending a few months in the office of the late Samuel M. Felton, he began field work on the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, in Vermont, holding the position of assistant engineer on location and construction. Upon this work he was engaged some three years. Then going to Canandaigua, N. Y., he was employed in the construction of some branches of the Erie Railway. He held here the position of resident engineer of location and construction, and this work occupied another three years till near the end of 1853.
The decade that included these six years was marked by striking advances in the application of iron to bridge work. The great Conway and Britannia tubular bridges were built; the Victoria tubular bridge over the St. Lawrence at Montreal was begun; suspension bridges were built over the Ohio at Wheeling and the Niagara at Lewiston; and the great railroad suspension bridge at Niagara Falls was finished. Several of these structures were near the territory within which Mr. Philbrick was engaged in railroad building, and the subject of iron bridge construction so strongly engaged his attention that he soon took an opportunity to extend his knowledge of such structures as well as of public works in general.
A few months after he had finished work in western New York he sailed for Europe, and remained abroad a year and a half. Several months were spent at Paris in professional studies. Then, much of the time with knapsack on his back, he traveled through Great Britain, France, Belgium, Austria, Italy and Turkey. Passing beyond Europe he extended his travels to Egypt and Syria, spending in these countries the last six months of his stay abroad. Mr. Philbrick was a close observer, and being furthermore the possessor of a retentive memory, he gathered during these travels a store of information that was a frequent source of surprise to those with whom he conversed, minute details even not escaping him, especially such as had a professional bearing.
In the summer of 1855 he returned home and soon afterwards entered the employ of the Boston & Worcester Railroad as Assistant Superintendent and Engineer. For five or six years he was engaged in improving the location of the road and rebuilding some of its structures. A bridge that he designed and built during this period, namely, the "Arsenal Bridge," in Brighton, should be mentioned in this connection, not on account of its size (for it is merely a plate girder of eighty-seven feet span in the clear) but as an instance of his early preference for riveted work, and as evidence of the soundness of his judgment in selecting at that day a type of structure for spans approaching even one hundred feet, that after a quarter of a century's experience has come to be pretty generally approved as the most suitable. This was built in 1860. In the early part of the next year Mr. Phibrick again spent several months in Europe.
Near the beginning of 1862, after Port Royal had been captured by the Union forces, and had become the refuge of the negroes of the neighboring country, true to his inherited anti-slavery principles and his own convictions, Mr. Philbrick undertook the organization of labor on a dozen or more abandoned plantations in that and the neighboring islands, including the education and training of the freed men as citizens. Many volunteers from this vicinity accompanied and assisted him in the work, which was carried on for two years under the direction of the United States Treasury Department on government account. Subsequently- the government sold the plantations for taxes, and the work was continued by a corporation formed for that purpose, which was successful commercially as well as in respect to its main purpose.
After the war closed Mr. Philbrick was employed upon some town improvements in Brookline and connected with some manufacturing enterprises. In 1869 he was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts Inspecting Engineer of the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad, to which the State had made a loan of $3,000,000.
About this time the Boston & Albany Railroad was formed by the consolidation of the Boston & Worcester and the Western railroads. The traffic of the road increased to such an extent that the work of rebuilding its bridges in iron was decided upon and Mr. Philbrick was appointed Consulting Engineer and had charge of it. A large number of bridges were built, mostly between Worcester and Albany. The type he adopted was the riveted lattice, or for small spans the plate girder. The most notable among these bridges was that over the Connecticut at Springfield, and it occasioned a good deal of controversy as to the comparative merits of riveted and pin-connected trusses. Without entering into the details of the question (for the controversy is by no means ended) it seems proper to say that Mr. Philbrick's judgment is supported by the practice of some of the largest and best managed roads and that even pin-connected bridges in recent years have been made to conform in some features to the riveted type. Mr. Philbrick's preference for riveted connections did not extend to very large spans. Other works on the Boston & Albany Railroad constructed under his charge were the large Union Station at Worcester, and the grain elevators in Boston, that at East Boston being notable on account of the difficulties encountered in securing good foundations.
Near the close of 1868 the State of Massachusetts contracted for the completion of Hoosac Tunnel. The Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company had previously received State aid to the amount of several million dollars to build the tunnel and connecting railroad, but after twenty years' efforts much the larger part of the tunnel remained unfinished and the State had come into possession. A year or two after the contract was made Mr. Philbrick was consulted upon some questions that arose as to alignment and quantities, and was soon afterwards appointed Consulting Engineer to the Governor and Council for this work, and held that position till the tunnel was opened. The amount of this contract was over $4,500,000. The accuracy with which the headings met was remarkable: at two wiles from the east portal, where the heading from the central shaft was met, the deviation was only 5/16ths of an inch in line and 1¼ inches in level. Besides the tunnel proper there was a large amount of work in improving the line and building iron bridges on the connecting road, of which Mr. Philbrick was engineer.
The improvement of the flats at South Boston was also carried out under Mr. Philbrick's charge, and is a work of considerable local importance. The State contracted for building the sea walls and filling a portion of the flats in the latter part of 1873. A large area adjacent was owned by the Boston & Albany Railroad, and a contract was made for filling this at the same time. Mr. Philbrick had charge of this also. The territory thus made available now forms the terminal grounds of the New York & New England Railroad, provided with extensive freight sheds, grain elevator and wharves and docks for ocean steamers, distant only about a half mile from the post-office. These sea walls are notable for their substantial construction, and the Harbor Commissioners say, in one of their reports, that "no work, to their knowledge, has been undertaken in any harbor of our country superior in its design or workmanship to the plan and execution of the heavy sea wall, so far as it has progressed."
When the growth of the town of Brookline necessitated a public water supply the construction of the works was intrusted to Mr. Philbrick. The supply is taken from a filtering gallery near Charles River at a point a few miles from the town. These works were constructed during 1874-5 at a cost of a half million of dollars.
As a sanitary engineer, Mr. Philbrick had a wide reputation and was esteemed an eminent authority. The building, ownership and care of nearly a score of houses gave him opportunity for long continued experiment and a practical knowledge of the actual conditions to be met. The results of his experience in this branch of engineering were given to the public in a book on "American Sanitary Engineering," in pamphlets on " Defects in House Drainage and Their Remedies," and on " Disposal of Sewage in Suburban Residences," and in contributions to periodicals and discussions at society meetings. The publications form an interesting and important part of the sanitary branch of engineering literature. They have been extensively used in the practice of engineers and are often referred to as standard works on the subject.
Included in his professional practice were consultations as to the foundations of Trinity Church and the new public library building in Boston; service on commissions to award damages for diversion of water by the city of Worcester from Blackstone Valley, and by the city of Cambridge from Stony Brook, and to investigate the causes and management of the Great Fire in Boston ; reports on sewerage in several neighboring towns; building of highway and railway bridges over the Merrimac at Haverhill, and others of less note. New England is the field where most of his professional work has been done. Domestic ties and the care of a large property tended to prevent him from seeking other fields.
His membership in our Society dates from June 8, 1874, and in the American Society of Civil Engineers from May 6, 1876. The transactions of the latter contain several or his papers and discussions, among which is a paper on the South Boston Flats improvements.
Marked characteristics of Mr. Philbrick were a directness, simplicity and candor that won the confidence of those with whom he dealt. These qualities with his practical knowledge and varied experience caused his services to be sought for where the construction of expensive works demanded unquestioned fidelity and ability. With contractors he was sometimes considered rather strict, but he was fair-minded and considerate and ready to yield if he found himself in error. He was a man of varied interests; the newest book and the latest achievement of science received his attention.
Mr. Philbrick was free from all ostentation, and while professional duties and the care of his property and of trust funds engrossed much of his time, there were many enterprises benevolent in nature or aiming to promote the general welfare which received his active and devoted support. "Well known among these is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of whose corporation he had for many years been an active member. In benevolent efforts his aim was to avert as well as to relieve misfortune and suffering.
As a citizen he was public-spirited, independent in politics, and deeply interested in whatever tends to promote good and honest government, often devoting time and money to this end though seeking for himself no conspicuous part.
In religious belief he was a Unitarian and served as treasurer of the First Unitarian Church in Brookline for many years.
On the 16th of September, 1857, he married Miss Helen M., daughter of the late Alfred Winsor, of Brookline, who, with his mother, now 96 years of age, are the survivors of his household.
The works of the engineer often receive but little of the popular appreciation that their merits deserve. They may be located in remote and unfrequented places, or buried where the light of day never reaches them; often they are so unobtrusive that they seem to be almost a part of nature's own handiwork. Hence there is a peculiar satisfaction, when an occasion like this makes it fitting to recount them, in considering what a monument it is that he leaves behind him in the highways that bring to the people the products of a continent, the structures over which millions pass in safety, the warehouses where the food of the nations is stored, the grounds where the products of the world are distributed, the appliances that secure health to our homes. Such works bear witness to his skillful designing, fidelity in execution, patient toil in overcoming obstacles that seem almost insurmountable, foresight in providing for emergencies, correctness in reasoning, and an integrity that will not deviate from an honest course to secure in a. day the profits of a life-time. Such qualities will be freely ascribed to Mr. Philbrick : and the warm personal esteem of those who knew him well will ever cause them to hold him in grateful remembrance.
From "Edward Southwick Philbrick - A Memoir," by Albert H. Howland, Desmond FitzGerald and Walter Shepard, Boston Society of Civil Engineers; published in the Journal of the Association of Engineering Societies VIII (August 1889), pp. 435-440.
Edward Southwick Philbrick, son of Samuel and Eliza (Southwick), was born Nov. 20, 1827, and died Feb. 13, 1889. He was descended from Quaker ancestry that had been native to the shores of Massachusetts Bay from near the date of the settlement of Boston. He was born in Boston, but except during early infancy his home was always in the adjacent town of Brookline. His father was a merchant in Boston, a director in several corporations, and for thirty years treasurer of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.
In 1843, after fitting for college at the Brookline High School, he entered the sophomore class at Harvard College. Paternal consent to this step, however, was conditional upon his living at home, walking the three miles each way to and from college daily, and spending no time on the study of Greek. These requirements were strictly complied with, but the restriction as to Greek prevented his receiving the customary decree on the completion of his course; at a later date, however, in recognition of his merits in other directions, the degree was conferred as of the class of 1846, to which he belonged. In the list of its members are the names of Senator George F. Hoar, Dr. Calvin Ellis, Dr. Charles D. Homans and Professors Francis J. Child, George M. Lane and Charles E. Norton.
In the summer of 1847, after spending a few months in the office of the late Samuel M. Felton, he began field work on the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, in Vermont, holding the position of assistant engineer on location and construction. Upon this work he was engaged some three years. Then going to Canandaigua, N. Y., he was employed in the construction of some branches of the Erie Railway. He held here the position of resident engineer of location and construction, and this work occupied another three years till near the end of 1853.
The decade that included these six years was marked by striking advances in the application of iron to bridge work. The great Conway and Britannia tubular bridges were built; the Victoria tubular bridge over the St. Lawrence at Montreal was begun; suspension bridges were built over the Ohio at Wheeling and the Niagara at Lewiston; and the great railroad suspension bridge at Niagara Falls was finished. Several of these structures were near the territory within which Mr. Philbrick was engaged in railroad building, and the subject of iron bridge construction so strongly engaged his attention that he soon took an opportunity to extend his knowledge of such structures as well as of public works in general.
A few months after he had finished work in western New York he sailed for Europe, and remained abroad a year and a half. Several months were spent at Paris in professional studies. Then, much of the time with knapsack on his back, he traveled through Great Britain, France, Belgium, Austria, Italy and Turkey. Passing beyond Europe he extended his travels to Egypt and Syria, spending in these countries the last six months of his stay abroad. Mr. Philbrick was a close observer, and being furthermore the possessor of a retentive memory, he gathered during these travels a store of information that was a frequent source of surprise to those with whom he conversed, minute details even not escaping him, especially such as had a professional bearing.
In the summer of 1855 he returned home and soon afterwards entered the employ of the Boston & Worcester Railroad as Assistant Superintendent and Engineer. For five or six years he was engaged in improving the location of the road and rebuilding some of its structures. A bridge that he designed and built during this period, namely, the "Arsenal Bridge," in Brighton, should be mentioned in this connection, not on account of its size (for it is merely a plate girder of eighty-seven feet span in the clear) but as an instance of his early preference for riveted work, and as evidence of the soundness of his judgment in selecting at that day a type of structure for spans approaching even one hundred feet, that after a quarter of a century's experience has come to be pretty generally approved as the most suitable. This was built in 1860. In the early part of the next year Mr. Phibrick again spent several months in Europe.
Near the beginning of 1862, after Port Royal had been captured by the Union forces, and had become the refuge of the negroes of the neighboring country, true to his inherited anti-slavery principles and his own convictions, Mr. Philbrick undertook the organization of labor on a dozen or more abandoned plantations in that and the neighboring islands, including the education and training of the freed men as citizens. Many volunteers from this vicinity accompanied and assisted him in the work, which was carried on for two years under the direction of the United States Treasury Department on government account. Subsequently- the government sold the plantations for taxes, and the work was continued by a corporation formed for that purpose, which was successful commercially as well as in respect to its main purpose.
After the war closed Mr. Philbrick was employed upon some town improvements in Brookline and connected with some manufacturing enterprises. In 1869 he was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts Inspecting Engineer of the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad, to which the State had made a loan of $3,000,000.
About this time the Boston & Albany Railroad was formed by the consolidation of the Boston & Worcester and the Western railroads. The traffic of the road increased to such an extent that the work of rebuilding its bridges in iron was decided upon and Mr. Philbrick was appointed Consulting Engineer and had charge of it. A large number of bridges were built, mostly between Worcester and Albany. The type he adopted was the riveted lattice, or for small spans the plate girder. The most notable among these bridges was that over the Connecticut at Springfield, and it occasioned a good deal of controversy as to the comparative merits of riveted and pin-connected trusses. Without entering into the details of the question (for the controversy is by no means ended) it seems proper to say that Mr. Philbrick's judgment is supported by the practice of some of the largest and best managed roads and that even pin-connected bridges in recent years have been made to conform in some features to the riveted type. Mr. Philbrick's preference for riveted connections did not extend to very large spans. Other works on the Boston & Albany Railroad constructed under his charge were the large Union Station at Worcester, and the grain elevators in Boston, that at East Boston being notable on account of the difficulties encountered in securing good foundations.
Near the close of 1868 the State of Massachusetts contracted for the completion of Hoosac Tunnel. The Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company had previously received State aid to the amount of several million dollars to build the tunnel and connecting railroad, but after twenty years' efforts much the larger part of the tunnel remained unfinished and the State had come into possession. A year or two after the contract was made Mr. Philbrick was consulted upon some questions that arose as to alignment and quantities, and was soon afterwards appointed Consulting Engineer to the Governor and Council for this work, and held that position till the tunnel was opened. The amount of this contract was over $4,500,000. The accuracy with which the headings met was remarkable: at two wiles from the east portal, where the heading from the central shaft was met, the deviation was only 5/16ths of an inch in line and 1¼ inches in level. Besides the tunnel proper there was a large amount of work in improving the line and building iron bridges on the connecting road, of which Mr. Philbrick was engineer.
The improvement of the flats at South Boston was also carried out under Mr. Philbrick's charge, and is a work of considerable local importance. The State contracted for building the sea walls and filling a portion of the flats in the latter part of 1873. A large area adjacent was owned by the Boston & Albany Railroad, and a contract was made for filling this at the same time. Mr. Philbrick had charge of this also. The territory thus made available now forms the terminal grounds of the New York & New England Railroad, provided with extensive freight sheds, grain elevator and wharves and docks for ocean steamers, distant only about a half mile from the post-office. These sea walls are notable for their substantial construction, and the Harbor Commissioners say, in one of their reports, that "no work, to their knowledge, has been undertaken in any harbor of our country superior in its design or workmanship to the plan and execution of the heavy sea wall, so far as it has progressed."
When the growth of the town of Brookline necessitated a public water supply the construction of the works was intrusted to Mr. Philbrick. The supply is taken from a filtering gallery near Charles River at a point a few miles from the town. These works were constructed during 1874-5 at a cost of a half million of dollars.
As a sanitary engineer, Mr. Philbrick had a wide reputation and was esteemed an eminent authority. The building, ownership and care of nearly a score of houses gave him opportunity for long continued experiment and a practical knowledge of the actual conditions to be met. The results of his experience in this branch of engineering were given to the public in a book on "American Sanitary Engineering," in pamphlets on " Defects in House Drainage and Their Remedies," and on " Disposal of Sewage in Suburban Residences," and in contributions to periodicals and discussions at society meetings. The publications form an interesting and important part of the sanitary branch of engineering literature. They have been extensively used in the practice of engineers and are often referred to as standard works on the subject.
Included in his professional practice were consultations as to the foundations of Trinity Church and the new public library building in Boston; service on commissions to award damages for diversion of water by the city of Worcester from Blackstone Valley, and by the city of Cambridge from Stony Brook, and to investigate the causes and management of the Great Fire in Boston ; reports on sewerage in several neighboring towns; building of highway and railway bridges over the Merrimac at Haverhill, and others of less note. New England is the field where most of his professional work has been done. Domestic ties and the care of a large property tended to prevent him from seeking other fields.
His membership in our Society dates from June 8, 1874, and in the American Society of Civil Engineers from May 6, 1876. The transactions of the latter contain several or his papers and discussions, among which is a paper on the South Boston Flats improvements.
Marked characteristics of Mr. Philbrick were a directness, simplicity and candor that won the confidence of those with whom he dealt. These qualities with his practical knowledge and varied experience caused his services to be sought for where the construction of expensive works demanded unquestioned fidelity and ability. With contractors he was sometimes considered rather strict, but he was fair-minded and considerate and ready to yield if he found himself in error. He was a man of varied interests; the newest book and the latest achievement of science received his attention.
Mr. Philbrick was free from all ostentation, and while professional duties and the care of his property and of trust funds engrossed much of his time, there were many enterprises benevolent in nature or aiming to promote the general welfare which received his active and devoted support. "Well known among these is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of whose corporation he had for many years been an active member. In benevolent efforts his aim was to avert as well as to relieve misfortune and suffering.
As a citizen he was public-spirited, independent in politics, and deeply interested in whatever tends to promote good and honest government, often devoting time and money to this end though seeking for himself no conspicuous part.
In religious belief he was a Unitarian and served as treasurer of the First Unitarian Church in Brookline for many years.
On the 16th of September, 1857, he married Miss Helen M., daughter of the late Alfred Winsor, of Brookline, who, with his mother, now 96 years of age, are the survivors of his household.
The works of the engineer often receive but little of the popular appreciation that their merits deserve. They may be located in remote and unfrequented places, or buried where the light of day never reaches them; often they are so unobtrusive that they seem to be almost a part of nature's own handiwork. Hence there is a peculiar satisfaction, when an occasion like this makes it fitting to recount them, in considering what a monument it is that he leaves behind him in the highways that bring to the people the products of a continent, the structures over which millions pass in safety, the warehouses where the food of the nations is stored, the grounds where the products of the world are distributed, the appliances that secure health to our homes. Such works bear witness to his skillful designing, fidelity in execution, patient toil in overcoming obstacles that seem almost insurmountable, foresight in providing for emergencies, correctness in reasoning, and an integrity that will not deviate from an honest course to secure in a. day the profits of a life-time. Such qualities will be freely ascribed to Mr. Philbrick : and the warm personal esteem of those who knew him well will ever cause them to hold him in grateful remembrance.
Edward Southwick Philbrick, son of Samuel and Eliza (Southwick), was born Nov. 20, 1827, and died Feb. 13, 1889. He was descended from Quaker ancestry that had been native to the shores of Massachusetts Bay from near the date of the settlement of Boston. He was born in Boston, but except during early infancy his home was always in the adjacent town of Brookline. His father was a merchant in Boston, a director in several corporations, and for thirty years treasurer of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.
In 1843, after fitting for college at the Brookline High School, he entered the sophomore class at Harvard College. Paternal consent to this step, however, was conditional upon his living at home, walking the three miles each way to and from college daily, and spending no time on the study of Greek. These requirements were strictly complied with, but the restriction as to Greek prevented his receiving the customary decree on the completion of his course; at a later date, however, in recognition of his merits in other directions, the degree was conferred as of the class of 1846, to which he belonged. In the list of its members are the names of Senator George F. Hoar, Dr. Calvin Ellis, Dr. Charles D. Homans and Professors Francis J. Child, George M. Lane and Charles E. Norton.
In the summer of 1847, after spending a few months in the office of the late Samuel M. Felton, he began field work on the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, in Vermont, holding the position of assistant engineer on location and construction. Upon this work he was engaged some three years. Then going to Canandaigua, N. Y., he was employed in the construction of some branches of the Erie Railway. He held here the position of resident engineer of location and construction, and this work occupied another three years till near the end of 1853.
The decade that included these six years was marked by striking advances in the application of iron to bridge work. The great Conway and Britannia tubular bridges were built; the Victoria tubular bridge over the St. Lawrence at Montreal was begun; suspension bridges were built over the Ohio at Wheeling and the Niagara at Lewiston; and the great railroad suspension bridge at Niagara Falls was finished. Several of these structures were near the territory within which Mr. Philbrick was engaged in railroad building, and the subject of iron bridge construction so strongly engaged his attention that he soon took an opportunity to extend his knowledge of such structures as well as of public works in general.
A few months after he had finished work in western New York he sailed for Europe, and remained abroad a year and a half. Several months were spent at Paris in professional studies. Then, much of the time with knapsack on his back, he traveled through Great Britain, France, Belgium, Austria, Italy and Turkey. Passing beyond Europe he extended his travels to Egypt and Syria, spending in these countries the last six months of his stay abroad. Mr. Philbrick was a close observer, and being furthermore the possessor of a retentive memory, he gathered during these travels a store of information that was a frequent source of surprise to those with whom he conversed, minute details even not escaping him, especially such as had a professional bearing.
In the summer of 1855 he returned home and soon afterwards entered the employ of the Boston & Worcester Railroad as Assistant Superintendent and Engineer. For five or six years he was engaged in improving the location of the road and rebuilding some of its structures. A bridge that he designed and built during this period, namely, the "Arsenal Bridge," in Brighton, should be mentioned in this connection, not on account of its size (for it is merely a plate girder of eighty-seven feet span in the clear) but as an instance of his early preference for riveted work, and as evidence of the soundness of his judgment in selecting at that day a type of structure for spans approaching even one hundred feet, that after a quarter of a century's experience has come to be pretty generally approved as the most suitable. This was built in 1860. In the early part of the next year Mr. Phibrick again spent several months in Europe.
Near the beginning of 1862, after Port Royal had been captured by the Union forces, and had become the refuge of the negroes of the neighboring country, true to his inherited anti-slavery principles and his own convictions, Mr. Philbrick undertook the organization of labor on a dozen or more abandoned plantations in that and the neighboring islands, including the education and training of the freed men as citizens. Many volunteers from this vicinity accompanied and assisted him in the work, which was carried on for two years under the direction of the United States Treasury Department on government account. Subsequently- the government sold the plantations for taxes, and the work was continued by a corporation formed for that purpose, which was successful commercially as well as in respect to its main purpose.
After the war closed Mr. Philbrick was employed upon some town improvements in Brookline and connected with some manufacturing enterprises. In 1869 he was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts Inspecting Engineer of the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad, to which the State had made a loan of $3,000,000.
About this time the Boston & Albany Railroad was formed by the consolidation of the Boston & Worcester and the Western railroads. The traffic of the road increased to such an extent that the work of rebuilding its bridges in iron was decided upon and Mr. Philbrick was appointed Consulting Engineer and had charge of it. A large number of bridges were built, mostly between Worcester and Albany. The type he adopted was the riveted lattice, or for small spans the plate girder. The most notable among these bridges was that over the Connecticut at Springfield, and it occasioned a good deal of controversy as to the comparative merits of riveted and pin-connected trusses. Without entering into the details of the question (for the controversy is by no means ended) it seems proper to say that Mr. Philbrick's judgment is supported by the practice of some of the largest and best managed roads and that even pin-connected bridges in recent years have been made to conform in some features to the riveted type. Mr. Philbrick's preference for riveted connections did not extend to very large spans. Other works on the Boston & Albany Railroad constructed under his charge were the large Union Station at Worcester, and the grain elevators in Boston, that at East Boston being notable on account of the difficulties encountered in securing good foundations.
Near the close of 1868 the State of Massachusetts contracted for the completion of Hoosac Tunnel. The Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company had previously received State aid to the amount of several million dollars to build the tunnel and connecting railroad, but after twenty years' efforts much the larger part of the tunnel remained unfinished and the State had come into possession. A year or two after the contract was made Mr. Philbrick was consulted upon some questions that arose as to alignment and quantities, and was soon afterwards appointed Consulting Engineer to the Governor and Council for this work, and held that position till the tunnel was opened. The amount of this contract was over $4,500,000. The accuracy with which the headings met was remarkable: at two wiles from the east portal, where the heading from the central shaft was met, the deviation was only 5/16ths of an inch in line and 1¼ inches in level. Besides the tunnel proper there was a large amount of work in improving the line and building iron bridges on the connecting road, of which Mr. Philbrick was engineer.
The improvement of the flats at South Boston was also carried out under Mr. Philbrick's charge, and is a work of considerable local importance. The State contracted for building the sea walls and filling a portion of the flats in the latter part of 1873. A large area adjacent was owned by the Boston & Albany Railroad, and a contract was made for filling this at the same time. Mr. Philbrick had charge of this also. The territory thus made available now forms the terminal grounds of the New York & New England Railroad, provided with extensive freight sheds, grain elevator and wharves and docks for ocean steamers, distant only about a half mile from the post-office. These sea walls are notable for their substantial construction, and the Harbor Commissioners say, in one of their reports, that "no work, to their knowledge, has been undertaken in any harbor of our country superior in its design or workmanship to the plan and execution of the heavy sea wall, so far as it has progressed."
When the growth of the town of Brookline necessitated a public water supply the construction of the works was intrusted to Mr. Philbrick. The supply is taken from a filtering gallery near Charles River at a point a few miles from the town. These works were constructed during 1874-5 at a cost of a half million of dollars.
As a sanitary engineer, Mr. Philbrick had a wide reputation and was esteemed an eminent authority. The building, ownership and care of nearly a score of houses gave him opportunity for long continued experiment and a practical knowledge of the actual conditions to be met. The results of his experience in this branch of engineering were given to the public in a book on "American Sanitary Engineering," in pamphlets on " Defects in House Drainage and Their Remedies," and on " Disposal of Sewage in Suburban Residences," and in contributions to periodicals and discussions at society meetings. The publications form an interesting and important part of the sanitary branch of engineering literature. They have been extensively used in the practice of engineers and are often referred to as standard works on the subject.
Included in his professional practice were consultations as to the foundations of Trinity Church and the new public library building in Boston; service on commissions to award damages for diversion of water by the city of Worcester from Blackstone Valley, and by the city of Cambridge from Stony Brook, and to investigate the causes and management of the Great Fire in Boston ; reports on sewerage in several neighboring towns; building of highway and railway bridges over the Merrimac at Haverhill, and others of less note. New England is the field where most of his professional work has been done. Domestic ties and the care of a large property tended to prevent him from seeking other fields.
His membership in our Society dates from June 8, 1874, and in the American Society of Civil Engineers from May 6, 1876. The transactions of the latter contain several or his papers and discussions, among which is a paper on the South Boston Flats improvements.
Marked characteristics of Mr. Philbrick were a directness, simplicity and candor that won the confidence of those with whom he dealt. These qualities with his practical knowledge and varied experience caused his services to be sought for where the construction of expensive works demanded unquestioned fidelity and ability. With contractors he was sometimes considered rather strict, but he was fair-minded and considerate and ready to yield if he found himself in error. He was a man of varied interests; the newest book and the latest achievement of science received his attention.
Mr. Philbrick was free from all ostentation, and while professional duties and the care of his property and of trust funds engrossed much of his time, there were many enterprises benevolent in nature or aiming to promote the general welfare which received his active and devoted support. "Well known among these is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of whose corporation he had for many years been an active member. In benevolent efforts his aim was to avert as well as to relieve misfortune and suffering.
As a citizen he was public-spirited, independent in politics, and deeply interested in whatever tends to promote good and honest government, often devoting time and money to this end though seeking for himself no conspicuous part.
In religious belief he was a Unitarian and served as treasurer of the First Unitarian Church in Brookline for many years.
On the 16th of September, 1857, he married Miss Helen M., daughter of the late Alfred Winsor, of Brookline, who, with his mother, now 96 years of age, are the survivors of his household.
The works of the engineer often receive but little of the popular appreciation that their merits deserve. They may be located in remote and unfrequented places, or buried where the light of day never reaches them; often they are so unobtrusive that they seem to be almost a part of nature's own handiwork. Hence there is a peculiar satisfaction, when an occasion like this makes it fitting to recount them, in considering what a monument it is that he leaves behind him in the highways that bring to the people the products of a continent, the structures over which millions pass in safety, the warehouses where the food of the nations is stored, the grounds where the products of the world are distributed, the appliances that secure health to our homes. Such works bear witness to his skillful designing, fidelity in execution, patient toil in overcoming obstacles that seem almost insurmountable, foresight in providing for emergencies, correctness in reasoning, and an integrity that will not deviate from an honest course to secure in a. day the profits of a life-time. Such qualities will be freely ascribed to Mr. Philbrick : and the warm personal esteem of those who knew him well will ever cause them to hold him in grateful remembrance.
Inscription
EDWARD S. PHILBRICK
NOV. 20, 1827
FEB. 13, 1889
HELEN / WIFE OF EDWARD
FEB. 22, 1834 / APR. 7, 1922
