Engineering America: The Life and Times of John A. Roebling

by Richard Haw

John Roebling was one of the nineteenth century's most brilliant engineers, ingenious inventors, successful manufacturers, and fascinating personalities. Raised in a German backwater amid the war-torn chaos of the Napoleonic Wars, he immigrated to the US in 1831, where he became wealthy and acclaimed, eventually receiving a carte-blanche contract to build one of the nineteenth century's most stupendous and daring works of a gigantic suspension bridge to span the East River between New York and Brooklyn. In between, he thought, wrote, and worked tirelessly. He dug canals and surveyed railroads; he planned communities and founded new industries. Horace Greeley called him "a model immigrant"; generations later, F. Scott Fitzgerald worked on a script for the movie version of his life.Like his finest creations, Roebling was held together by the delicate balance of countervailing forces. On the surface, his life was exemplary and his accomplishments legion. As an immigrant and employer, he was respected throughout the world. As an engineer, his works profoundly altered the physical landscape of America. He was a voracious reader, a fervent abolitionist, and an engaged social commentator. His understanding of the natural world, however, bordered on the occult and his opinions about medicine are best described as medieval. For a man of science and great self-certainty, he was also remarkably quick to seize on a whole host of fads and foolish trends. Yet Roebling held these strands together. Throughout his life, he believed in the moral application of science and technology, that bridges--along with other great works of connection, the Atlantic Cable, the Transcontinental Railroad--could help bring people together, erase divisions, and heal wounds. Like Walt Whitman, Roebling was deeply committed to the creation of a more perfect union, forged from the raw materials of the continent.John Roebling was a complex, deeply divided yet undoubtedly influential figure, and this biography illuminates not only his works but also the world of nineteenth-century America. Roebling's engineering feats are well known, but the man himself is not; for alongside the drama of large scale construction lies an equally rich drama of intellectual and social development and crisis, one that mirrored and reflected the great forces, trials, and failures of nineteenth century America.

642 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 12, 2020

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having had the opportunity to drive on the bridge over the Ohio River that now bears the man's name, when I became aware of this book it immediately went on the TBR list. My overall reaction is that it's a mixed bag, though I have great respect for the Haw's scholarship.

To cut to the chase, Roebling's upbringing and education really didn't capture my imagination, and I was on the verge of setting this book aside. However, about a third of the way in, Roebling's great rival John Ellet comes on stage. From there one has a gripping narrative, as Haw examines the ins and outs of the competing projects of the men.

Also, while John Roebling might have been an exemplary figure in his time, there is no denying that he was quite the odd bird, with his transcendental philosophical leanings and sometimes tenuous grasp of best practice in science and medicine. In regards to health and hygiene, Roebling was "out there" as a cultist.

Most disturbing are the accusations of Washington Roebling that John was capable of great violence in his personal life towards his family. The problem is that we only have the son's word for this, though it's clear that the relationship between John and Washington turned toxic at one point. Also, while John apparently moved on from whatever the issue was, Washington never really did, and it's just going to remain a mystery barring new documentation coming forth.

Actual rating: 3.5 might be more accurate as an overall rating.

[jazz weisman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A careful and in-depth look at, as stated in the title, the life and times of John Roebling. A great companion book for anyone who loved “The Great Bridge” by — — about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, as this book ends around the time that one starts, with the death of John Roebling, and his son Washington taking over building his magnum opus. This book also aimed to be a detailed portrait of what life in 19th Century America was like, and I really appreciated this aspect as well. By looking in such detail at the life and work of such an important figure of the time, the reader is thoroughly transported to the time described. Definitely would recommend.