Julius Walker Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julius Walker Adams
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| Born | October 18, 1812 |
| Died | December 13, 1899 (aged 87) |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery |
| Education | United States Military Academy |
| Occupation | |
| Board member of | American Society of Civil Engineers, American Association for the Advancement of Science, New York Academy of Science |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Denison |
| Children | 8 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Service/ |
United States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1862 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Commands held | 67th New York Infantry |
Julius Walker Adams (born October 18, 1812 – died December 13, 1899) was an American civil engineer. He was also a railroad engineer. He is famous for designing the Starrucca Viaduct. He helped start the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1852. He was also the president of this important group from 1874 to 1875.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Julius Walker Adams was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His birthday was October 18, 1812. His parents were Eli Adams and Sarah D. Swift. Interestingly, he was a second cousin to President John Quincy Adams.
In 1830, Julius started studying at the United States Military Academy. He studied there for two years. However, he decided to leave before graduating. He wanted to start working as an engineer. He began his career working for his uncle, George Washington Whistler.
Building Railroads and Bridges
From 1832 to 1844, Julius Adams worked as an assistant engineer. He helped build many different railroads. He worked on the Stonington and Providence Railroad. He also worked on the Paterson and Hudson River Railroad. Later, he became the chief engineer for several big projects.
In 1846, he worked on the water system in Cochituate, near Boston. In the same year, he became a supervising engineer for the Erie Railway. Here, he worked with another famous engineer, Daniel McCallum.
Julius Adams and James P. Kirkwood designed the amazing stone arch bridge called the Starrucca Viaduct. This bridge was built between 1847 and 1848. It was a big project for the New York and Erie Railroad. In 1851, he also worked as an editor for a magazine called Appletons' Mechanics' Magazine. In 1852, he moved to Kentucky. There, he became the chief engineer for the Central Railroad. By 1855, he was working for the Memphis and Ohio Railroad.
Designing City Systems
In 1856, Julius Adams changed his focus from railroads. He started designing and overseeing city systems. He created the first large-scale sewerage and drainage system in the United States. This important project was for Brooklyn, New York. He worked on this system from 1857 to 1860. After that, he became an engineer for the water system in New Haven.
Service During the Civil War
During the Civil War, Julius Adams joined the Union Army. He became a colonel, leading engineers and the 67th New York Volunteers. He served in the Army of the Potomac from 1861 to 1863.
He was hurt in the 1862 Battle of Seven Pines in Virginia. After being wounded, he resigned from the army. He then returned to Brooklyn. There, he worked as a consulting engineer for New York City. In 1863, during the New York City draft riots, he commanded troops. These troops protected the offices of newspapers like New York Times and New-York Tribune. These papers had published the names of people chosen for army service.
Later Career and Achievements
From 1869 to 1878, Julius Adams was the chief engineer for the Brooklyn board of city works. Then, from 1878 to 1889, he was a consulting engineer for New York City's public works board. He had an idea that led to the creation of a company. This company eventually built the first bridge over the East River in New York.
He was the president of the American Society of Civil Engineers from 1874 to 1875. He also wrote a book called Sewers and Drains. He published many other scientific papers too. From 1881 to 1882, he edited a publication called Engineering News. He was also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the New York Academy of Science.
Images for kids
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Starrucca Viaduct.
