BROOKLYN BRIDGE ROEBLING ENGINEER PRESIDENT IRON RAILROAD DOCUMENT SIGNED CHECK
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:1599791 | Modified Item: No |
| Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
JOHN DUTTON STEELE(1810 –1886)AMERICANENGINEER WHO WAS A MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION THAT APPROVED JOHN ROEBLING’S PLANSTO BUILD THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, PRESIDENTOF THE “STERLING IRON AND RAILWAY COMPANY” 1868-1871, FOUNDERand PRESIDENT OF J. D. STEELE and SONS MANUFACTURING CO. FOUNDRY and MACHINEWORKSCHIEFENGINEER CONSTRUCTING THE NESQUEHONING VALLEY RAILROAD and TUNNEL IN CARBON COUNTY, PA., 1870s&PIONEERRAILROAD BRIDGE ENGINEER!HERE’S AN DOCUMENTSIGNED BY STEELE AS PRESIDEN...T OF THE STERLING IRON and RAILWAY CO. – A CHECKPAYING THEODORE HAFF $57.07 (HE SIGNS ON THE VERSO). THE DOCUMENT IS ALSO SIGNEDBY A. W. HUMPHREYS, SECRETARY and TREASURER OF THE RAILWAY CO. THE CHECK BEARS AN INTERNAL REVENUE STAMPIMPRINT (SCOTT No. RN-H3) & DATED AT NEW YORK IN 1868, THE DOCUMENT MEASURES 8½” x 3¼”and ISVERY FINE.A RARE ADDITION TO YOUR AMERICANENGINEERS and NY RAILROAD/BROOKLYN BRIDGE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY AUTOGRAPH, MANUSCRIPT & EPHEMERA COLLECTION! <<>> BIOGRAPHY OF J. DUTTON STEELEJ. DUTTON STEELE is the eldest son ofJohn D. Steele, of Chester County, Pa., who migrated with his family fromEngland in 1795, and first settled in Whitemarsh township, Montgomery County, where he resided for seven years, after which he married Ann, daughter of HughExton, of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and purchased a tract of land incentral Chester County, upon which he resided during the remainder of his life.
There J. Dutton Steele was born in Chester County, NY on March 18, 1810, and atthe age of eighteen, after being educated in the mathematical schools ofChester Co., he joined a corps of engineers engaged in the surveys for theinternal improvements of Pennsylvania, and continued in the service of theState for two years.
In 1830 he entered the service of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, theconstruction of which work was at that time being commenced, and continued inthat service for ten years having been connected chiefly with the constructiondepartment until their rails had reached Harper's Ferry, and had been extendedto Baltimore, Md., and during in interval in that service he located the roadbetween Troy and Ballston Spring in the State of New York. His last appointmentwith the Baltimore and Ohio Company was in connection with the location andconstruction of the Western Division of the road, extending, from Cumberland, Md., to the Ohio River.
In 1837 he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Judge Thomas Capner, ofHunterdon County, N.J., and settled in Wheeling, Va., from which point heconducted all extensive system of surveys necessary for the location of thework in charge. The great financial break-down of that period, however, causedthe railroad company to suspend the construction of their road west ofCumberland, and consequently his engagements with them terminated in 1840. Hethen purchased a farm near Downingtown, Pa., and followed the pursuits ofagriculture for six years. . . .
In 1846 he made a survey of Pittsburgh and its environs for the purpose ofindicating the practicable routes for entering that city with railwayimprovements, and entered the service of the Philadelphia and Reading RailroadCompany on the 1st of January, 1847, in charge of the roadway department ofthat road, and continued in the service of that company, in the severalcapacities of chief assistant engineer, chief engineer and vice-president, until 1867, -- a period of nearly twenty years. . . .
He introduced into railway practice the ribbed stone arches for skew bridges, and availing himself of the experiments made by a commission appointed by theQueen of England in 1847 to investigate the "applicability of iron torailway structures, " the report of which was published in 1849, heintroduced wrought-iron girders for bridges of short spans, and was the firstto use electricity as in auxiliary to rock-blasting to any considerable extent, with no light to guide him but some experiments which had been made in Englishstone quarries, and without the aid of which the tunnels on the Reading Railroadcould not have been widened, in the brief space of four months allotted for thecompletion of the work, with safety to the passing trains.
In 1868 he was elected president of the Sterling Iron and Railway Company, andremoved to Brooklyn, and assumed the duty of developing an extensive iron oreproperty in Orange County N. Y., in which position he continued for threeyears. During this period he made explorations for railroad extensions in theStates of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota; took all active part in organizingthe American Society of Civil Engineers and contributed to their journal, andwas appointed one of a commission of civil engineers to examine and approve theplans of John A. Roebling for the East River [i.e., Brooklyn] suspensionbridge. . . .
In 1870 he returned to his residence in Pottstown, Pa., and was in charge ofthe construction of the Nesquehoning Valley Railroad and the Nesquehoningtunnel, in Carbon County, Pa., and in the latter work, availing himself of theexperiments then in progress at the Hoosac tunnel, made use of compressed airas a motive-power for the rock-drills.
He was next appointed to select the location, amid several conflictinginterests, for the extension of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from CentralOhio to Chicago, and after the necessary surveys, recommended the route uponwhich that road is now built, and was also engaged on the Wilmington andNorthern and Berks County Railroads and other works of lesser importance.
He afterwards organized and established the J. D. Steele & Sons'Manufacturing Company at Pottstown, Pa., and thus ended an active butinconspicuous professional career. Steele died on June 13, 1886 and isburied, with many other members of his family, in Edgewood Cemetery, Pottstown, PA.Sources:History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, (1884)The Unique Stories of those buried in Edgewood Cemetery, “The Mercury”Newspaper, Pottstown, Pa., Aug. 3, 2014Find A Grave – Memorial ID: 111668593<<=====>> The Sterling Iron and Railway Co. (1864-1899)The Sterling Iron and Railway Co. was formed in 1864 to assume control ofthe Sterling Iron estate. On April 1, 1864, through the intercession of DavidCrawford, Jr., the son-in-law of Peter Townsend III, all of the property of theSterling Iron Works was sold to the recently-formed Sterling Iron and RailwayCo. Peter Townsend III had a large interest in the company and he was joined byseveral prominent men including Thomas A. Scott, president of the PennsylvaniaRailroad and assistant secretary of war during the Civil War, Jay Cooke, thefinancier, Joel Barlow Morehead, Samuel L.M. Barlow, and George C. Clark.In November 1867 a separate company, the Sterling Mountain Railway Co., was formed to assume control of the railroad operations. As of November 30, 1867 its officers were J. Dutton Steele, president; David Crawford, Jr., O.D.F.Grant, Peter Townsend, J.B. Moorhead, W.G. Moorhead and Thomas A. Scott, boardof directors. A.W. Humphreys was secretary and treasurer, and Thomas C. Steele, engineer and superintendent.The Sterling Iron and Railway Co. operated the mines and furnaces of theSterling tract until the 1920s but business had begun to falter by 1890 and in1892 there was a reorganization of the company. Several changes regarding thecontrolling interests of the company occurred during this period. Macgrane Coxewas named president in 1892 and was soon followed by James D. Rowland ofPhiladelphia who was succeeded by Theodore Price in 1905. In 1911, H.A. VanAlstyne assumed control of the company and retained control until the company’sdemise in the 1920s. I am a proud member of the Universal AutographCollectors Club (UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Societyand the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: JohnLissandrello). I subscribe to each organizations' code of ethics andauthenticity is guaranteed. ~Providing quality service and historicalmemorabilia online for over twenty years.~
WE ONLY SELL GENUINE ITEMS, i.e., NO REPRODUCTIONS, FAKES OR COPIES!
There J. Dutton Steele was born in Chester County, NY on March 18, 1810, and atthe age of eighteen, after being educated in the mathematical schools ofChester Co., he joined a corps of engineers engaged in the surveys for theinternal improvements of Pennsylvania, and continued in the service of theState for two years.
In 1830 he entered the service of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, theconstruction of which work was at that time being commenced, and continued inthat service for ten years having been connected chiefly with the constructiondepartment until their rails had reached Harper's Ferry, and had been extendedto Baltimore, Md., and during in interval in that service he located the roadbetween Troy and Ballston Spring in the State of New York. His last appointmentwith the Baltimore and Ohio Company was in connection with the location andconstruction of the Western Division of the road, extending, from Cumberland, Md., to the Ohio River.
In 1837 he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Judge Thomas Capner, ofHunterdon County, N.J., and settled in Wheeling, Va., from which point heconducted all extensive system of surveys necessary for the location of thework in charge. The great financial break-down of that period, however, causedthe railroad company to suspend the construction of their road west ofCumberland, and consequently his engagements with them terminated in 1840. Hethen purchased a farm near Downingtown, Pa., and followed the pursuits ofagriculture for six years. . . .
In 1846 he made a survey of Pittsburgh and its environs for the purpose ofindicating the practicable routes for entering that city with railwayimprovements, and entered the service of the Philadelphia and Reading RailroadCompany on the 1st of January, 1847, in charge of the roadway department ofthat road, and continued in the service of that company, in the severalcapacities of chief assistant engineer, chief engineer and vice-president, until 1867, -- a period of nearly twenty years. . . .
He introduced into railway practice the ribbed stone arches for skew bridges, and availing himself of the experiments made by a commission appointed by theQueen of England in 1847 to investigate the "applicability of iron torailway structures, " the report of which was published in 1849, heintroduced wrought-iron girders for bridges of short spans, and was the firstto use electricity as in auxiliary to rock-blasting to any considerable extent, with no light to guide him but some experiments which had been made in Englishstone quarries, and without the aid of which the tunnels on the Reading Railroadcould not have been widened, in the brief space of four months allotted for thecompletion of the work, with safety to the passing trains.
In 1868 he was elected president of the Sterling Iron and Railway Company, andremoved to Brooklyn, and assumed the duty of developing an extensive iron oreproperty in Orange County N. Y., in which position he continued for threeyears. During this period he made explorations for railroad extensions in theStates of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota; took all active part in organizingthe American Society of Civil Engineers and contributed to their journal, andwas appointed one of a commission of civil engineers to examine and approve theplans of John A. Roebling for the East River [i.e., Brooklyn] suspensionbridge. . . .
In 1870 he returned to his residence in Pottstown, Pa., and was in charge ofthe construction of the Nesquehoning Valley Railroad and the Nesquehoningtunnel, in Carbon County, Pa., and in the latter work, availing himself of theexperiments then in progress at the Hoosac tunnel, made use of compressed airas a motive-power for the rock-drills.
He was next appointed to select the location, amid several conflictinginterests, for the extension of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from CentralOhio to Chicago, and after the necessary surveys, recommended the route uponwhich that road is now built, and was also engaged on the Wilmington andNorthern and Berks County Railroads and other works of lesser importance.
He afterwards organized and established the J. D. Steele & Sons'Manufacturing Company at Pottstown, Pa., and thus ended an active butinconspicuous professional career. Steele died on June 13, 1886 and isburied, with many other members of his family, in Edgewood Cemetery, Pottstown, PA.Sources:History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, (1884)The Unique Stories of those buried in Edgewood Cemetery, “The Mercury”Newspaper, Pottstown, Pa., Aug. 3, 2014Find A Grave – Memorial ID: 111668593<<=====>> The Sterling Iron and Railway Co. (1864-1899)The Sterling Iron and Railway Co. was formed in 1864 to assume control ofthe Sterling Iron estate. On April 1, 1864, through the intercession of DavidCrawford, Jr., the son-in-law of Peter Townsend III, all of the property of theSterling Iron Works was sold to the recently-formed Sterling Iron and RailwayCo. Peter Townsend III had a large interest in the company and he was joined byseveral prominent men including Thomas A. Scott, president of the PennsylvaniaRailroad and assistant secretary of war during the Civil War, Jay Cooke, thefinancier, Joel Barlow Morehead, Samuel L.M. Barlow, and George C. Clark.In November 1867 a separate company, the Sterling Mountain Railway Co., was formed to assume control of the railroad operations. As of November 30, 1867 its officers were J. Dutton Steele, president; David Crawford, Jr., O.D.F.Grant, Peter Townsend, J.B. Moorhead, W.G. Moorhead and Thomas A. Scott, boardof directors. A.W. Humphreys was secretary and treasurer, and Thomas C. Steele, engineer and superintendent.The Sterling Iron and Railway Co. operated the mines and furnaces of theSterling tract until the 1920s but business had begun to falter by 1890 and in1892 there was a reorganization of the company. Several changes regarding thecontrolling interests of the company occurred during this period. Macgrane Coxewas named president in 1892 and was soon followed by James D. Rowland ofPhiladelphia who was succeeded by Theodore Price in 1905. In 1911, H.A. VanAlstyne assumed control of the company and retained control until the company’sdemise in the 1920s. I am a proud member of the Universal AutographCollectors Club (UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Societyand the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: JohnLissandrello). I subscribe to each organizations' code of ethics andauthenticity is guaranteed. ~Providing quality service and historicalmemorabilia online for over twenty years.~
WE ONLY SELL GENUINE ITEMS, i.e., NO REPRODUCTIONS, FAKES OR COPIES!
