Adolphus Bonzano

February 5, 1830 (age 83)

In 1865 Adolphus Bonzano engaged himself with the Detroit Bridge and Iron Works. In 1868 he became a partner and chief engineer in Clark, Reeves & Company at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. This firm dissolved in 1884 to be succeeded by the Phoenix Bridge Company which Bonzano served as chief engineer until 1893. His last five years of active professional practise were spent as a consulting engineer in New York City. Some of the bridges resulting from his professional activities are the Pecos Aqueduct which carries the Southern Pacific Railroad over the Pecos River; the Red Rock Cantilever Bridge over the Colorado River Canyon on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé; the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Bridge over the Ohio River at Cincinnati; the Susquehanna River Bridge at Sunbury, Pennsylvania; and the Columbia Bridge in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Bonzano had a large share in the development of the modern draw-span. The construction of the turntable in the 274-foot double-track draw of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad at Albany, built in 1870, embodied original features which he designed and which were later accepted as standard practise. He was one of the first engineers to recognize the merits of the Phoenix column and used it in the Sixth and Ninth Avenue Elevated structures in New York City.

Adolphus Bonzano

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engineer inventor

Background

Adolphus Bonzano was born on December 5, 1830, at Ehingen, Würtemberg, Germany.

Education

Bonzano received his education at the gymnasia in Ehingen, Bloensdorf, and Stuttgart, although his father and other members of his family had emigrated to Texas.

Recognizing the possibilities offered by the iron industry in the development of this country, he apprenticed himself to the Reynolds Machine Works in Springfield, Massachussets, in order to supplement his academic studies with practical shop experience. He became one of the skilled mechanical superintendents of his day.

Career

In 1865 Adolphus Bonzano engaged himself with the Detroit Bridge and Iron Works. In 1868 he became a partner and chief engineer in Clark, Reeves & Company at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. This firm dissolved in 1884 to be succeeded by the Phoenix Bridge Company which Bonzano served as chief engineer until 1893. His last five years of active professional practise were spent as a consulting engineer in New York City. Some of the bridges resulting from his professional activities are the Pecos Aqueduct which carries the Southern Pacific Railroad over the Pecos River; the Red Rock Cantilever Bridge over the Colorado River Canyon on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé; the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Bridge over the Ohio River at Cincinnati; the Susquehanna River Bridge at Sunbury, Pennsylvania; and the Columbia Bridge in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.

Bonzano had a large share in the development of the modern draw-span. The construction of the turntable in the 274-foot double-track draw of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad at Albany, built in 1870, embodied original features which he designed and which were later accepted as standard practise. He was one of the first engineers to recognize the merits of the Phoenix column and used it in the Sixth and Ninth Avenue Elevated structures in New York City.

Achievements

Adolphus Bonzano was an influential factor in the bridge industry. Bonzano gave many inventions to the world, chief of which is the rail joint which bears his name. In draw-span construction he was the first to use the locking roller with a pair of links at the draw end, and soon after modified this by the knuckle joint. The use of a vertical screw for operating the locking mechanism was also original with him.

Interests

In addition to his accomplishments in mechanical lines Bonzano was a talented musician - an able pianist, organist, and choir master. He was a familiar figure at the opera, and a man of whom it was said, "he never had an enemy. "

Connections

On July 2, 1857, Adolphus Bonzano was married to Laura J. Goodell of Detroit.

Spouse:: Laura J. (Goodell) Bonzano

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