Joseph Harrison

Background

Joseph Harrison was born on September 20, 1810 in Philadelphia. He was the son of Joseph and Mary (Crawford) Harrison.

Education

At the time of his birth the family fortunes were at low ebb, and he was able to obtain but little schooling. He early manifested an inclination for mechanical pursuits, and accordingly, in 1825, was apprenticed to Frederick D. Sanno, a builder of steam engines. Sanno failed, and Harrison was then apprenticed to James Flint, of the firm of Hyde & Flint. In this shop he soon became proficient and at the age of twenty, before he was free from his indenture, was made foreman of part of the establishment.

Career

When Harrison was twenty-two years old he was employed by Philip Garrett, who manufactured small lathes and presses. In 1833 he went to Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, for a short time, to establish a foundry for Arundus Tiers.

The following year he was employed by William Norris, then engaged with Colonel Stephen H. Long in building locomotives according to the latter's designs, and in 1835 he became foreman for Garrett & Eastwick, who had just begun the manufacture of locomotives. He was entrusted with designing the locomotive Samuel D. Ingham, the success of which led to the construction of others on the same plan.

In 1837 Harrison became a partner in the firm of Garrett, Eastwick & Company, although his skill and energy were the only capital that he was able to contribute to the enterprise. Two years later, upon the retirement of Garrett, the firm took the name of Eastwick & Harrison. These partners originated several important improvements in the locomotive. They were the first to design a practical eight-wheel engine, with four driving and four truck wheels. A method for equalizing the weight on the driving wheels was patented by Harrison in 1839, and he also devised an improvement in the forward truck, making it flexible so that it would accommodate itself to irregular undulations on the rails.

In 1841 the firm built a locomotive called the Gowan & Marx, weighing but little over eleven tons, for the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad. Its performance in drawing 101 loaded coal cars over that road caused much comment at the time as being without parallel in the history of railroad transportation. The achievement attracted the attention of two Russian engineers who had been commissioned by the Emperor Nicholas to examine and report upon railroads and railroad equipment then in operation in America and in Europe. When they reported on the construction of a railroad from St. Petersburg to Moscow, they recommended the adoption of an engine upon the plan of the Gowan & Marx. Accordingly Harrison went to St. Petersburg in the spring of 1843, where, in connection with Thomas Winans of Baltimore, he concluded a contract with the Russian government for building 162 locomotives and iron trucks for 2, 500 freight cars.

Eastwick & Harrison closed their plant in Philadelphia in 1844 and removed a portion of their equipment to St. Petersburg, where the firm of Harrison, Winans & Eastwick completed in 1851 the work for which they had contracted. Eastwick and Winans remained in Russia to undertake additional contracts, but Harrison returned to Philadelphia in 1852. He built an imposing residence in his native city.

Years earlier, his attention had been directed to the means of improving steamgeneration with a view to making steam boilers less liable to explosion, and he now devoted himself for a time to this problem. In 1859 he patented the sectional Harrison Steam Boiler, which marked a distinct era in boiler construction, and after three years of European travel, he erected a factory in Philadelphia for its manufacture.

Toward the close of his life he turned his attention to recording some of his thoughts and experiences, and in 1869 published a folio volume entitled The Iron Worker and King Solomon, containing a poem of that name, some fugitive pieces, an autobiography, and many observations of life in Russia. He also published An Essay on the Steam Boiler (1867) and The Locomotive Engine and Philadelphia's Share in its Early Improvements (1872).

He died in Philadelphia after a long illness.

Achievements

• Joseph Harrison was a prominent mechanical engineer who originated several important improvements in the locomotive. Locomotives designed and built by Eastwick & Harrison firm were among the first to burn anthracite coal successfully, and they surmounted higher grades than had previously been overcome in America or in Europe. He was also closely connectoed with the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art. In 1872, he donated $10, 000 to the Academy’s building fund. After his death, a group of the greatest masterpieces from his collection were donated to the Academy, many of which are among the supreme icons of American art. In 1847, he was decorated by Czar Nicholas I for his work on the Russian project. On May 30, 1871, he was awarded the gold and silver Rumford Medals of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his contributions toward insuring the safety of steam boilers.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Iron Worker and King Solomon (Classic Reprint)

    (I ron Worker and King Solomon, for your amusement and ins...)

  • An Essay On the Steam Boiler

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • The locomotive engine, and Philadelphia's share in its early improvements. By Joseph Harrison, jr.

Membership

On July 15, 1864, Harrison was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society.

He was a member of other learned societies, but, with the exception of reading a few papers, took no active part in the business of any of them.

Interests

• Harrison collected many paintings and works of art.

Connections

On December 15, 1836, Harrison married Sarah Poulterer of New York. The couple had seven children.

Father:

Joseph Harrison

Mother:

Mary (Crawford) Harrison

Spouse:

Sarah (Poulterer) Harrison

Daughter:

Anne (Harrison) Barry

Daughter:

Alice McNeill (Harrison) Eisenbrey

Daughter:

Clara Elizabeth (Harrison) Durant

References

• History of Philadelphia 1609 - 1884, Volume I