Background
T. W. Tu was born at Suzhou, Jiangsu in 1884.
T. W. Tu was born at Suzhou, Jiangsu in 1884.
Mr. Tu studied at the Anglo-Chinese School in his native place between 1897-1898, then at Nanyang College, Shanghai in 1898-1905.
In January of 1905 he went to America for higher education as a government supported student. He studied civil engineering at the University of California in 1905-1907; railway engineering at the Universityof Illinois in 1907-1909. He received the degree of B.S. in 1909.
Soon after the graduation Mr. Tu joined the Chicago and Alton Railway as a transitman. In 1910 he was bridge detailer of the Chicago-Northwestern Railway. In 1911 he was construction foreman of the Kansas City Terminal Railway.
Mr. Tu returned to China in winter and became resident engineer of the Shanghai-Hangchow-Ningpo Railway in charge of surveying construction of a section fifty miles long. Before the completion of the work the revolution at Wuchang broke out and the work had to be suspended.
From February to July, 1912 Mr. Tu was instructor in railway engineering of the Polytechnic Institute, Shanghai. He taught railway construction bridge designing, graphic statistics and mechanics. From August 5, 1912 to January 1915, he was district engineer of the Kiukiang- Nanchang Railway in charge of surveying and construction of a section thirty miles long, designed and constructed a 60â span 20U bridge with reinforced concrete cylinder foundation, and a 10-span 100' bridge with woodern crib caisson sunk through sand.
From January 6, 1915 to January 1918 Mr. Tu was senior assistant engineer of the Canton-Hankow Railway in charge of surveying and construction of a section fifteen miles long and at the same time was in charge of all bridge erection work on the district forty five miles long. From April 1918 to April 1919 he was resident member of the Commission on the Unification on Railway Technics in the Ministry of Communications. He was in charge of drafting of regulations on the duties governing maintenance of way employes, and designing of road and bridge standards for Chinese Government Railways.
From April to August 1919 Mr. Tu was technical secretary to the Cuinese representative on the Inter-Allied Technical Board for the supervision of the Chinese Eastern and Siberia Railways. At one time he acted as Chinese representative on the technical board for three months during the absence of Dr. C. C. Wang. Between September 1919 and May 1920 he was Chinese representative on the Inter-Allied Purchasing Committee at Vladivostok. In June 1920 he resumed the position of Technical Secretary to the Chinese Representative. He was concurrently acting as assistant chief of Maintenance of the Chinese Eastern Railway.
Mr. Tu was one of the experts attached to the Chinese Delegation attending the Washington Conference in the winter of 1921-1922. He was given the Third Class Chiaho Decoration in June 1922.