Revisiting the Erie Canal – America’s First Concrete Classroom

Описание: Presented By: Anne Werner, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Description: This presentation is based on an article by Luke & Billie Snell in Concrete International, “The Erie Canal – America’s First Concrete Classroom,” pg 63 – 64, December 1996, on the role of concrete in the Erie Canal’s construction and maintenance. The Erie Canal was built between 1817 and 1825, spanning 363 miles between the Hudson River at Albany and Lake Erie at Buffalo, New York. At a length of 363 miles, it was the first major man-made navigational waterway in the United States. The design and construction of the canal marked the beginning of civil engineering as a profession in the US and the development of domestic hydraulic cement manufacturing. Canvass White, an assistant to Benjamin Wright who was chief engineer for construction of the canal, was sent to England in 1817 by the governor of New York, to study the canal systems and construction materials and methods there. He used this new knowledge to develop and patent his own hydraulic cement that was cheaper and of better quality than that used in England. This cement was used on the canal for masonry joints and pointing. This presentation will highlight the historical evolution of materials used in the canal and how the challenges presented by the construction of the Erie Canal led to development of the country’s own cement industry and launched the careers of many young successful engineers.