John A. Roebling, German-American Civil Engineer

John Augustus Roebling (June 12, 1806 - July 22, 1869) was a German-born American civil engineer. He designed and constructed suspension bridges, such as Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, the Waco Suspension Bridge and the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. His first engineering work in America was devoted to improving river navigation and canal building. He spent three years surveying for railway lines across the Allegheny Mountains, from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, for the state of Pennsylvania. While conducting surveys for the Brooklyn bridge project, Roebling sustained a crush injury to his foot when a ferry pinned it against a piling. After amputation of his crushed toes he developed a tetanus infection which left him incapacitated and soon resulted in his death on July 22, 1869, at the age of 63

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1806 1869 German-american Roebling Suspension

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