ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Charles Ellet, Jr. (1810-1862) was a multi-talented engineer who was far ahead of his time and who made important contributions in the fields of long span suspension bridgebuilding; river training and flood controls in western rivers; transportation planning and economics; canal and railroad building; and demonstrating merits of iron-clad steam rams in naval warfare. Ellet built the first permanent wire suspension bridge in the U.S. over the Schuylkill River in 1842, first suspension bridge across the Niagara Gorge in 1848, and the first suspension bridge with a span over 1,000 feet at Wheeling, Virginia in 1849. This paper highlights Ellet’s contributions in building and promoting suspension bridges in the U.S.
