ELLIS T.G.

ELLIS T.G. 25.09. 1829 Boston MA/USA 08.01. 1883 Hartford CT/USA Theodore Gunville Ellis graduated as civil engineer, was chief engineer of Sackett’s Harbour and Saratoga Railroad, and subsequently had charges of silver mines in Mexico to become engineer of Hartford Dyke in 1859. He entered the Federal Army, shortly later being engaged at Antietam and Fredericksburg during the Civil War, was promoted major in 1863. In 1864 he commanded the camp at Annapolis MD. Ellis was mustered out in 1865, with the brevet rank of brigadier-general. He became surveyor-general for Connecticut in 1867. Then in 1874, he conducted hydraulic experiments at Holyoke MA. At the time of his death, he had charge of the government works on the Connecticut River. Ellis was vice-president of the American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE for several years. The 1876 paper of Ellis relates to orifice flow from large apertures. These were made in Holyoke MA to explore the relation between the discharge coefficient and the approach flow conditions for various square-edged orifice geometries. Ellis added a considerable number of data to this classical topic in hydraulics, yet the effects of fluid characteristics including fluid viscosity and surface tension were not thoroughly accounted for, such that a large number of additional tests were conducted mainly in the 1930s. Noteworthy papers in the same field was previously presented by Jean-Victor Poncelet (1788-1867) and Joseph Lesbros (1790-1860) in 1832 and 1852. One of their and Ellis’ main problem was exact discharge measurement by weirs. Their accurate characteristics were only determined in the 1970s, involving the location of upstream flow depth measurement or scale effects. For his 1876 paper, Ellis was awarded the 1877 ASCE Normal Medal. Anonymous (1887). Ellis, Theodore G. Appletons’ cyclopaedia of American biography 2: 334. Ellis, T.G. (1866). Description of the iron bridge over the Connecticut River, on the Hartford & New Haven R.R. Brown & Gross: Hartford CT. Ellis, T.G. (1876). Hydraulic experiments with large apertures at Holyoke, Mass., in 1874. Trans. ASCE 5: 19-101; 5: 297-298. Ellis, T.G. (1878). Surveys and examinations of Connecticut River. House of Representatives, Report of the Chief of Engineers, Appendix B14: 248-391. Washington DC. Ellis, T.G. (1881). Flow of water in open channels. Engineering News 8(48): 478-479. Ellis, T.G. (1892). Fire protection by direct high pressure from pumps in combined pumping and reservoir. Journal New England Water Works Association 7(1): 27-34. https://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/7241 P

ELLMS J.W. 04.10. 1867 Ayer MA/USA 07.02. 1950 Cleveland OH/USA Joseph Wilton Ellms graduated as a civil engineer from Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT in 1893. He then first joined as assistant chemist the Massachusetts Health Board, and the Louisville Water Company, then both the Brooklyn Board of Health, and the Cincinnati Water Commission as chemist, where he was promoted to test engineer. From 1913 to 1932, Ellms was a private consultant, and in parallel from 1916 also an engineer of the Cleveland Filtration Plants. He also was a member of the committee which developed the Standard methods of water analysis in 1905. He was the recipient of the 1940 ASCE Rudolph Hering Medal for his leadership in sewage disposal, and the Case Institute conferred on him the honorary doctoral degree in 1942. Ellms worked mainly in the field of water purification by rapid sand filters, but he also was a hydraulic engineer dealing with means to improve water quality. He further was interested in microscopy and the physical characteristics of natural waters, and colloids in relation to water purification. The 1916 paper deals with a high-velocity method to wash sand or mechanical filters, including a description of corrosion effects of a brass wire screen, effects of depth and size of the gravel layers, and the optimum discharge conditions. The 1927 paper deals with the hydraulic jump as a mixing device to improve water quality, one of the few works available in this field. Even currently, only few works are available dealing also with the turbulence generation of hydraulic jumps and the associated mixing capacity. Ellms was among the American pioneers of sewage treatment, with Robert S. Weston (1869-1943) and George W. Fuller (1868-1934). Anonymous (1936). Joseph W. Ellms. Water Works Engineering 89(12): 714. P Anonymous (1937). Ellms, Joseph Wilton. Who’s who in engineering 4: 403. Lewis: New York. Anonymous (1950). Joseph W. Ellms dies. Engineering News-Record 144(Feb.16): 24. P Anonymous (1953). Joseph Wilton Ellms. Trans. ASCE 118: 1244-1245. Ellms, J.W. (1916). A study on the behavior of rapid sand filters subjected to the high-velocity method of washing. Trans. ASCE 80: 1342-1428. Ellms, J.W. (1918). Water purification. McGraw-Hill: New York. Ellms, J.W. (1937). Advances in water purification during sixty years. Water Works Engineering 90(11): 666-669. P Levy, A.G., Ellms, J.W. (1927). The hydraulic jump as a mixing device. Journal American Water Works Association 17(1): 1-26.