WILSON P.S.

WILSON P.S. 23.09. 1896 Montclair NJ/USA 13.07. 1992 Maplewood NJ/USA Percy Suydam Wilson obtained the civil engineering degree in 1918, and the MS degree in 1920 from the Cornell University, Ithaca NY. He was employed then at a chemical engineering company at Buffalo NY, and was assistant engineer of the company of James H. Fuertes (1863-1932) on water supply and sewerage works notably for Harrisburg PA, and for Denver CO. In 1926 he stayed with an engineering company in New York NY, becoming in 1927 chief engineer, superintendent, and vice-president of the New Rochelle Water Supply Co., New Rochelle NY. Until 1932 he was in addition superintendent of 40 subsidiary operating water companies. Until 1936 Wilson was a private consultant of sanitary and hydraulic engineering, from when he became acting secretary and technical assistant of the American Water Works Association AWWA. Finally from 1940 he was vice-president of the Cathodic Protection Division of a company at Philadelphia PA, and thus had left the field of hydraulic engineering. He was a member of the New England Water Works Association, and of AWWA. The 1920 paper deals with an experimental study of Venturi flumes as a discharge measurement structure. This flume was introduced in 1916 by Victor M. Cone (18831970), corresponding to a local flume contraction, by which the flow is forced by a suitable tailwater control from sub-to supercritical flow. The name is a misnomer, given that Gian B. Venturi (1746-1822) invented the Venturi pipe, involving a contraction. The pressure difference between the upstream reach and the contracted section may be used for discharge measurement, so that the basic principle differs from that of Venturi Flumes. The latter are still used mainly to determine discharge on wastewater stations, typically to ±5 to 10%. Wilson and his co-author observed that this Flume satisfies the requirements of practice, and that much less hydraulic losses are involved as compared to weirs. In addition, given the sediment-water flow with sewage, no serious depositions occur with these elements. The data also allowed for the definition of the head-discharge equation for the particular flume geometry studied. This study was supported by Ernest W. Schoder (1879-1968), then hydraulics professor at Cornell University. Anonymous (1935). P.S. Wilson, Secretary AWWA. Water Works Engineering 88(23): 1318. P Anonymous (1949). Wilson, Percy S. Who’s who in engineering 6: 2193. Lewis: New York. Wilson, P.S., Wright, C.A. (1920). A study of the Venturi Flume as a measuring device in open channels. Engineering News-Record 85(10): 452-457; 85(26): 1223-1224.