Leffert L. Buck

Leffert L. Buck

Leffert L. Buck (born February 5, 1837 in Canton , New York , USA ; † July 17, 1909 in Hastings-on-Hudson , New York ) was an American bridge engineer and one of the pioneers of steel bridge construction.

Life and accomplishments

Leffert Lefferts Buck attended the newly founded St. Lawrence University , but had to interrupt his studies because of the American Civil War , in which he participated voluntarily. He then studied at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , where he earned the degree of Civil Engineer in 1868 .

In Peru he planned and built the Verrugas Viaduct , which was completed in 1873 and was the highest bridge in the world at the time, for Ferrocarril Central del Perú .

From 1877 he was busy with the reinforcement of John A. Roebling's Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge .

He then built the Platt Street Bridge in Rochester (New York) , opened in 1891, today's Pont de Rennes .

From 1896 to 1897 he built the two-story Whirlpool Rapids Bridge (also Lower Steel Arch Brige ), a steel - arch bridge , which was built to replace the outgrown Niagara Suspension Bridge without disrupting traffic around them.

From 1897 to 1898 he realized the Upper Steel Arch Bridge (also called Fallsview Bridge or Honeymoon Bridge ) over the Niagara River .

During this time he was also appointed chief engineer of the company, for which he subsequently built his largest and last work, the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City , the first all steel suspension bridge , which opened in 1903 and which at the time was the had the largest span of all suspension bridges.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Leffert L. Buck , Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame
2. ↑ Alan Teichmann: Leffert Lefferts Buck ( Memento of the original from July 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Short biography from November 5, 1999