Fowler J Sir

FowlerFSIR JOHN FOWLER:

John Fowler born in Wadsley, near Sheffield, Yorkshire on 15 July 1817,

eldest son of John Fowler and Elizabeth Swann, and educated at Whitley Hall

private school. After leaving school he became a pupil of J.T. Leather,

engineer of the Sheffield waterworks, and he then undertook work on railways

• first on the London-Brighton line, then on the proposed Morcambe Bay

railway, and finally as engineer, general manager and locomotive

superintendent of the Stockport-Hartlepool line (1842-44).

In 1844 he moved to London and set himself up as a consulting engineer, and

was during the late 1840s employed by the companies constructing the lines

from Sheffield to the east coast that were later incorporated into the

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Co. By 1846, the C19th

railway mania was at its height and JF took an active part in the struggles

of the various Railway Acts being promoted in Parliament. In 1850 he maried

Elizabeth Broadbent, with whom had four sons.

From 1857 he worked on the Metropolitan Railway (this had received its first

Act in 1853), being responsible for most of the extensions (noteworthy in

being excavated from the surface and permanently covered rather than

tunneled) to the original line from Edgware Road to King's Cross. He also

designed and constructed many of the branch lines of the Metropolitan to the

London suburbs, and designed and built a locomotive known as "Fowler's

Ghost" (used only briefly) for the railway. First section of the

Metropolitan Line was opened to public in January 1863.

Works, 1860-66: Probably busiest period of JF's life - each year during

these years, he and his staff were actively engaged in advising on, and

frequently also superintending, on average 70-80 large engineering projects.

Following are among principal works of 1860-70: extensions of the

Metropolitan Railway to Farringdon Street; the Metropolitan District Railway

and other extensions of the underground system; the Oswestry and Dolgelly

line; the Bristol and Clifton Railway; Liverpool Central Station; the

Glasgow and City Railway, with viaduct over the Clyde; St. Enoch's Station

in Glasgow; Millwall Docks; railways in Devon and Cheshired. JF also

designed the Pimlico Railway Bridge across the Thames (1860), was the

engineer for the construction of Victoria Station, and later (1880s) was an

engineer for the first deep-tunneling "tube" system (City and South London

line, opened 1890) extensively adopted for London electric railways. He

advised H.M.'s Office of Works re bridges in Regent's Park and the

Serpentine and other ornamental waters in London Parks. In 1866 JF elected

president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, aged only 49 (youngest

pres.) - was then that portrait painted by Millais (one of his earliest

portraits), and presented to the Institution by fellow engineers.

Egypt, 1869: JF considered first visit to Egypt as most important in his

life - went there as tourist, but inevitably studied the Suez Canal with

friends Duke of Sutherland and M. de Lesseps, and then was invited to

accompany Prince and Princess of Wales on expedition up the Nile. Also made

a report on irrigation, which led 2 yrs later to his appointment as the

General Engineering Adviser to the Egyptian Govt., office which he held

1871-79. During these years, under authority of the Khedive, Ismail Pasha,

JF instituted series of important engineering schemes in Egypt, three most

important being the manufacture of sugar (Ismail had already spent much

money on trying to start successful sugar industry in Egypt; JF spent much

time in trying to make it work), the Soudan Railway (several yrs surveying

followed, but project put on hold 1877 by General Gordon), and the

irrigation of the Delta.

JF had by now an international reputation, and in 1870 he travelled to

Norway as member of commission appointed by Indian govt. to study narrow

gauge railways - commission advocated 2 ft 9 in gauge for adoption by India,

while JF in minority advocating more expensive but reliable 3 ft 6 in -

eventually gauge adopted was the metre (3 ft 3 and third inch), much closer

to JF's ideas.

Garibaldi: In 1875 (year Benjamin Baker became partner in firm) then called

to Italy: this cos in 1870 had been disastrous flooding of the Tiber in Rome

and its environs, and numerous projects then put forward for the reclamation

of the Campagna and relief of Rome from danger of floods and malaria. Roman

Campagna is large triangle with its base (88 km) resting on the sea; apex of

triangle is stretched towards the Apennines, and consists of a surface of

about 1 million acres, great part of which is unhabitable for many months of

the year - Tiber winds through this plain and overflows into the swamps and

marshes, where malaria big problem in summer. Whole region only about 9 ft

above, and some of it even below, sea level.

JF visited Rome in 1871 and talked over problem with Count C. Arrivabene,

who then suggested in 1873 that - along with Baron French, head of a

well-known financial firm in Rome - JF head a company for drainage of the

Campagna. Nothing came of this venture, but subject became urgent in early

1875 when, after the entry of the Italian Govt. of Victor Emmanuel and

Prime Minister Minghetti into Rome, General Garibaldi took his seat in the

chamber as a deputy, and announced intention of devoting himself to this

great national work. However, his first plans were hugely ambitious and

visionary, but with little basis in financial reality: plan was to divert

the waters of the Tiber into the bed of the Anio for 2 miles, as far as the

Nomentano Bridge (effectively to Tivoli), and then to cut an entirely new

and navigable canal, which would serve also as a collector to the whole

system of lateral drains down to the sea. Old bed of Tiber was in General's

first proposal, to be filled in, but he later decided that it should still

be preserved, controlled by locks to regulate flow, so antiquaries could

explore the bed of the riveer for lost ancient treasure. Nothing

impracticable in this bar exceptionally high cost. Idea seems to have been

that engineering works should be carried out by an association of

adventurers, whose payment would consist in grants of reclaimed land, and in

sums raised in form of taxation or loans by the Govt and municipality of

Rome. Several people interested, including Duke of Sutherland, and at this

point JF called in by Sutherland and then by Italian Govt- JF received

urgent telegram in Cairo inviting him to Rome to reconcile differences over

this project between Garibaldi and Italian Govt.

JF first job, after interview with Minghetti, was to persuade Garibaldi to

call off engineering works he had ordered to begin virtually imminently -

with no costing of project that would have to be paid for by Italian govt.

(GG so popular with Italian public that he felt had carte blanche for his

own ideas). JF managed to persuade GG to hold off til he had estimated cost

of proposed project (this considered great diplomatic coup by JF) - JF then

set about assessing cost of removing Tiber from Rome to Tivoli, obtaining

engineers from Italian Govt to make surveys and sections of the ground etc.

JF, with Sir Benjamin Baker, then went to Garibaldi with estimated sum of 9

million sterling, and an equal amount for compensation - received by

Garibaldi with Baker, with GG's young wife in room silently sewing "like a

peasant girl": while there, GG said jokingly that he was much taken with

proposal of some American engineers who were prepared to deviate the Tiber

for no other payment than antiquities they expected to recover "while you

say the thing will cost millions". GG did however accept JF's figures, and

admitted impracticability of scheme. JF left Rome in late March 1875, having

persuaded GG to estimate all plans before starting any engineering work.

Sequel seems to have been that a commission examined some 19 plans, rejected

those which involved a deviation of the Tiber (by this time Romans had heard

of plans and up in arms about possible loss of river in city), and selected

one which proposed to clear the existing channel from numerous obstacles -

eg old bridges, piers etc - to wall and embank the river within the city to

a height of 55 ft, to rebuild certain bridges with larger openings to give

river a minimum width of 109 yds, to construct main drains or sewers on each

side of the embankment. This plan approved by JF, and Ital Govt adopted

recommendation, and began works in 1876.

Other expeditions outside UK by JF include visit to Australia in 1886 to

inspect railways of New South Wales (engineer in chief for 40 yrs his

brother-in-law Whitton), and in 1890 went to India with eldest son.

Forth Bridge, 1890: Biggest project of JF's life was of course Forth Bridge

(1881-90). Plans by rival engineer Sir Thomas Bouch for suspension bridge

across Firth of Forth had already been sanctioned by Act of Parliament in

1879, but collapse of one of Bouch's most famous works - the Tay Bridge - in

December 1879 lost him all public confidence. JF had always distrusted Tay

Bridge - believing piers were constructed with too narrow a base - and had

never let his family cross it; when he heard news of collapse, was in London

with friend Nasymth (inventor of steam hammer) at an exhibition of Holbein

paintings, and two engineers remarked that the ill-fate bridge might still

be standing if Bouch had adopted the Holbein "straddle" - peculiar attitude

artist gives to his male figures, esp. in pictures of King Henry VIII.

Design of Tay Bridge now admitted to have been faulty in other respects.

After bridge collapse, JF called with three others - Harrison, Barlow and

Baker (consulting engineers of the four railway companies involved) to make

inquiry (1881), and following year JF and Baker won commission for design

for a steel cantilever bridge of two spans with central pier on rock of

Inchgarvie - each span of unprecendented size of 1,710 ft (ie three and

two-thirds as long as Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits, til then

longest span in UK). Great structure was begun in 1883 and successfully

completed 7 years later - was opened by Prince of Wales on 4 March 1890. JF

received baronetcy (1890) for his work on bridge, and Baker was knighted.

Completion of bridge marked end of JF's engineering career. Had stood twice

• unsuccessfully - for Parliament (1880, 1885), and so retired to Braemore

estate in Ross-shire. Died on 20 November 1898 in Bournemouth, Hampshire.

Virtually no interesting personal details: had large estate in Scotland

which he bought mid-life (1865), which on adding to grew to about 40,000

acres. Here loved deer hunting etc,. and was visited by vast number of

people - from Landseer and Millais, to life-long friend Sir Richard Owen, to

son of the Ismail the Khadive, Prince Hassan.