Autobiography of Sir John Rennie, F.R.S. 1

Autobiography of Sir John Rennie, F.R.S. 1

Autobiography of Sir John Rennie, F.R.S., Past President of the Institute of Civil Engineers

Comprising the history of his professional life, together

with reminiscences dating from the commencement of the

century to the present time.

 

Author: John Rennie

PREFACE.

The following Autobiography was written by Sir John Rennie in 1867,

shortly after he had retired from the active duties of his profession. As

will be perceived in the sequel, it was composed wholly from memory. Sir

John was subsequently unable to revise it as he would have desired, and

it has since been found impossible to do so. Nevertheless it is believed

that but few substantial errors will be found; while the kindliness with

which the autobiographer invariably speaks of every person with whom he

came in contact, is a guarantee that there can be nothing to offend the

most sensitive person, or which might tend to injure the just claims

and reputations of others. It is now presented to the public in its

original state, having undergone merely some necessary correction, in

the hope that the memoirs of the man who was perhaps unrivalled in his

branch of the profession--and which comprise valuable hints as to the

neglected art of hydraulics, as well as advice to engineers commencing

their career, the result of the experience of a lifetime of no ordinary

duration--together with the reminiscences of one who had seen much both

of men and things,

 

“Qui mores hominum multorum vidit et urbes,”

 

may not be unacceptable either to the profession or the world at large.

 

LONDON, _September, 1875_.

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS.

 

 

CHAPTER I.

 

My birth and early education--I enter my Father’s

office--Commencement of Waterloo and Southwark

Bridges--Anecdotes of Mr. Ferguson, of Pitfour--The Stockton

and Darlington Railway, and Surveys between Port Patrick

and Donaghadee--Account of the mode of erecting the arches

of Southwark Bridge--Journey to the Continent and Field of

Waterloo--Account of the building of Waterloo Bridge--It is

opened in State by the Prince Regent, 1817. Page 1

 

CHAPTER II.

 

Travels in Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Asia Minor,

Constantinople, and Egypt--Return to England--Death of Mr.

Rennie 36

 

CHAPTER III.

 

Eau Brink Cut--Ramsgate Harbour--Sheerness Dockyard--Plymouth

Breakwater--Anecdote of the late Mr. J. Fox--London Bridge and

Approaches--Sir F. Trench’s Plan for Quaying the Thames--Nene

Outfall--Cross Keys Bridge--Norfolk Estuary--Improvement of the

Witham--Ancholme Drainage 157

 

CHAPTER IV.

 

Sketch of the Rise and Progress of the Railway System--The

Manchester and Liverpool, London and Birmingham, and other

early Lines 228

 

CHAPTER V.

 

Travels in the North of Europe and Spain 252

 

CHAPTER VI.

 

Ship Canal from Portsmouth to London--Machinery and

Engine Making--Screw Steam Ships--Hartlepool and Coquet

Harbours--Railways round London--Railway Mania--South-Eastern

Railway--London, Chatham, and Dover Railway 284

 

CHAPTER VII.

 

Swedish Railways--Surveys in Holland and Portugal 304

 

CHAPTER VIII.

 

Surveys in Portugal and Tunis 343

 

CHAPTER IX.

 

Surveys at Odessa and Vienna--Harbour at Ponta

Delgada--Ramsgate--Dagenham 377

 

CHAPTER X.

 

Retrospect--London Bridge--Sheerness Dockyard--Plymouth

Breakwater and Victualling Yard--Steam Vessels for the

Navy--Harbours--Railways--Broad and Narrow Gauge--Atmospheric

Railway--Water Supply and Sewage 407

 

CHAPTER XI.

 

The Formation of Natural Breakwaters--The Society of Civil

Engineers--The Education of a Civil Engineer--Some Hints on

Practice--Estimating--Conclusion 427

 

Index 459

 

 

 

 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SIR JOHN RENNIE.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER I.

 

My birth and early education--I enter my Father’s

office--Commencement of Waterloo and Southwark

Bridges--Anecdotes of Mr. Ferguson, of Pitfour--The Stockton

and Darlington Railway and Surveys between Port Patrick

and Donaghadee--Account of the mode of erecting the arches

of Southwark Bridge--Journey to the Continent and Field of

Waterloo--Account of the building of Waterloo Bridge--It is

opened in State by the Prince Regent, 1817.

 

 

I was born at 27, Stamford Street, Blackfriars, London, on the 30th

of August, 1794. Having been taught my letters at home, I was sent to

the care of Dr. Greenlaw, who kept a boys’ school at Isleworth. It

was a large house, formerly belonging to the Bishop of London. To the

house were attached excellent gardens and playground. The situation,

moreover, was open and healthy, and the total number of boys was about

fifty, ranging from eight to sixteen years of age. They were well fed

and taken care of by the Doctor’s excellent wife, and his sister-in-law,

Miss Hodgkins. The Doctor’s eldest daughter, Miss Greenlaw, taught the

youngest boys their letters; whilst the Doctor and his assistants devoted

themselves to the education of the others, which education consisted

chiefly of classics, writing, arithmetic, French, and occasionally

geography and the elements of astronomy. During the time that I was

there the most remarkable scholar was the celebrated poet, Percy

Bysshe Shelley, who was then about twelve or thirteen (as far as I can

remember), and even at that early age exhibited considerable poetical

talent, accompanied by a violent and extremely excitable temper, which

manifested itself in all kinds of eccentricities. His figure was of

the middle size, although slight, but well made. His head was well

proportioned, and covered with a profusion of brown locks; his features

regular, but rather small; his eyes hazel, restless, and brilliant;

his complexion was fair and transparent; and his countenance rather

effeminate, but exceedingly animated. The least circumstance that

thwarted him produced the most violent paroxysms of rage; and when

irritated by other boys, which they, knowing his infirmity, frequently

did by way of teasing him, he would take up anything, or even any little

boy near him, to throw at his tormentors. His imagination was always

roving upon something romantic and extraordinary, such as spirits,

fairies, fighting, volcanoes, &c., and he not unfrequently astonished his

schoolfellows by blowing up the boundary palings of the playground with

gunpowder, also the lid of his desk in the middle of schooltime, to the

great surprise of Dr. Greenlaw himself and the whole school. In fact, at

times he was considered to be almost upon the borders of insanity; yet

with all this, when treated with kindness, he was very amiable, noble,

high-spirited, and generous; he used to write verse, English and Latin,

with considerable facility, and attained a high position in the school

before he left for Eton, where, I understand, he was equally, if not

more, extraordinary and eccentric.

 

Cotemporary with Shelley there was another peculiar character, named

Tredcroft, from the same county, viz. Sussex; he also had considerable

poetical talent, but unfortunately lost his health, and ultimately, I

understand, died completely imbecile at an early age. I remained at this

school until the year 1807, by which time I had acquired a tolerable

knowledge of the Greek and Latin classics, and arithmetic as far as

vulgar fractions and decimals. I was then sent to the celebrated Dr.

Burney’s, at Greenwich, where there were about 100 boys, varying from ten

to eighteen.

 

Dr. Charles Burney was considered one of the best Greek and Latin

scholars of the day, and was the intimate friend of Porson and numerous

other literary celebrities. His school was therefore very highly esteemed

for classics, but for little or nothing else; for although a certain

quantity of arithmetic and the elements of algebra and geometry were

taught, yet these were quite secondary to the classics.

 

I therefore made little further progress in anything but classics,

in which I became a tolerable proficient, and had Homer, Thucydides,

Euripides, Sophocles, Virgil, Horace, &c., at my fingers’ ends, whilst