Zerah Colburn (locomotive designer)
Encyclopedia
Zerah Colburn was an American
engineer specialising in steam locomotive
design, technical journalist and publisher.
as an apprentice in the ‘drafting room’ of the Lowell Machine Shops where America’s first steam locomotives were taking shape.
While working among the locomotives Colburn also began to write and before long compiled his first regular newssheet – Monthly Mechanical Tracts.
As he moved about the locomotive works of New England
gathering experience and an eye for engineering detail, he also produced his first book, The Throttle Lever. Designed as an introduction to the steam locomotive, this became the standard U.S. textbook on building locomotives. It not only took Colburn, then not 20, deeper into the world of publishing, but also earned him wider respect amongst railroad men across America – locomotive builders and train operators.
Colburn worked or was associated with a number of locomotive works between 1854 and 1858, including: Baldwin Locomotive Works
, Tredegar Locomotive Works - part of Tredegar Iron Works
at Richmond, Virginia
, Rogers Locomotive Works, and the New Jersey Locomotive and Machine Company.
In 1853 he joined the American Railroad Journal, the leading American railroad newspaper. Colburn, who had a fiery temper, parted from this publication after a dispute with the editor and launched his own weekly paper – the Railroad Advocate
.
The Advocate increased his sphere of influence and paved the way for a partnership with a young man, of similar age – Alexander Lyman Holley
. Together they developed the paper but Colburn, ever restless, sold half to Holley, then took off West to start a venture with a sawmill and then tried his hand at selling railroad tires.
Returning from a visit to England
as the Advocate’s roving reporter, he and Holley relaunched the Advocate as American Engineer.
The panic of 1857
stopped them in their tracks and the paper had to close. The duo visited Britain
to compile a massive report about the successful state of Europe
’s railways to sell to the presidents of America’s railroads.
The report was a success, but by 1858 Colburn returned to England to take up a job as editor of The Engineer
, Britain’s leading weekly technical journal. In this position, Colburn made friends with members of the Institutions of Civil
and Mechanical Engineers
and became a member of both. He gave frequent lectures and contributed at meetings. It is almost certain that while in London Colburn met Isambard Kingdom Brunel
. In 1860, Colburn returned to America on the maiden voyage of the Great Eastern
, Brunel's leviathan steamship. In America he launched a new weekly engineering newspaper, The Engineer, but this lasted only a few months and Colburn returned to England to take up his previous position at The Engineer in London
. Four years later, Colburn was dismissed from The Engineer as a result of personal scandal, taking up engineering consultancy and beginning work on a two-volume textbook on locomotive engineering that would forever define him as a leading engineer. This work, Locomotive Engineering and the mechanism of railways, was not published in its final form until 1871 - a year after his death. It was completed by the well-known locomotive engineer D. K. Clark, a close friend of Colburn's.
In 1866, Colburn founded Engineering in London as a weekly rival to The Engineer using funds provided by Henry Bessemer
, the English engineer and inventor known chiefly in connection with the Bessemer process
for the manufacture of steel. Engineering was an instant success and soon overtook The Engineer as Colburn’s writing style and wide engineering knowledge gave readers the information they needed.
, a mathematical prodigy of some notoriety.
In 1853 Colburn married Adelaide Felecita Driggs, 12 years his senior. They had a daughter, Sarah Pearl. Becoming estranged on his move to England, Colburn bigamously
married Elizabeth Suzanna Browning in 1864 which led to his sacking from The Engineer.
Colburn had a career of breakneck speed; he was a restless man, quick of brain and quick of temper, who fell into jobs and fell in with people, but then throughout his life, fell out with them too.
Ultimately overwork, an addiction to laudanum
and alcohol, as well as poor financial management took their toll. He became increasingly depressed and reckless, leading to his return to the U.S. - where he found himself disowned by his family - and eventual suicide
at age 38. He was found near death by two boys taking their dog for a walk in Tudor's Pear Orchard, Belmont, Massachusetts
with a Derringer
in his hand.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer specialising in steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
design, technical journalist and publisher.
Career
Without any formal schooling, Colburn was a teenage prodigy. Barely in his teens at the start of the railroad boom, he found work in Lowell, MassachusettsLowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
as an apprentice in the ‘drafting room’ of the Lowell Machine Shops where America’s first steam locomotives were taking shape.
While working among the locomotives Colburn also began to write and before long compiled his first regular newssheet – Monthly Mechanical Tracts.
As he moved about the locomotive works of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
gathering experience and an eye for engineering detail, he also produced his first book, The Throttle Lever. Designed as an introduction to the steam locomotive, this became the standard U.S. textbook on building locomotives. It not only took Colburn, then not 20, deeper into the world of publishing, but also earned him wider respect amongst railroad men across America – locomotive builders and train operators.
Colburn worked or was associated with a number of locomotive works between 1854 and 1858, including: Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
, Tredegar Locomotive Works - part of Tredegar Iron Works
Tredegar Iron Works
The Tredegar Iron Works was a historic iron foundry in Richmond, Virginia, United States of America, opened in 1837. During the American Civil War, the works served as the primary iron and artillery production facility of the Confederate States of America...
at Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Rogers Locomotive Works, and the New Jersey Locomotive and Machine Company.
In 1853 he joined the American Railroad Journal, the leading American railroad newspaper. Colburn, who had a fiery temper, parted from this publication after a dispute with the editor and launched his own weekly paper – the Railroad Advocate
Railroad Advocate
The Railroad Advocate was a weekly newspaper started by Zerah Colburn, the locomotive designer, editor, and publisher. The first issue appeared on November 11, 1854, when it was titled the Rail Road Advocate. It later became Colburn's Railroad Advocate, and then Holley's Railroad Advocate when it...
.
The Advocate increased his sphere of influence and paved the way for a partnership with a young man, of similar age – Alexander Lyman Holley
Alexander Lyman Holley
Alexander Lyman Holley was a mechanical engineer and was considered the foremost steel and plant engineer and designer of his time, especially in regard to applying research to modern steel manufacturing processes...
. Together they developed the paper but Colburn, ever restless, sold half to Holley, then took off West to start a venture with a sawmill and then tried his hand at selling railroad tires.
Returning from a visit to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as the Advocate’s roving reporter, he and Holley relaunched the Advocate as American Engineer.
The panic of 1857
Panic of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Indeed, because of the interconnectedness of the world economy by the time of the 1850s, the financial crisis which began in the autumn of 1857 was...
stopped them in their tracks and the paper had to close. The duo visited Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
to compile a massive report about the successful state of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
’s railways to sell to the presidents of America’s railroads.
The report was a success, but by 1858 Colburn returned to England to take up a job as editor of The Engineer
The Engineer (magazine)
The Engineer is a London-based fortnightly magazine covering the latest developments and business news in engineering and technology in the UK and internationally...
, Britain’s leading weekly technical journal. In this position, Colburn made friends with members of the Institutions of Civil
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
and Mechanical Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is the British engineering society based in central London, representing mechanical engineering. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers...
and became a member of both. He gave frequent lectures and contributed at meetings. It is almost certain that while in London Colburn met Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
. In 1860, Colburn returned to America on the maiden voyage of the Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
, Brunel's leviathan steamship. In America he launched a new weekly engineering newspaper, The Engineer, but this lasted only a few months and Colburn returned to England to take up his previous position at The Engineer in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Four years later, Colburn was dismissed from The Engineer as a result of personal scandal, taking up engineering consultancy and beginning work on a two-volume textbook on locomotive engineering that would forever define him as a leading engineer. This work, Locomotive Engineering and the mechanism of railways, was not published in its final form until 1871 - a year after his death. It was completed by the well-known locomotive engineer D. K. Clark, a close friend of Colburn's.
In 1866, Colburn founded Engineering in London as a weekly rival to The Engineer using funds provided by Henry Bessemer
Henry Bessemer
Sir Henry Bessemer was an English engineer, inventor, and businessman. Bessemer's name is chiefly known in connection with the Bessemer process for the manufacture of steel.-Anthony Bessemer:...
, the English engineer and inventor known chiefly in connection with the Bessemer process
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly...
for the manufacture of steel. Engineering was an instant success and soon overtook The Engineer as Colburn’s writing style and wide engineering knowledge gave readers the information they needed.
Personal life
Colburn was the nephew of his namesake, Zerah Colburn (math prodigy)Zerah Colburn (math prodigy)
Zerah Colburn was a child prodigy of the 19th century who gained fame as a mental calculator.-Biography:He was born in Cabot, Vermont in 1804 and educated at Westminster School in London. He was thought to be mentally retarded until the age of seven. However, after six weeks of schooling his...
, a mathematical prodigy of some notoriety.
In 1853 Colburn married Adelaide Felecita Driggs, 12 years his senior. They had a daughter, Sarah Pearl. Becoming estranged on his move to England, Colburn bigamously
Bigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
married Elizabeth Suzanna Browning in 1864 which led to his sacking from The Engineer.
Colburn had a career of breakneck speed; he was a restless man, quick of brain and quick of temper, who fell into jobs and fell in with people, but then throughout his life, fell out with them too.
Ultimately overwork, an addiction to laudanum
Laudanum
Laudanum , also known as Tincture of Opium, is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight ....
and alcohol, as well as poor financial management took their toll. He became increasingly depressed and reckless, leading to his return to the U.S. - where he found himself disowned by his family - and eventual suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at age 38. He was found near death by two boys taking their dog for a walk in Tudor's Pear Orchard, Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
with a Derringer
Derringer
The term derringer is a genericized misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer, a famous 19th-century maker of small pocket pistols. Many copies of the original Philadelphia Deringer pistol were made by other gun makers worldwide, and the name was often misspelled; this misspelling soon became...
in his hand.