Benjamin Outram
Benjamin Outram ( born April 1, 1764 in Alfreton in Derbyshire, England, † May 22 1805 in London ) was an English civil engineer, surveyor, businessman and industrialist. He was a pioneer in the construction of canals and tramways.
Life
He began by saying that he helped his father Joseph Outram, who was " Agriculturalist ", also "Land Agent ", next he arbitrated as " enclosure commissioner " dispute, which arose from the Enclosure Movement - laws, in addition he has been a consultant for Land Management, Expert for new mines and trustee of toll roads.
He died in 1805 during a visit to London of a stroke.
His son, James, born in 1803 Ourtam, later Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet, was a general in the Indian army and was knighted.
Work
When William Jessop the Cromford Canal built, the 24 -year-old Outram was his capable assistant.
Canal and railway engineer
The Hardware Company ' Benjamin Outram & Company ' began in 1790 with a capital of £ 6,000 to work. The following year came William Jessop and John Wright, a banker, as a partner to do so. Outram was the only active partner, his younger brother Joseph was his assistant. By and by came a limestone quarry to a lime kiln, a coal mine, and an iron stone mining.
Outram was a leader in the construction of tramways ( Tramways ) with L -shaped rails that were made in his Butterley workshops. His first line was a little over 1 mile (1.6 km) long and was built to transport limestone from the quarry at Crich to Bull Bridge Shipyard at Cromford Canal.
In 1792, he was Chief Engineer of the Nottingham Canal and in 1793 the Derby Canal, while he mainly worked on Nutbrook Canal.
One of his major works was the 13.4 m long Holmes Aqueduct ( a trough bridge ) on the Derby Canal, which was opened in February 1796 as one of the first cast-iron aqueducts.
An important extension of the Derby Canal was the Little Eaton Gangway, a feeder for the Derby Canal, built on the model of that at Crich. Such horse-drawn railways were an important part of his later channels.
A common misconception is that the word " tramway " from a shortening of Outram's last name comes from. In fact, it probably comes from the Low German word "tram " ( wooden beams or threshold). Outram spoke of Tramways always as railroads.
Outram was a consulting engineer in the construction of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, which included the new Standedge Canal tunnel. In 1794 he was an engineer at the Peak Forest Canal, which included the Marple Aqueduct. The increase of Buxworth ( Bugsworth ) was accomplished by six miles long Peak Forest Tramway. The Stodhart tunnel during this Tramway is held for the first railway tunnel in Derbyshire. In 1796 he filed for additional costs that were needed to complete the construction of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal. In 1798 he was commissioned to complete the last piece of the Ashton Canal, which included the Store Street Aqueduct, and was among the first who solved the problem of the oblique arc.
Outram also built railways for Ashby -de- la- Zouch Canal and was asked for advice on the railways for the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. He predicted that the Haupttransportart would in a few years railways. In 1799 he wrote when he built the Ashby -de- la- Zouch Canal Railroad with four feet and two inches gauge, " it seems that many barrels and packages need car ... wider than the Derby and Crich " and " it would be desirable if all longer trains have the same width, and if this width would be sufficient to meet all the commercial purposes. "
His sudden death without a will has led to considerable confusion and litigation in the business affairs of the company, and it took until 1815 until they were settled with his wife and family. 1807 Benjamin Outram and Company was renamed Butterley Company.