Charles Ellet

Charles Ellet (born Jan. 1, 1810, Penn’s Manor, Pa., U.S.—died June 21, 1862, Cairo, Ill.) was an American engineer who built the first wire-cable suspension bridge in America.

After working for three years as a surveyor and assistant engineer, he studied at the École des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris, and traveled in France, Switzerland, and Great Britain, studying engineering works. After he returned to the United States in 1832, he proposed to Congress a 1,000-foot (305-metre) suspension bridge over the Potomac River at Washington, D.C. Like several of his early projects, this plan was too advanced for its time and was generally discouraged. In 1842 Ellet completed his wire-cable suspension bridge over the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia. Supported by five wire cables on each side, the bridge had a span of 358 feet (109 m).

Ellet designed and built (1846–49) for the Baltimore & Ohio Railway the world’s first long-span wire-cable suspension bridge over the Ohio River at Wheeling, Va. The central span of 1,010 feet (308 m) was then the longest ever built.

In 1847 Ellet contracted to build a bridge over the Niagara River, 2 miles (3 km) below the falls. A light suspension span was built as a service bridge, and over it Ellet became the first man to ride across the Niagara Gorge. A dispute over money led Ellet to resign in 1848, leaving the bridge uncompleted.

After the outbreak of the American Civil War, Ellet devised a steam-powered ram that played a role in winning domination of the Mississippi River by the Union. He personally led a fleet of nine rams in the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862. Union forces were victorious, but Ellet was mortally wounded.