"igure j. I II ssi d bi vm 



British. Wendel's education, until about 1 1 1<- 

 11, was more or less conventionally gained in public 

 and private schools in Baltimore. He then entered 

 into informal apprenticeship, first to an apothecary 

 in Sheperdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia), and 

 then to one in Harpers Ferry. In 1826 or 182~ he 

 became ill and returned to Baltimore for cure. From 

 that time on his education was entirel) self-acquired. 

 It is of interest, in light of his later career, to note 

 that on the Fourth of July 1828, he marched with 

 other hoys in a procession that was part of the Balti- 

 more and Ohio Railroad's cornerstone-laying cer- 

 I'liintiy, Shortly afterward, he apprenticed himself 

 to a carpenter for a brief time, but when the work 

 slacked off he obtained work with the B. & ( '. I he 

 right-of-way had been graded for about five miles by 

 that time, but no rail was down. The bo) was at 



first given manual work, but soon advanced tot ■ 

 and i . 1 1 ii< IK rose as he gained facility with the sur- 

 veying apparatus. In the fall of 1829 he participated 

 in laying th As his mother was anxious 



thai he continue his education in carpentry, he left 

 the railroad in the spi ing ol 1830 to igain enti i 

 apprenticeship. He finished, became a journeyman, 

 helped build a planter's mansion in Natchez, and 

 returned to Baltimore in 1837 to commence his own 

 carpentry business. The next year, while building a 



1 se in Harpers Ferry, he was asked to rejoin the 



B. & O. to rebuild parts of its large timbei 



Over the Potomac there, which had fallen victim to 



various defects after about a year's use. 



Shortly after the Harpers Ferry bridge reconstruc- 

 tion, Bollman was made foreman of bridges. It is 

 apparent that, on the basis of his practical ability. 



Figure 4. — Simple beam of 50-foot span with three independent trussing 

 systems. Bollman's use of this method of support led to the development of 

 his bridge truss. This drawing is of a temporary span used after the timber 

 bridge at Harpers Ferry was destroyed during the Civil War. (In Baltimore 

 and Ohio Collection, Museum of History and Technology.) 



PAPER 36: ENGINEERING CONTRIBUTIONS Ol WENDEL BOLLMAN 



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