David B. Steinman
Encyclopedia
David Bernard Steinman (June 11, 1886 - August 21, 1960) was an American
structural engineer
. He was the designer of the Mackinac Bridge
and many other notable bridges, and a published author. He grew up in New York City
's lower Manhattan
, and lived with the ambition of making his mark on the Brooklyn Bridge
that he lived under. In 1906 he earned a bachelor's degree from City College
and in 1909, a Master of Arts from Columbia University
and a Doctorate in 1911. He was awarded the Franklin Institute
's Louis E. Levy Medal in 1957.
David Steinman built bridges in the United States, Thailand, England, Italy, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Canada, Korea, and Iraq. He had a literary bent, and was a published author with several books, articles in advancement of his craft, and even had children's books and poetry to his credit.
in 1886, and emigrating to the United States with his family in 1890. However other sources, including Ratigan, and Steinman himself have him born in New York in 1887.
Steinman grew up in New York City
, New York, and was raised in the shadows of the Brooklyn Bridge
. The Williamsburg Bridge
was constructed as he grew up. The late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries were a time of significant bridge construction in the area, and he later said this is where he got his first interest in bridges.
Because his family had little money, he worked to put himself through both the City College of New York
, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1906 and then Columbia University, where he completed three additional degrees culminating in a PhD
in Civil Engineering
. His PhD thesis
was on a steel truss arch
design for the Henry Hudson Bridge
. While he was attending Columbia he did fellowships as well as taught nighttime classes at the City College and Stuyvesant Evening High School
. He accepted a teaching position at the University of Idaho
in Moscow, Idaho
(1910-1914) but longed to return to New York.
After contacting Gustav Lindenthal
about working on the Hell Gate Bridge
, he returned to New York City to become a special assistant to Lindenthal, along with Othmar Ammann
of Switzerland, another young bridge builder. It was said this experience of working together led to their 40-year professional rivalry. Pay was typical for the era, 200-225 USD/month. Lindenthal gave his proteges advice about engineering such as, “Steinman, bridge engineering is easy. It is the financial engineering that is hard” (Petroski 327). While working with Lindenthal, Steinman also worked on the Sciotoville Bridge
, a crossing of the Ohio River
. After this work Steinman sought other employment, working as assistant engineer on the Rondout Creek Bridge
, and as an assistant engineer for the New York Central Railroad
.
In May 1920, Holton D. Robinson (b. 1863, Massena, NY
, d. 1945, engineer of the Williamsburg Bridge
) contacted Steinman and requested that they join forces to create a design for the Florianópolis Bridge
(or Hercilio Luz Bridge, 1926) in Florianópolis
, Brazil
. After getting advice from Charles Fowler, Steinman agreed and they formed the firm of Robinson & Steinman in 1921, a partnership that lasted until the 1940s. They did not win the contract immediately but continued to collaborate on it and other projects. The early 1920s were considered a tough time for bridge construction, so Steinman tried to design his bridges to be economically pleasing rather than artistic, without sacrificing the structural integrity of the bridge. For example, Robinson and Steinman changed the original plans for the Florianopolis bridge, using eyebar chains as the upper chord of the stiffening truss instead of the conventional wire-cable. The new design produced a very stiff bridge with much less material than the original plan. Other bridge engineers would also have to take this new economical design into account when competing with Steinman. Steinman was well regarded in the profession and had a reputation for good presentations and for being politically astute.
The 1920s and 1930s were a relatively busy period for Steinman. His firm was involved in many significant projects including the Hercilio Luz Bridge
(or Florianópolis Bridge, 1926), the Carquinez Strait Bridge
(1927, at the time the second largest cantilever bridge
in the US), the Mount Hope Bridge
and Grand Mère Suspension Bridge (both 1929), the St. Johns Bridge
and Waldo-Hancock Bridge
(both 1931), the Sky Ride
(1933 passenger transporter bridge at the Chicago
Century of Progress
exposition), the Henry Hudson Bridge
(1936, particularly gratifying as this bridge realised his PhD thesis proposal), the Wellesley and Hill Islands Bridge, Wellesley Island Suspension Bridge and Georgina Island Bridge (all 1938) and Deer Isle Bridge
and the Sullivan-Hutsonville Bridge (both 1939) (many of these are part of the Thousand Islands Bridge System).
In addition to the many bridges that Steinman designed, he was consulted on several projects that his firm did not win. Perhaps the most famous of these bridges is "Galloping Gertie", the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Steinman consulted extensively with the boosters of the bridge during the 1920s, but his design was not selected. He wrote of his frustration with the design that was chosen, and predicted a failure. He presented his findings at the 1938 meeting of the structural division of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In the audience was the designer of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which was under construction at the time. The failure did occur and he wrote that it had a profound impact on his design principles; he became even more conservative. It is said that he designed the Mackinac Bridge
considered by many to be his most significant work (although, perhaps not by Steinman himself, who expressed a personal preference for the St. Johns bridge
, saying, "If you asked me which of the bridges I love best, I believe I would say the St. Johns bridge. I put more of myself into that bridge than any other bridge."), to withstand winds of 365 mph.
During this period Steinman became president of the American Association of Engineers and campaigned for more stringent educational and ethical standards within the profession. He also founded the National Society of Professional Engineers
in 1934 serving as its first president. By the mid 1930s Steinman had a professional reputation as one of the pre-eminent bridge engineers of the US, especially for long span suspension bridges, but his bridges were eclipsed in the public eye by his old rival Ammann's George Washington Bridge
(1931) and by Joseph Strauss's Golden Gate Bridge
(1937) among others. His plans for a NYC cross harbor bridge (the "Liberty Bridge") came to naught with the 1940 collapse of Tacoma Narrows which cast all long suspension span proposals in doubt.
commencing 1948. Structurae
.de has an image (from Petrovsky's text) of Steinman jauntily perched in mid air in the cables of the bridge, perhaps one of the best known images of him extant.
But there were still long span suspension bridges to be built. Steinman was responsible for the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge
(1957). More importantly, development and planning of the Mackinac Bridge
had been contemplated for some time, and Steinman was appointed to the board of engineers based on Michigan State Legislature legislation of 1950, stating "the board of engineers retained by the Mackinac Bridge Authority was to be selected and nominated by the Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan", and was soon the spokesman for the board. But his health was failing and he suffered heart attacks in 1952, the same year the legistlature approved funding. He was nevertheless heavily involved in all aspects of the construction of the bridge from start to finish.
Although he proposed a grandiose 1524 meter center span crossing of the Sicilian
Straits of Messina, the "Mighty Mac", completed in 1957, and at the time the longest suspended span between anchors, was his last major achievement. Steinman died in 1960.
At the time of his death, he was president of the Society for the History of Technology
.
The Steinman engineering firm is now part of the Parsons Transportation Group (company site) as of 1988.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
structural engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
. He was the designer of the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
and many other notable bridges, and a published author. He grew up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's lower Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and lived with the ambition of making his mark on the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
that he lived under. In 1906 he earned a bachelor's degree from City College
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and in 1909, a Master of Arts from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and a Doctorate in 1911. He was awarded the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
's Louis E. Levy Medal in 1957.
David Steinman built bridges in the United States, Thailand, England, Italy, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Canada, Korea, and Iraq. He had a literary bent, and was a published author with several books, articles in advancement of his craft, and even had children's books and poetry to his credit.
Early life
Steinman was the child of immigrant workers. Little is known of his family and early childhood other than that he had 6 siblings. There is some controversy about where and when he was born. Some sources have him born in Khomsk, Brest, BelarusBrest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
in 1886, and emigrating to the United States with his family in 1890. However other sources, including Ratigan, and Steinman himself have him born in New York in 1887.
Steinman grew up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York, and was raised in the shadows of the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
. The Williamsburg Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge
The Williamsburg Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City across the East River connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Delancey Street with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn at Broadway near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway...
was constructed as he grew up. The late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries were a time of significant bridge construction in the area, and he later said this is where he got his first interest in bridges.
Because his family had little money, he worked to put himself through both the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1906 and then Columbia University, where he completed three additional degrees culminating in a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. His PhD thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
was on a steel truss arch
Truss arch bridge
A truss arch bridge combines the elements of the truss bridge and the arch bridge. The actual resolution of forces will depend upon the design. If no horizontal thrusting forces are generated this becomes an arch-shaped truss, essentially a bent beam — see moon bridge for an example...
design for the Henry Hudson Bridge
Henry Hudson Bridge
The Henry Hudson Bridge is a steel arch toll bridge in New York City across the Spuyten Duyvil Creek. It connects the Spuyten Duyvil section of The Bronx with the northern end of Manhattan to the south. On the Manhattan side, it touches Inwood Hill Park. The bridge was designed by David B. Steinman...
. While he was attending Columbia he did fellowships as well as taught nighttime classes at the City College and Stuyvesant Evening High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
. He accepted a teaching position at the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
in Moscow, Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
(1910-1914) but longed to return to New York.
Start at bridge building
Gustav Lindenthal
Gustav Lindenthal was a civil engineer who designed the Hell Gate Bridge among other bridges.Lindenthal's work was greatly affected by his pursuit for perfection and his love of art. His structures not only serve the purpose they were designed for, but are aesthetically pleasing to the public eye...
about working on the Hell Gate Bridge
Hell Gate Bridge
The Hell Gate Bridge or Hell's Gate Bridge is a steel through arch railroad bridge between Astoria in the borough of Queens and Randall's and Wards Islands in New York City, over a portion of the East River known...
, he returned to New York City to become a special assistant to Lindenthal, along with Othmar Ammann
Othmar Ammann
Othmar Hermann Ammann was a American structural engineer whose designs include the George Washington Bridge, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and Bayonne Bridge.-Biography:...
of Switzerland, another young bridge builder. It was said this experience of working together led to their 40-year professional rivalry. Pay was typical for the era, 200-225 USD/month. Lindenthal gave his proteges advice about engineering such as, “Steinman, bridge engineering is easy. It is the financial engineering that is hard” (Petroski 327). While working with Lindenthal, Steinman also worked on the Sciotoville Bridge
Sciotoville Bridge
The Sciotoville Bridge is a steel continuous truss bridge carrying tracks of the CSX railroad across the Ohio River between Siloam - a junction located north of Limeville, Kentucky and east of South Shore, Kentucky - and Sciotoville, Ohio in the United States...
, a crossing of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. After this work Steinman sought other employment, working as assistant engineer on the Rondout Creek Bridge
Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge
The Kingston–Port Ewen Suspension Bridge, sometimes known as the "Rondout Creek bridge", "Old Bridge" or "Wurts Street Bridge", is a steel suspension bridge spanning Rondout Creek, near where it empties into the Hudson River. It connects the City of Kingston to the north, with the village of Port...
, and as an assistant engineer for the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
.
Robinson & Steinman
Massena (village), New York
Massena is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Andre Massena, one of Napoleon's generals....
, d. 1945, engineer of the Williamsburg Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge
The Williamsburg Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City across the East River connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Delancey Street with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn at Broadway near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway...
) contacted Steinman and requested that they join forces to create a design for the Florianópolis Bridge
Hercilio Luz Bridge
Located in Florianopolis, the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil, the Hercilio Luz Bridge is the first bridge constructed to link the Island of Santa Catarina to the mainland.It is the longest suspension bridge in Brazil...
(or Hercilio Luz Bridge, 1926) in Florianópolis
Florianópolis
-Climate:Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate, falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. After getting advice from Charles Fowler, Steinman agreed and they formed the firm of Robinson & Steinman in 1921, a partnership that lasted until the 1940s. They did not win the contract immediately but continued to collaborate on it and other projects. The early 1920s were considered a tough time for bridge construction, so Steinman tried to design his bridges to be economically pleasing rather than artistic, without sacrificing the structural integrity of the bridge. For example, Robinson and Steinman changed the original plans for the Florianopolis bridge, using eyebar chains as the upper chord of the stiffening truss instead of the conventional wire-cable. The new design produced a very stiff bridge with much less material than the original plan. Other bridge engineers would also have to take this new economical design into account when competing with Steinman. Steinman was well regarded in the profession and had a reputation for good presentations and for being politically astute.
The 1920s and 1930s were a relatively busy period for Steinman. His firm was involved in many significant projects including the Hercilio Luz Bridge
Hercilio Luz Bridge
Located in Florianopolis, the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil, the Hercilio Luz Bridge is the first bridge constructed to link the Island of Santa Catarina to the mainland.It is the longest suspension bridge in Brazil...
(or Florianópolis Bridge, 1926), the Carquinez Strait Bridge
Carquinez Bridge
The Carquinez Bridge refers to parallel bridges spanning the Carquinez Strait, forming part of Interstate 80 between Crockett and Vallejo, California. The name originally referred to a single cantilever bridge built in 1927, helping to form a direct route between San Francisco and Sacramento. A...
(1927, at the time the second largest cantilever bridge
Cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...
in the US), the Mount Hope Bridge
Mount Hope Bridge
The Mount Hope Bridge is a two-lane suspension bridge spanning the Mount Hope Bay in eastern Rhode Island, at one of the narrowest gaps in Narragansett Bay. The bridge connects the Rhode Island towns of Portsmouth and Bristol, and is part of Route 114...
and Grand Mère Suspension Bridge (both 1929), the St. Johns Bridge
St. Johns Bridge
The St. Johns Bridge is a steel suspension bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, USA, between the St. Johns neighborhood and the northwest industrial area around Linnton. It is the only suspension bridge in the Willamette Valley and one of three public highway suspension...
and Waldo-Hancock Bridge
Waldo-Hancock Bridge
The Waldo–Hancock Bridge was the first long-span suspension bridge erected in Maine, as well as the first permanent bridge across the Penobscot River below Bangor. The name comes from connecting Waldo and Hancock counties...
(both 1931), the Sky Ride
Sky Ride
The Sky Ride was an attraction built for the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in 1933. It was a transporter bridge , designed by the bridge engineering firm Robinson & Steinman, that ferried people across the lagoon in the center of the fair...
(1933 passenger transporter bridge at the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Century of Progress
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
exposition), the Henry Hudson Bridge
Henry Hudson Bridge
The Henry Hudson Bridge is a steel arch toll bridge in New York City across the Spuyten Duyvil Creek. It connects the Spuyten Duyvil section of The Bronx with the northern end of Manhattan to the south. On the Manhattan side, it touches Inwood Hill Park. The bridge was designed by David B. Steinman...
(1936, particularly gratifying as this bridge realised his PhD thesis proposal), the Wellesley and Hill Islands Bridge, Wellesley Island Suspension Bridge and Georgina Island Bridge (all 1938) and Deer Isle Bridge
Deer Isle Bridge
The Deer Isle Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning Eggemoggin Reach in the state of Maine. The bridge is the only vehicular connection from the Maine mainland to Little Deer Isle, one of the segments that make up the island. The span was completed in March 1939 with a main span of 329 meters ....
and the Sullivan-Hutsonville Bridge (both 1939) (many of these are part of the Thousand Islands Bridge System).
In addition to the many bridges that Steinman designed, he was consulted on several projects that his firm did not win. Perhaps the most famous of these bridges is "Galloping Gertie", the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Steinman consulted extensively with the boosters of the bridge during the 1920s, but his design was not selected. He wrote of his frustration with the design that was chosen, and predicted a failure. He presented his findings at the 1938 meeting of the structural division of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In the audience was the designer of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which was under construction at the time. The failure did occur and he wrote that it had a profound impact on his design principles; he became even more conservative. It is said that he designed the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
considered by many to be his most significant work (although, perhaps not by Steinman himself, who expressed a personal preference for the St. Johns bridge
St. Johns Bridge
The St. Johns Bridge is a steel suspension bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, USA, between the St. Johns neighborhood and the northwest industrial area around Linnton. It is the only suspension bridge in the Willamette Valley and one of three public highway suspension...
, saying, "If you asked me which of the bridges I love best, I believe I would say the St. Johns bridge. I put more of myself into that bridge than any other bridge."), to withstand winds of 365 mph.
During this period Steinman became president of the American Association of Engineers and campaigned for more stringent educational and ethical standards within the profession. He also founded the National Society of Professional Engineers
National Society of Professional Engineers
The National Society of Professional Engineers is a professional engineering organization in the United States. From their press releases:...
in 1934 serving as its first president. By the mid 1930s Steinman had a professional reputation as one of the pre-eminent bridge engineers of the US, especially for long span suspension bridges, but his bridges were eclipsed in the public eye by his old rival Ammann's George Washington Bridge
George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey. Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 cross the river via the bridge. U.S...
(1931) and by Joseph Strauss's Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
(1937) among others. His plans for a NYC cross harbor bridge (the "Liberty Bridge") came to naught with the 1940 collapse of Tacoma Narrows which cast all long suspension span proposals in doubt.
Postwar work
Steinman and his firm were also in charge of the major rehabilitation of the Brooklyn BridgeBrooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
commencing 1948. Structurae
Structurae
Structurae is an online database containing works of structural and civil engineering of all kinds such as bridges, high-rise buildings, towers, dams, etc. Additionally, the database contains information on companies and persons involved in the design or construction of the structures...
.de has an image (from Petrovsky's text) of Steinman jauntily perched in mid air in the cables of the bridge, perhaps one of the best known images of him extant.
Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge
The Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge is a continuous under-deck truss bridge that carries NY 199 across the Hudson River in New York State north of the City of Kingston and the hamlet of Rhinecliff. It was opened to traffic on February 2, 1957 as a two-lane bridge, although it was not actually...
(1957). More importantly, development and planning of the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
had been contemplated for some time, and Steinman was appointed to the board of engineers based on Michigan State Legislature legislation of 1950, stating "the board of engineers retained by the Mackinac Bridge Authority was to be selected and nominated by the Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan", and was soon the spokesman for the board. But his health was failing and he suffered heart attacks in 1952, the same year the legistlature approved funding. He was nevertheless heavily involved in all aspects of the construction of the bridge from start to finish.
Although he proposed a grandiose 1524 meter center span crossing of the Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
Straits of Messina, the "Mighty Mac", completed in 1957, and at the time the longest suspended span between anchors, was his last major achievement. Steinman died in 1960.
At the time of his death, he was president of the Society for the History of Technology
Society for the History of Technology
The Society for the History of Technology, or SHOT, is the primary professional society for historians of technology. Founded in 1958, its flagship publication is the journal Technology and Culture...
.
The Steinman engineering firm is now part of the Parsons Transportation Group (company site) as of 1988.
Personal Life and Hobbies
At the age of 63, Steinman took interest in poetry. Many people wrote to him saying his bridges represented poems. This inspired him to start writing. His love for bridge building was reflected in his writing, which can be seen in the titles of two of his poems, “The Bridge” and “I Built a Bridge”. He received much recognition for his poetry; many poems were published in various newspapers and magazines. Continuing his natural ability to lead, Steinman became involved in leadership roles in many poetry groups including the president of the Wisconsin Poetry Foundation and director of the Poetry Institute in New York.Further reading
- Hobbs, R.S. (2006). Catastrophe to Triumph: Bridges of the Tacoma Narrows. Pullman: Washington State Press.
- Petroski, H. (1995). "Engineers of Dreams." New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-76021-0
- Rubin, L. (1958). "Mighty Mac." Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ASIN B00072JSRW
- Ratigan, W. (1959). "Highways Over Broad Waters." Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ASIN B0007IY0OC
Books and articles by Steinman
Not an exhaustive list, as Steinman was a prolific author. Many of these books do not have ISBNs since they predate the ISBN system.- Steinman, David B. A Practical Treatise on Suspension Bridges (2nd edition), John Wiley & Sons, New York (USA), 1929.
- Steinman, D. "Waldo-Hancock Bridge", in "Engineering News Record", 17 March 1932.
- Steinman, D. (1945). "The Builders of the Bridge: The Story of John Roebling and His Son" New York: Harcourt Brace. ISBN 0-405-04724-X (second edition 1950)
- Steinman, D. Le pont sur le détroit de Messine pour relier la Sicile à l'Italie, in "Travaux", November 1954, n. 241.
- Steinman, David B. Multiple-Span Suspension Bridge to Replace Rhine Arches at Düsseldorf, in "Engineering News Record", 27 June 1946, n. 26.
- Steinman, D. (1957). "Miracle Bridge At Mackinac." Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ASIN B0007DXCV4
- Steinman, David B. I Built A Bridge, And Other Poems, The Davidson Press, New York, 1955.
External links
(accessed 15 March 2005 and again 29 January 2006)- Bio at American Society of Civil EngineersAmerican Society of Civil EngineersThe American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
site