Julius H. Kroehl
Encyclopedia
Julius Hermann Kröhl was a German
-born American
inventor and engineer. He built the submarine
, Sub Marine Explorer
, technically advanced for its era, but destined to failure, because of decompression sickness
, which may not have been well understood at that time by Kroehl and others. His achievements in architecture, civil and mechanical engineering were also significant.
, East Prussia
(today Klaipėda
in Lithuania
). His family moved to Berlin
, Kingdom of Prussia
around 1828. He arrived in New York City on 29 July 1844 on board the Fairfield. While residing in New York City, he became an American citizen on 26 October 1849, formally renouncing any loyalty to the King of Prussia and taking on the duties of American citizenship. During his civilian employment with the United States Navy, he was referred to as "captain." This may indicate that he had held an officer's commission in the Prussian Army prior to his emigration, or was an officer in a volunteer militia or fire company in New York.
His brother Henry (1819–1890) came to America in 1838. He had established himself as a merchant, with a business in New York City, NY, and later resided in Asbury Park, NJ, after 1870. He was a partner with Otto Dill, until he died in 1861. Henry was married to the former Cornelia Rogers Turfler. They are buried at Green-Wood Cemetery
, NY. Passenger lists and passport records suggest that Henry made a few trips to Germany throughout his life. No other siblings have been identified to this article at this time.
William John Kroehl (1816–1879) resided in England from 1836 through the remainder his life. UK Marriage records revealed that he did not have the same father, but his citizenship petition showed that he came from Memel, and is likely a cousin. He was naturalised a British citizen on 23 January 1849.
Otto Sackersdorff (1820–1879) also resided in New York City. Julius Kroehl thought highly of him as evidenced by his will in bequeathing many of his papers and reference books. Otto served in the U.S. Coast Survey around 1854, was active in city politics, and served as an officer of the 5th New York State Militia in 1861 for the protection of the nation's capital during its three-month mobilization. He later served as a surveyor for New York City until the end of his life.
in Washington, DC. She was born on 27 August 1832, and was a native of Frederick, Maryland
. Her father, Francis Lueber (1791–1852), emigrated from Austria, and was a well-to-do merchant; her mother, Hellen Maria Simpson (1809–1890) came from the District of Columbia and was descended from the original English settlers in Maryland. Julius and Sophia had no children. After Julius' death, his widow did not remarry, but continued to live in Georgetown with her widowed mother, sisters and brother until her death on 29 September 1916, and is buried in Holy Rood Cemetery
, Washington, DC. Sophia was the niece of the American portrait artist, James Alexander Simpson, and first cousin to another portrait artist, Charles S. Hein, and his brother, Lt. Col. Otto L. Hein. She was also a distant relative of Raphael Semmes
and Mary Jenkins Surratt
.
Records of the Mount Morris Fire Watch Tower refer to a Nina Kroehl. Whether this was a previous wife, or some other relative, is unknown at this time.
, USN, a medal for protecting Kostza in the port of Smyrna, Turkey. Many members were Forty-Eighters
as well as native-born nationalists. One of the aims of the society was to monitor political situations around Europe through committees of correspondence, and note any violation of the rights of naturalized American citizens. Kroehl brought to the attention of the society that one Henry von Rensche was arrested by Prussian authorities for crimes against the Crown despite being a naturalized citizen. The Society of Universal Democratic Republicanism included Charles F. Henningsen, Hugh Forbes and Henry H. Morange as members.
during the 1850s. (At this time, the term "submarine" referred to anything underwater, and not exclusively to diving vessels.) During this time, he was involved in several engineering and technical projects.
magazine describes the Fair of the American Institute. One exhibit was of colored photographs by Messrs. Kroehl & Vetter, of No. 499 Broad Street. This does not necessarily mean this was Julius Kroehl. However, when Kroehl was ordered to support Union forces during the Vicksburg Campaign of 1863, he was directed to bring with him photographic equipment after spending one month being trained on their use by members of the U.S. Coast Survey in Washington, DC. His personal effects enumerated at the time of his death included photographic supplies. His proficiency in photographic uses in 1851 was possible. No works are known to have survived. (1 November 1851 – Scientific American Vol. 7, Issue 7.)
. Several assistant engineers were employed to oversee the construction of certain parts of this exhibition hall. He was responsible for the construction of the dome, the building's central feature. For three years after, he was noted as the "engineer of the Crystal Palace."
, an innovator of cast iron houses, introduced the first of these towers. One was needed in the Harlem
district. It would be situated on an outcropping of rock. On 14 January 1856, the Commissioner of Repairs and Supplies received two bids. Bogardus submitted his usual design at a bid of $5,750, but H&K won the contract with a lower bid of $2,300. H&K pointed out that the tower not need be as tall, thus saving material and labor. This tower still stands in what is now Marcus Garvey Memorial Park (A picture of the tower can be found at http://www.east-harlem.com/firewatch_tower.htm).
Comparing the structure and techniques of this tower with those designed and constructed by Bogardus will find many similarities, especially with the method of bolting joints together. In April 1857, Bogardus sued the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New York, claiming a patent infringement (#7,337). He cited that he was entitled to a royalty payment of $289, plus actual damages of $20,000. The jury agreed that he was entitled to the royalty payment, but not to the damages. Bogardus appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
upheld the ruling on appeal.
's yacht, the North Star, ran aground on Corlaers Hook and had to go back to dry dock for repairs, though no material damage was sustained. The area was then called "Vanderbilt Rock" with the expectation that City and State officials would arrange its removal as a hazard to navigation. For over a year, no action was taken. Later, H&K received a contract and they promptly removed the obstruction.
was favored to win the contract based on his experience with underwater demolition and salvage. He attempted in 1851 to reduce this underwater obstacle by blasting. This effort was accomplished by lowering a canister of powder onto the rock at flood tide, then backing away a safe distance, detonating it with a galvanic battery. However, this was not yet deemed sufficient, and another bid was undertaken a few years later. Kroehl, with his partner, Peter V. Husted, was one among five bidders. The Common Council awarded the contract to Husted & Kroehl (H&K), but Mayor Fernando Wood
vetoed the contract on 7 August 1855, citing that the Council did not have the authority to award contracts, since such authority resides with the Street Commissioner. After appeals and new bidding, H&K was awarded the contract without further dispute, and proceeded to remove the underwater hazard (16 August 1856 - Scientific American, vol. 11, issue 49). Blasting operations continued every year (except during the winter months) until 1860.
, as president of the New York and Newfoundland Telegraph Company
, hired H&K to blast Merlin Rock, which lies in the western end of the narrows in St. John's Harbor, in June 1855. They were successful in accomplishing the work by August of that year, to the contracted clearance of 27 feet.
. This might account for the beginning of his relationship with the Navy.
in the amount of US$18,000. Julius H. Kroehl and Sidney D. Roberts served as sureties for the contract. However, monies appropriated for the project were spent elsewhere, so worked dragged through 1861, with work being performed with the assurance that the U.S. Congress will appropriate supplemental funds. But the seizure of Norfolk by Confederate forces in April 1861 forestalled final completion of the project, with an amount owed to Parmenter. In 1874 and 1876, House Committee reports for private relief recommended that the outstanding amounts be paid.
navy
during the American Civil War
.
proposed to the War Department for the formation of an all-arms brigade consisting of infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers and pontoniers. The main portion would have consisted of d'Utassy's 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
(the Garibaldi Guards) and von Steinwehr's
29th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
(the Astor Rifles) along with a corps of engineers and another of pontoniers. Julius Kroehl was proposed as the captain of the corps of pontoniers. However, Asboth's proposal was not accepted and the venture went no further.
. This was not successful, due to trying to move the bomb-vessel upstream against a strong current. After the fall of New Orleans, his services were dismissed on 20 May 1862 (Official Records of the War of the Rebellion - Navies, vol. XVIII, p. 431). He provided a report to Navy Secretary Gideon Welles
on submarine operations (2 June 1862) after his return to New York City.
and Samuel P. Lee requested his services. He received a commission as an Acting Volunteer Lieutenant in the United States Navy on 12 December 1862. He was first assigned to Admiral Lee's North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Wilmington, North Carolina
. Attempts to use his torpedoes either to remove obstructions near Fort Caswell or supplement the blockade were stillborn. On 1 January 1863, he received orders to report to Admiral Porter for service in the Mississippi River Squadron
.
. His duties appear to be varied, responding to Porter's needs at the time: First, working with the U.S. Coast Survey in developing navigation charts of the Mississippi to support naval operations. Second, developing strategies to use torpedoes to destroy enemy vessels and underwater obstructions. During the Steele's Bayou Expedition he sunk a coal barge on his own initiative which allowed the Union ships to retreat from a tenuous position. Later, he was assigned to work with the U.S. Artillery of Lauman's division during the siege of Vicksburg (6 June 1863) until the end of the siege (4 July 1863). During this time, he contracted malaria
, and was discharged honorably on 8 August 1863 after being sent back to New York City by way of Cairo, IL
. He recuperated at his brother's home. He recovered well enough to continue his civilian occupation as a submarine engineer, but was still suffering from it when he left for Central America (per widow's statement).
. He built the Sub Marine Explorer
in 1865. He successfully tested his craft in May 1866 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Later, in March 1867, he, with his crew and submarine, shipped out to Panama. He supervised its transport by rail once at Aspinwall
(now Colón), and the vessel’s reassembly at the Pacific side of the country.
Kröhl died on September 9, 1867 in Panama City
, Panama
, United States of Colombia
, attributed to "fever," and was buried there (Consular papers, included in Pension file). It has been speculated that he died of decompression sickness
, during experimental dives with the Sub Marine Explorer. However, the symptoms of decompression sickness do not match that of malaria (see Greenberg email below). His widow, Sophia, argued that his death was from service-related malaria, citing witnesses who knew him during the Vicksburg campaign as well as medical statements.
He is buried in the Cementerio de Extranjeros (Foreigners' Cemetery), located in the Chorrillo district of Panama City
, Republic of Panama. These cemeteries are reserved for Protestants, and Freemasons of any religious affiliation. Thomas Kilby Smith was the US Consul who inventoried his possessions and reported the death.
The Pension Bureau
assumed that the death was a result of the Panamanian environment. Sophia had to prove that the death was malaria, and that the malaria resulted from his military service. Attempts in 1880 and 1890 generated much paperwork, with sworn statements from neighbors attesting to their marriage and that she had not remarried, from Henry Kroehl about Julius' condition upon his discharge, a doctor's statement that he was diagnosed with malaria, and a statement from Alexander Strausz
who served with him at Vicksburg. On top of that, she even had Archbishop John Ireland
of the Archdiocese of St. Paul, MN, to lobby personally with the bureau. At first, the Bureau turned down the appeals. However, a few months before she died, her pension was increased substantially, indicating that she at one time proved her case.
application) to being a "failure" (Admiral David Farragut
). He had been cited in several Northern newspapers from the 1850s until his death. However, the New York Times was the only paper that would misspell his name, sometimes as Krahl.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor and engineer. He built the submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, Sub Marine Explorer
Sub Marine Explorer
The Sub Marine Explorer is a submersible built between 1863 and 1866 by Julius H. Kroehl and Ariel Patterson in Brooklyn, New York for the Pacific Pearl Company. It was hand powered and had an interconnected system of a high-pressure air chamber or compartment, a pressurized working chamber for...
, technically advanced for its era, but destined to failure, because of decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
, which may not have been well understood at that time by Kroehl and others. His achievements in architecture, civil and mechanical engineering were also significant.
Early Life/Prussia
Julius Hermann Kröhl was born 1820 in MemelKlaipeda
Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County....
, East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
(today Klaipėda
Klaipeda
Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County....
in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
). His family moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
around 1828. He arrived in New York City on 29 July 1844 on board the Fairfield. While residing in New York City, he became an American citizen on 26 October 1849, formally renouncing any loyalty to the King of Prussia and taking on the duties of American citizenship. During his civilian employment with the United States Navy, he was referred to as "captain." This may indicate that he had held an officer's commission in the Prussian Army prior to his emigration, or was an officer in a volunteer militia or fire company in New York.
Family
His father was Jacob Kroehl. He was a merchant in Memel. From 1829 to 1833, the family residence was listed as Hausvogteiplatz 11, Berlin, suggesting that the family relocated to the Prussian capitol around that time. His mother, Johann Philipine Dorothea, later immigrated to the United States in 1848, but as the wife of a British merchant, John Heanes.His brother Henry (1819–1890) came to America in 1838. He had established himself as a merchant, with a business in New York City, NY, and later resided in Asbury Park, NJ, after 1870. He was a partner with Otto Dill, until he died in 1861. Henry was married to the former Cornelia Rogers Turfler. They are buried at Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
, NY. Passenger lists and passport records suggest that Henry made a few trips to Germany throughout his life. No other siblings have been identified to this article at this time.
William John Kroehl (1816–1879) resided in England from 1836 through the remainder his life. UK Marriage records revealed that he did not have the same father, but his citizenship petition showed that he came from Memel, and is likely a cousin. He was naturalised a British citizen on 23 January 1849.
Otto Sackersdorff (1820–1879) also resided in New York City. Julius Kroehl thought highly of him as evidenced by his will in bequeathing many of his papers and reference books. Otto served in the U.S. Coast Survey around 1854, was active in city politics, and served as an officer of the 5th New York State Militia in 1861 for the protection of the nation's capital during its three-month mobilization. He later served as a surveyor for New York City until the end of his life.
Marriage
Julius married Sophia Rosa Lueber on November 25, 1858 at Holy Trinity Church of GeorgetownHoly Trinity Church of Georgetown
Holy Trinity Catholic Church, was established in 1794 and is located at 3513 N Street, N.W. between 35th and 36th Streets, in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., in the United States...
in Washington, DC. She was born on 27 August 1832, and was a native of Frederick, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
. Her father, Francis Lueber (1791–1852), emigrated from Austria, and was a well-to-do merchant; her mother, Hellen Maria Simpson (1809–1890) came from the District of Columbia and was descended from the original English settlers in Maryland. Julius and Sophia had no children. After Julius' death, his widow did not remarry, but continued to live in Georgetown with her widowed mother, sisters and brother until her death on 29 September 1916, and is buried in Holy Rood Cemetery
Holy Rood Cemetery
Holy Rood Cemetery is located at 2016 or 2128 Wisconsin Avenue NW at the southern end of the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was established by Holy Trinity Catholic Church in 1832, which purchased additional land in 1853. It stands at one of the highest elevations in Washington,...
, Washington, DC. Sophia was the niece of the American portrait artist, James Alexander Simpson, and first cousin to another portrait artist, Charles S. Hein, and his brother, Lt. Col. Otto L. Hein. She was also a distant relative of Raphael Semmes
Raphael Semmes
For other uses, see Semmes .Raphael Semmes was an officer in the United States Navy from 1826 - 1860 and the Confederate States Navy from 1860 - 1865. During the American Civil War he was captain of the famous commerce raider CSS Alabama, taking a record sixty-nine prizes...
and Mary Jenkins Surratt
Mary Surratt
Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H...
.
Records of the Mount Morris Fire Watch Tower refer to a Nina Kroehl. Whether this was a previous wife, or some other relative, is unknown at this time.
Political Activity
In late 1853, the Kostza affair had militated many Americans to form societies supporting the U.S. Government's interest against the claims of the Austrian Empire. One such committee, the Society of Universal Democratic Republicanism, grew out of a movement to present Capt. Duncan IngrahamDuncan Ingraham
Duncan Nathaniel Ingraham was an officer in the United States Navy who later served in the Confederate States Navy.-U.S. Navy service:...
, USN, a medal for protecting Kostza in the port of Smyrna, Turkey. Many members were Forty-Eighters
Forty-Eighters
The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
as well as native-born nationalists. One of the aims of the society was to monitor political situations around Europe through committees of correspondence, and note any violation of the rights of naturalized American citizens. Kroehl brought to the attention of the society that one Henry von Rensche was arrested by Prussian authorities for crimes against the Crown despite being a naturalized citizen. The Society of Universal Democratic Republicanism included Charles F. Henningsen, Hugh Forbes and Henry H. Morange as members.
Engineering and New York City
Kroehl listed himself as a submarine engineer on Broad Street in Lower ManhattanLower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
during the 1850s. (At this time, the term "submarine" referred to anything underwater, and not exclusively to diving vessels.) During this time, he was involved in several engineering and technical projects.
Photography
An 1851 article in Scientific AmericanScientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
magazine describes the Fair of the American Institute. One exhibit was of colored photographs by Messrs. Kroehl & Vetter, of No. 499 Broad Street. This does not necessarily mean this was Julius Kroehl. However, when Kroehl was ordered to support Union forces during the Vicksburg Campaign of 1863, he was directed to bring with him photographic equipment after spending one month being trained on their use by members of the U.S. Coast Survey in Washington, DC. His personal effects enumerated at the time of his death included photographic supplies. His proficiency in photographic uses in 1851 was possible. No works are known to have survived. (1 November 1851 – Scientific American Vol. 7, Issue 7.)
New York Crystal Palace
From 1852 to 1853, Kroehl was employed as an assistant engineer during the construction of the New York Crystal PalaceNew York Crystal Palace
New York Crystal Palace was an exhibition building constructed for the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York City in 1853, which was under the presidency of Mayor Jacob Aaron Westervelt...
. Several assistant engineers were employed to oversee the construction of certain parts of this exhibition hall. He was responsible for the construction of the dome, the building's central feature. For three years after, he was noted as the "engineer of the Crystal Palace."
Flange Forming Machine
Kroehl applied for a patent around March 1854 for a flange forming machine. It is described in Scientific American as: “an improvement in machinery for bending flanges on wrought iron beams. There is a pair of horizontal, and a pair of vertical rollers; the former pair has one roller with a face of the full depth of the beam, and the other has its face the depth of the beam minus the thickness of the flanges. The vertical rollers are both alike, and are of a width a little greater than the extreme width of the flanges. They are arranged opposite the space between the horizontal ones, and work in close contact with the sides of the roller. In order to give the flanges and their beams, a taper or an elliptic, or other curved form, the vertical rollers have flanges, whose faces bear on the edges of the flanges of the beam, and cause the said rollers to receive such a movement in the direction of their axes, and apply such a force I that direction as bends the flanges of the beam to the desired form.” He secured the patent as #12,133 on 2 January 1855.Mount Morris Firewatch Tower
The City of New York, in order to improve safety during its growth, laid out a series of fire watch towers. James BogardusJames Bogardus
James Bogardus was an American inventor and architect, the pioneer of American cast-iron architecture, for which he took out a patent in 1850...
, an innovator of cast iron houses, introduced the first of these towers. One was needed in the Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
district. It would be situated on an outcropping of rock. On 14 January 1856, the Commissioner of Repairs and Supplies received two bids. Bogardus submitted his usual design at a bid of $5,750, but H&K won the contract with a lower bid of $2,300. H&K pointed out that the tower not need be as tall, thus saving material and labor. This tower still stands in what is now Marcus Garvey Memorial Park (A picture of the tower can be found at http://www.east-harlem.com/firewatch_tower.htm).
Comparing the structure and techniques of this tower with those designed and constructed by Bogardus will find many similarities, especially with the method of bolting joints together. In April 1857, Bogardus sued the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New York, claiming a patent infringement (#7,337). He cited that he was entitled to a royalty payment of $289, plus actual damages of $20,000. The jury agreed that he was entitled to the royalty payment, but not to the damages. Bogardus appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
Roger B. Taney
Roger Brooke Taney was the fifth Chief Justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 1864. He was the first Roman Catholic to hold that office or sit on the Supreme Court of the United States. He was also the eleventh United States Attorney General. He is most...
upheld the ruling on appeal.
Vanderbilt Rock
In 21 May 1853, Cornelius VanderbiltCornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
's yacht, the North Star, ran aground on Corlaers Hook and had to go back to dry dock for repairs, though no material damage was sustained. The area was then called "Vanderbilt Rock" with the expectation that City and State officials would arrange its removal as a hazard to navigation. For over a year, no action was taken. Later, H&K received a contract and they promptly removed the obstruction.
Diamond Reef
The maritime hazard of Diamond Reef lies in the entrance to the East River between Governor's Island and Lower Manhattan. Benjamin MaillefertBenjamin Maillefert
Professor Benjamin S. H. Maillefert was an engineer who specialized in underwater blasting. He developed torpedoes used by the Union naval forces during the American Civil War....
was favored to win the contract based on his experience with underwater demolition and salvage. He attempted in 1851 to reduce this underwater obstacle by blasting. This effort was accomplished by lowering a canister of powder onto the rock at flood tide, then backing away a safe distance, detonating it with a galvanic battery. However, this was not yet deemed sufficient, and another bid was undertaken a few years later. Kroehl, with his partner, Peter V. Husted, was one among five bidders. The Common Council awarded the contract to Husted & Kroehl (H&K), but Mayor Fernando Wood
Fernando Wood
Fernando Wood was an American politician of the Democratic Party and mayor of New York City; he also served as a United States Representative and as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in both the 45th and 46th Congress .A successful shipping merchant who became Grand Sachem of the...
vetoed the contract on 7 August 1855, citing that the Council did not have the authority to award contracts, since such authority resides with the Street Commissioner. After appeals and new bidding, H&K was awarded the contract without further dispute, and proceeded to remove the underwater hazard (16 August 1856 - Scientific American, vol. 11, issue 49). Blasting operations continued every year (except during the winter months) until 1860.
Merlin Rock
Peter CooperPeter Cooper
Peter Cooper was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and candidate for President of the United States...
, as president of the New York and Newfoundland Telegraph Company
New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company
The New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company was a company in a series of conglomerations of several companies that eventually laid the first Trans-Atlantic cable....
, hired H&K to blast Merlin Rock, which lies in the western end of the narrows in St. John's Harbor, in June 1855. They were successful in accomplishing the work by August of that year, to the contracted clearance of 27 feet.
Outfitting the Paraguay Expedition of 1858
During the demolition of Diamond Reef, H&K provided underwater explosives to the U.S. Navy for clearing obstructions in the Platte, Parana and Paraguay Rivers, should the ships encounter any. The items were provided to the steamer USS MemphisUSS Mystic (1853)
USS Mystic was a steamer acquired by the U.S. Navy prior to the American Civil War when she was known as the and served in the Paraguay expedition of 1858 and 1859...
. This might account for the beginning of his relationship with the Navy.
Norfolk Navy Yard
On 1 July 1859, F.W. Parmenter, a machinist from Troy, NY, contracted with the Dept. of the Navy to construct, erect and complete an iron roof for the victualling house at Norfolk Naval ShipyardNorfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
in the amount of US$18,000. Julius H. Kroehl and Sidney D. Roberts served as sureties for the contract. However, monies appropriated for the project were spent elsewhere, so worked dragged through 1861, with work being performed with the assurance that the U.S. Congress will appropriate supplemental funds. But the seizure of Norfolk by Confederate forces in April 1861 forestalled final completion of the project, with an amount owed to Parmenter. In 1874 and 1876, House Committee reports for private relief recommended that the outstanding amounts be paid.
The American Civil War
Julius Hermann Kröhl served in the UnionUnion (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Corps of Pontoniers
In May 1861, Alexander AsbothAlexander Asboth
Alexander Asboth was a Hungarian military leader best known for his victories as a Union general during the American Civil War. He also served as United States Ambassador to Argentina and as United States Ambassador to Uruguay.-Early life:Asboth was born in Keszthely, Hungary...
proposed to the War Department for the formation of an all-arms brigade consisting of infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers and pontoniers. The main portion would have consisted of d'Utassy's 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the "Garibaldi Guard", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
(the Garibaldi Guards) and von Steinwehr's
Adolph von Steinwehr
Baron Adolph Wilhelm August Friedrich von Steinwehr was a German-Brunswick army officer who emigrated to the United States, became a geographer, cartographer, and author, and served as a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:Steinwehr was born in Blankenburg, in the Duchy of...
29th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
29th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 29th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the "Astor Rifles" or "1st German Infantry", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
(the Astor Rifles) along with a corps of engineers and another of pontoniers. Julius Kroehl was proposed as the captain of the corps of pontoniers. However, Asboth's proposal was not accepted and the venture went no further.
Locomotive No. 160
After the Union army occupied Alexandria, VA, in May 1861, military authorities requested the transfer of locomotives to that town in support of the upcoming campaign in northern Virginia. The Pennsylvania Rail Road contributed six locomotives. These had to be ferried on a barge from Washington, DC, to Alexandria, VA. In June 1861, Locomotive No. 160 and its tender fell into the Potomac River near Alexandria in 40 feet of water when a sudden squall caused the barge to shift its cargo. In early July 1861, Julius Kroehl, representing his firm of H&K, successfully recovered the locomotive and its tender.New Orleans
Kroehl's first service for the Union was not as a soldier, but as a civilian contractor. On 2 February 1862, he received a contract to perform minesweeping in the Lower Mississippi River (Dept. of Navy Instructions included in pension file). His primary task was to remove the chain barrier stretching between Fort Jackson and Fort St. PhilipFort St. Philip
Fort St. Philip is a decommissioned masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about up river from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana...
. This was not successful, due to trying to move the bomb-vessel upstream against a strong current. After the fall of New Orleans, his services were dismissed on 20 May 1862 (Official Records of the War of the Rebellion - Navies, vol. XVIII, p. 431). He provided a report to Navy Secretary Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869. His buildup of the Navy to successfully execute blockades of Southern ports was a key component of Northern victory of the Civil War...
on submarine operations (2 June 1862) after his return to New York City.
James River and Cape Fear
His services were still in demand. First, he demonstrated the use of electric torpedoes (mines) to be used in the James River. Later, both Admirals David Dixon PorterDavid Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
and Samuel P. Lee requested his services. He received a commission as an Acting Volunteer Lieutenant in the United States Navy on 12 December 1862. He was first assigned to Admiral Lee's North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
. Attempts to use his torpedoes either to remove obstructions near Fort Caswell or supplement the blockade were stillborn. On 1 January 1863, he received orders to report to Admiral Porter for service in the Mississippi River Squadron
Mississippi River Squadron
The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and was then known as the Western Gunboat Flotilla and sometimes as the...
.
The Mississippi River and the Vicksburg Campaign
Kroehl served as a member of Admiral Porter's personal staff aboard the USS Black HawkUSS Black Hawk (1848)
USS Black Hawk was a large steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was assigned by the Union Navy to gunship duty in the waterways of the rebellious Confederate States of America....
. His duties appear to be varied, responding to Porter's needs at the time: First, working with the U.S. Coast Survey in developing navigation charts of the Mississippi to support naval operations. Second, developing strategies to use torpedoes to destroy enemy vessels and underwater obstructions. During the Steele's Bayou Expedition he sunk a coal barge on his own initiative which allowed the Union ships to retreat from a tenuous position. Later, he was assigned to work with the U.S. Artillery of Lauman's division during the siege of Vicksburg (6 June 1863) until the end of the siege (4 July 1863). During this time, he contracted malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, and was discharged honorably on 8 August 1863 after being sent back to New York City by way of Cairo, IL
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
. He recuperated at his brother's home. He recovered well enough to continue his civilian occupation as a submarine engineer, but was still suffering from it when he left for Central America (per widow's statement).
Pearl Fishing in Panama
1864 Kröhl became chief engineer and shareholder of the Pacific Pearl CompanyPacific Pearl Company
The Pacific Pearl Company was incorporated in the American state of New York on November 18, 1863. Principal officers included John Chadwick as President, George Wrightson as Treasurer, and Julius H. Kroehl as Chief Engineer. Other shareholders included William Henry Tiffany, Charles D. Poston...
. He built the Sub Marine Explorer
Sub Marine Explorer
The Sub Marine Explorer is a submersible built between 1863 and 1866 by Julius H. Kroehl and Ariel Patterson in Brooklyn, New York for the Pacific Pearl Company. It was hand powered and had an interconnected system of a high-pressure air chamber or compartment, a pressurized working chamber for...
in 1865. He successfully tested his craft in May 1866 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Later, in March 1867, he, with his crew and submarine, shipped out to Panama. He supervised its transport by rail once at Aspinwall
Colón, Panama
Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....
(now Colón), and the vessel’s reassembly at the Pacific side of the country.
Kröhl died on September 9, 1867 in Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, United States of Colombia
United States of Colombia
The United States of Colombia was the name adopted in 1861 through the Rionegro Constitution for the nation which had been known as the Republic of New Granada since the dissolution of the federation of Gran Colombia in 1830-1831....
, attributed to "fever," and was buried there (Consular papers, included in Pension file). It has been speculated that he died of decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
, during experimental dives with the Sub Marine Explorer. However, the symptoms of decompression sickness do not match that of malaria (see Greenberg email below). His widow, Sophia, argued that his death was from service-related malaria, citing witnesses who knew him during the Vicksburg campaign as well as medical statements.
He is buried in the Cementerio de Extranjeros (Foreigners' Cemetery), located in the Chorrillo district of Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
, Republic of Panama. These cemeteries are reserved for Protestants, and Freemasons of any religious affiliation. Thomas Kilby Smith was the US Consul who inventoried his possessions and reported the death.
Widow’s Pension
Sophia was in a financially desperate situation. With over $40,000 tied up in a submarine that was left on Isla San Telmo, there was essentially no income. Any royalties from patents were expiring. She wrote to Admiral Porter for assistance. He provided her a letter of introduction, which probably resulted in her employment with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. However, attempts to collect on a pension for widows were thwarted by the circumstances of Julius' death.The Pension Bureau
Pension Bureau
The Pension Bureau was a division of the United States Department of the Interior. There was a separate entity at the United States Department of War for handling military pension claims....
assumed that the death was a result of the Panamanian environment. Sophia had to prove that the death was malaria, and that the malaria resulted from his military service. Attempts in 1880 and 1890 generated much paperwork, with sworn statements from neighbors attesting to their marriage and that she had not remarried, from Henry Kroehl about Julius' condition upon his discharge, a doctor's statement that he was diagnosed with malaria, and a statement from Alexander Strausz
Alexander Strausz
Alexander Strausz was a Hungarian-born American brewer, cartographer, architect, mining engineer, industrialist and school superintendent.-Early life:...
who served with him at Vicksburg. On top of that, she even had Archbishop John Ireland
John Ireland (archbishop)
John Ireland was the third bishop and first archbishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota . He became both a religious as well as civic leader in Saint Paul during the turn of the century...
of the Archdiocese of St. Paul, MN, to lobby personally with the bureau. At first, the Bureau turned down the appeals. However, a few months before she died, her pension was increased substantially, indicating that she at one time proved her case.
Conclusion
While researching records about Kroehl, statements about him have varied from being "a good officer, and a fine man, and under any circumstances would have sacrificed his life in the cause of his country" (Admiral Porter in widow's pensionWidow's pension
A widow's pension is a payment from the government of a country to a person whose spouse has died.Generally, such payments are made to a widow whose late spouse has satisfied the country's requirements, including contribution, cohabitation, and length of marriage.-United States:In the United...
application) to being a "failure" (Admiral David Farragut
David Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered in popular culture for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased: "Damn the...
). He had been cited in several Northern newspapers from the 1850s until his death. However, the New York Times was the only paper that would misspell his name, sometimes as Krahl.