WORTHINGTON, Henry Rossiter
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WORTHINGTON, Henry Rossiter (17 Dec. 1817-17
Dec., 1880), hydraulic engineer and manufacturer, was born in New
York City, the son of Asa Worthington, a millwright, and Frances
Meadowcraft. Worthington's youth was spent in an area of Brooklyn
that was originally known as Williamsburgh. There his father and
uncle, Anthony Worthington, established the Hope Flour Mill. It
was presumed that young Worthington, as the only male child, would
eventually assume the management of the mill. His interest in, and
facility for, mechanics, however, led him in another direction.
Worthington grew up in an era of territorial expansion and burgeoning commerce. The state of New York in 1840 challenged engineers to devise a steam-powered canal boat in an effort to promote traffic on the recently opened Erie Canal. With his father's financial backing, Worthington successfully developed a barge propelled by paddle wheels. Positioning the wheels at the bow, he was able to eliminate much of the wash that otherwise would have tended to erode the canal banks. Despite his being recognized and rewarded by the state for his achievement, opposing and more conservative canal interests won out, and traffic was forced to revert to movement by mule or horse power. Out of this project came what would be the first in a long line of steam-driven pumps, for which Worthington is best known. Steam-powered vessels needed to replenish the boiler water continuously, and contemporary practice called for the boiler feed water pump to be driven directly by the engine. As a result, the pump operated only when the engine was in motion. Although canal boats lay idle while they waited in and about the locks or for obstructions to be cleared, boiler water was nevertheless consumed. During these stopped periods, it was necessary to resort to a hand pump to replenish the boiler. To free the crew from the drudgery of pumping by hand, and enable them to go about other tasks, Worthington developed a direct-acting, steam-driven feed pump that operated independently and automatically. The volume of water remaining in the boiler regulated the pump's operation. Compact and relatively simple, the steam and pump cylinders were constructed in-line and connected by a common piston rod. By using this configuration, the need for a flywheel, crank, or beam, which until that time characterized pumping engines, was eliminated. To exploit this revolutionary machine, Worthington joined William H. Baker in 1845 to form the firm of Worthington & Baker for the sole purpose of manufacturing steam pumps. One of the first important applications of the device was for marine use. On both merchant and naval vessels, pumps supplied water for boilers as well as for washing and fire protection. Improvements in valve design and efficiency led to compact, quiet operating equipment and a market that grew to include hotels, factories, refineries, iron-works, mines, and quarries, with the company gradually becoming international in scope. In 1854, in the first of a long succession of municipal projects, Worthington designed and built three large direct-acting pumps for the Savannah, Georgia, waterworks. As a result of his sustained interest in all things hydraulic, in 1855 he patented (#13,320), and soon began manufacturing, one of the first practical water meters in the United States. In 1857, in what was perhaps the most significant development in steam-powered pumps, Worthington introduced the duplex direct-acting pump (patent #24,838). Although its predecessor, the single-acting pump, was widely used, it was somewhat uncertain in operation, and delivery could be uneven. These shortcomings were eliminated in the duplex. Composed of two pumps arranged side by side with the piston rod of each connected to the valve rod of the other, operation was certain and delivery almost constant. The resulting pump was perhaps the most widely used means for handling water by steam power. The first compound-using high- and low-pressure steam cylinders-duplex direct-acting pump was installed at the Charlestown, Massachusetts, waterworks in 1863. By 1876 eighty municipal waterworks that used Worthington pumps of varying capacities had been installed in the United States. While additional pumping engines were sold abroad, other large units were installed domestically for mining and sewage pumping. In a move that complemented his pump manufacturing business, he became associated with, and then president of, the Nason Manufacturing Company, also of Brooklyn. Organized in the mid-1840s, this company produced a complete line of steam engineering specialties, which included boilers, valves, and fittings as well as general supplies. Although Worthington was recognized one of the leading hydraulic engineers of his time, he had received no education beyond the New York public schools. His highly regarded professional standing resulted from knowledge he had gained through practical experience. For those interested in an engineering education, courses in engineering subjects simply were not available. Realizing the increasing need for individuals with formal training, Worthington joined other concerned individuals in 1854 to establish the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute and served on its first board of trustees. He took a similar interest in the professional standing of those who referred to themselves as engineers by lending his support to the establishment of an engineering society. In early 1880 he and a group of engineers formed an organization that was patterned after the American Society of Civil Engineers, which had been founded in 1852. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers was established to promote professionalism through education and the exchange of ideas. He declined an offer of the presidency but in April 1880, eight months before his death, he did accept the vice presidency. Worthington died in New York City. Survivors included his wife, Sara Newton, whom he had married in 1839, and four children. Only his son Charles C. Worthington entered the hydraulic pump business and succeeded him in the company. * Worthington left no manuscript collection. Thorough descriptions and illustrations of his inventions can be found in records of the U.S. Patent Office. An understanding of his technological contributions can be gained from an unpublished history of the Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation, which is located in the Worthington Collection, Division of Engineering & Industry, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Similar material is found in a company publication, 100 Years Worthington, 1840-1940 (1940). Worthington's 1873 comments on his first patent are reprinted in "Henry Rossiter Worthington and the First Direct-Acting Steam Pump 1817-1880," Deane News 3, no. 34 (1920): 397-99. POLYMEN 43, no. 1 (1967): 12-15, contains an unsigned article describing Worthington's efforts in founding the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. A discussion by R. H. Thurston of the founding of the ASME was published in the Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1880): 1-15. Obituaries are in Engineering News, 25 Dec. 1880; the New York Times, 18 Dec. 1880; and Scientific American, 1 Jan. 1881. William E. Worthington, Jr. American National Biography, Vol 23
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