born June 3, 1810, Dublin, Ire.
died Nov. 5, 1881, London, Eng.
Irish civil engineer and scientific investigator.
He studied at Trinity College and in 1831 took charge of his father's Victoria foundry, which he expanded into the dominant foundry in Ireland. His commissions included the construction of railroad terminals, the Nore viaduct, the Fastnet Rock lighthouse, and several swivel bridges over the Shannon. His major innovation in bridge technology was buckled-plate flooring. He built an early form of seismograph and advanced the technique of making large castings of iron, such as heavy cannon.