William Gravatt
British engineer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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William Gravatt FRS (14 July 1806 – 30 May 1866), was a noted English civil engineer and scientific instrument maker.[1][2]
William Gravatt | |
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Born | (1806-07-14)14 July 1806 Gravesend, Kent, England |
Died | 30 May 1866(1866-05-30) (aged 59) Westminster, London |
Occupation(s) | Mechanical and Civil engineer |
Years active | 1821–1866 |
Known for | Thames Tunnel, Calder and Hebble Navigation, South Eastern Railway to Dover, Dumpy level, Bristol and Exeter Railway, Craig telescope, Difference engine |
Apprenticed as a mechanical engineer in London from aged 15, after interview he worked with Sir Marc Isambard Brunel on the Thames Tunnel, and then designed bridges for the Calder and Hebble Navigation. Whilst surveying the route for the South Eastern Railway to Dover, he devised the more transportable dumpy level, which is now universally employed.[3] He then supervised the northern engineering team under Isambard Kingdom Brunel on the Bristol and Exeter Railway, where the deployment of his "curve of sines" theorem speeded construction. Dismissed from the project in 1841, after losing money during the railway mania period, Gravatt helped to construct both the Craig telescope and a copy of the Difference machine, distinguishing himself in a number of papers submitted to the Institution of Civil Engineers. He died after being accidentally poisoned by an overdose of morphine by his nurse.[1][2]