Silas Wright Titus (January 18, 1849 – January 7, 1922) was an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

who discovered and patented deep water pumping technology and discovered early water supplies for

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and other towns and cities in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the late nineteenth century. He was known as “The Water Wizard”.

Life and career

Silas Wright Titus was born on January 18, 1849, in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

. He was the son of Col.

Silas Titus Silas Titus (May 30, 1811 – October 4, 1899) was a military officer who fought in the American Civil War in the Union Army. He was active in the organization of the city of Syracuse, New York, and served as an alderman for two years and as a ...

of Syracuse and grandson of Thomas McCarthy (Syracuse politician). He was named for a friend of his father’s,

Silas Wright Silas Wright Jr. (May 24, 1795 – August 27, 1847) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. A member of the Albany Regency, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, New York State Comptroller, United Stat ...

, a US Senator, Governor of New York, and a member of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

’s cabinet. He was educated in the Syracuse schools and developed an interest in Civil Engineering. In 1861, at the age of 12, he served as a bugler in the

12th New York Volunteer Infantry The 12th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service 3 Month Service of the 12th New York State Militia The 12th New York Volunteer Infantry is sometimes confused with the 12th Ne ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He was discharged from service in 1865. When he was 20 years old he worked with the engineering force in the construction of the New Orleans, Mobile and Texas Railroad. About 1884 he moved to Southwestern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

to begin studying underground water supplies. He helped to develop and construct 125 groundwater wells in the vicinity of

San Angelo, Texas San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin (North America), Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert ...

. He subsequently invented a method for locating and procuring groundwater by means of drilling and pumping. He was granted seven patents on lifting water by air. He moved back to New York in about 1896.

New York City water supply

In the early 1900s the

water supply began to experience severe water shortages. Up until that time the majority of the city's water came from reservoirs and well north of the city. Droughts had threatened the supply to the city. Around 1892 the borough of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

drilled several wells near the town of Jameco,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. The city engineers operated the wells for several years. With the best machinery available they were only able to produce per day. The city was about to abandon the wells at Jameco when Titus offered to run the plant. He was allowed to run the plant under a contract with machinery he invented and patented. Soon the wells were producing per day. According to Titus, the Water Department engineers were jealous and they persuaded the Water Commissioner to "dispense with his services". Under the City's operation of the wells, production dropped to per day. The city engineers concluded that the Jameco wells had exhausted the water supply under Long Island. One of the head engineers said he "would stake his professional reputation that not a gallon more water could be obtained from the station that was then obtained". The city was about to abandon the wells again when Titus made another proposal to operate the wells with his own machinery and furnish per day free of charge. He requested payment of $40 for each a day over the first . The city engineers laughed at him but allowed him to operate the well at Jameco again. In a short time the "exhausted" wells were producing per day and later reached per day. From 1906 to January 1909 the city regularly paid Titus under the terms of his contract. However, in 1909 the city began to hold up payments. When the city continued to hold payments, Titus shut down his water pumps which supplied over 10% of Brooklyn's entire water supply. On the night of Oct. 28, 1909, twenty men from the water department went out to the pumping station to seize the plant and machinery. Titus met them there and told them that “somebody was going to get hurt” if they put their hands on any of his property.

Later life

For a period of 15 years he worked locating and installing water plants in dry towns all throughout the U.S. and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He would install the plants at his own risk and sell them to the towns only after they were fully developed and guaranteed. He never failed to produce a successful water supply plant. He died on Saturday January 7, 1922, of arteriosclerosis at the home of his daughter. He belonged to the church of

St. Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus and, as a representative o ...

and is buried in St. John's cemetery in New York.Titus Jr., L. J., 2004, ''Titus - A North American Family History'', Baltimore, MD,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Titus, Silas 1849 births 1922 deaths American civil engineers 19th-century American inventors 20th-century American inventors People from Syracuse, New York History of New York City Water infrastructure of New York City Engineers from New York (state)