Daniel Carmichael (June 10, 1796 – September 3, 1849) was an American scientist. He was the contractor for several projects in the United States and Canada, including the construction of the

Boston and Providence Railroad The Boston and Providence Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the Rail transportation in the United States, fir ...

and the widening of the

Welland Canal The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller, Ontario, Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lak ...

Early life

Carmichael was born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

in 1796 to Ebenezer Carmichael and Olive Tracy.

Career

Carmichael became a contractor with partner Reuben Fairbanks, under the name Carmichael and Fairbanks, which was based in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The firm became successful in the construction of railroads, including the

in 1835. They hired

William Otis William Smith Otis (September 20, 1813 – November 13, 1839) was an American inventor of the steam shovel. Otis received a patent for his creation on February 24, 1839. In 1839 William Smith Otis, civil engineer of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ...

, a young engineer who was also Carmichael's brother-in-law. Otis invented the Otis steam shovel, the first successful steam excavator, while working with the partnership, which became Carmichael, Fairbanks and Otis. Otis died of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

in 1839, aged 26. In 1838, the firm began building the Western Railroad between Springfield and

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

. In the 1840s and 1850s, Carmichael and Charles French were the contractors for the widening of the

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Carmichael was also believed to be the owner of two of Otis's shovels during his work as a contractor on the Atlantic Docks project in

Brooklyn, New York 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 ...

, in the 1840s. In 1846, Carmichael and Jason C. Osgood established a patent for a

dredge Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing ...

for use with the Osgood Dredge Company of

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

. The firm supplied several steam shovels for the initial attempt at contstructing the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

Personal life

Carmichael married Almira Otis, who died in 1831. The following year, he married Eliza Otis, Almira's niece. One of their children,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, became a noted physician.

Death

Carmichael died in 1849, aged 53, three years after the birth of Henry. He had written his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

24 hours earlier. He was interred in the vaults of the Central Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. A stone marker was erected in New Vernon Cemetery in

Mamakating, New York Mamakating is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in the southeastern section of Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 12,655 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Johanis Hardenburgh, a re ...

. Eliza was left a widow with six children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, Daniel 1796 births 1849 deaths Scientists from Brooklyn Scientists from New Jersey American inventors 18th-century American inventors 19th-century American inventors