Thomas Fitch Rowland
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Thomas Fitch Rowland (March 15, 1831 – December 13, 1907) was an American engineer and shipbuilder. In 1861, he founded the
Continental Iron Works The Continental Iron Works was an American shipbuilding and engineering company founded in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 1861 by Thomas F. Rowland. It is best known for building a number of Monitor (warship), monitor warships for the United States Na ...
in
Greenpoint, Brooklyn Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway and East ...
, which built
ironclad An ironclad was a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by iron armour, steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or ince ...
warships for the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
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 ...
, most notably , which successfully neutralized the threat from the
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
ironclad CSS ''Virginia'' in the
Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Merrimack'' or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. The battle was fought over two days, March 8 and 9, 1862, in Hampton ...
in 1862. After the war, Rowland's Continental Works diversified into the construction of
gasworks A gasworks or gas house is an industrial plant for the production of flammable gas. Many of these have been made redundant in the developed world by the use of natural gas, though they are still used for storage space. Early gasworks Coal ...
and other industrial fittings, and became a pioneer of
welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, primarily by using high temperature to melting, melt the parts together and allow them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Co ...
technology, producing welded, corrugated
boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...
furnaces and other welded products. During the
Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
and
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the company produced
munition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...
s. After World War I, it focused increasingly on the manufacture of
gas main A pipeline is a system of pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries around the world. The Un ...
s and large-diameter water pipes. The plant closed in 1928, with the retirement of Rowland's eldest son from the business. Rowland was described as an energetic and inventive leader, who designed many of his own company's machine tools, accumulating more than fifty patents in the course of his lifetime. He also had an interest in
philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
, and is credited among other things with having pioneered the Saturday half-day holiday in New York for employees. In 1884, he endowed the
Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize The Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize is awarded annually by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Established in 1882, the prize is named after Thomas Fitch Rowland, a pioneering engineer in construction and infrastructure. Each year, the awar ...
for outstanding engineering papers, which is still awarded annually as of 2020.


Life and career


Early life and career

Thomas Fitch Rowland was born in
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
, on March 15, 1831, the fourth of five children and only son of George and Ruth Caroline (née Attwater) Rowland. His mother died when he was six years old. Rowland was a descendant of Henry M. Rowland of
Essex, England Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, an early settler of
Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Connecticut, Trumbull, Easton, Connecticut, Easton, Weston, Connecticut, W ...
, and of Thomas Fitch (1699–1774), one of the last colonial governors of the state,''Transactions'' 1908. p
1181
whose house was burned down by the British during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. Rowland received a common school education at Lovel's School and the Collegiate Preparatory School in New Haven. At the age of 13, he became the miller's boy in his father's
grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...
. He eventually joined the
New York and New Haven Railroad The New York and New Haven Railroad (NY&NH) was a railroad connecting New York City to New Haven, Connecticut, along the shore of Long Island Sound. It opened in 1849, and in 1872 it merged with the Hartford & New Haven Railroad to form the New ...
, reportedly as its first
apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...
, later serving with the company as a fireman and engineer; he is said to have "fired the third passenger train that was sent over the road from New Haven to New York". In 1850, he took a position as 2nd assistant engineer on ''Connecticut'', a leading steamboat operating between New Haven and New York. Discharged from this position following a change of ownership of the steamboat line, Rowland joined the
Allaire Iron Works The Allaire Iron Works was a leading 19th-century American marine engineering company based in New York City. Founded in 1816 by engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire, the Allaire Works was one of the world's first companies dedicated to ...
in 1852, where he worked as a
draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman, drafting technician, or CAD technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawi ...
. During his time with this company, he designed the engines of the steam revenue cutter . According to some sources, he then became general superintendent of the steam engineering works of Henry Esler & Co., but another account states that he joined the
Morgan Iron Works The Morgan Iron Works was a 19th-century manufacturing plant for marine steam engines located in New York City, United States. Founded as T. F. Secor & Co. in 1838, the plant was later taken over and renamed by one of its original investors, ...
.


Continental Iron Works

In 1859, Samuel Sneden, a builder of wood-hulled steamboats in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was offered a contract by a regular customer to build an iron-hulled ship. With no experience in the construction of such vessels, Sneden invited Rowland into partnership in his firm, Samuel Sneden & Co., to assist the yard in making the transition to iron shipbuilding.Weiss 1920. p
368
Still 1988. p
22
Rowland accepted, and over the following two years, three iron-hulled vessels were produced by the partnership.Roberts 2002. pp. 36–37. In January 1861, however, Sneden & Co. abruptly failed after submitting a low bid for the construction of a large-diameter water mains across the
Harlem River The Harlem River is an tidal strait in New York City, flowing between the Hudson River and the East River and separating the island of Manhattan from the Bronx on the United States mainland. The northern stretch, also called the Spuyten Duyvi ...
. Shortly after, Sneden ceded his yard to Rowland, who pledged to settle the failed company's affairs. Rowland renamed the yard the Continental Iron Works,''Transactions'' 1908. p
1182
and the water mains contract would later be completed by the new firm.


American Civil War

upright , Launch of at the Continental Iron Works, January 30, 1862 The establishment of the Continental Works coincided with the outbreak of 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 ...
in April 1861, and later that year, Rowland became associated with New York engineer
John Ericsson John Ericsson (born Johan Ericsson; July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) was a Swedish-American engineer and inventor. He was active in England and the United States. Ericsson collaborated on the design of the railroad steam locomotive Novelty (lo ...
, who had just secured a contract with the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
for the construction of a radically new type of ironclad warship with low
freeboard In sailing and boating, a vessel's freeboard is the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship. In commercial vessels, the latter criterion measured relativ ...
and a revolving
gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanis ...
.Still 1988. pp
24–26
Ericsson subcontracted Rowland for construction of the hull, and the new warship—later commissioned as —was launched at the Continental Works in just 101 days. When ''Monitor'' successfully neutralized the threat from the Confederate ironclad CSS ''Virginia'' at the
Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Merrimack'' or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. The battle was fought over two days, March 8 and 9, 1862, in Hampton ...
in 1862, a "monitor craze" took hold in Washington, with contracts for many more such warships being issued to firms around the nation.Still 1988. p
26
The Continental Iron Works would ultimately build seven monitors for the Navy during the war—more than any other company in the country. The Works also built the turrets for an additional three monitors as well as building an iron-hulled gunboatStill 1988. p
29
and doing other wartime work for the government. At one point in 1864, Rowland attempted to sell the Continental Works and go into early retirement, but this did not eventuate, and instead he would remain the company's president for most of his life. During the war, Rowland was widely praised for his energetic and creative leadership.Still 1988. p
28
He patented a number of machine tools in this period, including one that reportedly saved the labor of 75 men. A "prolific" inventor, Rowland would file more than fifty patents over the course of his lifetime.


Postwar activities

After the Civil War, a severe and prolonged shipbuilding slump devastated New York's shipbuilding industry,Still 1988. p
31
and although the Continental Iron Works continued to build the occasional ship, it diversified into other areas, notably the supply of equipment for the burgeoning
gas lighting Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a fuel gas such as methane, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly by ...
industry, including the manufacture of
gas holder A gas holder or gasholder, also known as a gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas (coal gas or formerly also water gas) is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows t ...
s,
gas main A pipeline is a system of pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries around the world. The Un ...
s and entire
gasworks A gasworks or gas house is an industrial plant for the production of flammable gas. Many of these have been made redundant in the developed world by the use of natural gas, though they are still used for storage space. Early gasworks Coal ...
.Still 1988. p
32
The company also manufactured its own line of
boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...
s, and became a pioneer in
welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, primarily by using high temperature to melting, melt the parts together and allow them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Co ...
technology, producing welded boiler furnaces, gas-illuminated buoys, steel
digester A digester is a vessel where chemical or biological reactions are carried out, which may involve the use of heat, enzymes or solvent. They are used in different types of process industries, such as in the production of biogas. Digesters are referr ...
s for the wood-pulping industry, and other products. From time to time it also manufactured
munition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...
s, notably welded
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
casings, and
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
casings during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. After this war, the company increasingly focused on the manufacture of gas mains and large welded water pipes. The company was liquidated in 1928, following the retirement of Rowland's son.


Personal details

upright=0.6 , Rowland, ca. 1903 In 1855, Thomas F. Rowland married Mary Eliza Bradley, daughter of Charles Bradley of New Haven, Connecticut.''Transactions'' 1908. p
1183
The Rowlands had four children: a daughter, Caroline Attwater, who died in infancy, and three sons, Thomas Jr., Charles and George, the first two of whom mentioned following their father into the family business.Weiss 1920. p
369
Rowland was known for his genial disposition, and was said to be "universally esteemed" during his life; he was further described as a "leading and progressive spirit in the life of the Greenpoint community." He was active as a
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
, notably pioneering the practice in New York of granting a half-day holiday to employees on Saturday afternoons, which he extended to his own workforce with no reduction in pay. He also gave generous Christmas bonuses to his employees, ranging from $25 () to $75 () depending on their length of employment. After the Ascension Episcopal Church in Kent Street, Brooklyn, was completed in 1885, Rowland paid the Church's outstanding debt of $15,000 (). On another occasion, when the rector of the Church—whom Rowland had at the time known for only a few months—suffered a prolonged illness, Rowland paid his accumulated medical bills. Rowland was a vice-president and life member of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...
, and was one of only nine honorary members in his time of the
American Society of Civil Engineers The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it is the oldest national engineering soci ...
. To the latter organization he endowed an annual prize for exceptional engineering papers, known as the
Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize The Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize is awarded annually by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Established in 1882, the prize is named after Thomas Fitch Rowland, a pioneering engineer in construction and infrastructure. Each year, the awar ...
, which is still awarded today. He was a life member of the
Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) is a global professional society that provides a forum for the advancement of the engineering profession as applied to the marine field. Although it particularly names the naval arch ...
, the
New York Chamber of Commerce The New York Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1768 by twenty New York City merchants. As the first such commercial organization in the United States, it attracted the participation of a number of New York's most influential business leaders, inc ...
, the
American Geographical Society The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are United States, Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows f ...
, American Gas Light Association, New Haven Colony Historical Society, Fairfield County Historical Society and New England Society, and an honorary member of the Society of Gas Lighting,
Union League Club The Union League Club is a private social club in New York City that was founded in 1863 in affiliation with the Union League. Its fourth and current clubhouse is located at 38 East 37th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in the Murray Hi ...
and American Yacht Club. He was also a trustee of the Webb Academy and Home for Shipbuilders, the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen and the
New York Historical Society The New York Historical (known as the New-York Historical Society from 1804 to 2024) is an American history museum and library on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. It ...
.''Transactions'' 1908. pp
1183–1184
Rowland struggled with illness in his declining years. He died on December 13, 1907, having only stepped back from the presidency of the Continental Works a few months prior. He was survived by his wife Mary, and by two of his sons, Thomas Jr. and Charles. His remains were interred in the family plot in Evergreen Cemetery, in his birthplace of New Haven, Connecticut.


Footnotes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowland, Thomas Fitch 1831 births 1907 deaths Engineers from New Haven, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Civil War American shipbuilders American marine engineers American yacht designers