Thomas Oakes (died 1823) was the chief engineer of the Schuylkill Navigation Company. He was responsible for the design and early construction of the Navigation's

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...

canals in the early 19th century. Oakes was also instrumental in the design of the

Fairmount Water Works The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was Philadelphia's second municipal waterworks. Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and originally finished in 1815, it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a p ...

in Philadelphia, and its original three

waterwheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a large wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with numerous blade ...

s in particular. The Oakes Canal of the Schuylkill Navigation and the nearby village of

Oaks, Pennsylvania Oaks is an unincorporated community located in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community is 18 miles (30 km) northwest of Philadelphia and its boundaries are defined in large part by the villag ...

are both named for him. In 1821, after, completion of the Oakes Reach, Oakes died from

typhoid fever 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 th ...

that was plaguing the canal workers.

References

American canal engineers 1823 deaths Year of birth missing {{US-engineer-stub