Joseph Hobson (1834–1917) was a Canadian land surveyor and railway design engineer. Early in his career he apprenticed under various professionals and became a provincial land surveyor when he was 21 years old. He did layout work for towns and counties in Ontario. Hobson became an assistant engineer for the Grand Trunk Railway railroad company and did railway surveys. Advancing in his career he became the chief engineer for the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

. Hobson was the resident engineer during the construction of the International Railway Bridge between the United States and Canada in the 1870s. He designed the first St. Clair railway tunnel. This was the first underwater railway tunnel between Canada and the United States. When it opened in 1891 it was the first undersea tunnel linking two distinct countries and the longest undersea tunnel then constructed. Hobson, who was married in 1856, had six children. He retired in 1907, and worked as a consultant until his death in 1917.

Early life and education

Hobson was born in 1834 in Guelph Township in Wellington County, Ontario. He had a brother, John, who was born in 1835. Hobson's parents were Joseph and Margaret Hobson. He attended log schoolhouses in Guelph for his primary schooling. In 1855 he went to Berlin, Canada.

Career

Surveying

He apprenticed with John Tully as a land surveyor. During this time he did layout plans for the Ontario towns of

Kitchener Kitchener may refer to: People * Earl Kitchener, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom ** Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850–1916), British Field Marshal and 1st Earl Kitchener ** Henry Kitchener, 2nd Earl Kitchener (1846–1937) ...

and Guelph. Later he apprenticed under M. C. Schofield and passed his final exam as provincial land surveyor.

Civil engineering

In 1856, Hobson joined the firm of Gzowski and McPherson in Toronto. He returned to Kitchener in 1858 from Toronto to work for the county of

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

as their engineer on a part-time basis. Besides being the county engineer he also did private surveying. One of his contracts was the surveying of the township of Bidwell on Manitoulin Island. Hobson was later an assistant engineer on the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway from St. Marys to Sarnia. He was also engaged in railway surveys in Nova Scotia and also in the United States. Hobson lived in Guelph from the mid 1860s to the mid 1870s. From the summer of 1869 to the spring of 1870 he was an engineer to George Lowe Reid, chief engineer of the

. He assisted in the building of the Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway from Guelph to Southampton. International Bridge Buffalo LOC det 4a19566a

Hobson in 1870 became chief engineer of the Great Western Railway. When it merged with the Grand Trunk Railway he was then the chief engineer of the Grand Trunk West of Toronto. He was the onsite engineer for the construction of the International Railway Bridge from 1870 to 1873. It crossed the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

between

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of N ...

and Buffalo, New York. The half-mile long (0.80 km) bridge was contracted for $1 million when construction started in 1870. On its completion at the end of 1873 Hobson was promoted to assistant engineer of the Great Western Railway. He was further promoted to chief engineer in 1875. He moved to Hamilton, Canada soon thereafter but traveled often to Buffalo. Hobson became chief engineer in 1882 of the Grand Trunk Railway west of Toronto. Hobson was appointed chief engineer to design and build the St. Clair Tunnel in 1886 between Sarnia in Ontario and

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

. The tunnel was constructed within a year at a cost of $2,700,000. The first trains ran through on September 20, 1891. It was then the first undersea tunnel linking two distinct countries, and the longest then constructed, at portal to portal. Total length of the tunnel counting the approaches was . After this project Hobson became chief engineer for the entire Grand Trunk Railway in 1896. The tunnel was converted to run electric trains in 1908. Hobson was a member of the Canadian and American Societies of Civil Engineers and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers of London, England. He was a railway administrator that approved bidding contracts submitted to railroad companies for sub-contracting. File:St Clair 1890 tunnel entrance.jpg, St Clair 1890 tunnel entrance File:Detroit Publishing - Engine, locomotive, 1500 h.p., St. Clair tunnel, Port Huron, Mich..jpg, Electric engine locomotive,
1500 horse power File:PSM V45 D484 Line of excavation of the st clair tunnel.jpg, Line of excavation
engineering drawing File:St Clair tunnel drawing 1890.jpg, St Clair tunnel
engineering drawing

Personal life

Hobson married Elizabeth Laidlaw of Guelph in 1856. They had two sons and four daughters. He retired from the railway industry in 1907, but continued as a railway consultant until his death in 1917 at the age of 84.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobson, Joseph 1834 births 1917 deaths American engineers Canadian engineers Canadian civil engineers People from Wellington County, Ontario