Jonas Waldo Smith (March 9, 1861 – October 14, 1933) was an American civil engineer and chief engineer on the Board of Water Supply of New York from 1905 to 1922. He was awarded the 1918

John Fritz Medal The John Fritz Medal has been awarded annually since 1902 by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) for "outstanding scientific or industrial achievements". The medal was created for the 80th birthday of John Fritz, who lived betw ...

Biography

Youth, education and early career

Waldo was born in

Lincoln, Massachusetts Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States Census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits. The town, loc ...

as the youngest son of Francis Smith and Abigail Prescott (Baker) Smith. After attending the Phillips Academy, he studied civil engineer at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, where he graduated in 1887.American Society of Civil Engineers. ''Transactions,'' Vol. 101. 1936. p. 1502 Waldo had started his career as chief engineer of the water works of Lincoln, Massachusetts in 1868 at the age of 17. From 1881 he had been assistant in office of the civil engineering company Essex Company and Lawrence. During his studies at MIR he had been assistant in the Holyoke Water Power Company Essex Company in Lawrence in the summers, and after his graduation in 1887 he continued to work there for another three years.

Further career and recognitions

In 1890 Waldo joined E. Jersey Water Company, where he became assistant of

Clemens Herschel Clemens Herschel (March 23, 1842 – March 1, 1930) was an American hydraulic engineer. His career extended from about 1860 to 1930, and he is best known for inventing the Venturi meter, which was the first large-scale, accurate device for measu ...

. In the first two years they designed the dams of the Pequannock watershed in the

Pequannock River The Pequannock River is a tributary of the Pompton River, approximately long, located in northern New Jersey in the United States. It rises in eastern Sussex County, near Highland Lakes on the north side of Hamburg Mountain. It flows southeas ...

. Still with the company in 1892 he was put in charge of the Passaic Water Company, Paterson as Principal assistant engineer, and later served as engineer at the Montclair Water Company, and at the Acquackanonk Water Company until 1900. In 1900 Waldo was appointed chief engineer at the E. Jersey Water Company. Here he directed the design and construction of a "mechanical filterstation plant at Little Falls, the largest and most modern plant of its kind in the United States at its completion." From 1903 to 1905 he was chief engineer in the aqueduct commissioner of New York, where he assisted in the completion of the construction of the

New Croton Dam The New Croton Dam (also known as Cornell Dam) is a dam forming the New Croton Reservoir, both parts of the New York City water supply system. It stretches across the Croton River near Croton-on-Hudson, New York, about north of New York City. ...

. From 1905 to 1922 he served at the Board of Water Supply of New York as Chief engineer. In 1918 Waldo was awarded the honorary Doctor of Engineering from the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...

. In the same year he also received the

. He died at his home in Manhattan on October 14, 1933.

Publications

* Smith, J. Waldo.
The Catskill Water Supply System
" Journal (American Water Works Association) 5.2 (1918): 91-99. * Smith, J. Waldo, and W. W. Brush.
Repairs to Risers in the Shafts of the City Tunnel of the Catskill Aqueduct (with discussion)
" ''Journal (American Water Works Association)'' 6.1 (1919): 46-53. * Smith, J. Waldo.
Schoharie development of the Catskill Water Supply System for New York City
" ''Journal (American Water Works Association)'' 6.4 (1919): 639-653.

References

External links

J. Waldo Smith
City of Vancouver Archives

NYC Watershed Retrospective
J. Waldo Smith Hydraulic Fellowship
ASCE {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jonas Waldo 1861 births 1933 deaths American civil engineers MIT School of Engineering alumni People from Lincoln, Massachusetts John Fritz Medal recipients