WORTHINGTON, Henry Rossiter, inventor, born in New York city, 17 December, 1817; died in Tarrytown, New York, 17 December, 1880. He early engaged in business with his father, a merchant in New York city, and about 1840 began experimenting with steam for the propulsion of canal-boats. Among the difficulties to be overcome was the maintaining of a supply of water within the boiler while the engine was not in motion, as when the boat was passing through locks. The method in use at this time was a hand-pump, and he conceived the idea of compelling the idle boiler to furnish power to supply its own water. For this purpose he devised a small steam cylinder with an attached pump, which, without the use of shaft, crank, and flywheel, produced a movement of its own slide-valve. In 1841 he patented the independent feed-pump, which developed into the direct-acting steam-pump that he patented in 1849. In 1854 he erected in Savannah the first direct-acting compound condensing engine that was ever built and the first compound engine that was ever used in waterworks. The success of this led to the subsequent adoption of similar engines throughout the country. The invention of the duplex pump followed, and consists of an arrangement of two pumps working side by side. It is now largely used for supplying water in cities and towns and in mills and factories, as well as on steamers, where it is used to feed boilers, extinguish fires, and for similar purposes. Mr. Worthington built up a large plant for the manufacture of pumping machinery, and he ranks as a pioneer in that branch of hydraulic engineering. He was a member of the American institute of mining engineers and one of the founders of the American society of mechanical engineers.