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McALPINE, William Jarvis, civil engineer, born in New York city in 1812. He received his education in his native city, and in 1827 became a civil engineer, engaging chiefly on the construction of canals and other hydraulic works. Subsequently he was engineer of the eastern division of the Erie canal enlargement until June, 1846, when he became chief engineer of the construction of the dry dock of the United States navy-yard in Brooklyn. He was elected state engineer of New York in 1852, and in 1854-'6 was state railroad commissioner. Later he was for two years acting president and engineer of the Erie railroad, after which he was chief engineer of roads in the west. The original waterworks in Albany, New York, and in Chicago, Illinois, were designed and constructed under his supervision, and he was associated in the building of other similar works. In 1870, at the request of the Austrian government, he presented plans for the improvement of the cataracts of the Danube river. Since that time his advice has been largely sought on important engineering projects throughout the United States. He has published valuable reports and was president of the American society of civil engineers in 1868-'9.
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