William Cawthorn Unwin and hydraulic power at Niagara

PE goes back in time

The Niagara River flows for 36 miles between two of the Great Lakes in the US, Erie and Ontario. The first major effort to utilise the famous Niagara Falls as a source of energy was made in 1861 with the construction of a hydraulic canal. The United States appointed an engineer, Thomas Evershed, to develop the area’s power supply and he proposed acquiring land approximately a mile above the falls to construct surface-supply canals and a tail-race tunnel leading to the lower river.

A central figure in the development of power supply at the falls was William Cawthorn Unwin. He was born at Coggeshall, Essex in 1838 and served his pupilage under Sir William Fairbairn, one of the first engineers to experiment with shipbuilding in iron. Unwin took a bachelor degree at the University of London and although he worked as an engineering works manager for six years it was in education that he made his mark. 

He was appointed to the chair of hydraulic engineering at the Royal Indian College in Surrey and in 1884 became the first professor of civil and mechanical engineering at City and Guilds London Central Technical College.  

Unwin’s high profile led to international recognition and his appointment as secretary of the International Commission on the Utilisation of the Niagara Falls. He carried out investigations in different countries on hydraulic and electrical developments, which led to the selection of hydroelectric power generators at the falls. In a discussion paper to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1910 he said that hydraulic plant had been established that was capable of developing about 600,000hp and he praised the financial, commercial and engineering commitment of the US and Canada.

His achievements were recognised by the engineering community and he served terms as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the engineering section of the British Association. In 1921 he was the recipient of the first Kelvin Gold Medal, which was awarded by the Institution of Civil Engineers for "distinguished service in the application of science to engineering". He died in 1933 at the age of 95, having worked on research committees to the end of his life.