Charles M. (Charles Mattathias) Jacobs

author

Charles M. (Charles Mattathias) Jacobs

1850–1919

A pioneering civil engineer, he helped shape some of the great tunnel projects that connected New York and New Jersey at the start of the 20th century. His writing brings readers close to the practical challenges and bold ambition behind those landmark works.

1 Audiobook

Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910 The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad, The North River Division. Paper No. 1151

Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910 The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad, The North River Division. Paper No. 1151

by Charles M. (Charles Mattathias) Jacobs

About the author

Born in Hull, England, on June 8, 1850, Charles Mattathias Jacobs trained first in marine engineering before moving into large-scale civil engineering. Early in his career he worked abroad, including bridge work in China, and later built a reputation for difficult underground and river-crossing projects.

He is best remembered as a tunneling engineer connected with major New York infrastructure. Sources describe him as chief engineer for the Hudson and Manhattan railroad tunnels and for the North River Tunnels built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. His published reports and technical papers reflect a hands-on engineer explaining how these ambitious works were planned and carried out.

Jacobs died in 1919. Today, his name endures mainly through the engineering record he left behind: detailed accounts of tunnel construction, river crossings, and the kind of practical problem-solving that helped make modern metropolitan transport possible.