author
G. B. N. (George Bates Nichols) Tower
1834–1889
An engineer, Civil War naval officer, and practical writer, he turned hands-on experience into books about bridges, steam boilers, and the working life of engineers. His surviving works give a vivid glimpse of 19th-century American industry and invention.
1 Audiobook
Instructions on Modern American Bridge Building
by G. B. N. (George Bates Nichols) Tower
About the author
Born in 1834, George Bates Nichols Tower was an American civil and mechanical engineer who also served as a Union naval officer during the Civil War. He is associated with service aboard the USS Canandaigua as a chief engineer, linking his technical career with wartime naval work.
Tower wrote for readers interested in engineering as a practical craft. His books include Guide Posts on the Engineer's Journey, Useful Things to Know About Steam Boilers, and Instructions on Modern American Bridge Building. Together, they suggest a writer focused on useful knowledge, clear instruction, and the rapidly changing technology of his time.
He died in 1889. Although he is not widely remembered as a literary figure, his work still stands as a record of the skills, ambitions, and everyday problem-solving that shaped 19th-century American engineering.