author

Wm. (William) Cain

1847–1930

A leading Southern engineer and teacher, this author helped shape civil engineering education in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His books turned demanding topics like bridges, retaining walls, and masonry into practical lessons for students and working engineers.

1 Audiobook

Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXXII, June, 1911 : Experiments on retaining walls and pressures on tunnels

Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXXII, June, 1911 : Experiments on retaining walls and pressures on tunnels

by Wm. (William) Cain

About the author

Born in Hillsborough, North Carolina, in 1847, he became known as a civil engineer, mathematician, professor, and technical writer. North Carolina sources describe a career that lasted more than fifty years and linked classroom teaching with real engineering practice.

He taught mathematics and engineering at the Carolina Military Institute and at The Citadel before joining the University of North Carolina, where he led work in mathematics and engineering for many years. He also wrote a long list of professional texts and papers, including books on masonry, bridges, retaining walls, and sanitary engineering, which helped train generations of engineers.

His reputation reached well beyond his home state through his teaching, published work, and involvement in engineering scholarship. He died in 1930, remembered as one of the important builders of engineering education in North Carolina and the broader South.