HARRIS E.G.

HARRIS E.G. 27.06. 1861 Spartanburg SC/USA 21.12. 1944 Rolla MO/USA Elmo Golightly Harris graduated from University of Virginia, Charlottesville VA, in 1882 with the civil engineering degree. He was in charge of surveys of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company then, and later was employed by the Cotton Belt Railroad Co., in charge of rebuilding a bridge over Arkansas River at Pine Bluff AR. New piers had to be built under the old bridge while traffic was maintained. These were placed by the pneumatic process; in studying the process of blowing out the sand with compressed air, Harris discovered the principles of the ‘air-lift pump’. He thus became interested in compressed air flow and later published a textbook on Compressed air. He also wrote in 1895 an article on the Theory of the air-lift pump. A patent was granted shortly later. He designed then the first water works and sewerage system of Rolla MO, with the air-lift pump used on the deep-well water supply installation. He later developed a return air pump which was widely used until the development of the electrically-driven centrifugal pump. Harris joined in 1891 the Faculty of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Rolla MO, as civil engineering professor. He specialized in mining, hydraulics, and water supply. He published a treatise on centrifugal pumps, and developed a chart for the Manning formula, thereby replacing many tables by a simple diagram. He further published in the Bulletins of his School. He also called attention to the possibility of a hydro-electric power plant on Ouachita River in Arkansas. He was made emeritus professor in 1931; a new building on the university campus housing the civil engineering Department was named Harris Hall in his honour. He stated in his memoirs: ‘The period of rugged individuality, wholesome achievement, peace and security, in which I have lived is past. We are at a turning point in human affairs’. He was member of the American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE from 1901, and became life member in 1932. Anonymous (1939). Elmo G. Harris. Civil Engineering 9(1): 67. P Anonymous (1945). Elmo G. Harris. Trans. ASCE 110: 1717-1720. Harris, E.G. (1895). Theory of the air-lift pump. Journal of the Franklin Institute 140(1): 32-52. Harris, E.G. (1903). Theory of centrifugal pumps and fans: Analysis of their action, with suggestions for designers. Trans. ASCE 51: 166-252. Harris, E.G. (1910). Compressed air: Theory and computations. McGraw-Hill: New York. Harris, E.G. (1915). Orifice measurement of air in large quantities. Bulletin 2(2). School of Mines and Metallurgy. University of Missouri: Rolla MO.