The New International Encyclopædia/Fuertes, Estevan Antonio

FUERTES, fwâr'tắs, Estevan Antonio (1838-1903). An American civil engineer and educator, born at San Juan, Porto Rico. He graduated at the Troy (N. Y.) Polytechnic Institute in 1857, became a member of the royal corps of engineers in Puerto Rico, and in 1862-63 was director of public works for the western district of the island. In 1863 and 1864 he was assistant engineer, from 1864 to 1869 engineer on the Croton Aqueduct Board, and in the latter capacity prepared a valuable report on the connection of the Croton water-supply with the manufactures of New York City. In 1870-71 he was the engineer-in-chief of the United States expedition to Tehuantepec and Nicaragua, to investigate the practicability of a trans-isthmian ship-canal. He became dean of the department of civil engineering in Cornell University in 1873, and from 1890 to 1902 was director of the college of civil engineering, and obtained for Cornell an excellent special equipment for this work. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and other learned organizations, and published numerous scientific articles and reports.