Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

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Wernwag, Lewis 1769-1843

Civil engineer; born in Alteburg, Germany, Dec. 4, 1769; settled in Philadelphia in 1786. Not long afterwards he constructed a machine for manufacturing whetstones. He next became a builder of bridges and powermills. In 1809 he laid the keel of the first United States frigate built in the Philadelphia navy-yard; in 1812 he built a wooden bridge across the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia, which became known as the “Colossus of Fairmount” and which was till that time the longest bridge ever constructed, having a single arch with a span of 340 feet. About 1813, when he settled in Phoenixville, Pa., he began experiments for the purpose of utilizing anthracite coal. For a time he found it most difficult to ignite it, but later, by closing the furnace doors and making a draft beneath the coal, he succeeded in producing combustion. Later he invented a stove in which he burned coal in his own home. He died in Harper's Ferry, Va., Aug. 12, 1843.