Francis, James Bicheno

Francis, James Bicheno

(born May 18, 1815, Southleigh, Devon, Eng.—died Sept. 18, 1892, Lowell, Mass., U.S.) British-U.S. hydraulic engineer. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1833 and at 22 became chief engineer of the Proprietors of the Locks and Canals on the Merrimack River. In 40 years of managing the company's waterpower interests and advising manufacturers on waterpower, he contributed greatly to the rise of Lowell as an industrial centre. He invented the mixed-flow, or Francis, turbine used for low-pressure installations. He is also known for his formulas for the flow of water over weirs and many other studies in hydraulics. He was considered one of the foremost civil engineers of his time.