Adam Clark (engineer)
| Adam Clark | |
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Adam Clark, as depicted by Miklós Barabás
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| Born |
14 August 1811 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 23 June 1866 (aged 54) Budapest, Hungary |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Known for | Construction of Chain Bridge |
Adam Clark (Hungarian: Clark Ádám; 14 August 1811 – 23 June 1866) was a Scottish civil engineer who is best known for his career in Hungary. His most famous work is the Chain Bridge over the Danube River in Budapest, which was one of the longest bridges in the world when it opened. Clark oversaw its construction from 1839 to 1849, and ensured its safety during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. He remained in Hungary after the bridge's completion, and married a Hungarian.
Clark was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 14 August 1811. He served his engineering apprenticeship with Darling & Hume and G. Manwaring & Co., and then found work with Hunter & English. In 1834, Clark was sent to Budapest to supervise the construction of a new dredger, which had been ordered by Count István Széchenyi for use on the Danube. He returned to Scotland after two years.
In 1839, Clark moved back to Hungary to serve as resident engineer on the Chain Bridge, which was being built to link the twin towns of Buda and Pest across the Danube. With a central span of 666 feet (203 m) and a total length of 1,262 feet (385 m), it was the one of the longest bridges in the world when it opened in 1849, just behind the 675 feet (206 m) central span of then third longest Hungerford Bridge (a footbridge opened earlier in 1849). The bridge's designer and chief engineer was an Englishman, William Tierney Clark (no relation), but he was unable or unwilling to remain in Hungary to supervise its construction. Clark spent ten years working on the bridge, with an annual salary of £400. He supervised the selection of the timber for its 5,000 piles, travelling to Slavonia and Tyrol to find appropriate wood.
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