Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Rudolph Hering Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0989
Creators:
Hering, Rudolph, 1847-1923
Dates:
1860-1923
Languages:
Some materials in
French,
German,
and
Spanish
.
Physical Description:
8.1 Cubic feet
32 boxes, 1 map-folder
Repository:
Collection documents, primarily through printed publications, Rudolph Hering's work on waste disposal, drainage, water flow of rivers, sanitary and hydraulic engineering, and municipal sewage systems in the United States and in other countries.

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
This collection contains pamphlets, reports, conference proceedings and journal articles, collected by Hering, about waste disposal, municipal sewage systems in the United States and other countries, drainage, water flow of rivers, experimental sewage investigations, and sanitary and hydraulic engineering. Some of the writings were authored by Rudoplph Hering, but many were authored by other civil engineers, such as George Waring, George Fuller, George Soper, and Gilbert Fowler to name a few.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series.
Series 1: United States Publications, 1874-1916
Series 2: Foreign Publications, 1871-1951
Series 3: General Publications, 1860-1923

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Rudolf Hering (1847-1923) was born in Philadelphia and educated in Dresden, Germany. He graduated from the Royal Saxon Polytechnic Institute in 1867 with a degree in civil engineering. Hering returned to the United States and worked as a leveler in Brooklyn, New York for C.C. Martin, chief engineer of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge. From 1869 to 1872, Hering worked as an assistant engineer in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia under J.C. Cresson, but left Philadelphia the same year to join the first topography survey of Yellowstone National Park under geologist, Ferdinand V. Hayden. From 1873-1874, Hering was a resident engineer for the Girard Street Bridge in Philadelphia and later became an assistant engineer (1875 to 1880) for various Philadelphia municipal construction projects, notably bridges and sewers.
To prevent the spread of contagious diseases in the United States, Hering was commissioned by the National Board of Health to investigate European sewage practices from May 10, 1880 to May 25, 1881. Hering's report included a discussion of dry-removal vs. water-carriage systems, but Hering endorsed the water carriage system for the United States, a method for the disposal of wastes, where water carries the wastes from its point of production to the point of treatment for final disposal. Depending on the conditions of a location, Hering advocated that a combination of systems was advisable. Combined systems (one pipe conveyed household waste and stormwater) were best for large cities and separate systems (two separate pipes conveyed household waste and stormwater) were best for small cities. Hering's work was concerned with both the design and construction of water supply and sewage works in the United States and other countries.

Administration

Author
Alison Oswald
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection donated by Samuel A. Greeley of Greeley and Hansen, 1967.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2021.
Ownership and Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Center from Division of Work and Industry, 2006.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Rudolph Hering Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Related Materials
Materials in the Archives Center
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Sanitation (NMAH.AC.0060)

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Civil engineering Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Contracts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drainage Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Garbage Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hydraulic engineering and engineers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Publications Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Public health Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Refuse collection Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Refuse and refuse disposal Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reports Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sanitation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sewage disposal Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Street cleaning Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Water -- Filtration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Water -- Purification -- Filtration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Water-supply Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fuller, George W. (George Warren), 1868-1934 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Waring, George E., Jr. (George Edwin), 1833-1898 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Greeley, Samuel A. (Samuel Arnold), 1882-1968 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu