Peter J. Bier, born in Hungary, immigrated to the United States in 1904. Bier worked as an engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of the Interior from 1923-1954, and continued to work as a consultant in the field after retirement. The collection includes materials related to his work with the Bureau of Reclamation, including project materials, drawings, designs, and inspection reports and data, along with materials documenting his time as an engineering consultant.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents Bier's work with the Bureau of Reclamation on dams and power stations in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest regions of the United States and his contract work in the United States and Mexico. It includes project files, reports, correspondence, notes, blueprints, and technical drawings.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into four series.
Series 1: Biographical, 1918-1965
Series 2: Articles, Manuals, and Research Materials, 1923-1970
Series 3: Bureau of Reclamation, 1915-1970
Subseries 3.1: Projects, 1934-1958
Subseries 3.2: Inspections and Testing, 1915-1954
Subseries 3.3: Technical Drawings and Designs, 1923-1970
Subseries 3.4: Employee Related Documents, 1950-1954
Series 4: Contract Work, 1954-1967
Biographical / Historical:
Peter J. Bier was born on April 22, 1884 in Ujnely, Hungary. He completed his college education at the State Technical School at Timisoara, Hungary. In 1904, Bier moved to the United States and in 1906 he started a job at Babcock and Wilcox Boiler Company. He worked for a series of companies as a draftsman and designer, and in 1923 he began working as an engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of the Interior in Denver, Colorado. Bier specialized in steel pipes and penstocks, which are pipes that deliver water to hydraulic turbines, for various dams.
Over the course of Bier's career, he was involved with project planning for irrigation and power developments, hydraulic structures and equipment, and inspections of equipment. He later supervised the design, specifications, and inspections for penstocks and related equipment. Bier wrote inspection manuals, monographs, and articles related to penstock and pipe design. Upon his retirement from the Bureaus of Reclamation in 1954, he remained active in the field and traveled as an engineering consultant.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
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.
Rights:
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.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Engineering Search this
Extent:
2.5 Cubic feet (10 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Instructional materials
Lecture notes
Date:
1905-1964, undated
Summary:
The papers of immigrant engineer Nicholas C. Mandragos.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists almost entirely of notes Mandragos used as the basis for lectures to his engineering classes. They cover various problem areas: stress analysis of structures, strength of materials, hydraulics and other technical aspects of structural design. There are also a few notes Mandragos made as a student in the 1920s and 1930s. The notes are carefully hand printed with detailed technical drawings, sometimes in photocopy. They are arranged alphabetically by subject, usually with dates.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Nicholas C, Mandragos was born on the Greek island of Symi in 1896, was educated at the Salvago Professional School in Alexandria, Egypt, at New York University and at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. He received a bachelor of science degree in engineering at the latter institution plus 21 points of graduate studies. After being employed as a structural engineer by New York Central RR, 1926 1937, Mandragos was employed in research during World War II at the War and Navy Depts. He also lectured on photoelasticity at George Washington University 1943 1949 and was an associate professor there 1947 1949; later he was a consulting engineer.
Separated Materials:
Instruments and models are housed in the the Division of Work and Industry.
Provenance:
This material was donated to NMAH, together with several instruments and models relating to materials testing, in October 1992 by Mr. Mandragos' widow, Frieda Mandragos.
Restrictions:
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.
Rights:
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.
