James B. Francis - Flood Control

Flood Control

In 1850, he also ordered the construction of the Great Gate over the Pawtucket Canal to protect the downtown mills from any devastating floods. This project quickly became known as; "Francis' Folly", for no one believed it would work, never mind that it may ever be needed. But, less than two years later, in 1852, the gates saved the city of Lowell from the devastating floods of 1852, then again in; 1936, 1938, 2006, and 2007 by preventing the Merrimack River from entering the canal system. However, arson damage to the wooden gate in the 1970s, and the difficult method of dropping it (by breaking a large chain link) prompted the city to use a more modern steel-beam bulkhead in its place in 2006. For his efforts in saving the city from great disaster Mr. Francis was awarded a massive silver pitcher and a salver by the City of Lowell.

In 1886, James B. Francis, teamed up with two other Civil Engineers; Eliot C. Clarke and Clemens Herschel to study and publish their findings in the "Prevention of Floods in the Valley of Stony Brook" which laid out a flood prevention system for the city of Boston. The intense study reviewed the Forest Hills, Hyde Park, Franklin park and Roslindale sections of the city that were subject to flooding.

In 1889, Francis was also called to duty as a member of the commission to examine the cause of the Johnstown, PA disaster, when the South Fork Dam broke, killing over 2,200 people.