University of Washington Engineering Experiment Station collection of Tacoma Narrows Bridge photographs and ephemera, 1939-1965

The Engineering Experiment Station of the University of Washington was officially established by the Board of Regents in 1917. The express purpose of the Station was "to aid in the industrial development of the state and nation by scientific research and by furnishing information for the solution of engineering problems." The Station had 3 directors during its existence, Carl Edward Magnusson from 1917 until his death in 1941, Edgar Allan Loew from 1941 to 1945, and Frederick Burt Farquharson from 1945 to 1963. In September of 1962, the Office of Engineering Research was established within the College of Engineering for the promotion and administration of sponsored research in the various engineering departments. In July of 1963, the Engineering Experiment Station was merged with the Office of Engineering Research under the latter title.

From its inception in 1917 to its end in 1963, the Station performed research in many areas of engineering and science. The Station conducted research for a wide range of civil and private organizations, both within and outside of the United States. The list of clients includes the United States Department of the Interior, Washington State, the City of Seattle, the City of Vancouver British Columbia, and a number of private companies. Perhaps the Station's most notable work was an investigation of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse in 1940. Much of the research on this problem was led by Frederick Burt Farquharson. Professor Farquharson received publicity for his construction of a quonset-hut wind tunnel, which he used to test full and sectional models of the bridge, simulating the violent winds that rocked "Galloping Gertie."

The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built between November 1938 and July 1, 1940. Lauded as an essential economic and military portal to the Olympic peninsula, its completion was called a triumph of man's ingenuity and perseverance. Four months after it opened to the public, it collapsed in what was later called "the Pearl Harbor of engineering."

Contemporary accounts appeared to be shocked by the collapse, although the bridge had begun exhibiting wavelike motions during the final stages of construction. Soon after its official opening, the bridge gained a reputation for this movement and was informally christened "Galloping Gertie." Professor F.B. Farquharson, an engineering professor at the University of Washington, and other University engineers were hired to suggest methods to reduce the movement on the bridge. Over the next few months experiments were conducted on a scale model, but a solution to the problem proved elusive.

On November 7, 1940, Professor Farquharson was there to witness and document the spectacular collapse of what had been the third longest suspension bridge in the world with the longest single span in the country. In the aftermath, many theories were discussed concerning the cause of the bridge's collapse. Ultimately an investigative board for the Washington State Toll Bridge Authority announced the failure was due to the bridge's design reacting to the wind in the Narrows.

Although rebuilding the bridge was immediately suggested, investigations on the wreckage found the entire superstructure to be unusable. The onset of World War II further stalled attempts to rebuild. Salvage activity continued on the bridge through 1942 with the materials going to the U.S. war effort and the profits saved for the construction of a new bridge.

While the salvage work went on, Professor Farquharson was commissioned to test models of the old Narrows Bridge and the new proposed design for the bridge. At the University of Washington's new structural research lab, built specifically to house the models, tests proved that the new design was sound. Construction on the new bridge began in the summer of 1948 and was finished in October 1950. The previous three and a half years spent studying aerodynamics ensured a bridge whose fate would not mimic the first. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge has remained standing.

Frederick Burt Farquharson was an engineer and professor of engineering. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1895. He studied at the University of Washington, earning his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1923. He then spent two years working for Boeing Airplane Company, after which he returned to the University of Washington to earn his Masters degree and begin teaching. Farquharson taught in the University of Washington's Department of Civil Engineering. He was granted the status of instructor in 1927, assistant professor in 1928, associate professor in 1937, and professor in 1940. From 1945 to 1963, Professor Farquharson directed the Engineering Experiment Station of the University of Washington. He retired from the University in 1963, and was made professor emeritus that same year.

Professor Farquharson's professional interests included various aspects of airplane design (especially early in his career), aerodynamics, and the use of wind tunnels for bridge design testing. He is most noted for the use of wind tunnels for his studies of the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse and for the development of the new Tacoma Narrows bridge. He served on a number of committees concerned with engineering education and research for such professional engineering societies as the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society for Engineering Education. Professor Farquharson was also a member of the University of Washington Instructor's Association, which created and assessed a survey of salary and promotion facts, and of faculty opinions regarding the fairness of promotions. He was also called for expert testimony in 1957 in a trial concerning a failed spider staging cable used by a painter at the Weyerhauser Pulp Mill in Cosmopolis, Washington.

Farquharson was politically active during the economic depression of the 1930's. He had associations with such organizations as the League for Industrial Democracy and the National Council for the Prevention of War. His wife, Mary, was also active in anti-war and civil liberties movements, and served in the Washington State Senate.

Frederick Burt Farquharson passed away on June 17, 1970.