Almarian Decker
Encyclopedia
Almarian William Decker was an American pioneer of electrical engineering
involved in the early development of three-phase electrical power. In 1892 he was hired by H. H. Sinclair and Henry Fisher of the Redlands Electric Light and Power Company, a California
n generating company, to design a new three-phase generator (based on experimental work by Nikola Tesla
) for the Mill Creek No. 1 hydroelectric plant. The plant opened in 1893 and is still in operation today (2004). This was the first commercial application of three-phase electrical power in the United States and probably the world. Its success led to the widespread adoption of three-phase power, in preference to single-phase and direct current.
Decker was also hired by Prof. Thaddeus Lowe
of the Mount Lowe Railway
which opened in Altadena, California
in 1893. Decker was responsible for the daily supervision of the electrical installations on the railway, and had also computed the electrical requirements for the Great Incline operating system, even considering a series of rechargeable batteries since there was such a lack of resources for hydroelectric generation. Decker suffered from tuberculosis
which left him so weak that he had to be ferried out to the work sites in a wheelbarrow daily to oversee the electrical installations. He died a little more than a month after the railroad opened.
Many of Decker's theories of electrical methodology were underestimated during his life, and it wasn't until after his death that his theories were put to test and proved applicable.
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
involved in the early development of three-phase electrical power. In 1892 he was hired by H. H. Sinclair and Henry Fisher of the Redlands Electric Light and Power Company, a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n generating company, to design a new three-phase generator (based on experimental work by Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
) for the Mill Creek No. 1 hydroelectric plant. The plant opened in 1893 and is still in operation today (2004). This was the first commercial application of three-phase electrical power in the United States and probably the world. Its success led to the widespread adoption of three-phase power, in preference to single-phase and direct current.
Decker was also hired by Prof. Thaddeus Lowe
Thaddeus S. C. Lowe
Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe , also known as Professor T. S. C. Lowe, was an American Civil War aeronaut, scientist and inventor, mostly self-educated in the fields of chemistry, meteorology, and aeronautics, and the father of military aerial reconnaissance in the United States...
of the Mount Lowe Railway
Mount Lowe Railway
The Mount Lowe Railway was the third in a series of scenic mountain railroads in America created as a tourist attraction on Echo Mountain and Mount Lowe, north of Los Angeles, California. The railway, originally incorporated by Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe as the Pasadena & Mt. Wilson Railroad Co...
which opened in Altadena, California
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
in 1893. Decker was responsible for the daily supervision of the electrical installations on the railway, and had also computed the electrical requirements for the Great Incline operating system, even considering a series of rechargeable batteries since there was such a lack of resources for hydroelectric generation. Decker suffered from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
which left him so weak that he had to be ferried out to the work sites in a wheelbarrow daily to oversee the electrical installations. He died a little more than a month after the railroad opened.
Many of Decker's theories of electrical methodology were underestimated during his life, and it wasn't until after his death that his theories were put to test and proved applicable.