The New International Encyclopædia/Fuertes, Estevan Antonio
FUERTES, fwâr'tắs,  (1838-1903).
An American civil engineer and educator,
born at San Juan, Porto Rico. He graduated at
the Troy (N. Y.) Polytechnic Institute in 1857,
became a member of the royal corps of engineers
in Puerto Rico, and in 1862-63 was director of
public works for the western district of the
island. In 1863 and 1864 he was assistant
engineer, from 1864 to 1869 engineer on the Croton
Aqueduct Board, and in the latter capacity 

 a valuable report on the connection of the
Croton water-supply with the manufactures of
New York City. In 1870-71 he was the engineer-in-chief
of the United States expedition to
Tehuantepec and Nicaragua, to investigate the
practicability of a trans-isthmian ship-canal. He
became dean of the department of civil engineering
in Cornell University in 1873, and from 1890 to
1902 was director of the college of civil engineering,
and obtained for Cornell an excellent special
equipment for this work. He was a member
of the American Society of Civil Engineers and
other learned organizations, and published
numerous scientific articles and reports.