Peter Junkersfeld

Biography

Peter Junkersfeld, Vice-President of the Stone and Webster Corporation, Associate Member of the Institute 1901, Fellow 1912, and Vice-President 1916-18, was born near Sadorous, Illinois, October 17, 1869.

In 1895 he obtained a B. S. degree at University of Illinois, and in 1907, E. E. He has engaged in engineering and construction ever since 1895.

Soon after graduation in 1895, Mr. Junkersfeld entered the employ of the Chicago Edison Company and its successor, with which interests he remained for nearly 24 years. Beginning with two years in power plant operation, he rose in the organization until, in 1899, he became head of the Engineering Department, and in 1909, Assistant Vice-President, supervising the contracting, operating, construction, and electrical departments.

He was intimately identified with the Fisk, Quarry, Northwest, and other steam power plants (aggregating over 600,000 kv-a. when he resigned in 1919), and corresponding transmission lines, substations, distributing system and other physical properties; he has also engaged in commercial activities, particularly electric service and power rating and negotiations resulting in supplying power required by all elevated and surface electric railways of Chicago.

He served also in the capacity of consultant, and for five years was chairman of a monthly engineering, constructing, and operating conference of various Insull public utilities in several states. In 1916 he became President of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies. By Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, he was appointed to the Board of Directors for Industrial Preparedness in Illinois, and was made an Associate Member of the Naval Consulting Board.

He became a member of the Officers' Reserve Corps in February 1917, and on June 7, 1917 began active service in the World War, continuing until March 4, 1919 in the successive ranks of Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel, engaged in the construction of cantonments, camps, hospitals, port terminals, warehouses, munition plants and other war construction.

On July 15th, 1919 Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War, presented him with the Distinguished Service Medal.

In April 1919 he resigned from the Commonwealth Edison Company to become associated with Stone & Webster, Inc., of Boston, as Engineering Manager and executive of the Construction and Engineering Division.

During the following three years, this Division constructed about 300,000 kv-a. in 14 steam and four hydroelectric plants and extensions, and about 20,000 boiler horsepower in six industrial and steam heating boiler plants; he also engaged in industrial work including a complete sugar refinery, five rubber works, fabric and hosing works, and other industrial and general construction developments.

In February 1922, he resigned from Stone & Webster, Inc., to become a partner in the firm McClellan & Junkersfeld, Inc., Engineers and Constructors, whose first important work was the design and construction of the Cahokia power plant for the Union Electric Light & Power Co. of Illinois, near East St. Louis, 111. With extensions and commitments authorized, this plant has a capacity of about 340,000 kw., and a probable ultimate capacity of 450,000 kw. It was the second large public utility electric plant designed to burn exclusively pulverized coal. Engineering service was rendered also for the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company on its Avon and East 70th Street plants, and engineering and construction service for the new San Francisco steam plant of the Great Western Power Co. in California.

In six years, beginning 1922, his firm did engineering, construction, and report work in a total of 21 States and three Provinces of Canada, including about 1,200,000 kv-a. in steam-electric plants, and pulverized coal installations totaling over 110,000 boiler horsepower, exclusive of various industrial installations.

On July 19, 1928 the firm of McClellan & Junkersfeld, Inc., was merged with the Division of Construction and Engineering of Stone & Webster, Inc., to form the Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, with Mr. Junkersfeld Vice-President.

He has written many technical papers, among them "Multiple vs. Independent Operation of Power Plants" (1901); "Teriodic Inspection of Steam Turbines" (1907); "Effect of Load Factor on Steam Station Costs" (1921); "Obsolescence as a Factor in Design of Steam Generating Stations" (1923); "General-Review of Current Practise in Steam Power Stations" (1924); (The last presented before the First World Power Conference in London jointly by Mr. Junkersfeld and Mr. G. A. Orrok), as well as other articles and discussions before engineering and technical associations and printed in various publications.

He was first President of the Construction Division Association; was a Past-President of Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, and Past Vice-President of Western Society of Engineers. He was also a member of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers; American Society of Civil Engineers; National Electric Light Association; Edison Pioneers; Engineers' Clubs of Chicago and New York; Western Universities Club of New York; the Lawyers' Club; and the Scarsdale Golf Club.

Junkersfeld died on March 18th, 1930.