The Biographical Dictionary of America/Barnes, David Leonard

​BARNES, David Leonard, civil engineer, was born near Providence, R.I., Aug. 23, 1858. He was graduated from Brown university in 1879, and studied engineering at the Massachusetts institute of technology. From 1882 to 1887 he was chief draughtsman and mechanical engineer at the Rhode Island locomotive works, and in 1887 became a consulting engineer for New York and Chicago, having his principal office in the latter city. He established a very wide practice, covering mechanical, civil and electrical engineering, and was consulting engineer for several western and southern railroads, foreign manufacturers, and for the Railroad Gazette, New York, of which periodical he was for about eight years previous to his death on the editorial staff. In 1890 he was awarded by Brown university the degree of A.M. by special vote. He was a member of the American society of mechanical engineers; American association for the advancement of science; American society of civil engineers; treasurer of the Western society of engineers, and vice-president of the Western railway club. He revised the second edition of "Compound Locomotives" by Arthur Tannatt Woods, published in 1893, and was the author of various scientific and technical papers. He died in New York city, Dec. 15, 1896.