BRUNEL, broo-ner, Isambard Kingdom, English engineer: b. Portsmouth (son of Sir Marc Isarnhard Brunel, q.v.), 9 April 1806; d. 15 Sept. 1859. He was educated at the Henri IV College at Caen, France. The bent of his genius was toward mechanical pursuits, and at the age of 20 he commenced practicalengi neering under his father at the Thames Tunnel, for which he acted as resident engineer. Dur ing the progress of the works he was more than once in imminent danger of his life by the breaking in of the river, and only saved himself by swimming. His attention was mainly directed to steam navigation and railway engi neering, and of his works in these departments may be mentioned, among others, the Great Western (1838), Great Britain (1845) and Great Eastern (1858) steamships; the entire works on the Great Western Railway, to which he was appointed engineer in 1833; and the railway viaduct over the Tamar at Saltash. He was also the engineer of the Hungerford suspen sion bridge. He designed many docks at Eng
lish seaports, including those of Monkwear mouth, Plymouth, Briton Ferry and Milford Haven. The genius of the younger Brunel was undoubted, but in carrying through his opera tions he was, like his father, too apt to regard merely the attainment of a grand and brilliant result without taking into consideration the losses and expense which might thereby be occasioned to those who had invested their capital in the undertaking. This was more especially the case with the Great Western Rail way. While on board the Great Eastern—his last work — the day before she quitted the Thames on her first disastrous cruise, Mr. Bru nel was suddenly seized with paralysis and had to be carried home. In a weex afterward he expired. He became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1830, and D.C.L. of Oxford in 1857.