The Men of Atlas Iron

I've been curious about the men who worked together at Atlas Iron.  Henry Williams had no expertise in building, and he joined forces with three younger men who did in order to start the company.  I've discovered that those other three men - Philip Raqué, Frank Harrison and Frederick Youngs - all worked at Union Iron Works just prior to founding Atlas Iron.  They very likely worked on the Columbia Building, which was the third skeleton-framed building in the city, and brought that knowledge with them to Atlas Iron.

As they formed their company, Henry Williams was 52, Philip Raqué was 35, Frank Harrison and Frederick Youngs were both 23, and Henry's son Frederick Williams was 22.  I've also discovered that Frank Harrison, Fred Youngs and Fred Williams lived within a block of each other for a short time - more on that below.

Henry C. Williams with his sons,
Fred (left) and Henry (right), circa 1879

Henry C. Williams was the company's president and put up most of the money for the venture.  He was born in Lower Sandusky, Ohio in 1838.  His parents both passed away while he was young.  He later followed his older brother to New York City.  He served in the Civil War, and then had a very successful career as a stock and bond broker.  He and his wife Mary E. Harrison had two sons: Frederick in 1868 and Henry Jr. in 1869.  His son Frederick described him as "one of those successful 'self-made' men we used to read about; a good, honest, kind-hearted, generous man; clean-living, courteous and chivalrous to a degree not often seen to-day [in 1945],--a gentleman at heart as well as in manners. He was extremely punctilious in keeping his word,--always a little ahead of time for an appointment,--never failing to pay a bill when promised,--and expecting the same in others."

Henry sold his seat on the New York Stock Exchange and retired right around the time he turned 49.  However, he "was of too active a disposition to settle down and live on his income."  He began looking for a new business venture, which ultimately became Atlas Iron Construction.

After Atlas Iron went out of business at the end of 1895, Henry Williams retired to his vacation home in Castine, Maine.  The failure of the company - and his own finances, which he used to try and save it - came as a heavy blow, and his family believed that contributed to his death the following September.


Philip E. Raqué was the company's vice president and engineer.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1855.  He was in the second graduating class of the Stevens Institute of Technology in 1876, earning a degree in mechanical engineering.  His thesis was titled "Design for Iron Foundery", and he was in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  He and his wife Eliza Ferritt had at least one son, Arthur, in 1888.  They may have had another son in 1896, and I have seen mention of a daughter.  It has been difficult to find clear information about his family or life.

After Atlas Iron, Philip Raqué continued to work as an engineer in New York and New Jersey.  He worked on the Ansonia Apartment Hotel, the Newark Armory and the Jersey City Armory, among other projects.


Frank S. Harrison was the company's secretary, engineer and superintendent.  He was also the cousin of Henry Williams' first wife, Mary Harrison.  Frank was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1867, grew up there and attended Yale's Sheffield Scientific School.  He graduated in 1886 at the age of 18 (it was a three-year program and, while he was young for his class, this was not unprecedented).  His focus was on civil engineering and his thesis was on cantilever bridges. 

Frank worked as an engineer for several years throughout New England.  Fred Williams described him as "a genius as an engineer", and wrote of his inventing an advanced derrick and devising the roof of an armory drill hall, both for Atlas Iron.  He and Harriet H. Eyster were married in 1892 and they had three daughters: Elizabeth in 1894, Helen in 1896 and Margaret in 1901.  He was "good natured, easy going, and had the knack of getting along well with the men on the various jobs, as well as with everybody else."

After Atlas Iron, Frank Harrison moved to Halltown, West Virginia where he became managing partner and eventually president of Eyster & Son, his father-in-law's paper box board company.


Frederick T. Youngs was the company's treasurer and a builder by trade.  He was born in Stamford, Connecticut in 1867, the eldest son out of eleven children.  By 1880, his family was living in New Rochelle, New York.  I don't know where he went to school.  He and Kate C. Davis married in 1889.  They had a son, William, that same year and another, Frederick Jr., in 1894.

Frederick's father was William H. W. Youngs (sometimes listed as Henry Walmsley Youngs), a prominent architect at the time in New York City.  Most notably, he and his partner William A. Cable - as Youngs & Cable - designed Aldrich Court and the Columbia Building.  Atlas Iron ended up working on a number of buildings designed by Youngs and/or Cable.

After Atlas Iron, Fred Youngs shifted his career focus from steel construction to general construction.  He partnered with Leonard Jacob Jr. as Jacob & Youngs, and devoted much of his career to building the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Frederick H. Williams
as an undergraduate

Frederick H. Williams is also worth mentioning here.  He was my great-great-grandfather, and he wrote many of the details which have been passed down through the family about Atlas Iron, Henry Williams (his father) and Frank Harrison.

Fred was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1868.  He graduated from Yale in 1891.  Having no career plans yet except to enter business, he took a job at Atlas Iron.  His duties included copying and typing letters, checking prices and information, and sometimes answering the telephone (which he tried to avoid).  When not busy with his own work he would watch and learn from the men in the drafting room and sometimes assist them with their blueprints.  He was later put in charge of the company payroll.  He and Alice E. Corbett married in 1893.  They had two sons and a daughter: Marshall in 1894, Mary in 1896 and Harrison in 1901.

After Atlas Iron, Fred Williams moved to Binghamton, New York where he had a long career teaching high school history, civics and government.


Fred Williams wrote that he lived near Frank Harrison, and in checking for details I found that not only did they live within a block of each other for a short time, but that Fred Youngs lived nearby as well.  The Harrisons lived briefly at #335 Lafayette Ave. in Brooklyn before moving to New Jersey.  The Williams family lived at #345 Lafayette and the Youngs family lived at either #343 or #341.  Meanwhile, Henry C. Williams lived about a dozen blocks away at #28 Lafayette Ave., and Philip Raqué lived in Jersey City.


In my research, I've only come across a few other names of men involved with the Atlas Iron Construction Company.  They were:

Thomas O. Horton, a civil engineer who graduated from Sheffield Scientific School in 1891.

S. J. Johnston, an engineer.

Edward Raqué, Philip's younger brother, an assistant engineer.

And a Mr. Shulte, who had charge of the company's Jersey City workshop.


Selected Sources:
Philip Raqué obituary, New York Sun, 24 Nov 1936, via FindAGrave.
For Frank Harrison: Obituary Record of Yale Graduates, 1920-21.
I am grateful to Diane Gravlee for sharing her research on Frederick and William Youngs, and to the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen for providing details on Frederick Youngs (who was a member).
Family papers.