The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-10
Annual Meeting Of the Montana So.
ciety in Helena, and Of
ficers Elected.
An Address From tho Retiring
President on tho Duty Of
Engineers
Other Important Businsss Transacted, and
! Big Banquet Mt The Helena In
tho Evening.

Yesterday at the office Of Sizer Y kesrl. N
the Atlas building. After the reports OF
the secretary and treasurer, showing the
society to be- in a fourishinR condition.
had bean read, tho annual election or
officers took place, and resulted as follows:
President, Col. Walter w. De Lacy. OF
Helena; first vice presidents, Albert 2.
knight, of Butte; second vice pres
ident, 3. S, Keerl, of Helena; secretary
and librarian, F. d. Jones. OF Helena
treasurer, A. S. Hovey, of Helena; trustes'
Elliott n. Wilson, of Butte. Z. Il. wilson,
the retiring president, made the following
address on vacat.ng the chair:
.In taking leave of you as president to-
dav L wish to lay to the door of business
cares ana occupations my non-attendance
1t many Of our meetings. The year has
been a prosperous one for Montana n !
doubt not that may congratulate you al,
fellow membsrs, upon sharing to the run
M~ontana's prosperity. for the various new
enterprises and continued successes OF
older ones are intimately associated Wild
the labors of the profession. During she
vear MANY new works in al field OF labor
have been inaugurated. A comparatively
local road has projected itself westward
and promises, thanks to the genius ana
wisdom of the hands controlling it, to be
ons Of the best transeontlnental Ines.
n,h;s enterprise, rendering fertile the latent
rasonrces of q comparatively unknown
conntry. opens to US and to Az Montana y
vast field Of usefulness ana pron': Now
mining enterprises of rare promise ana
frnition. in which engineers nave done
THAR mart. nave added to the fame OF the
.t,te rhe time is upon us when the inner
inatincts and abilities of the engineer must
tabs the place of rougher rnis OF tnunlD'
"sntIemen OF this society. ] would say 8 few
,snrds = 10 what, l submit, should be our
antias "a engineers, to ourselves, TO our
society and to s,ur employers.
.Clients have been too much led to think
that the engineers place IN an enterprise 10
one Of a machine, tnas ~ may p95saoty no
reliad npon to furnl sh distances, dlreotlons
"a alayations which, srbmitted to the eli
~ nav he used in the finer calculations
~h;oh nronerly constitute engineering, and
whioh bv some hidden instinct the eliens
n.asaa UPON. Take the irrigation question,
which is now aeitatlng sne asaee. ~
anoinaer is employed to direct the level
ia too often releqated to b P os1tlon IN the
antsrnrise Of q machine. 1he estimation
- the low of water, the choice OF grades
Tor Tor his canal, It's dinsnaions, depending
mon many things really, ehara oter Oh
material, etc.,) the methods OF oelaeeslon-
ali these essential elements IN the plan are
naased mon too often by the protector, who
eeanmes what should be the function OF the
anoinasr. and places that enaploye IN tins
mara nlace Of a collector OF data. No
engineer Of r proper respect for his procession
should permit this Or snoala a.om nus
man lunless pushed by hunger) which
ignores his profession.
zone of our canal enterprises has become
notorious as an example of failure, large
snm. Of money invested in constructing a
work which was useless from the lack OF
water to fill it,. Such mistakes reflect too
often on the engineer, when he really has
little to do, beyond driving stakes, in the
entarprise. We all doubtlessly are en-
ploysd az surveyors. but in whatever capac-
itv we End work, let us take q pride in do
ing it we'll and thoroughly. Those coming
after us will not go further than our names
in critioising adversely poor work with
which We have been connected. II it 10 only
the measurement of a line, do it we'll. II it
ia only the setting of a stone, do 1t thor
ouphly. # it is only the re-establishment
of a section corner refuse to allow the hurry
of an employer to connect your name with
faulty work. Garry common sense with
you everywhere and remove the reproaeh
too often heard in comments of the lgno-
rant upon the difference between theory
and practice. You will have enough to bear
IN AnY event.. IV6U tH0 bEACh layer IL u10-
posed to sheer at US, because in his exper-
fence some so-called engineer has wanted
him to cut a rail, to place a frog, instead of
placing it at the joint and shaping his sur
vey accordingly.
ia notable instance of blaming the engi-
neer for results for which he WAS not re-
sponsible occurred in my own experience
some years ago. When the first smelter at
Anaconda was in course of erection, I was
called upon to locate connections Herewith.
I got such figures from the smelter people
as to tonange to be delivered above their
works, as warranted me IN looatlnR suen a
grade as, avoiding heavy rock-Work. made
it possible for one engine to do all switch
ing in tho Anaconda yard, with ample mar
gin for contingencies. The road was built:
the smelter started; and then came the adj
ditions to it's capacity as the mine, develop
treatment of 800 tons per day was increased
to 800, to 1000, to l,50O and moro, and ou1
steep grade was found provoking and costly
We're the original figures of the smelte1
considered in hunting a scapegoat for 8
mistake in Judgment of everyone but the
engineer? No. The engineer who located
such q grade was unquallfedly condemned
$50 you will find always. If a scapegoai
for some failure is wanted it is too Otter
the engineers name which III sought. Dc
not the ridiculous mistakes of the Union
Pacific in climbing summit after sunmi
IL ~ ' q AAaIA RCL bnCh W IN "dbUlb -
the North Platte still stand as Il monumen'
of incapacity to ita engineers? And still
the pressure fox cheap and hasty construc-
tisn, the dangers attending exposure II
hunger, cold, and hostile sayaRes drove tn,
line along the overland wagon road, ant
way from the river canyons and rive.
grades, and now, only the engineer j
blamed for the mistakes of his employers
/ beseech you all in you practice, do no
permit the selfish wishes of employers t,
allow you to slight your own work. Do no
do Cheap work. Do not as you yalu
your future regulations, permit yourself t,
enter into competition for employment
which involves sighting your work o
leaves a monument behind you which ma,
be quoted as an example of ignorance, ia
capacity or rascality. Insist upon taking
stand above that of the old-time count
surveyor aud though you do his work, in
sist npon exercising your talents, as engi
nsers, rather than as lahorers at 30 muc
per day. In employment in positions O
trust, az in dealing with titles. clients dig
posed to take. unfair and fraudulent ad
yantages of others, should understand tha
they should look for men to do thar dirt
work outside of the members of our societ,
List us carry into our professional relation
with the public & fail realization of the dis
nifty of our profession and refuse to dsbas
it, to the mere level OF a bread-winnin
trade.
'ln taking leave of you in my ofici
capacity. ! wish again to assure you of Il
full appreciation of the honor you ha,
conferred upon me. I beseech you not