Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-06-27
COL. KING COMING.
Col. Mackenzie's Successor to
be Here July 8.
IS A BRILLIANT ENGINEER.

Comes With q Zine Military Il cord and of
Achievement in the Department of the
Army to Which He IL AttacheL-A
Worthy Successor to the Popular Long
Time Officer In Charge.
Lieut.. Charles Keller, in temporary
charge of the river engineer offices in
Rock Island, has received official no
tificationt To the effect that Col. Will
liam Il. King. successor to Col. Ale
Mackenzie. promoted to assistant to
the chief of engineers, U. S. A., at
Washington, will be in Rock Island
to assume his duties July 3. The
fact that Col. King ranks among the
first of the army engineers is in itself
a compliment to his popular and ex-
perienced predecessor, under whose
long administration the work OF
Improvement of the upper Mississ-
sippi made such rapid aud notable ad-
vancemeut.
Military History.
Lieut.. Col. William X. King is a
native of New York. He was ad-
mitted to the West Point military
academy July ], 1859, and was grad
uated and promoted to the rank of
first lieutenant, corps of engineers,
June IL, 1868. He served during the
war of the rebellion as assistant en-
gineer of the department OF North
Carolina, being engaged on the expe-
dition from Newberne, and also as
chief engineer of the district OF
North Carolina. being present at the
engagement between the union gun
boats and the rebel ram, Albermarle,
in Albermarlc sound May "a, 1864;
also in the operations before Rich
mond the fall of the same year, and
was engaged in a skirmish Oct. 81.
1864. lie was assistant engineer of
the departments of Virginia and
North Carolina Nov. "a, 1864, and
on Dec. !, following. was made cap
tain for gallant and meritorious SER
vices during the campaign OF 1861.
April Q, 1865. he was promoted to
the rank of major for gallant con-
duct on the field. He served as as
sistant in the Office of the chief OF
engineers at Washington from Aug.
l, 1865. to July. 1870, collecting in
formation and experimenting on tor
pcdoes, modern seacoast artillery,
penetration of projeetiles, counter
poise gun carriages. etc.
Other Distinction.
He was a member of the commits.
sion to examine and report upon the
proposed Brooklyn suspension bridge
across the East river. New York. in
the spring of 1862. Later he was in
command OF Willet's Point, N. Y,
was engaged as experimenting engi-
neer of the improvement OF the Ten
nessee, Cum berland and other rivers
in Georgia and Alabama; was mem
Der of the board of engineers on the
bridge across the Delaware from
Philadelphia to Camden from May
10, 1870, to April 20. 1871; was sec
rotary of the Sutro Tunnel commits
sion April %, 1871. to Jan. G, 1872,
and member of the board of engineer:
on the lock and sluices designed 70,
the canal around the Des Moline:
rapids in May, 1875.
He became major of the corps Of
engineers March 4, 1879, and has
been prominently identified with en-.
gineer development in various work:
of Importance. July %, 1888. h(
was elevated to the rank of lieuten
ant colonel of engineers, and since
then has been in charge of the con
struction of Fl. Schuyler, n. T.. and
member of the different engineer
boards on river and harbor improve
ment. bridge construction and or
New York harbor lines. He has
been of late commandant of the engi
neer department on Long Island
with quarters at Willet's Point.
Civil History
He is author of "Torpedoes, Their
Invention and Use," ..Expcrimenta
Firing With Modern Seacoast Artil
lery." "Armor Plating for Land
Defense" and Of "Counterpoise Cur
Carriage" including description o.
his own original design of applying
the counterpoise principle to heavy
seacoast artillery. He was protector
and constructor of the inclined cable
road to the summit of Lookout
Mountain, Tenn. and branch1n 1855
sc, and was president of the cpmpan