The herald., 1897-02-18
ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT
Annual Meeting and EIec ion Of Officers
Last Night
The Association viii Pursue an Aggressive
Policy-D. s. Hslliday's Paper OF
Central America

The annual meeting of the Engineers
and Architects association was held
last evening in the Wilcox block The
following officers were elected for the
ensuing year: President, E. L. Swayne;
first vice-president, F. Eaton; second
vice-president, a. B. Benton; directors,
S. p. Eunt. II. Howgood, J. A. Walls, ].
W. Warren.
The secretary and treasurer made
their annual reports. The association
is composed of fifty members; it has no
liabilities, and it's assets are s5Sl.J9.
The retiring president, Octavius Nor
gan, made a short address, touching on
the work of the old year, it's papers
which formed a valuable series on the
harbor question the electrical transfor-
mer, mission architecture, steel building
construction as applied to the Pacific
coast, ETC., etc. While the practical
work of the association has hardly be-
gun, in maturing and directing public
attention to the subjects of overhead
wires, good roads, bridge inspection, ETC.,
still the association. can be compliment
ed on its three years growth for what it
has already accomplished.
During the evening the newly elected
president, e. L. Swayne, resident engi-
neer of the Southern Pacific, who had
not expected to be present, came in. He
made short address, outlining the / oi-
icy of the associa ton for the year and
assuring his co-workers he would give
his best efforts to continue the aggres-
sive policy of the association.
The paper presented to the association
was by David s. Holiday, formerly as
sistant engineer on the Guatemala
Northern railroad, now a resident of
Santa Ana. The paper presented the re-
sources, development and progress of
Central America and some of the causes
affecting these things.
The writer first touched on the general
misconception of Central America
which, while it has the rainfall. deadly
swampS and great forests ascribed to
it, has also many great attractions
The topography of the country the
climate, the vegetation, the great ranges
of temperature, and also the climatic
effects on the people were some of the
points made.
The fertility Of the land, the value of
the woods, the vegetable productions
the mineral resources, etc, etc, were
all outlined. In the development of the
land the writer said not more than *
per cent was cultivated. Salvador was
the most prosperous, Nicaragua the
most backward of the five republics. The
cost of transportation is a great draw
back to the development of any indus
try.
Mr. Holiday had map upon which
was traced the waterways and rail-
roads which he presented to his aud
lence. The liberal commissions offered
by the government to settlers was also
given. The culture of coffee, the land
laws of Honduras. and the general
causes of the lack of development of the
country were presented most clearly
by Mr.. Holiday.
The talk was very profusely illustrat-
ed with photographs The pictures pre-
sented the people, the ruins Of Antigua
which was destroyed in 1874; the vol
cano de Aqua, the pottery unearthed in
the ruins of buried cities and many other
scenes and objects of interest.