The evening times., 1898-06-01

New York. June l-When the Brigade
Of Engineers United States Volunteers,
is mustered In. It win have among It's Of
ficers. electricians civil. mechanical and
Typographical engineers Of national re-
ppte, college professors and men promi-
nent In the commercial world. Such rap
Id progress has been made toward re-
cruiting the brigade that sufficient
number Of men for the First Regiment
has been enrolled. and the other regi-
ments are well advanced.
Col George Il Gillespie. Of the Corps
Of Engineers. United States Army. who
has been in chsrge OF the engineering
work in New York harbor for years. and
who was recently appointed brigadier
general Of volunteers. win probably COM
mand the brigade. Col. Eugene Grimm,
first vice,president OF the General Eiec-
trio Company, with whom the idea Of
forming volunteer engineer corps originate
ed, will be colonel of the First Regiment
Col. Grimn Is a graduate Of West Point
He served in the Engineer Corps In the
civil war and attained the rank OF cap
tain. He retired to private life years ago
but through patriotic motives he decided
when hostflities began to resign the lucra-
tive position he held and give his services
to the country. He went to Washington
and asked permission to raise a regiment
OF expert electricians and engineers, point
ing out that while during the civil war
our engineer corps was 5 per cent Of the
total Army. now 1t is only per cent In
the French German and British armies
the engineers are per cent Of the entire
strength
Special legislation was passed author
izing Capt. Griffin. who was made a coll
onel Of volunteers. to organize a regi-
ment, and Western engineers who took
up the idea were authorized to form two
regiments from volunteers in Chicago, ST.
Louis. Denver. San Francisco, and other
Western cities. Col. Griffin's was desig-
mated the seacoast regiment. and will in-
clude men from New York, Boston, Phil
adelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk, and Rich
mond- The three regiments will form the
brigade of engineers.
Brig. Gen. Gillespie and Col. Griffin
who were named board to examine ap-
plicants for commissions and for places
in the ranks of the First Regiment, began
their work on the seventh floor OF the
armory building yesterday.
Among the men who were examined as
to their fitness for officers and who passed
both the mental and physical tests were
William Barclay Parsons. chief engineer
of the Rapid Transit Commission: DR..
Louis Duncan. professor of electrical en-
gineering inS Johns Hopkins University;
Eugene Eilicott. secretary of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania and Topographic
cal and hydrographical engineer Of the
United States Coast Survey for a year:
E. NJ. Sawtelle. n son of former United
| States Quartermaster General Sawtelle,
| and Allan Raymond, of the Engineer
Corps, L. s. A.. Men who have been as
sociated with Col. Griffin in organizing
among its officers are Capt. G. w. Bram-
well, Capt. Ira A Shaler, David l..
Hough and Lieut.. Rodman.
From. these names it may be inferred
| that the brigade will be formed Of men
of a high order OF Intelligence and spe-
cially adapted for engineering work. Each
regiment will have fifty-three commits
stoned officers and 1,106 enlisted men, a
total of 1,159. The bill authorizes the for
nation Of the three regiments irovides
that the officers shall be selected for their
skill in the different branches of engi-
neering and their ability to superintend
such works as bridge building. mine lay
ing and telegraph construction.
The enlisted men will be taken from
every branch of mechanical skill. There
will be engine drivers, biacksmiths, ma
chinists. electricians. telegraphers. photo
graphers. Carpenters. plumbers, railroad
men. riggers. boatmen and those skilled
in the use of explosives. The men will
be uniformed, armed and equipped the
same as the engineer troops Of the regu-
lar Army. lf5cs -
As soon as the officers have been select
ed. commissioned by the President and
confirmed by the Senate. the men who
have been enrolled at the headquarters
of the First Regiment in this and other
Eastern cities will be assembled probably
on the Peekskil Camp ground. where
they will be examined and mustered In
They will be given the rudfments of In
fantry drill in order to establish discip-
line. and they viii then be ready for SER
vice in Cuba or wherever they are want
ed ; rs - --~s