New-York tribune., 1903-01-22
CIVIL ENGINEERS MEET.
Members Of american Society Inspect
SubzUagf and Hold Reception.

The fftieth annual meeting Of the American
Society OF Civil Engineers. which is to continus
for two days. was begun here yesterday. When
the business session was called to order at 10
a. m the society's house. at No. DO West Fifty
seventh-st. was crowded More than five hum
dred members. including many from California
Louisiana. Michigan Missouri. Colorado Can
ada and other faraway places are in attend
ance.
set Of resolutions was adopted expressing
grief at the death of ex-MayOr Hewitt.
mending his high character and great services
city. State and nation
In the afternoon personally conducted trip
was made through the rapid transit subway.
Alfred Craven. a director Of the society. Is
division engineer. and he took party Of visitors
through his section. from Fifty -ninth-st or
Columbus Circle the station will be called.
to Forty-secOnd-st. The tunnel was damp. dark
and rather dismal; water in little muddy pools
covered the cement floor in places The visitors.
however. did not mind those conditions. They
talked enthusiastically about power cables and
glazed tiles. cement walls and iron girders. and
various methods of lighting the subway The
engineers peered into the cable vault at Fifty
ninth-st.. where lead pipes were arranged
the power cables will be: they examined the
colored tiles which formed the stations name,
tapped the walls with their umbrellas. and
estimated the strain the iron pillars support
ing the roof
A year ago many of this same party inspected
this same section. Yesterday they commented
on the changed appearance and the progress
made. A few women. relatives OF the engineers,
accompanied the party
Yesterday mornings session was devoted to
business. The following officers were elected:
President, Alfred Noble Of this city; vice-prest-
dents, L. F. G. Bouscaren, OF Cincinnati, and
James D. Schuyler. Of Los Angeles, Cal: treas
urer, Joseph NJ. Knapp, Of this city; directors.
Alfred Craven. of Yonkers; Joseph O. Osgood,
of PIainfield, N j.; George 5. Dawson, OF Pitts
burg; E. c. Lewis and Hunter Mcdonald. Of
Nashville. Tenn. and Elwood Mead. OF Chey-
enne. Wyo.
The report of the board Of direction showed
that the net increase in membership for the year
was 1S5, which is higher than the average yearly
increase for the last four years-104- The total
membership is now 252S There were thirty
two deaths in the year. A rapid increase OF the
library was noted. A total Of 1886 bound and
unbound volumes, maps and photographs was
added IN 1902, and because Of the accession OF
so many new books it was decided to publish
a second volume of the classified catalogue.
The reports of Charles Warren Hunt, secre-
tary, and Joseph VI. Knapp. treasurer. were
read. A report of the special committee on uni
form tests of cement had been printed, and the
treatise was distributed to the engineers. The
members of this committee were George s.
Webster, chairman; Richard l. Humphrey. Sec
retary; George F. Swain, Alfred Noble, Louis
c. sabin S. B. Newberry, Clifford Richardson,
W. B. W. Howe and F. H Lewis
Luncheon was served to the members at ths
society's house. There were so many present.
however, that many took sandwiches or rolls
and cups of coffee and sat on the stairs in
the hallway
Last night there was a reception for members
and their families at the sOcietys house. Many
were present. and enjoyed informal dancing
supper also was served to the guests
Tomorrow the society will inspect the Black
wells Island bridge. the invitation Of Com
missioner Lindenthal. a member The steamer
Valley Girl will leave the recreation pier AT
East Twenty-fOurth-st at I'D a m. going d.
rectIy to BIackweIrs Island After examining
the masonry piers, the engineers viii re-em-
bark sailing up to the Harlem River. through
the ship canal and Spuyten DuyvH Creek ana
down the Hudson to the North German LLOYD
piers at Hoboken. where they Will inspect the
many novel features of the piers built TO replace
those destroyed by the fire Of 1900