The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-14
NEW U. S. ENGINEER
CAPT. GILLETTE's TRANSFER TO
NEWPORT WILL MAKE SAVANNAH
A DIVISION HEADQUARTERS.
HIS SUCCESSOR, COL. QUINN, IN
CHARGE OF SOUTHEASTERN

Capt. GiIIette's Notification of Re-
mOvnI a Distinct Surprise to Him.
Was OmciaIIy Announced Yester-
day MOrning-WiH Not Become
Effective at Once-Capt. Gillette
win Probably Serve First on
Oregon Engineering Board,
which Meets in May-COI. Quinn's
work on the mississippi Delta
The transfer of Capt. Cassius E. Gill
lette to Newport, r. l., and his sue
cession as engineer in charge of the
Savannas district by Lieut.. Col.
James B. Quinn, which was Of
ficially announced yesterday morning,
will result in making Savannah the
headquarters for the Southeastern
Division of the River and Harbor I'M
provements of the United States gov
eminent.
Capt. Gillette will not accept his
new post at once, it being probable
that the appointment will not become
effective for several months. He is
member of the Board of Engineers for
the Improvement of Dalles Rapids,
which will meet in Oregon on May IL.
The board will sit for two or three
weeks, and it is most probable that
shortly after the completion of his la
bors in this connection he will be as
signed to his new post.
The official notification of the change
was a complete surprise to Capt. Gill
lette, who had not had the slightest
intimation of it.
Capt Gillette will succeed Maj.
George w. Goethals, who. has been
transferred to the general staff of the
army, created by a recent act of Con-
gress, whose duties consist in co-or-
dinating the different branches of the
army and making plans for defense
and offense. special board details
and recommends the members of this
staff, and but few days recommended
Maj. Goethals for the position.
Division Headquarters.
The Department of River and Har-
Dor Improvement is divided into eight
engineering divisions, the Savannah
district being in the Southeastern di-
vision. This division was originally in
charge of Col. Hams, with headquar-
ters at Baltimore, and is at present
under Col. Quinn, whose headquarters
are at Norfolk Col Quinn is division
engineer, and his transfer to SaVan-
nah naturally means that this city
will be made the headquarters OF the
Southeastern division, which includes
all of the south-Atlantic states and
the Gulf states as far as New Orleans.
The duties of the division engineer
are to inspect the work in the d.
vision, thus taking a great deal OF
work out of the hands of tRe chief OIL
engineers.
The news of Capt. Gillette's transfer
will be received with regret by many.
He has been in charge of the Savan-
nah district for more than five years,
and during that time has made an eff
ficient official under the most trying
conditions Through his perserVer-
ance and insistent effort the harbor
Improvement work has been greatly
expedited, and the numerous conpli-
cations resulting from Capt. Carriers
administration disentangled.
Capt. GilIette's Administration.
Capt. Gillette came to relieve Capt.
Carter in the regular course of APP
pointment, Capt Garter going to Lon
don as an attache of the American
embassy. It was soon after his success
sion to the office that the irregularities
were discovered. Then ensued the
court-martial of Carter, and its at
IG0QdllL
sulting from the frauds perpetrated
upon the government by Greene, Gay
nor and Carter has about been recon-
structed by Capt Gillette, and Col.
Quinn will enter upon the discharge
of his duties in the Savannah district
not hampered by confused conditions
of affairs, as was Capt. Gillette, but
rather with his division in working Or
der.
Can't. Gillette is a graduate of West
Point. Shortly after his graduation in
1884 he went to the government school
at Willets Point, where he took post
graduate course in engineering for
more tam two years. At the compile
ton of this course he went to Ohio,
where he was engaged in the govern
ment sub-office in building locks and
dams on the Muskingun river. He was
afterwards for some time assistant to
Col Merrill in Cincinnati, giving up
that post to accept position as eng-
neering officer of the lakes on Gen.
Miles staff He then went to Cali
fornia, where, after serving as secre-
tary of the Debris Commission in that
state and as officer in charge of the
rivers and harbors, he came to Savan-
Conveniently Located.
Col. Quinn, who is an older man
than the officer whom he will succeed
is known as a most efficient officer
Only recently he was made division
engineer. Before being stationed at
Norfolk he was in charge of the work
being done at New Orleans, at the
delta of the Mississippi river. He has
but recently been made a lieutenant
colonel, his former rank being that of
major. Savannah being more centrally
located. will be more convenient as
headquarters for Col. Quinn.
Capt Gillette will not receive his
majority for several years yet, per-
haps, he being fourth in the line of
succession. He said that he did not
know what his salary would be at his
new post. 1t is supposed that it will
be the same as that of the officer at
present in charge, which is about $4,000