Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-06
new KIND OF COLLEGE
Educating Engineers in the Art
of Road Making.
GRADUATES IN DEMAND
Diplomas Recognized by Public OFF,
Gals Throughout the Country.
AIM OF SECRETARY WILSON
Bureau Organized by Gen. Roy Stone
and Developed and Improved
by His Successors.
AIM OF SECRETARY WILSON
RY WILLIAM CCRTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Herald.
There is a new kind Of college in Wash
| ington down on 14th street between B
and c streets, back of the Department
of Agriculture and near the bureau of
engraving and printing. where our money
and postage stamps are made. 1t is
modest institution, and. like most other
things that begin young. is unpretentious
and of limited dimensions. But, never
theless, it Is doing good work and is
turning out q group of graduates every
year thoroughly trained to a profession
that is entirely new and almost unique
in the United States, although 1t has ex-
listed for centuries of usefulness In
Europe. /
The college l am talking about has
never been included in the list of educa-
tional institutions reported upon by the
commissioner of education in his annual
publications, but it's diplomas are recog-
nized by public officials throughout the
| United States. wherever an attempt Is
being made to improve the roads and
highways.
soon a1ter secretary NllSOtl Sot the
good roads movement thoroughly started
he discovered that 1t would be necessary
to educate men to handle 1t. and that
| it was of vital importance that the money
appropriated for the Improvement of roads
should be expended in an economical and
| a scientific manner He argued that I'M
| scientific and defective methods of road
| building would mean not only waste IN
| the particular case in point, but that the
effect would result in retarding road
ali hnr fnv q N N.
| definite period. Therefore. there was only
one conclusion. which was that if the
national government undertook to facili-
| tate and encourage the improvement of
| the highways of this country It's hrst and
most important duty was to furnish
supply of competent engineers to instruct
and direct local officials in their work.
One-Year Course of Instruction.
The Office of public roads has met the
situation in an admirable manner, so far
as its means will permit by providing
one-year course sof graduate instruction
in highway engineering. competitive
examination is held every year under the
| auspices of the civil service commission at
Washington. which is open to graduates
of engineering schools or to members of
the senior classes of such schools. and
upon successful passing OF the examina
ton the student is rendered a position as
civil engineer student in the bureau at
salary of $50 per month and field ex-
penses. At the end of one year he is given
q certificate stating that he has completed
the graduate course. He may. however,
be reta lined in the service and promoted
to the position of assistant engineer with
cut further examination. This course Is
divided into laboratory instruction and
practical field work under trained engi-
neers.
Another phase of the work Of the bureau
is that OF direct cooperation with the
various schools and colleges in elabOrat-
ing and improving their present courses
of study in highway engineering, and
where suclI courses are entirely lacking,
to introduce them. 1t Is probable that
next winter a short course of lectures by
representative of the office OF public
roads will be delivered at Columbia Uni
versity at New York. and probably some
of the other large eastern schools. The
office receives numerous requests each
year to recommend engineers for appoint
ment to state and county engineering pc
sitions. The present state engineer for IL
linois was formerly highway engineer of
the Office of public roads.
There is room in this country for sew
eral thousand road engineers and there
needed in every county and the local au-
thorities are gradually becoming con-
WINGED that they pay their way not only
by showing people how to make better
mics which make the money go farther
than would be possible in the. hands Of
inexperienced men. Some of the grad
yates of the school are now receiving SAL
aries of three and four thousand dollars.
so great is the demand for them. The
number of students Is limited because
of the lack of money, and it is hoped
that Congress will appreciate the inn
portance of the college and increase it's
facilities. The present class come mostly
frny IL
yates Of schools of engineering. The way
to get into the college is to apply to the
civil service commission. Washington. D.
c.. for circulars of instruction. and 1t
| should be done at once. because the next
examination takes place in March.
Organized by Gen. Roy Stone.
There have been three men at the head
of the good roads bureau since it was
organized. The man to whom the great
est credit should be given for the en-
thusiasm, energy and rssourcefuness
which he displayed in successfully in
augurating the work was Gen. Roy Stone.
He was a native of Steuben county, N.
Y, a graduate OF Union College. sue
cessively a major, colonel and general of
brigade in the civil war, brigadier gen.
eral in the Engineer Corps during the
Spanish war and the first director of the
ONCE OF ROAD inquiry. lie was educated
as an engineer and was connected with
a number of important engineering under
takings of his period. among which was
the blowing up OF the He'll Gate rocks in
East river and the removing of the bars
from the harbor of New York. He died
at Mendham, N. j., August 8, 1905, after
brief illness.
Martin Dodge, successor to Gen. Stone
as director of the Office of public road in
ouires. was born In Geauga county, Ohio,
in 1851. He was educated in the public
schools and in Hiram and Buchtel Col
| lege. Ohio. He afterward studied and
practiced law until thirty years of age,
| when he entered the real estate business
| He served three terms in the house Of
| representatives of the general assembly
| of Ohio; was elected to the Ohio senate in
| 1907 and reelected in 1899 In 1893 he
| was appointed by Gov. Mckinley chair
man of the Ohio roads commission, and
! in 1895 was appointed director of the
office of public road inquiries for tenn
porary period Of six months to represent
| the government at the Omaha exposition.
| He was reappointed director May /, 1900.
| and served until June 80, 1905
The Present Director and staff.
The present incumbent Of the office is
Logan Waller Page. a citizen of the state
| of Massachusetts. Mr. Page was born
| in Richmond. Va. in 1870. He was edu
| Gated at the Virginia Polytechnic Insti
tute and Harvard University. He also
| studied In the French School of Roads