Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-15
CIVIL ENGINEERS.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

society. and the other as the proceedings.
Together they constitute what Is re-
garded as the finest collection of discus
sions of engineering problems in the
world. There are local societies in
every part of the country.
The civil engineer feels that his work
lies at the basis of nearly all human
progress and that he is the controlling
genius of the whole organization of mod
ern-day civilization. He points out that a
hundred years ago man living fifty
miles IN the country, wishing to consult
an engineer before undertaking the con-
struction of small canal. would rise
before day; make a light with flint. steel
and finder: have his breakfast cooked
with kettle and crane: eat IT by the
light of a tallow dip. and then take a
stage coach over muddy roads and rustic
wooden bridges. crossing rivers on ferry
boats whose paddles were driven by mule
power attached to wooden winches. and
finally would be landed in the city over
cobble stones. where he would go to
three-story brick structure built on the
sand. with dark hall and wooden stair
case. and into the office of the engineer
lighted By sperm oil lamps and the floor
covered with home-woven rag carpets.
!. x
Today his grandson. eating a breakfast
of ham and eggs cooked on a gas range
reads i'm his morn
Modern Methods ing paper, made
Compared to Old. setting setting my n ach hines
and electric lights and telegraph wires.
that an irrigation dam i'm which he is in
terested has sprung leak. He gets
into an automobile. drives to the station
in time to take parlor car into town
across great bridges, through long tun-
nels. and over concrete viaducts When
he arrives at the gates of the city he has
the choice of underground, surface or
elevated cars, or automobiles to carry him
to the twenty story office building cree. ed
upon caissons filed with manufactured
rock such as 1t would take nature mil
lion years to produce.
Once in the building. which is of fire.
proof concrete and structural steel con-
struction. he rides up 10 the fifteenth
story in vertical railway and walks into
a twentieth century office fitted with every
convenience. from electric lights and fans
to suspended push buttons. He considers
that all of these things have been made
possible by the studies and Investigations
of the civil engineer.
The c!vil engineer tales the discoveries
Of the scientist and the bookworm and an
plies them to the needs of man. His WORK
has been declared TO be that of dI Getting
the great sources of power in nature TO
the and convenience of manii nd.
Prior to the latter half of the eighteenth
century little had been done N the direc-
ton OF utilizing any other than water aud
animal power in the activities OF men,
and these only in very limited way.
Then followed the invention of the spin
ming jenny by HarIraves. the spinn'n.
frame by .Arkwright. the spinning mule
by Crompton. the power loom by Cart
wright, the steam engine by Watt and the
pudding process by orr, and from tina /.
time on evil engineering began to lay
the founda ton for all of the great struc-
ture of progress that has been reared in
the century and a half which has fol-
lowed.