The Washington times., 1912-09-09
MILITARY EXPERTS
FROM ABROAD ARE
SHOWN OUR FORTS
Engineer Delegates Pay Tri-
butte at Tomb of George
Washington.

Nearly a hundred military experts Of
foreign nations gazed with interest to-
day on such of the defenses of the
National Capital as the authorities of
Fort Washington permitted them to see.
This was In the morning This after
noon the visitors watched the Fifteenth
United States Cavalry evolutions at
Fort Myer.
The military experts are among the
800 delegates to the gathering of the
International Association fo- Testing
Materials, a congress of engineers. Ex-
gates. and these military men are study
ing everything military in America with
the greatest avidity. At West Point,
last week they asked more pertinent
questions than the officers there have
heard In years.
Tribute to Washington.
The revenue cutters Apache and
Mohawk took the delegates to Mt.
Vernon, leaving the Seventh street
wharf at $50 a. m, and after they
had paid tribute to the memory of
Washington at his tomb, the cutters
carried them to Fort Washington.
They had luncheon on board the
boats, which carried them to Alexan-
dria this afternoon. A special train
of electric cars then took the visitors
to Fort Myer and Arlington.
gates in the gathering, and at the
reception at the New National NV
scum this evening by the regents and
secretary of the Smithsonian the
visitors will be ablaze with orders
Not since the International Red Cross
Conference was held here has there
been such a polyglot gathering in
Washington as Is this engineering con-
chief mediums of conversation, nearly
all the engineers speaking one or the
other of these tongues.
Entertainment Committee.
The visitors, who arrived in three
special trains at Union Station from
New York at o'clock last evening,
are in general charge of Richard l..
Humphrey, a Philadelphia structural
material expert, who is being aided in
care of the visitors here by a commit
tee composed of Dr. Joseph Holmes.
director of the Bureau of Mines chair
man; Van H. Manning, Gen. w. H.
Blxby, H. I. Come, Frederick V. Co.
vile, s. w. Stratton, John II. Hanna,
Provost Hubbard, and l.. w. Page.
Two Russian princes are among the
delegates, Prince p. w. Lieven and
Prince Andrew Gargarin. The dele
cation from the Czar,s domain is
councillor just elected president of the
Russian association.
The United States association is
headed by General Bixby, chief of the
armys Corps of Engineers. Among
the noted English engineers here are
Sir Robert A. Hatfield. DR.. w. c. I'm
win, president of the Institute of En-
gineers, of London. and Sir Hugh Bell.
From Germany have come Baron Won
Eltz- -Rubenach and Privy Councillor
Monch, of the German Imperial Ma
rine Department.
Language Immaterial.
For several days, the engineers
have been meeting in New York and
exchanging ideas fon counter-cross
stress strains, moduli of torsion and
elasticity and everything in physics
and chemistry relating to the factor
of safety in construction. Whether
the papers and addresses were given
in English. French, German, Hun
garian, or Montenegrin made little
difference to the casual auditor.
The addresses were all so technical
and dealing with such mathematically
intricate subjects that none but a
first class physicist and structural
engineer could have understood them.
no matter in what language they were
given.
The Washington program is strictly
social and sightseeing. Tomorrow the
engineers will be taken by automobile
TO the Capitol, the Bureau of Engrav-
ing and Printing, and other buildings
and will be received by Secretary
Nagel of the Department of Commerce
and Labor at o'clock at the White
House.
The visitors will have had luncheon
at the Bureau of Standards, and, after
dinner at their hotels, will go to the
Library and thence to their trains.
"Wednesday the party will be in Pitts
Falls.