Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-10
Retires Tomorrow After Forty
Four Years of Service
in Army.
BY VOLUNTARY ACTION
PROMOTES CLASSMATE
His Future Undetermined, But Will
First Take Vacation-Has Many
Flattering Offers.

Brig. Gen. William III. Bixby will close
his active career in the army tomorrow,
after forty-four years Of efficient service
the last three of which involved the d.
rection of all the river and harbor i'm
provements in the United States and its
possessions In the ordinary course of
events Gen. Bixby would not have re-
tired by operation of law on account of
age until December IL next. He volun-
tarily relinquishes office at this time.
however. with consequent reduction in
compensation solely in order to permit
the promotion to the grade of brigadier
general of his older classmate. Col. Will
liam 7. Rossell, before the latter's re-
tirement for age October IL next.
President Wilson was much pleased
with Gen. Bixby's course in this matter.
In order TO put 1t into effect he approved
effect August II. and appointed Col. Ros-
sell as chief of engineers in his stead
to take effect on the same date. II
Gen. Bixby has received fiattering Of
ferS for his services from several large
corporations. including one in Brazil. So
far, however, he has made no definite
plans for the future except that he will
retain his home in this city for few
months at least and take short va
cation.
Native OF Massachusetts,.
n native of Charlestown Mass. Gen.
Bixby received his early education in the
public schools of Brookline and Cam
bridge and in the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. In June, 1873, he was
graduated at the head of his class at the
United States Military Academy, and as
signed to the Corps of Engineers. Dur
ing his connection with the corps he
has performed an unusual number of
important tasks requiring special re-
search and a broad grasp Of the larger
problems of engineering. In his early
career he served with the battalion Of
engineers at Willets Point, N. Y, and
as an instructor in military engineering
at West Point. In 1879 he went to France
and took a course of instruction in the
French National School of Bridges.
Highways, ETC., after which he made a
special investigation OF the use of iron
Tor fortif1cation purposes, i'm various Eu-
ropean countries.
For seven years. from 1884. Gen Bixby
was in charge of river and harbor i'm
provements and Notifications in the vicin-
ity of Wilmington. n. c.. and for the
succeeding four years he was in charge
or important work at and near Newport,
II. i. subsequently he was stationed at
New York. Cincinnati. Pittsburgh and
Detroit. and aided in the construction Of
the locks and improvements in the Sault
Ste. Marie and the st. Clair and Detroit
rivers.
Transferred to Chicago.
In 1904 he was placed in charge Of the
Chicago district. where he remained three
years and had supervision of all work
in the western great lakes and northern
Mississippi river districts, and investi-
gated the project for a deep waterway
between Chicago and st. Louis.
No of c.
Louis district and for three years had
charge of work in this section. He be-
came president Of the Mississippi river
commission March IA. 1905, and also was
president OF the board of engineers
which made survey of the Mississippi
river from st. Louis to It's mouth, to as
certain the feasibility of a fourteen-foot
channel and its extension from st. Louis
10 Chicago. In 1919 he was made ad-
visory engineer to the national water
ways commission and accompanied that
body on its trip through Europe investi-
eating waterways.
Probably the piece Of professional work
which made Gen. Bixby best known to
the engineering profession was that done
with the board of engineers appointed to
determine the maximum length of bridge
spans possible in the United States
That board was appointed in 1894 as
a result of the controversy in New
iork city over the proposal to erect
pier in the center of the river.
Other Work Assigned Him.
Among the works with which Gen
IsIxbys name has been connected was
an inspection of the destruction
wrought by the Charleston earthquake
OF 1885, determination Of the quail
lies of cortland cement, an investiga-
ton OF Stag cements the adoption Of
regulations for the use of water power
al the outlet Of Lake Superior to pre-
vent interference with navigation and
the report on the lakes-to- the-guH
deep waterway.
Gen. BiNby is a member of the Ameri-
can Society of Civil Engineers, the
american Society of Mechanical En-
Sineers, the British Institution Of Civil
Engineers, the French Society of Civil
Engineers, the United States Naval In
stitute. the United States Military
Service Institution. both the American
and British Associations for the Ad-
vancement of Science and the American
Economic Association and is also a
member of the International Congress
Of Navigation.