The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-11
HEAR BOARD HAS
PICKED ENGINEER
Report Follows Request That
Johnston Sit With 1t in New
Bridge Matter.
IT'S ALL NEWS TO CHAIRMAN
Member OF Firm OF Carneal &
Johnston Said to Have Been
Slated for Job.

I BY resolution yesterday OF the Admin
istrat tive Board. j. Amber Johnston. of
the firm Of Carneal &c Johnston. WAS
invited to sit with the board OIL Tues
day. April 10. when plans for the new
/ Ninth Street bridge are to be consid-
cred. The action of the board led to Il
great deal Of comment through the
! City Hall, and TO the general spread of
the report that Mr.. Johnston was tho
choice of the board for the position of
City Engineer should the resignation
of Charles t. Boiling be accepted.
| Cha irman Whittet said last night that
any such suggestion was news To him.
lie was the author OF the resolution
inviting Mr. JohnSton's services in the
bridge matter as 4 concrete expert.
and he had no idea that such sug-
gestion would he made. He had led
the fight in the board to ask MIR. Boil
! ling to withdraw his resignation. and
/ still hoped that il would be withdrawn.
! Friends of Mr. Johnston had nothing
/ 10 say beyond admitting that his name
/ had been mentioned by members OF
the board as II possibility in the event
of q vacancy.
The resolution retaining Mr. John
ston as expert adviser of the board
y
specified no terms. leaving him 10 make
his own charge for his services.
Has Hind Much Experience.
I Mr.. Lohnston is 4 civil and mcchani
cal engineer OF much experience in
structural work. Associated with W.
I Leigh Carncal he is not an architect,
hut the engineer OF the firm. One
/ member Of the board said il was un-
fair to make differences from its action
in regard TO its future intentions, but
the report has been persistent that
/ three members entered into AN agree
ment selecting Mr.. Johnston some
/ weeks ago as the successor to the
present City Engineer
Several years ago Mr.. Johnston was
employed by the city as resident en-
| "ineer in charge of construction Of
/ the settling basin nume The firm OF
Carneal & Johnston has since de-
! signed for the city the new First Mar
ket. The Street Cleaning Department
stables. the new First Regiment Ar
mory. the new Bellevue School and a
! number of other structures.
! The firm designed the new Chamber
Of Commerce building. the Gresham
Court Apartments and has been re-
{ tanned to supervise construction of the
extensive plant of Richmond College
! at Wcsthampton, designed by a Boston
! firm of architects. The structural and
engineering work there was done by
| Mr.. Johnston. including the plans for
the new stadium. lie also designed
the central heating and power plant
'at Richmond College, the American
Terminal Warehouse. the concrete
apartments ut Eighth and Grace and
other buildings
Mr.. Johnston is a graduate OF the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute at
Blacksburg, and is -. twenty eight
years OF. axe.
CnlI Report Premature.
The suggestion of Mr. Johnston's
name in connection with the pending
resignation of Mr. Boiling led to
various comments. most Of them quite
complimentary TO the young engineer
Ever since the break between Mr.
Boiling and The Administrative Board
some weeks ago. it has been persist
emily rnmored that three members had
agreed on Young man for the posi-
tion-somc one from outside Of the de-
partment. not welded to the ways in
which 1T has been operated under
Colonel Cutshaw ana Mr.. Boiling AS
several Of the assistants in the Office
are older and more experienced men
than Mr.. Johnston. and as the board
mas not as yet indicated it's willing
ness 10 accept Mr. BoilinE's rcsipna-
ton those usually well Informed in
political matters last night were in
clined TO characterize the report as pre-
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