Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-05

With the close of the present term
at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Professor Robert H. Rich
ards will retire from the active work
of teaching which he has followed for
46 years He is made professor emeri-
tus and receives the benefits of the
Carnegie Foundation.
Professor Richards has been identi-
fed with the Institute since its be-
ginning, for he was a student in the
first class, a graduate in the first
group to receive the B. s. at Tech
nology, following which he became as
sistant--1S6S- 1S71-and then In 1871
took the chair of minerslogy, in the
department that afterwards developed
into that of mining engineering and
metallurgy. He it is who developed
the splendid laboratories at the insti-
| tute, and practised himself in the de-
tails of the various technical process
es; he has been always at the head
Of his profession, advancing the tech
nique by a number Of important in
ventions.
Professor Richards was born in Gar
diner, Ne, Aug. 26, 1874, but since his
schoolday life has been identified with
Boston. His activities in any of the
directions to which he turned them
were always remarkable. In investi-
cation he took up the jet aspirator,
looked into amalgamation in the
stamp mill, determined the curves Of
material settling in water. which es
tablished the fundamental principles
of sorting ore by means of jigs and
similar machines. In the same line
are the determinations of the settling
velocities of quartz and galena, the
! ground rock being passed into a cur
rent of water where the differential
settling serves to sort the ore from
the worthless rock. The details of
various jigs and of the Wiley table
another sorting device-were investi-
gated by Prof. Richards, whose latest
work of the kind has been in a vari-
alton of the process termed hinder
ed" settling. Then he has stepped out
of the strict province of mining and
perfected for civil engineers a pris
matte hand telescope for stadia work.
In addition to his work in the class
room and laboratory Professor Rich
| ards has been in demand for an ex-
pert in mining matters and has used
| his spare time and vacations in pro-
fessional work of the kind.
| In the class room Professor Rich
ards has always been a personality
| of interest. His lectures have been
such as to impress on his hearers the
care with which they were prepared,
and the teacher has been an example
and stimulus to his students for pa
tent and painstaking work in the in
terests of accuracy. One of the Tech
Alumni, writing on the subject a few
years since says, ''These personal
! qualities in a teacher are sometimes
of more Importance to the future ca
reer of the student than are the actual
subjects studied, and the successes
that have been attained by many of
| his graduates have, l think, been due
in no small part to these qualities of
| our mentor
The laboratories of the institute in
the specialties cared for by Profess
sor Richards were the first of their
kind in the world and have been the
model for many others since estab-
| lished. That their foundations have
been solid and their upbuilding phil
! osophical is shown by their success.
A part of this has been through the
attitude of Technology in giving as
Ireely as possible Oh IT'S peSt lor tHe
benefit of the world. 1t was in these
laboratories. that some Of the first in
yestigations were made of the treat
ment of ores of the Calumet and Hec-
la. and in return contributions from
that mine aided in the equipment Of
the laboratories.
In the development of the courses
|, Professor Richards has naturally been
} the guiding spirit. In his early days
he was associated. with the summer
school Of mining, established in 1871,
and discontinued only recently when
it was found possible to secure for
4 the students the even better practise
of vacation work in established min
ing plants.
Technology itself was a new ven
ture TN. education and the establish