Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-16
The Engineers Reserve
BY Frederic ]. Haskin

The training given the engineers
consists in a series Of lectures Of mill
tary engineering problems, the sug-
gestion OF useful reading along the
same lines, and series of confer
ences on the works thus read Be-
sides this. hundreds of men are actual
ly drilling with the intention OF at
tending the next Plattsburg encamp-
ment. They would like to have the
government arrange for special en-
burg camp comes at q time when most
engineers find it impossible to leave
their work in the field. but SO far this
has proved impracticable. The lee
lures are delivered by staff Officers
of the army engineering corps, who
manage to find time for the extra
work in addition to their regular
duties ..~ as 4
In the short time since the project
has been under way, seven lectures
have been delivered, covering many
Of the problems that an engineer en-
counters in the field in time OF war. 1t
has proved necessary to give each Of
these lectures three times over in or
der to give all the men who want to
hear them a chance to attend. AS
for the drill work, the leaders of the
movement are confident that thou
sand engineers would turn out in this
city alone IL an encampment were pro-
vided at a time when their regular
professional work was not too press
ling. ~ s.
The numbers of the engineers and
trained technical men in any big city
come as something Of a surprise to
anybody who has never investigated
the question The city of New York
employs about four thousand engineers
In municipal work. Fifteen hundred
municipal engineers work on the sub
way alone, exclusive Of hundreds
more employed by private contractors.
As an instance of what reserve
corps of engineers could do in time
of war. the vital question of the de-
Tense of New York in case Of invasion
arises as a pertinent example. The
defenses are of course already elabor-
ately planned, on paper, covering
line more than hundred miles long.
In an emergency civilian engineers
who had taken the necessary training
and study such as the engineers of
New York are giving themselves to-
day, could take over those plans from
the army engineering corps and see
that they we're carried out, leaving
the regular army men free to go with
the troops.
1t is hard to define exactly the stat
us of the engineers preparedness
movement here in New York. 1t is
intimately connected with the big ma
tional engineering societies, so far as
the fact goes that many of the ON
GERS and prominent men OF these soci-
cites are taking an active part, but
there Is no formal connection what
ever. Many Of the engineers who
have taken up the new work are not
members of the societies. As the men
behind the movement put 1t them
selves, the work was started by a self
constituted committee with the pur-'
pose Of disseminating knowledge OF
military engineering among civilian
engineers. and also with the project
of advertising the need for engineer
ing preparedness. The idea 1s md
ing quick favor with technical men
throughout the nation. The workers
are bound together by common SEN
timent and desire rather than by q
formal organization.
There is strong sentiment among
them in favor of national legislation
for forming an engineering reserve
corps. A committee of four has been
appointed to take the matter up and
secure legislation II possible. The en-
Rineers believe that government rec
ognition would be big help and do a
real service to the country. AT pres.
ent they are doing most Of their work
by cooperating informally with the
regular army and the national guard.