Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-17
JOHN A. eRGsHEAR

placed in charge, with the title Of
! chief inspector and chief engineer
Won Wide Note ....~.
His experiments on the hydraulics
of fire streams are among the stanu-
ard investigations of engineering and
are well known. They are character
! istic of Mr.. Freeman's engineering
work in that he not only made
complete investigation of the hydraul-
les Of fire streams, but he demon
strated by his experiments that a
nozzle could be made an extremely
accurate water meter, and determined
/ laws relating to the flow of water
around curves in pipes which were of
greater value than any experiments
ever before made upon the subject.
His most important achievement is
the investigation and report upon the
New York water supply, after his ap-
pointment as a wholly disinterested
engineer" by Comptroller .Coler, who
was at that time making a strong
fight against the proposed contract
with the Ramapo Water Company.
The instructions were "to get together
as much reliable information on New
Yorks need for more water as is
possible in the time available and
present II without reserve" On March
20, 1900, seven months after his APP
pointment, Mr.. Freeman presented
report which is one of the wonders of
the engineering world As printed, it
is a volume of about 600 large pages,
profnsely illustrated with maps, dia-
grams and designs, and the work I'm
Eolved in preparing II can only beIap-
preciated by one who has read it,
Active in Engineering Field
/ Mr. Freeman was vice-president of
the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers in 1903 and 1904. He was
director of the American Society of
! Civil Engineers from 1896 to 1898, and
vice-president in 1902 and 1903, and
was also president of tho Boston So
ciety of Civil Engineers in 1898.
At the present time Mr.. Freeman
Is director of the National Bank OF
Commerce, the Rhode Island Hospital
Trust Company. and of the Peoples
Saving Rank CT Providence. and a
trustee of Butler hospital. He is also
member of the corporation of the
massachusetts Institute of Technology
and 2 trustee OF the Rhode Island
Sehookof Design.
Mr.. Freeman has an attractive home
in Providence, r. l., which he enjoys
with his vile and six sons. He has
very wide circle of acquaintances,
particularly IN engineering and manu-
featuring lines. and many steadfast
friends. including, especially, his pres
ient and former associates and sub
orGinates He has a keen sense Of
bamor and enjoys joke even when
at his own expense
Ambrose swasey's Career
Ambrose Swasey, who was elected
president of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers at the annual
meeting in December, 1903, was born
In Exeter, n. H., December 10, 1886.
His ancestors were among the early
settlers of New England, successive
generations having lived in his native
town for nearly two centuries. His
early education was in the red brick
school house" of the district, but as
his natural bent was in the line OF
mechanics, he chose the machinist's
" q SliOP
his native town. where steam engines
were manufa ctured. 1t was here that
he first met Mr.. Worcester r. Warner,
his present partner, In 1870, in COM
pany with Mr.. Warner, he went to
Hartford, Conn, and entered the EN-
plcY CT the Pratt & Whitney COMPANY
While there Mr.. Swasey developed
such a capacity Of accurate workman
ship and the solution of complex
mechanical problems that he was
given the entire charge of the gear
work. and devised machinery for gen.
Grating the epicycloidsl curves of cut
ter3 used for cutting the teeth Of spur
wheels, and lster he invented and per-
feeted a machine fer automatically
generating and cutting the teeth Of in
Interchangeable gear wheels. In 1880,
again in company with Mr.. Warner,
he went westward and located in
Cleveland, o., where under the firm
name of Warner & Swasey they erect.
ed shops and engaged in the manu-
facture Of machine tools. .s...1
In addition to their regular line OF
work, this firm has given special at
tention TO the construction of astron-
omical Instruments, many OF which up
to this had been imported from Flu
rope. In this field Mr.. Warmers
taste fpr and sknor.Indoa of astrnno T11v