Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-30
NEW D. c. ENGINEER
REPORTS FOR DUTY
Maj. Arthur, IT., Succeeds
Mai. SomerveII, Who Leaves
Fine Record Here.

Mai. Joseph D. Arthur, jr., Corps of
Engineers, U. S. A., reported today,
preparatory to taking over his duties
next week as the new district engineer
for the War Department for the Wash
ington area. He will relieve Mai Bre-
hon Somervell, who will go about the
end of the week to Vicksburg, Miss, for
temporary duty as assistant to the pres
ident of the Mississippi River Com
mission. Later, he will proceed to New
Orleans, as assistant district engineer,
having supervision of flood control con-
struction and is slated to assume the
duties of district engineer in that region
in the immediate future.
Mai Arthur comes to Washington
following a brief leave of absence in
the Carolinas, having recently finished
two-year course at the Command and
General Staff School, Fort Leaven-
worth, Kans. 1t is expected that,
barring emergencies, Mai. Arthur will
be on duty in the National Capital for
the next four years.
Has Been Major Since 1923.
Born in South Carolina October rs.
1891, Maj. Arthur was appointed 10 the
Military Academy from his native State.
He received his commission as q second
lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers
June IL, 1915 and became a first lieu
tenant in the year following. He has
held the permanent rank of major since
November, 1928, although he served in
that capacity in the World War period.
He is a graduate of the engineering
school in the officers course, in 1920,
took bachelor of science degree in the
civil engineering course at Massachu-
sets Institute of Technology at Boston
IN 1923 and obtained master degree in
1924 from the same institution,
In his new post Maj Arthur will have
charge of supplying Washington with
water, will supervise the development Of
Anacostia Park. will patch over naYi-
CATION IN the Potomac River, as It af-
fects the United States Engineer Of
flee, and will carry forward the work
initiated under Mai Somerveh in the
construction of the 81 900 900 hydraulic
NIL as the roadbed of the new Mount
Vernon memorial highway.
The change in station for Mai Som
ervel means that Washington will lose
the services of one of the outstanding
oflcers in the Corps of Engineers OF
the Army, who was closely identified |
with the expansion of the National |
Capital and its envrons. Under his |
direction. the facilities for the increased |
water supply for the city were COM |
pleted through construction of the great |
conduit from Great Falls to the Dale
carl1a Reservoir, near the District line. |
Work on pushing the Anacostia Park |
project to completion has been car |
rted forward during Maj Someryell's |
1ncumbency as district engineer and |
the navigational depths in the Potomac
River were restored through dredging |
operations.
SOmervelI Has Good Record.
AS district engineer for the Washing
ton area, Maj. SomerveI was charged |
with investigating the possibilities of
developing Gravelly Point as an airport |
for the National Capital He made esti-
mates of the cost of this work to aid !
the special congressional committee that
tackled this problem. Development of |
the Mount Vernon Boulevard was in |
auguratsd under the, Bureau of Public |
Roads during the regime of Mai Somer- |
vel, whose office has supplied the equip
ment and men on the hydraulic fill con- |
struction, whereby material for the |
roadbed Is pumped up from the bottom |
OF the Potomac River.
Shore protection for Columbia Island. |
Tor the Arlington Memorial Bridge Com
mission, has been part of the program /
that has gone forward since Mai. Somer-
veil has been associated with Wash
4ngton.
Recently he has been engaged in sur
Veylng Conduit road with a view to |
widening 1t, and plans have been in |
tne making for a new bridge over Cabin |
John Greek. A report is now being |
compiled for flood control on the Ana
costa River at Bladensburg road. which
IS Hooded periodically, causing trafic |
Jams on the Washington-B Baltimore /
highway.
Maj. Somervell took over the duties |
OF district engineer on August Is, 1926, |
after completing course at the Army |
war college here. He has had an illus |
tr1ous career in the service. as he holds
the Distinguished Service Gross, award |
ed for extraordinary heroism in action
near Pouilly, France, November 5-s
1913, and the Distinguished Service
Meoal Tor his services during the World |