Evening star., 1934-03-21
S0MERVE[L HELD
LIKELY SUCCESSOR
TO MAI. G0TWALS
Practically Assured Post as
Engineer Commissioner
for District.
ORDERED TO RETURN
FROM FOREIGN STUDY
Has Been Closely Associated With
Development of City and
Environs.

Maj. Brehon B. Somervell. formerly
assigned here as district engineer for
the War Department, is being favor
ably considered for appointment as
Engineer Commissioner of the Dis
trict, according to insistent reports
circulated in official circles.
He would succeed Mai. John c.
GOtWaL, whose four-year tour of
! duty as Engineer Commissioner will
| end July 81. 1t is understood Mai
Gotwals will remain until his regular
! assignment expires.
| Reports are to the effect that while
! final decision has not been made. Mai.
| SomerVeu is practically assured of
! the appointment. 1t is known the
matter has been under consideration
for some time by administration lead =
ers and officials of the War Depart
ment. The appointment of an En-
| gineer Commissioner is made by the
/ President from suggestions rendered
! by the chief of the Army Engi-
neer Corps.
During recent weeks. there were re-
ports that Col. U. S. Grant. Sd. for
merly executive officer Of the National
Capital Park and Planning Commis-
sion' was considered seriously for the
| post. This speculation has died down.
however. Col. Grant now is assigned
: at the War College here.
Ordered From Turkey.
Belief that Maj. Somerven is being
favorably considered has been given
support by reports that he has been
ordered to return to Washington from
Ankara, Turkey, where he was as
| signed about year ago to make an
: economic study for the Turkish gov
eminent. His services were loaned to
the Turkish government for that pur-
pose.
! Considered an outstanding officer in
I the Engineer Corps, Maj. Somervell
has been closely associated with the
| expansion of Washington and its en-
virons. He served here as district en-
! gineer for the War Department from
| August. 1926. to July. 1890
During that time construction for
the increased water supply for the city
was carried to completion, through
, building of the Dalecarlia reservoir
! and auxiliary structures. Work was
pushed on forming Anacostia Park out
Of the marshlands and navigational
Gepths in the Potomac River were
restored through dredging. An ex-
| haustive investigation of possibilities
| or developing the Washington water
front, particularly along the Washing
ton Channel. was conducted under
Mai. Somervells eye. Studies relating
| to irrigation. navigation, flood control
and hydroelectric development in the
whole Potomac River Basin. as we'll
as on the York. Rappahannock and
! PatuXent Rivers and their tributaries,
were carried on under his direction.
! He explored possibilities in developing
Gravelly Point as an airport. Devel-
| opment of the Mount Vernon Memo
rial Highway was inaugurated under
the Bureau of Public Roads, with Mai
Somervell supervising the $1,000 600
and gravel was pumped up from the
! bed of the Potomac River to form the
road bed
Surveyed Conduit Road.
Shore protection for Columbia Is
land was part of the program with
which Mai Somervell was associated
here and he was engaged in survey
! ing Conduit road, with a view to
widening it, and constructing ne"
bridge over Cabin John Creek.
Thus he is thoroughly acquainted
with Washington and its problems
| He became District engineer here
after completing course at the Army
! War College. He holds the Distlng-
uished Service Cross, awarded for ex-
traordinary heroism in action near
Pouilly, France, November So, 1918.
and the Distinguished Service Medal
for his eminence during the World
War.
Born in Arkansas. May 9. 1892, ne
became a second lieutenant in the
Army in June, 1914. His first assign
ment was at the United States en-
| bassy at Paris. as assistant military
attache, and he served in that post
during the stirring early days OF the
| World War. Later he served at Wash
| ington Barracks here and then went to
New England. engaged on military
surveys for the land defense of Port
land, Me-: Portsmouth, N. H., and
Boston, Mass. He was in Texas on
military survey from November, 1913
! to March, 1916. Then he was assigned
in Mexico. with Company G of the
I'd Battalion of Engineers. and as
| supply officer of the I'd Engineers
on the Punitive Expedition with Gen
John j. Pershing, from March to Sep
tember, 1916.
Served in France.
| He returned to Washington for duty
and attended the Engineer School at
the Washington Barracks and subSe-
| quently was on duty in the office OF
| the chief of Army Engineers. He was
| in Pittsburgh, Pa, and later in France
| as adjutant of the 18th Engineers, be-
/ ing in charge of construction at Ma
hun-sur- -Yvres and vicinity and at
Is-sur- Tile and vicinity. He was on
the staff of the 89th Division in the
Meuse- -Argonne offensive, serving as
! assistant chief of staff. He was with
the Army of Occupation in Germany,
after the Armistice, until October,
| 1920.
Maj. Somerville returned to Wash
ington to serve in the Office of the
/ Chief of Engineers, until August, 1922.
when he went as student to the
Command and General Staff School
at Fort Leavenworth. Kans., where
he graduated with honors. Later, he
was with the first New York City
River and Harbor District, and then
i he went to Europe to survey naviga-
ton conditions on the Rhine and
Danube Rivers for the League Of Ma
| tions.
He went to Turkey in April, 1888.
and is expected to return from that
assignment about May l. When he
left here as District engineer, Mai
Somervell went to Vicksburg, Miss,
| and New Orleans, La, for Mississippi
River food control work.