Evening star., 1953-09-05
R. 0. Marsh Dies;
Noted as Explorer,
Engineer, Writer

Richard Oglesby March, 10,
civil engineer, explorer and writ
er, deid yesterday of a heart
attack at his home in Vero
Beach. Fla.
A Washington native and resi-
dent of Chevy Chase, Md, until
four years ago. Mr.. Marsh had
recently completed plans for
construction of a hotel shaped
like a pyramid near Vero Beach.
Mr.. Marsh had made engineer
ing and scientific explorations in
various parts of the world. He
led the Darien expedition, spon-
sored by the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition. the American Museum of
Natural History and the Univer-
sity of Rochester. He wrote a
book THE White Indians of
Darian." published in 1884. after
the Panama trip.
Explored New Market Caves.
AS a member of the Explorers
Club of New York, he went on
the expedition in 1910 to find
an end to the Endless Caverns
in New Market, Va. The group
did not find the end, but they
brought back samples of blind
shrimp and discovered a fourth
level to the caves and several
unknown "roomS."
Mr.. Marsh had gone on ex-
plorations from Bolivia over the
Andes in Amazon headwaters,
from Peking. China, into Mon
golia, and in Arabia, Somaliland,
Morocco and Nicaragua.
Mr.. Marsh had done engineer
ing work in Panama and Mex
leo as we'll as the United States.
He was responsible for the de-
Signsign and construction of
more than 5000 impounding
dams for flood control, water
power, water conservation.
Served at Embassy i'm Russia.
Mr.. Marsh's father, Benjamin
Franklin Marsh, was a Republi-
can Representative from Illinois.
Mr.. Marsh studied at Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology
and the University of Lausanne
in Switzerland. He entered the
diplomatic service, serving as
secretary and charge d'affaires of
the United States legation in
Panama, and later with the
Latin American and Near East
divisions of the State Depart
ment. In 1912 he was secretary
of the American Embassy in St.
Petersburg, Russia.
Mr.. Marsh had been Junior
partner to Gen. G.. w. Goethals
and a research engineer for The
du Pont Co. He was president of
his own engineering company in
New York until 1888 when he
joined the Public Works Admin
iStration.
He had been chief engineer
for the Agriculture Department,
construction engineer for the
Federal National Defense Board
and hydroelectric expert for the
Federal Power Commission. He
was reconnaissance engineer for
the United States military North
African mission from 1941 to
1943. While in the field service
in North Africa he was serious.
ly injured by a land mine.
Headed Mission to Ethiopia.
Mr.. Marsh had served as con-
struction engineer to the United
States Rubber Development
Corp, chief of the United States
special mission to Ethiopia and
consultant to the War and Navy
Departments and foreign gov
enmentS.
He was fellow of the Amer
ican Geographic Society and 8
member of Science Service, Ma
tional Academy of Science; the
Pan-American Society of Tropi-
cal Research and other scientific
organizations.
Mr.. Marsh had recently been
doing engineering work for the
State of Florida.
Survivors are his widow, Helen;
a son, Richard, jr., Baltimore, a
civil engineer, and three daugh-
ters, Mrs. Gerald j. Montgomery
Greenwood, Miss; Mrs. William
r. Barnes. Culver City, Calf :,
and Mrs. Fergus D. Wood, Vero
Beach.
The funeral will be Monday in
Vpr0 Reach