American Society of Civil Engineers. PROCEEDINGS. XVIII Vol. XX.-August, 1892. No meetings of the Society nor of the Board of Direction were held during August. MEMOIRS OF DECEASED MEMBERS. J. E. HILGARD, M. Am. Soc. C. E.* DIED MAY 8TH, 1891. Julius Erasmus Hilgard was born at Zweibrücken, in the Palatinate, in 1825. His father, a judge of the Court of Appeals of Bavaria, was so strongly imbued with republican ideas that he determined to sacrifice to them his promising career and emigrate to this country. He brought with him his son Julius, then a lad of ten, and established himself on a farm near Belleville, Ill. There he instructed Julius in the classic and modern languages and in elementary mathematics, for which latter study the pupil showed an aptitude bordering on genius, so that his rapid advance in this science soon made him dependent on self-study. Leaving home, Mr. Hilgard went to Philadelphia, to study engineering, and for a brief time he was engaged on railway surveys. In 1845 he received an appointment to the coast survey, then under the direction of Alexander Dallas Bache. His marked ability procured him immediate recognition, and, notwithstanding his youth, he was placed at the head of a surveying party in 1846, and made trigonometric, astronomic and magnetic observations. His efficiency was as marked in the office as in the field, and the various duties assigned to him were always discharged with more than ordinary ability. In 1862, at the outbreak of the civil war, Mr. Hilgard was placed in charge of the office, and performed the onerous duties created by Memoir prepared by O. H. Tittman, Esq. the demands of the Army and Navy for assistance from the coast survey, with vigor and great administrative ability. When Prof. Bache became incapacitated in 1864, the whole direction of the survey in all its details devolved upon Mr. Hilgard for a period of three years, in addition to the duties of his own office. After the appointment of a successor to Prof. Bache, Mr. Hilgard continued as assistant in charge of the office, giving much of his time to the Office of Weights and Measures which was practically under his direction. He took a very active part in shaping the legislation relating to the introduction into this country of the metric system, and prepared the standards of that denomination, which were distributed to the various States of the Union. In 1872 Mr. Hilgard made telegraphic longitude determinations between Europe and America, including Paris and Greenwich in his operations, and thus obtained the first reliable telegraphic difference of longitude between those great observatories. Mr. Hilgard represented the United States officially as scientific delegate to the International Convention at Paris, convoked for the purpose of forming an International Bureau of Weights and Measures. As vice-president, he took an active part in the councils of the commission, and after the plans had been formulated and agreed to, he was offered the directorship of the bureau, an offer marking the esteem in which his abilities were held by the eminent men composing the commission, but he declined it. At the Centennial Exposition, held in Philadelphia in 1876, Mr. Hilgard acted as one of the judges on scientific and mechanical apparatus, being associated in that duty with some of the ablest scientists of Europe and America. At about the same time he delivered a course of lectures at the Johns Hopkins University on extended territorial surveying. At the close of 1880 Mr. Hilgard was made superintendent of the coast survey, in which capacity he served until 1885, when he resigned. Utterly broken in health he lingered on, having been many times at the point of death, until May 8th, 1891, when he died. Mr. Hilgard was a kind and genial man, of great versatility and learning, of wide influence, and had an extended and intimate acquaintance with scientific men at home and abroad. While carrying the great and ever-varying burden of his official duties, he found time to extend his sympathy, help and wise counsel, which was much sought, to many persons in many ways, outside as well as inside of his official sphere. Mr. Hilgard was a charter member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a member of many other scientific bodies. He was elected a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers on July 10th, 1872. JOHN WHITELAW, M. Am. Soc. C. E.* DIED JUNE 16TH, 1892. He was John Whitelaw was born in Cleveland, O., July 31st, 1831. educated in the public schools of Cleveland and Canada. Later, he studied civil engineering under John Shier, a noted Canadian engineer and surveyor. In the year 1857 he became connected with the City Civil Engineer's Department of Cleveland, as Assistant. Two years later he was appointed City Civil Engineer, and was re-appointed in 1860, but resigned shortly after to engage in contract work, with James Howells, of Buffalo. His engineering ability was early recognized, as he was again called to take the position of City Civil Engineer in 1861. The year following he resigned his position, but remained in the city's employ until the following November, when he went to Canada, the early home of his wife, and remained until 1864, when he returned to his native city. He again received the appointment of City Civil Engineer, which office he retained for three years, relinquishing it to accept the position of Superintendent and Engineer of Water Works in May, 1867, which important office he held continuously for twenty-five years, until the time of his death. When assuming control, there were 37 miles of pipe, and less than 2 000 connections; one pair of Cornish pumps of a daily capacity of 8 000 000 gallons, and a reservoir holding 6 000 000 gallons. The first important step taken after accepting this position was the perfecting of plans for building a 5-foot tunnel, 1 miles under Lake Erie, for the purpose of procuring a better and more abundant supply of water for the city. This work was started August 23d, 1869, and completed in March, 1874. The rapid growth of the city demanded an extension of the plant commensurate with its needs and wants. During his term of service the buildings and pumping machinery have been increased from a daily capacity of 8000 000 to 70 000 000 gallons, in addition to the removal of the Cornish engines to the eastern part of the city, where they now supply the water to the High-Service District. Two reservoirs have also been built, one low-service reservoir of 80 000 000 gallons capacity, 170 feet above, and one high-service reservoir of 40 000 000 gallons, 325 feet above, the level of Lake Erie. The demands of the city for water in periods of extreme heat and cold called for an increase in tunnel capacity; and in April, 1888, work was started on a new tunnel 7 feet in diameter under Lake Erie, to * Committee to prepare Memoir, M. W. Kingsley, M. Am. Soc. C. E. the present crib or intake, a distance of about 9 000 feet from the pumping works, which was completed and in use in January, 1891. On account of many obstacles encountered in the construction of this tunnel, caused by gas, quicksand and the increased size of the tunnel over the one finished in 1874, it was deemed prudent to adopt the use of compressed air, with which the tunnel was satisfactorily completed. The total extension of the water mains, January, 1892, amounted to 343 miles of pipe, and the total amount of service connection amounted to 37 500. During all the care of a busy life, Mr. Whitelaw always found time to devote to the interests of civil engineering, taking an active part in the formation and growth of the Civil Engineers' Club of Cleveland, Ohio, of which body he was twice elected to hold the responsible and honorable position of President in the years of 1887 and 1888. His courteous, firm, but unassuming, manner, his sterling integrity and keen sense of justice, caused him to be held in universal respect and esteem by the large number of his subordinates as well as by the citizens of Cleveland. His professional advice was often sought, both at home and abroad. To the younger members of the profession he was especially kind, always giving them the benefit of his experience, together with encouraging words and hopeful advice. As a As an engineer these are the monuments of John Whitelaw. man, the confidence of the great public, never withdrawn, never unshaken through such a long public career, is a glorious epitaph. Mr. Whitelaw was elected a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, February 5th, 1873. JOHN LOCKWOOD, Assoc. Am. Soc. C. E. DIED DECEMBER 9TH, 1891. John Lockwood was born December 3d, 1814, at Ballston Spa, N.Y. After some years of business life and preliminary training as an engineer, he entered into the active pursuit of his profession in 1847, in the construction of gas works. During a long and active career he built the following works: Frankfort, Ky.; Dayton, Columbus, Zanesville, Sandusky, O.; Newport, R. I.; Dallas, Texas; New Albany, Madison, Ind.; Milwaukee, Jonesville, Wis.; West Troy, N. Y.; Fort Worth, Texas; Steubenville, O.; Indianapolis, Kings County, N. Y. Mr. Lockwood prepared, also, plans and estimates for a number of water works. A few years prior to his death he submitted plans and estimates for a salt-water supply for the City of New York, for fire and sanitary purposes. The cost of this proposed work was estimated at $10 000 000. Mr. Lockwood became an Associate of the American Society of Civil Engineers April 5th, 1882. YEREANCE, WILLIAM BURNETT...South Orange, N. J. May 3, 1892 ALLEN, KENNETH BOOTH, WILLIAM H............ FIELD, BURR K. FULTON, JOHN A.. KEATING, E. H.. OSBORN, FRANK C... STRIEDINGER, JULIUS H CHANGES AND CORRECTIONS. MEMBERS. Port Richmond, Richmond Co., N. Y. Vice-President The Berlin Iron Bridge Co., .4146 Berkley Ave., Chicago, Ill. .Lemont, Cook Co., Ill. .General Manager American Well and Prospecting Co., Salina, Kans. .City Engineer, Toronto, Canada. Assistant Purchasing Agent N. P. R. R., 452 The Arcade, Cleveland, Ohio. .95 Milk St., Boston, Mass. .1246 South 22d St., Philadelphia, Pa. Hoosick Falls, N. Y. 1614 Second Carondelet Ave., St. Louis, Mo. .1209 Jones St., San Francisco, Cal. |