Co. Mr. Christy was formerly Superintendent of the St. Louis Boat & Engineering Co., and previous to that, District Manager of the United States Shipping Board. Both gentlemen have been active in engineering society affairs in St. Louis, particularly in the St. Louis Section of the A.S.M.E.

The newly organized company will represent leading American manufacturers of power plant equipment and will render general contruction and engineering service. It will specialize in the design and construction of all kinds of water cooling equipment for refrigerating and power plants, including turbines, pumps, condensers, natural and forced draft cooling towers, spray ponds, etc. It will also undertake the design and installation of machinery for special purposes and will do process development work.

This is convention time, apparently. Mr. J. D. Von Maur spent two weeks during October attending the annual meeting of the American Gas Association at Atlantic City, taking in a series of committee and allied society meetings of one sort or another in connection therewith.

Mr. Baxter Brown has been nominated as a candidate for the office of third vice president of the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. W. A. Layman, president of the Wagner Electric Corporation, addressed the St. Louis Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at a dinner meeting on October 25, on the subject of "Industrial Management".

The St. Louis Section of the A.S. C.E. held its regular monthly meeting on October 30. The following were nominated for offices for the coming year: Baxter Brown, president; S. B. Russell, vice president: John Pritchard, secretary; W. E. Rolfe, representative on the Joint Council of the Associated Mr. Brown* Engineering Societies.

gave a very interesting account of the Fall meeting of the national society in Richmond.

KFEZ, the broadcasting station of the St. Louis Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, made its initial essay on the evening of October 31. Mr. Frank Schubert, speaking for Mr. Geo. E. Chamberlin, president of the Associated Societies, presented a brief introduction. He was followed by Mr. W. E. Rolfe, who spoke on "The Engineer-What He is and What He Does." Mr. Schubert then announced that prizes would be distributed by the Mechanical Engineers for the earliest returns received from the different states, indicating that the broadcast had been heard. Responses and comments received, indicate that the transmission was successful.

The Radio Committee of the Associated Societies has prepared a tentative program for further broadcasting, to be announced from time to time.

Another engineering broadcaster is Mr. H. E. Wiedemann, Consulting Chemist, who has recently delivered two popular addresses through the medium. of the Post-Dispatch station on "The Chemistry of Daily Life" and "Imitating Nature". Mr. Wiedemann has arranged for members of Alpha Chi Sigma, the chemical fraternity, to present a series of similar talks during the coming winter. Illustrative topics are, "Helium", "Fixation of Atmospheric Nitrogen" and "Curing of Vanilla Beans". It will repay our radio enthusiasts to notify their friends and tune in for the chemistry.

Mr. E. R. Kinsey claims to have built the first hangar for an American dirigible. We all remember when Roy Knabenschuh flew his vest-pocket edition of the ZR-1 over Forest Park during the World's Fair. Mr. Kinsey built the shed he kept it in, which he says was

*This is the fourth reference to Mr. Brown in this column-a tribute to his versatility and popularity.

considerably smaller than the hangar at Scott Field.

Mr. O. F. Harting is in receipt of a communication from the Bureau of Standards announcing that his thesis on "The Transverse Strength of Brick Masonry", prepared at Washington University in 1901, has been borrowed by

the Bureau for reference purposes. An interesting statement is included to the effect that a series of tests made recently at Columbia University support the major conclusion of the thesis-that the bond between the mortar and the clay and sand-lime bricks, was insuffici ent to develop develop the full monolithic strength of the masonry.

The Executive Board of the Federated American Engineering Societies met in Rochester, N. Y., October 12 and 13. There was a full attendance and marked interest was shown in the various matters brought up for discussion.

Mr. Mortimer E. Cooley, president of the Federation, presented his resignation to become effective at the end of

the year. He gave as his reason the state of his health which made it impossible for him to devote the necessary time and strength to the work of the presidency. Needless to say the resignation was accepted with profound regret. An appropriate address to Mr. Cooley was prepared by a special committee.

A letter, prepared by Mr. Wallace, executive secretary, setting forth the views of the Board in regard to the removal of Mr. A. P. Davis from the control of the U. S. Reclamation Service, was approved.

A communication to the Director of the Budget urging the inclusion of an item of $500,000 for topographic mappings of the United States during the coming year, was approved.

The board reaffirmed its previous action in urging that there be no delay in the trial of the cases involving accusations against engineers and contractors engaged in war-time construction.

A special committee was authorized to report to the Federation on the report of the Coal Commission.

A suggestion that the Federation undertake an exhaustive study of the subject of labor-saving devices was laid

on the table. The general feeling was that the scope of the investigation would be beyond the capacity of the Federa-" tion's resources.

The board expressed itself as approv ing the movement now under way in New York State looking toward improvement in laws for the preservation of forests. It also adopted a recom mendation to the President, Congress and the Director of the Budget, to the effect that annual appropriations of $2,000,000 for the purchase of fores lands under authority of the Week Law be resumed and that the states co operate with the national government in fire prevention work.

Mr. Townley reported informally on the meeting of representatives of the Founder Societies called by Mr. Loweth president of the A.S.C.E., to discuss means of society co-operation. The gist of his report was that a strong feeling prevailed that the Federation fulfilled the desired end and that the formation of another agency would be undesirable.

The most important action of the meeting was the adoption of a resolution providing for the appointment of a com mittee to draft and to introduce in Con gress a bill providing for putting inte effect the portion of the pending scheme for reorganization of government depart ments relating to the Department of the Interior. There is some doubt as to the passage of the complete plan and the adoption of the part referred to Wil secure, in effect, the equivalent of national department of public works.

had an extremely sketchy industrial use. Its cniet function was to attord swift passage for the Imperial armies.

As the human race gradually freed itself of the delusion that war was the chief end of man, the engineer diverted his abilities to the advancement of the arts of peace. The coming of steam

and the attendant industrial revolution afforded a fertile field for his development. Modern industry is founded on his accomplishments, and the following definition has developed: "Engineering is the art and science of utilizing the materials and directing the forces of nature for the use and convenience of man"-a destiny in sharp contrast with the earlier devotion of the profession to promoting his abuse and inconvenience.

And so the "civil" engineer (as distinguished from the "military") came into being. The mining engineer followed close on his heels. The use of steam developed the mechanical engineer, and the electrical engineer followed in due course. The ever-broadening scope of engineering activity has inevitably resulted in specialization, and today we have some two hundred varieties of engineers.

And this wide specialization is nec

essary.

The field is so stupendous, so complicated and diverse in its ramifications, that no one person could possibly advise intelligently in all its branches. There are, however, certain fundamentals, certain basic principles in the engineer's creed which are common throughout the profession.

The first is honesty; and when the engineer says he is honest he adopts no "holier than thou" attitude. He is merely expressing the scientific spirit that must govern him. From his earliest school days he is taught to pursue the facts and nothing but the facts. He must know the truth and use only the truth. The material things he deals with are not susceptible to argument; they will act only according to immutable law.

The second part of the engineer's creed is economy. As a leader of the profession puts it, "He must never do

anything better than good enough." He must not waste his client's substance on needless emcellishment, for that would be doing a thing better than need be. On the other hand, he must not be cheap. The happy medium, to weigh all the necessities and then to satisfy them exactly, is the engineer's ideal.

Is not the ideal a worthy one? Is it not needed in government; in business; in industry? Should not the engineer be looked upon as something more than a materialist concerned only in putting together so much concrete and steel to form a usable structure?

Engineering is the most exacting of the learned professions. Men seek the preacher, the doctor and the lawyer when in deepest trouble. Their slightest gain is victory. The engineer is called in when men are prosperous-when they are expanding their investments-when they seek definite and ample returns. If the engineer fails to deliver full measure of satisfaction, his failure is complete, and overwhelming.

Upon accepting a commission then the professional engineer first applie his trained technical skill to a thorough study of the facts in the case, verifying those which appear doubtful and adding' to available data still more facts, until existing conditions and future requirements are visible in every possible detail.

Upon this foundation of fact he then. proceeds to build up his plan or scheme, applying his hard-earned scientific knowledge to its completion so as to secure in the finished project the utmost of utility and economy, both in cost of construction and efficient operation.

It will be readily seen that the engi neer, to properly exercise his functions. must be something more than a mechanic. He must be versed in the basic principle of economics and finance. He must know" the fundamentals of business procedure. He must know human nature. He must have vision. And finally he must possess the sound judgment to enable him to co-ordinate his diverse knowledge as create from the raw materials at han the structures, machines and agencis