136 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING. 



President F. S. Kedzie: 



Dear Sir — Permit me to baud you herewith a brief record of activities 

 in the Department of Civil Engineering for the year 1915-1916. Despite 

 an unprecedented variety of hindrances there has been an unusual meas- 

 ure of accomplishment, and we are entitled to a corresponding feeling 

 of satisfaction in the results attained. There has been need of industry 

 to carry on the work and the members of the departmental staff have 

 responded willingly and adequately. 



I wish to commend emphatically the energy and fidelity with which 

 every one of my assistants met the trying period which followed the dis- 

 astrous fire of March fifth. Since that date the duties of all of them 

 have easily been doubled while some of the class work has been hampered 

 by numerous obstacles. Though for a short time without any equip- 

 ment for laboratory work, and throughout the spring term with only a 

 partial provision of the instruments needed for the proper conduct of 

 field practice, the instructors in civil engineering kept the attention and 

 interest of their classes without exception, and the emergency as a whole 

 was attended with a minimum of injury to the students. The latter have 

 shown a particularly wholesome spirit of endeavor as well the teachers, 

 supplementing very nicely the efforts of the faculty and proving con- 

 clusively that our students have a seriously thoughtful interest in secur- 

 ing the training in engineering offered at this college. 



As of possible interest in connection with the history of the depart- 

 ment it is proper to note the utter loss of all department records in the 

 fire. The records of student progress and rank were complete and valu- 

 able covering every item of class work that has come under my direction 

 at this college, for a period of twenty-five years. Further, while my own 

 loss of books, instruments and other eft'ects was serious and significant, 

 aggregating hundreds of dollars in value, I regret much more keenly the 

 destruction of thousands of maps, plans, nates, photographs, problems 

 and data for class use which, though my personal property, had been 

 dedicated to the use of students. Much of this matter had been collected 

 from professional practice and can never be replaced. 



There was one withdrawal from our department staff between the date 

 of my last report and the beginning of this college year. Two vacancies 

 were filled and the WT)rk of the year was shared by the following list of 

 teachers, whose names appear in order of seniority of appointment: 



H. K. Vedder, C. E., Professor of Civil Engineering. 



C. A. Melick, D. C. E., Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering. 



C. M. Cade, C. E., Instructor in Civil Engineering. 



R. G. Saxton, C. E., Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering. 



W. W. Hitchcock, B. S., Instructor in Civil Engineering. 



B. K. Philp, C. E., Instructor in Civil Engineering. 



H. I. Davies, B. S., Instructor in Civil Engineering. 



H. A. Gehring, C. E., Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering. 



