ALFRED NOBLE. 909 



tions he showed that there were also minor differences concerning the 

 origin of which we are equally in doubt. Although errors crept into 

 both his theoretical and numerical work on this body it will always 

 have great value for all students of the subject, if only on account of 

 the great wealth of astronomical knowledge that Newcomb brought 

 to bear on his discussions of its motion. 



Newcomb was in the service of the Na^^al Observatory nearly 

 all his life. From 1877 to 1897 he was director of the Nautical 

 Almanac, and for eleven years of this period he was also professor of 

 mathematics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, and editing 

 the American Journal of Mathematics. He wrote many papers on 

 economics of considerable value, and was interested in a variety of 

 kindred subjects. His astronomical textbooks have had a wide 

 circulation. 



E. W. Brown. 



ALFRED NOBLE (1844-1914) 



Fellow in Class I, Section 4, 1913. 



Alfred Noble, commonly referred to as the "Dean of American 

 Engineers," was born on a Michigan farm on Aug. 7, 1844, and he 

 died April 19, 1914. His fame as an engineer was not confined to the 

 United States, for the Institution of Civil Engineers of Great 13ritain 

 in 1911, elected him an Honorary Member of that body. During his 

 long, honorable and active career in his own country, he had already 

 received the highest honors from American engineering societies and 

 in 1910 he was awarded the John Fritz medal for "Notable achieve- 

 ments as a Civil Engineer." 



In his early life, he was known as a diligent student, modest, faithful 

 and industrious. The work on his father's farm undoubtedly de- 

 veloped a sound physique which enabled him later in life to endure 

 long and severe demands on his strength. 



On Aug. 9, 1862, Noble enlisted in the Twenty-fourth Michigan 

 Volunteers, later a part of Hooker's " Iron Brigade," and all through 

 the war he was called upon to take an active part in the movements of 

 the Army of the Potomac; he was never wounded but, like many of his 

 companions, came very near falling a victim to disease. In June, 

 1865, he was mustered out of the service, at which time he had risen 

 to the rank of Sergeant; then followed two years' service in the 



