xvi INTRODUCTORY PROCEEDINGS. 



Secretary Cox : — Mr. President and gentlemen, the report has been distributed to all 

 the membership, and I will just touch on the essentials. With respect to the membership, 

 a statement is shown on the first page. On coming to this meeting we have a membership 

 of 960. A }^ear ago, at the same time, the membership was 872. At the last annual meet- 

 ino- there were elected 129, but this was reduced owing to deaths, resignations and suspen- 

 sions. The Society will be interested to know that there have already been received and fav- 

 orably passed on by the Committee on Membership and by the Council 440 new members 

 for election this year, so that if we did very well last year in getting 95 new members, and 

 as our total membership' now is less than 1,000, we are to be congratulated on having se- 

 cured at least 440 new members this year. I think, as a matter of fact, the number of appli- 

 cations for membership will probably go over 500, as there are a large number of applica- 

 tions on their way to us. 



The statement of receipts and disbursements is interesting. The essentials are that we 

 have purchased during the year $3,000 of Liberty Bonds which are added to our assets, and 

 we also have $1,000 more cash balance than last year; as all bills have been paid, our actual 

 present worth ^s increased over last year by $4,000. 



The Secretary then read the list of deaths of members which had occurred during the 

 past year. 



The President : — The members will please rise in memoriam. 



Many of these names, gentlemen, appeal to me personally, because I have known most 

 of these men for a great many years. I wish to take the opportunity of referring to three 



or four. 



The Rt. Hon. Lord Brassey — Those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting Lord 

 Brassey will remember his strong, virile character and his great accomplishments. I shall 

 never foro-et, in 1911, when he presided at a meeting, he suddenly called upon me to make an 

 address. I had not the slightest notion of making any address, but his manner seemed to com- 

 mand me at once, and I naturally acceded, and, I may say, with pleasure. 



Col. Edwin A. Stevens — I have been associated with Col. Stevens in many things for a 

 great many years past. He gave his life to his country, because he was overcome by illness, 

 an outcome of his labors. He was taken ill with pneumonia, and died as truly for his coun- 

 try as a man in the trenches. 



Mr. George W. Dickie — Mr. Dickie was a fine, manly figure from San Francisco. You 

 will all remember that he read a number of papers before this Society. They were of much 

 value, and he was always interesting in discussion. He wrote a letter in August last, saying 

 that he expected to be here, and complimented the Secretary on the subjects of the papers 

 to be read. He died within a few days after writing that letter. 



Mr. George W. Magee — One of the oldest members in the Society by age. He was an 

 assistant of the Engineer-in-Chief of the United States Navy in the early Civil War years. 

 He was a genial gentlemen, highly esteemed by all who knew him. 



Commodore Jacob W. Miller — Commodore Miller, as you well know, was very promi- 

 nent at all of our meetings, taking part in papers and discussions, and always adding to 

 the interest of the occasion, whether meeting or banquet. 



Referring to the last three mentioned, Colonel Stevens, Mr. Dickie and Commodore 



