136 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



nature, that the success they achieve in their adventuring, is sometimes 

 far short of what they deserve. 



My own great chief and partner, Lord Cowdray, was one of those who 

 faced with great courage what might come, and never failed to complete 

 anything he undertook, however severely he was called upon on some 

 occasions to back his judgment and make good where nature or man had 

 failed him. It may seem harsh to think or say, that he suffered more 

 from man than he did from nature, but, whatever the obstacle, he 

 ultimately triumphed to an unusual degree and he deserved to, for his 

 courage was phenomenal. No risk ever seemed to daunt him, and if after 

 taking every precaution that forethought could suggest, the allowances 

 he made were not sufficient, he faced the music without complaining. 



I am the first contracting civil engineer who has been honoured by the 

 British Association and, therefore, I have thought that you would expect 

 me to include some remarks on things I am specially conversant with, 

 and this must be my excuse for having gone into so much detail on the 

 economics of engineering construction. 



It is obvious I have not attempted to deal with the influence which 

 many sciences have upon engineering in its widest sense. It would appear 

 unseemly, however, not to pay tribute to those sciences without which 

 engineering cannot exist, the chief among them being physical and 

 mechanical sciences and applied mathematics and all that those titles 

 mean. They are subjects which have been enlarged upon before in 

 addresses by your Past-Presidents and dealt with far more ably than 

 I should feel it possible for me to do. 



Another science that must not be forgotten in its connection with the 

 raw materials that so largely enter into all engineering structural works 

 is chemistry, the discoveries in connection with which have meant so 

 much to the engineer. 



Science, however, is being split up into so many different categories 

 that there are a great number to which the acknowledgments of engineers 

 should be accorded, and I am afraid there are many of this ever-growing 

 group to which I have not paid sufficient, if any, tribute. My excuse 

 must be lack of time to do them justice and not lack of appreciation of 

 their helpfulness. 



I have attempted to indicate the interdependence of the engineer on 

 the science of the physiologist, the bacteriologist, the economist and the 

 all-important science of finance, all of which enable the engineer to carry 

 out his destiny by entering new paths and opening up, by the aid of 

 railways and roads, vast areas to enable them to be made fruitful and 

 suitable habitations for his fellows. 



