BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 



VOL. 30, PP. 399-404 SEPTEMBER 30, 1919 



MILITAEY CONTEIBUTION OF CIVILIAN ENGINEEES ^ 



BY GEORGE OTIS SMITH 



{Read before the Society December 27, 1918) 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 399 



Growth of civil engineering 399 



Cooperation with army in topographic surveys 400. 



The Brooks memorandum on reserve corps 400 



Secretary Lane's offer 402 



Action under National Defense Act 402 



John Duer Irving's service 403 



Introduction 



The original distinction between military and civil engineering has 

 gradually lost its force, in no small measure because of the practical inter- 

 change of military and civil engineers on governmental works that are 

 wholly civil in nature. The record of the graduates of West Point in 

 river and harbor improvement, culminating perhaps in the construction 

 of the Panama Canal, is evidence of this tendency. In recent months, 

 however, any line of separation between civil and military engineers has 

 been wholly lost sight of by reason of the military contribution of civilian 

 engineers to the military program, which has been so largely an engineer- 

 ing program. How great and varied that contribution has been will 

 doubtless be set forth in some presidential address before one of the great 

 engineering societies, yet this meeting of the Geological Society of Amer- 

 ica is an opportune time for mention of one phase of this progress of 

 engineering. 



Grov^th of Civil Engineering 



The growth of civil engineering during the last century has followed 

 the description of the objects of this profession given by Tredgold in 

 1828 : "The real extent to which it may be applied is limited only by the 



* Manuscript received by ttie Secretary of tlie Society December 28, 1918. 



(399) 



