400 G. O. SMITH MILITARY COXTRIBI'TIOX OF CIVIL EXGIXEERS 



progress of science : its scope and ntilit}' will be increased with every dis- 

 covery in philosophy, and its resonrces with every invention in mechan- 

 ical or chemical art, since its bounds are iinlimited, and equally so must 

 be the researches of its professors."' Tims is to be explained the great 

 variety of engineers included in the large membership of the half score 

 national engineering societies. Even in the civil service of the Govern- 

 ment, in the scientific bureaus and industrial commissions at "Washington, 

 there are many varieties : electrical engineers as well as sanitary engi- 

 neers, construction engineers and topographic engineers, testing engi- 

 neers and mining engineers, chemical engineers and hydraulic engineers, 

 geologic engineers and naval engineers. The membership of the Wash- 

 ington Society of Engineers on a peace basis therefore showed a propor- 

 tion of about 38 civilian engineers to one military engineer. 



COOPERATIOX WITH ArMY IX TOPOGRAPHIC SuRVEYS 



The active cooperation of the United States Geological Survey with the 

 United States Army in topogTaphic mapping was formally expressed in 

 an agreement under date of October 11, 1911, drawn up by Colonel 

 Boughton, representing the War College, and the Director of the Survey 

 and approved by Secretary of War Oliver and Secretary of the Interior 

 Fisher. The collection of military information and the mapping of 

 selected areas under this arrangement brought the field men of the Survey 

 into closer touch with the military needs of the Government. Early in 

 1914 the army authorities made an informal recjuest that the Geological 

 Survey should hold its topogTaphic engineers in readiness for special 

 service under direction of the War Department, and even after the crisis 

 of that date passed the Survey's field assignments in part were made with 

 regard to availability in time of need. There was also formal recognition 

 in the interdepartment correspondence of this fact that a civil branch of 

 the Government engineering service could be regarded as a reserve corps, 

 even in the absence of any specific legislative authority. 



The Brooks Memoraxdum ox Eeserte Corps 



The continued discussion with the officers of the Armv War Colleore 

 concerning topographic work, however, led to the transmittal in May, 

 1915, of a memorandum on the subject of a reserve corps made up of pro- 

 fessional men in civil service. This memorandum was prepared by Alfred 

 H. Brooks, then the Chief of the Alaskan Division of the Geological 

 Survev and now Lieutenant Colonel of Enofineers and Chief Geologist of 



