454 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ALBANY MEETING 



Editor : 

 J. Stanley-Brown, Washington, D. C. 



Librarian : 

 H. P. Gushing, Cleveland, Ohio. 



Councillors : 



Samuel Calvin, Iowa City, Iowa. 

 A. P. Coleman, Toronto, Can. 



In the absence of the author, the following memoir was read by W. M. 

 Davis : 



MEMOIR OF FRANKLIN PLATT 

 BY PERSIFOR FKAZER 



The subject of this sketch was descended from an old English family, 

 of which one branch liad settled in New Jerse}^ His father was Franklin 

 Phitt and his mother was Clara A. Greenough, of Sunbury, Pennsylvania. 

 He was born November 19, 1844, in Philadelphia, and died at Cape May, 

 New Jersey, July 24, I'OOO. 



In 1860 he entered the sophomore class in the University of Penn- 

 sylvania, but left at the end of the college year. His elder brother, 

 G. Piatt, was a student with him, and was later msocwXed with 



him m geological work. 



In 1863 Mr Piatt served as a private, from June 26 to August 1, in 

 Company D of the old militia regiment of Philadeli)hia, known as the 

 " Gray Reserves," during the emergency campaign, when Lee invaded 

 Pennsylvania. 



In 1864 he was appointed an aid on the United States Coast and Geo- 

 detic Survey. He was without commission, in a party of topographers, 

 under Mr Dorr, which, under command of General 0. M. Poe, accom- 

 panied Sherman's army in the famous " march to the sea." 



After the civil war Piatt read geology in the office of Mr Benjamin S. 

 Xyman. In 1870 he became associated with the w'riter for one j^ear as 

 reporting geologist. 



When the Second Geological Survey of Penrksylvania was organized 

 Mr Piatt was chosen as an assistant and assigned to the Clearfield and 

 Jefferson Counties district in the bituminous coal field. When the 

 surve}^ terminated he opened an office with his brother, W. G. Piatt, as 

 consulting geologist, especially on coal. In 1881 the}' located lands for 

 the Rochester and Pittsburg Coal and Iron Company, and later he be- 

 came its consulting engineer, and finally its president for several years. 



