Manager. In 1897, on account of poor health, he retired from active work. In 1899 Captain Howe was appointed Chief Engineer of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, but resigned within the year, owing to poor health. Many of Captain Howe's best efforts were directed toward advancing the interests of the City of Houston, of which he was an alderman for six years. In 1873 he was married to Miss Jessie W. Briscoe, who, together with one son, Mr. Milton Howe, of the Engineering Department of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, survives him. Mr. Howe was elected a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers on October 16th, 1872. He was appointed a Director on October 21st, 1901, to fill the unexpired term of the late George A. Quinlan, but at that time was in such poor health that he had to decline the appointment. MORITZ LASSIG, M. Am. Soc. C. E.* DIED JANUARY 7TH, 1902. Moritz Lassig was born in Rochlitz, Saxony, on January 23d, 1831. He attended the Architectural School in Chemnitz, and, having completed his studies there, came to America, where he arrived in the spring of 1851. In the fall of the same year he settled in Chicago, having accepted a position as Engineer and Superintendent with the firm of L. B. Boomer and Company, later the American Bridge Company, of Chicago. This position he held until 1853. From 1871 to 1881 he was engaged in designing and constructing bridges throughout the West. In the year 1876 he established his own shop on South Clark Street, near Sixteenth Street. The present shop, at Clybourn and Wrightwood Avenues, at which he achieved his principal success as a bridge builder, was founded about 1885. In 1881 he formed a partnership with John P. Alden, under the names Lassig and Alden Bridge and Iron Works of Chicago, and Alden and Lassig Bridge and Iron Works of Rochester, New York. Mr. Lassig was active as the President and guiding spirit of the Lassig Bridge and Iron Works until the fall of 1900, when he sold his interests to the American Bridge Company and severed his connection with the firm. He was on the eve of departure for Europe, having made all arrangements to leave Chicago on January 8th, but was overtaken suddenly by death. His remains have been interred at Heidelberg, Germany. * Memoir prepared by the Secretary from information furnished by Mr. Henry Bartholomay, Jr., and from papers on file at the Society House. His widow, Marie Lassig, and two married daughters, Mrs. Emma Bartholomay and Mrs. Ida Olinger, survive him. Moritz Lassig was elected a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers on April 2d, 1884. He was also a Member of the Western Society of Engineers, of the Technical Club, Concordia Masonic Lodge, Germania Männerchor, and the Chicago Schuetzen Verein. OSCAR F. WHITFORD, M. Am. Soc. C. E.* DIED MAY 21ST, 1902. Oscar F. Whitford, third child and second son of Earl Hartwell and Asenath (Palmer) Whitford, was born on July 15th, 1833, in the Town of Northumberland, Saratoga County, New York. He lived on his father's farm until he grew to manhood, attending district schools, Schuylerville Academy, and a preparatory school at Charlotteville, New York. After being graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in the classical course, in 1858-having taken a part of the engineering course as extra, under Professor Gillespie-he went to Mississippi, where he taught school and sold machinery until 1861, when he returned to Union College and took a post-graduate course in chemistry, receiving the degree of A.M. In 1862 he was a volunteer in the United States Army for four months, to escort and protect emigrants crossing the Western Plains and Rocky Mountains. After this service he engaged in gold mining enterprises in California and Idaho. He left this work to accept the Chair of Mathematics and Civil Engineering in the People's College at Havana. New York, now Montour Falls. For a period of ten years, up to 1876, he was employed on the New York State Canals, in the Engineering Department, in charge of work, first on the Chenango Canal and afterward on the Erie Canal. Leaving this service he engaged in lead mining in Missouri for two years, after which he was an engineer on the construction of the Southern Kansas Railroad for a year. The following year, 1880, was taken up in testing cements and in the duties of general storekeeper for the Plattsmouth Bridge. Silver and gold mining in Colorado and Mexico occupied his attention from 1881 to 1887. During the last two years of this period he was Superintendent of the Santa Barbara Mines at Chihuahua. * Memoir prepared by S. J. Fields, M. Am. Soc. C. E. From 1888 to 1890 he was employed as Engineer for contractors on railroads for the Chilean Government. Returning to the United States he was engaged as Assistant Engineer on the Michigan Central Railroad, then as General Inspector in the Bureau of Engineering of the City of Buffalo, New York, up to 1898. From that year up to the time of his death he was occupied with various engineering enterprises. He was a man of kind disposition and remarkably even temperament. He was loyal to his friends, kind and considerate to his subordinates. He was unmarried, and is survived by two brothers and a sister. Mr. Whitford was elected a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers on December 6th, 1871, and contributed to the Transactions a paper* entitled "Closing Breaks in Canals, under Difficulties." *Transactions, Am. Soc. C. E., Vol. ii, p. 161. Reprints from this publication, which is copyrighted, may be made on condition that the full title of Paper, name of Author, page reference, and date Standing Committees. THE PRESIDEnt of the SoCIETY is ex-officio MEMBER OF ALL COMMITTEES. On Finance: JOSIAH A. BRIGGS, On Publications: On Library: CHARLES C. SCHNEIDER, CHARLES WARREN HUNT. Special Committees. ON UNIFORM TESTS OF CEMENT:-George S. Webster, George F. Swain, Alfred Noble, W. B. W. Howe, Louis C. Sabin, S. B. Newberry, Clifford Richardson, Richard L. Humphrey, F. H. Lewis. ON RAIL SECTIONS:-G. Bouscaren, C. W. Buchholz, S. M. Felton, Robert W. Hunt, John D. Isaacs, Richard Montfort, H. G. Prout, Joseph T. Richards, Percival Roberts, Jr., George E. Thackray, Edmund K. Turner, William R. Webster. The House of the Society is open from 9 A.M. to 10 P.M. every day, except Sundays Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. HOUSE OF THE SOCIETY-220 WEST FIFTY-SEVENTH STREET, NEW YORK. |