HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VII.
REORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL. THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
In the table the use of the term "The Course" after a subject refers to a detailed description of it in an exhaustive schedule which follows the table in the Register.
This gives in minute detail the scope of each subject taught and the text-books and works of reference used.
It covers forty pages, containing thirty-one main and two hundred and two subdivisions.
Lectures and text-books were both used in most of the courses.
Among the text-books may be mentioned: Davies' Legendre's Geometry, Davies' Bourdon's Algebra, Chauvenet's Trigonometry, Church's Analytical Geometry, Church's Calculus, Mahan's Industrial Drawing, Davies' Shades, Shadows and Perspective; Davies' Descriptive Geometry, Jopling's Isometrical Perspective, Davies' Surveying, Simms' Mathematical Instruments, Gummere's Astronomy, Hitchcock's Geology, Dana's Mineralogy, Gray's Botany, Gregory's Elements of Chemistry, Mill's Qualitative Analysis, Fresenius' Quantitative Analysis, Morfit's Chemical Manipulation, Bird's Natural Philosophy, Bartlett's Acoustics and Optics, Bartlett's Analytical Mechanics, Weisbach's Mechanics of Machinery and Engineering, Pambour's Theory of the Steam Engine, Moseley's Mechanical Principles of Engineering and Architecture, Morin's Aide-Memoire de Mecanique Pratique, Haupt's Bridge Construction, Mahan's Civil Engineering and D'Aubuisson's Traite d'Hydraulique.
A list of one hundred and twenty-nine works of reference in English, French and German is also given.
The practical part of the work of the school included surveys, chemical and physical laboratory work, botanical and geological excursions, visits to factories, etc.
Applicants for admission were required to be at least sixteen years old.
The majority were over eighteen.
They were required to be well prepared in geography, English composition, arithmetic, including the metric system; plane geometry, and algebra to equations of the second degree.
The first "Register" to appear after the reorganization was a pamphlet of sixteen pages dated August 15, 1851.
The second, which was published in October, 1852, contained after the names of the students their grades in the different departments and their class standing.
After some of them the letters "d" and "a", meaning respectively "deficient" and "not examined", were placed.
To this there was decided objection on the part of the students, who republished this register in December of the same year, leaving out the objectionable features.
The grades were in consequence omitted from succeeding registers, though the "order in general standing" upon graduation was published until 1855, since which year all names of undergraduates have appeared in alphabetical order in the different divisions.
About this time students were advised to wear a "uniform dress", and many of them did so.
The suit, including a cap, was made of dark-green cloth.
The coat was a single-breasted frock with a black velvet collar, and the cap had an ornamental symbol in gold placed on the band in front.
The custom did not continue very long, and the uniform was officially mentioned for the last time in the Register of 1855.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VII.
REORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL. THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
Shortly after the extension of the course of study the name of the school was changed from the Rensselaer Institute to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
In a " Programme" issued in 1851 it is called by its former name, but in the Register published in August of the same year the latter title is used.
Although henceforth known as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the change was not ratified by act of Legislature until April 8, 1861.
The name "Annual Register" was first given to the official catalogue in 1854.
The improvement of the curriculum was followed by an increase in the number of students and instructors.
The report to the Regents of the University of the State, made in 1848, shows that on September 29 of that year there were twenty-two students, and that during the year ending on that date there had been a total attendance of fifty-one.
The number of instructors was five, including the president, who lectured once a week on Mental and Moral Philosophy.
In 1855 there were one hundred and fourteen students, of whom fifty-one were from the state of New York, forty-eight from fourteen other states, including Maine, Louisiana and California, and fifteen from foreign countries.
The number of instructors had increased to eleven, including Dr. Beman.
In consequence of the extension of the course no class was graduated in 1852.
In 1848 the tuition was $20 for each term of five months, or $40 a year.
Those who worked in the chemical laboratory paid $8 a term more.
In 1851 the corresponding fees were $60 a year and $5 a term.
In 1857 the tuition was $100 a year, with no extra charges.
This was increased to $150 a year in 1864 and again in 1866 to $200, at which price it still remains.
The fifth act, relating to the institution, passed by the Legislature of the state was dated March 8, 1850.
Beside creating the office of Director this law reorganized the board of trustees.
It was enlarged to nineteen members, and the only ex-officio member left in it was the Mayor of Troy.
All restrictions as to place of residence of members were abolished.
The act of April 8, 1861, which legalized the change of name of the Institute made ten years before, also gave the board the power to increase its number to twenty-five members, including the Mayor of Troy.
No further change has since been made in this number.
By the same law the Trustees were given the power to confer the degrees of Civil Engineer, Topographical Engineer, Bachelor of Science and such other academic honors as they might see fit.
This was merely a more explicit definition of their power to grant certificates than was given by the act of 1835, under which they had been annually conferring degrees.
In pursuance of the plan outlined at the time of the reorganization a course in Topographical Engineering was, in 1857, added to those already existing.
Upon its satisfactory completion the candidate received the degree of Topographical Engineer, T.E.
Like the course in Natural, or, as it was then called, General Science, it was two years in length, while that in Civil Engineering required three years.
A special course in Land Surveying, only one year in duration, was also inaugurated.
The first year of the Topographical curriculum was identical with that in Civil Engineering.
In the second year pure mathematics, graphics, physics, chemistry and geology were taught, and especial attention was given to general surveying, practical astronomy and topographical drawing.
It will be remembered, in considering the time given to the three principal courses, that the preparatory class increased their length for some of the students by a period of one year.
Since the first year of its establishment its members had varied in number from twenty-two to thirty-two.
They were treated as members of the Institute, and their names were printed in the Register, after Division C, under the heading "Preparatory Class".
In 1858 "Division D" was prefixed to this title, and after 1862 it was no longer called the preparatory class but simply "Division D".
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VII.
REORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL. THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
Shortly after the extension of the course of study the name of the school was changed from the Rensselaer Institute to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
In a " Programme" issued in 1851 it is called by its former name, but in the Register published in August of the same year the latter title is used.
Although henceforth known as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the change was not ratified by act of Legislature until April 8, 1861.
The name "Annual Register" was first given to the official catalogue in 1854.
The improvement of the curriculum was followed by an increase in the number of students and instructors.
The report to the Regents of the University of the State, made in 1848, shows that on September 29 of that year there were twenty-two students, and that during the year ending on that date there had been a total attendance of fifty-one.
The number of instructors was five, including the president, who lectured once a week on Mental and Moral Philosophy.
In 1855 there were one hundred and fourteen students, of whom fifty-one were from the state of New York, forty-eight from fourteen other states, including Maine, Louisiana and California, and fifteen from foreign countries.
The number of instructors had increased to eleven, including Dr. Beman.
In consequence of the extension of the course no class was graduated in 1852.
In 1848 the tuition was $20 for each term of five months, or $40 a year.
Those who worked in the chemical laboratory paid $8 a term more.
In 1851 the corresponding fees were $60 a year and $5 a term.
In 1857 the tuition was $100 a year, with no extra charges.
This was increased to $150 a year in 1864 and again in 1866 to $200, at which price it still remains.
The fifth act, relating to the institution, passed by the Legislature of the state was dated March 8, 1850.
Beside creating the office of Director this law reorganized the board of trustees.
It was enlarged to nineteen members, and the only ex-officio member left in it was the Mayor of Troy.
All restrictions as to place of residence of members were abolished.
The act of April 8, 1861, which legalized the change of name of the Institute made ten years before, also gave the board the power to increase its number to twenty-five members, including the Mayor of Troy.
No further change has since been made in this number.
By the same law the Trustees were given the power to confer the degrees of Civil Engineer, Topographical Engineer, Bachelor of Science and such other academic honors as they might see fit.
This was merely a more explicit definition of their power to grant certificates than was given by the act of 1835, under which they had been annually conferring degrees.
In pursuance of the plan outlined at the time of the reorganization a course in Topographical Engineering was, in 1857, added to those already existing.
Upon its satisfactory completion the candidate received the degree of Topographical Engineer, T.E.
Like the course in Natural, or, as it was then called, General Science, it was two years in length, while that in Civil Engineering required three years.
A special course in Land Surveying, only one year in duration, was also inaugurated.
The first year of the Topographical curriculum was identical with that in Civil Engineering.
In the second year pure mathematics, graphics, physics, chemistry and geology were taught, and especial attention was given to general surveying, practical astronomy and topographical drawing.
It will be remembered, in considering the time given to the three principal courses, that the preparatory class increased their length for some of the students by a period of one year.
Since the first year of its establishment its members had varied in number from twenty-two to thirty-two.
They were treated as members of the Institute, and their names were printed in the Register, after Division C, under the heading "Preparatory Class".
In 1858 "Division D" was prefixed to this title, and after 1862 it was no longer called the preparatory class but simply "Division D".
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VII.
REORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL. THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
In 1860 the special course in Land Surveying was abolished and the courses in General Science and Topographical Engineering were made three years in length, the same as that in Civil Engineering.
In 1862, when the preparatory class became Division D, the latter course was made four years in length and the two former each three years.
These two, however, began with Division C, the course in Topographical Engineering being identical with that in Civil Engineering throughout the work of divisions C and B, and the course in General Science coinciding with both of the engineering courses in Division C.
At this time candidates for admission to Division D were required to be not less than fifteen years old, and they were examined in geography, English grammar, arithmetic and algebra (through equations of the first degree).
During the scholastic year 1862-3 still other changes were made, a course in Mechanical Engineering was added, and each of the four courses was made four years in length, the first two years being identical in all.
The last two years in Mechanical Engineering contained, of course, more of the theory and practice of machine construction than those leading to the other two professional degrees.
Courses in Structures and Hydraulics were more largely developed in the Civil Engineering curriculum, and Geodesy and General Surveying in that of Topographical Engineering.
The improvements in these various courses, made annually during the preceding years, are given in detail in the Annual Registers.
In 1866 the course in Topographical Engineering was replaced by one in Mining Engineering.
The number of students in the former had never been great, and of these only five had been graduated, all in the class of 1860.
The first two years in Mining Engineering were identical with those of the other courses.
The distribution of the subjects in the last two years will be given here.
Schedule of the Two Last Years of the Course IN Mining Engineering (1866).
Departments of Instruction.
Subjects of Study.
Division B.
First Term.
Mathematics ..... Differential Calculus — Integral Calculus — Method of Least Squares.
Physics ..... Electricity: Terrestrial Magnetism; Statical and Dynamical Electricity.
Chemistry ..... Qualitative Analysis: Behavior of bases and acids with reagents.
Natural History ..... Mineralogy.
German Language ..... German Grammar — English Translations.
Geodesy ..... Practical Trigonometry — Levelling — Topographical Surveying.
Geometrical Drawing ..... Machine Drawing: Elements of Machines.
Topographical Drawing ..... Maps of Topographical Surveys.
Second Term.
Rational Mechanics ..... Mechanics of Solids — Mechanics of Fluids.
Descriptive Geometry ..... Linear Perspective.
Physics ..... Acoustics and Optics.
Chemistry ..... Qualitative Analysis.
Natural History ..... Mineralogy — Geology — Zoology — Palaeontology.
German Language ..... English Translations.
Geometrical Drawing ..... Perspective.
Topographical Drawing ..... Colored Topography.
DIVISION A.
First Term.
Physical Mechanics ..... Mechanics of Solids: Friction; Strength of Materials. Mechanics of Fluids: Practical Hydraulics; Practical Pneumatics.
Machines ..... Theory of Machines.
Descriptive Geometry ..... Stone Cutting.
Chemistry ..... Qualitative Analysis — Metallurgy.
Natural History ..... Mineralogy—Geology.
Philosophy ..... Intellectual Philosophy.
Geometrical Drawing ..... Stone Cutting.
Second Term.
Machines ..... Theory of Prime Movers: Steam Engine. Designs for and Reviews of Special Machines.
Chemistry ..... Quantitative Analysis—Metallurgy—Assaying.
Geodesy ..... Mine Surveying.
Practical Mining ..... Sinking and Driving — Ventilation and Drainage — General Management.
Philosophy ..... Ethical Philosophy.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VII.
REORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL. THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
In 1860 the special course in Land Surveying was abolished and the courses in General Science and Topographical Engineering were made three years in length, the same as that in Civil Engineering.
In 1862, when the preparatory class became Division D, the latter course was made four years in length and the two former each three years.
These two, however, began with Division C, the course in Topographical Engineering being identical with that in Civil Engineering throughout the work of divisions C and B, and the course in General Science coinciding with both of the engineering courses in Division C.
At this time candidates for admission to Division D were required to be not less than fifteen years old, and they were examined in geography, English grammar, arithmetic and algebra (through equations of the first degree).
During the scholastic year 1862-3 still other changes were made, a course in Mechanical Engineering was added, and each of the four courses was made four years in length, the first two years being identical in all.
The last two years in Mechanical Engineering contained, of course, more of the theory and practice of machine construction than those leading to the other two professional degrees.
Courses in Structures and Hydraulics were more largely developed in the Civil Engineering curriculum, and Geodesy and General Surveying in that of Topographical Engineering.
The improvements in these various courses, made annually during the preceding years, are given in detail in the Annual Registers.
In 1866 the course in Topographical Engineering was replaced by one in Mining Engineering.
The number of students in the former had never been great, and of these only five had been graduated, all in the class of 1860.
The first two years in Mining Engineering were identical with those of the other courses.
The distribution of the subjects in the last two years will be given here.
Schedule of the Two Last Years of the Course IN Mining Engineering (1866).
Departments of Instruction.
Subjects of Study.
Division B.
First Term.
Mathematics ..... Differential Calculus — Integral Calculus — Method of Least Squares.
Physics ..... Electricity: Terrestrial Magnetism; Statical and Dynamical Electricity.
Chemistry ..... Qualitative Analysis: Behavior of bases and acids with reagents.
Natural History ..... Mineralogy.
German Language ..... German Grammar — English Translations.
Geodesy ..... Practical Trigonometry — Levelling — Topographical Surveying.
Geometrical Drawing ..... Machine Drawing: Elements of Machines.
Topographical Drawing ..... Maps of Topographical Surveys.
Second Term.
Rational Mechanics ..... Mechanics of Solids — Mechanics of Fluids.
Descriptive Geometry ..... Linear Perspective.
Physics ..... Acoustics and Optics.
Chemistry ..... Qualitative Analysis.
Natural History ..... Mineralogy — Geology — Zoology — Palaeontology.
German Language ..... English Translations.
Geometrical Drawing ..... Perspective.
Topographical Drawing ..... Colored Topography.
DIVISION A.
First Term.
Physical Mechanics ..... Mechanics of Solids: Friction; Strength of Materials. Mechanics of Fluids: Practical Hydraulics; Practical Pneumatics.
Machines ..... Theory of Machines.
Descriptive Geometry ..... Stone Cutting.
Chemistry ..... Qualitative Analysis — Metallurgy.
Natural History ..... Mineralogy—Geology.
Philosophy ..... Intellectual Philosophy.
Geometrical Drawing ..... Stone Cutting.
Second Term.
Machines ..... Theory of Prime Movers: Steam Engine. Designs for and Reviews of Special Machines.
Chemistry ..... Quantitative Analysis—Metallurgy—Assaying.
Geodesy ..... Mine Surveying.
Practical Mining ..... Sinking and Driving — Ventilation and Drainage — General Management.
Philosophy ..... Ethical Philosophy.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VII.
REORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL. THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, concluded ...
In July, 1859, B. Franklin Greene severed his connection with the Institute, after a service of more than twelve years.
At first Senior Professor with the chair of Mathematics and Physics, his title was changed in 1850 to Director and Professor of Physics, Chemistry and Geology.
In 1852 he became Professor of Physics, Mechanics and Constructive Engineering, and in 1855, Professor of Mechanics, Machines and Constructions.
The change in the character of the course while he was at the head of the faculty gives evidence of his efficiency and great ability.
Ever since he had been elected Vice-president in 1841, Rev. Dr. Beman had delivered lectures on Mental and Moral Philosophy at the Institute, and since 1854 he had been Professor of Mental Philosophy as well as President of the Board of Trustees.
Upon the resignation of B. Franklin Greene he was made Director as well, and the title of Senior Professor was revived and conferred upon Charles Drowne, who became at the same time Professor of Civil Engineering.
Professor Drowne was graduated in the class of 1847 with the degree of Civil Engineer, and in the same year became Assistant in Mathematics and Physics.
In 1850 he was Adjunct Professor of Theoretical and Practical Mechanics, and from 1851 to 1855 Professor of Mathematics, Astronomy and Geodesy.
Dr. Beman remained Director only one year, and in 1860 Charles Drowne became Director and Professor of Theoretical and Practical Mechanics.
The term Senior Professor was then dropped and has not since been used.
Although resigning as Director, Dr. Beman continued President of the Board of Trustees until advancing years compelled him to terminate, in 1865, his long and useful connection with it.
He was succeeded, March 20, 1865, by John F. Winslow, one of the proprietors of the Rensselaer Iron Works of Troy.
He had been a trustee since 1860.
Mr. Winslow retained his position only three years; his removal to Poughkeepsie causing him to resign April 9, 1868.
On May 7 of the same year the sixth President, Dr. Thomas C. Brinsmade, was elected.
He was a physician of Troy who had been a trustee for twenty-four years, having been elected March 4, 1844, during the second occupation of the Old Bank Place.
His term of office was short.
Whilst reading a paper on the condition of the Institute at a public meeting, held in the evening of June 22, 1868, for the purpose of raising funds for the school, he died suddenly of heart disease.
James Forsyth, a lawyer of Troy, was made President December 15, 1868.
He had not previously been connected with the institution.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VII.
REORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL. THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, concluded ...
In July, 1859, B. Franklin Greene severed his connection with the Institute, after a service of more than twelve years.
At first Senior Professor with the chair of Mathematics and Physics, his title was changed in 1850 to Director and Professor of Physics, Chemistry and Geology.
In 1852 he became Professor of Physics, Mechanics and Constructive Engineering, and in 1855, Professor of Mechanics, Machines and Constructions.
The change in the character of the course while he was at the head of the faculty gives evidence of his efficiency and great ability.
Ever since he had been elected Vice-president in 1841, Rev. Dr. Beman had delivered lectures on Mental and Moral Philosophy at the Institute, and since 1854 he had been Professor of Mental Philosophy as well as President of the Board of Trustees.
Upon the resignation of B. Franklin Greene he was made Director as well, and the title of Senior Professor was revived and conferred upon Charles Drowne, who became at the same time Professor of Civil Engineering.
Professor Drowne was graduated in the class of 1847 with the degree of Civil Engineer, and in the same year became Assistant in Mathematics and Physics.
In 1850 he was Adjunct Professor of Theoretical and Practical Mechanics, and from 1851 to 1855 Professor of Mathematics, Astronomy and Geodesy.
Dr. Beman remained Director only one year, and in 1860 Charles Drowne became Director and Professor of Theoretical and Practical Mechanics.
The term Senior Professor was then dropped and has not since been used.
Although resigning as Director, Dr. Beman continued President of the Board of Trustees until advancing years compelled him to terminate, in 1865, his long and useful connection with it.
He was succeeded, March 20, 1865, by John F. Winslow, one of the proprietors of the Rensselaer Iron Works of Troy.
He had been a trustee since 1860.
Mr. Winslow retained his position only three years; his removal to Poughkeepsie causing him to resign April 9, 1868.
On May 7 of the same year the sixth President, Dr. Thomas C. Brinsmade, was elected.
He was a physician of Troy who had been a trustee for twenty-four years, having been elected March 4, 1844, during the second occupation of the Old Bank Place.
His term of office was short.
Whilst reading a paper on the condition of the Institute at a public meeting, held in the evening of June 22, 1868, for the purpose of raising funds for the school, he died suddenly of heart disease.
James Forsyth, a lawyer of Troy, was made President December 15, 1868.
He had not previously been connected with the institution.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
A GREAT fire which swept over many blocks and destroyed property valued at nearly three millions of dollars occurred in the city on May 10, 1862.
It burned the buildings of the Institute, which, beside the two already described, included one adjacent to them obtained shortly before the fire for a mineralogical and geological museum.
The furniture, geological specimens and a part of the chemical apparatus were also destroyed, though a portion of the apparatus and the library were saved.
Temporary quarters were immediately obtained in the University Building on the hill, now called the Provincial Seminary, and the course was resumed on the following Wednesday.
Accommodations for the next year were secured in the Vail Building, on the northeast corner of Congress and River streets; and the school remained there until the completion, in May, 1864, of the structure on Eighth Street, at the head of Broadway, which, under the name of the Main Building, is still used for purposes of instruction.
It is built of brick and is one hundred and fifteen feet long by fifty feet wide, consisting of a central portion five stories in height and two wings, each of four stories.
The land upon which it is situated, including that now occupied by the Winslow Laboratory, was given by the Warren family of Troy, Joseph M. Warren, one of its members, having been a trustee and firm friend of the school since 1849.
The construction of a chemical laboratory was begun in 1865 on that part of the grounds north of the Main Building.
It was named the Winslow Laboratory, in honor of President John F. Winslow.
He had always been deeply interested in the prosperity of the school, and had contributed largely toward the construction of the Main Building.
The laboratory, which was completed during the summer of 1866, was built of brick and was sixty feet long by forty feet wide, and three stories in height.
During the night of August 27, 1884, the upper story, containing lecture and recitation rooms and the chemical library, was burned, and much apparatus and nearly a thousand volumes were lost.
It was rebuilt and ready for occupancy by February, 1885.
In the re- building it was improved and enlarged, and is now seventy-three feet long by forty feet wide, and three stories in height.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
A GREAT fire which swept over many blocks and destroyed property valued at nearly three millions of dollars occurred in the city on May 10, 1862.
It burned the buildings of the Institute, which, beside the two already described, included one adjacent to them obtained shortly before the fire for a mineralogical and geological museum.
The furniture, geological specimens and a part of the chemical apparatus were also destroyed, though a portion of the apparatus and the library were saved.
Temporary quarters were immediately obtained in the University Building on the hill, now called the Provincial Seminary, and the course was resumed on the following Wednesday.
Accommodations for the next year were secured in the Vail Building, on the northeast corner of Congress and River streets; and the school remained there until the completion, in May, 1864, of the structure on Eighth Street, at the head of Broadway, which, under the name of the Main Building, is still used for purposes of instruction.
It is built of brick and is one hundred and fifteen feet long by fifty feet wide, consisting of a central portion five stories in height and two wings, each of four stories.
The land upon which it is situated, including that now occupied by the Winslow Laboratory, was given by the Warren family of Troy, Joseph M. Warren, one of its members, having been a trustee and firm friend of the school since 1849.
The construction of a chemical laboratory was begun in 1865 on that part of the grounds north of the Main Building.
It was named the Winslow Laboratory, in honor of President John F. Winslow.
He had always been deeply interested in the prosperity of the school, and had contributed largely toward the construction of the Main Building.
The laboratory, which was completed during the summer of 1866, was built of brick and was sixty feet long by forty feet wide, and three stories in height.
During the night of August 27, 1884, the upper story, containing lecture and recitation rooms and the chemical library, was burned, and much apparatus and nearly a thousand volumes were lost.
It was rebuilt and ready for occupancy by February, 1885.
In the re- building it was improved and enlarged, and is now seventy-three feet long by forty feet wide, and three stories in height.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
In 1871 it was determined to improve the course in Civil Engineering and concentrate the efforts of the school upon it.
The three courses in Natural Science, Mechanical Engineering and Mining Engineering were therefore abolished.
The number of Students taking the first two had been small, and, although more had taken the last, between the years 1868 and 1871 only twenty-three had been graduated with the degree of Mining Engineer.
Metallurgy and free-hand drawing were added to the civil engineering curriculum, and the courses in chemistry, physics and geology, as well as those in a number of the practical engineering subjects, were extended and improved.
In the course as developed a wide significance was given to the term civil engineering, as is shown by the inclusion in the course of such subjects as metallurgy, thermodynamics, the theory and construction of engines and other machines, etc.
There was at this time, as there always has been, a considerable number of students who took special courses and were not candidates for a degree.
After a lapse of fourteen years the course in Natural Science was re-established at a meeting of the trustees held September 23, 1885, and still continues a department of instruction at the Institute.
The semi-centennial celebration of the foundation of the school was held at Troy, June 14 to 18, 1874.
Besides the usual commencement exercises there was a largely attended alumni meeting, three days in duration, at which historical and other addresses pertinent to the occasion were made by the President, graduates, professors and others.
A monument to Amos Eaton, which had recently been placed in Oakwood Cemetery, was dedicated, and sketches were given of the lives of five graduates and students who had served in the civil war and for whom memorial windows had recently been placed in the Main Building.
These were Major James Cromwell, C.E., Colonel Charles Osborn Gray, Major Otis Fisher, Lieutenant Henry W. Merian, C.E., and Major Albert Metcalf Harper, C.E.
Shortly after the meeting a sixth window, to the memory of Captain James R. Percy, C.E., was added.
These six memorials, however, did not represent all of the graduates and students who had been in the war.
More than seventy-five had served in the army and navy of the United States, in various capacities, during that period.
In 1874 memorial windows to Amos Eaton and to Professors John Wright and William Elderhorst were also placed in the assembly hall of the Main Building.
Professor Wright had held the chair of Botany and Zoology from 1838 to 1845, and William Elderhorst had been Professor of Chemistry from 1855 to 1861.
A leave of absence was granted Professor Drowne, in November, 1875, on account of ill health.
He did not recover sufficiently to enable him to return, but resigned December 9, 1876, on which date William L. Adams was appointed Director.
President Forsyth had been acting in this capacity from December 11, 1875, until his appointment.
Professor Adams was a graduate of the class of 1862.
After some experience in the field he became Acting Professor of Geodesy, Road Engineering and Topographical Drawing from September, 1864, to February, 1865, when he resumed the active practice of his profession.
In September, 1872, he returned to the Institute to take charge of the department in which he had previously been Acting Professor.
He again left, in 1878, to return to the profession of railroad engineering, and on September 10 of the same year David M. Greene of the class of 1851 was elected Director.
Professor Greene had been for a short time after his graduation Assistant in Mechanics and Physics at the Institute, and had occupied the chair of Geodesy and Topographical Drawing from 1855 to 1861.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
In 1871 it was determined to improve the course in Civil Engineering and concentrate the efforts of the school upon it.
The three courses in Natural Science, Mechanical Engineering and Mining Engineering were therefore abolished.
The number of Students taking the first two had been small, and, although more had taken the last, between the years 1868 and 1871 only twenty-three had been graduated with the degree of Mining Engineer.
Metallurgy and free-hand drawing were added to the civil engineering curriculum, and the courses in chemistry, physics and geology, as well as those in a number of the practical engineering subjects, were extended and improved.
In the course as developed a wide significance was given to the term civil engineering, as is shown by the inclusion in the course of such subjects as metallurgy, thermodynamics, the theory and construction of engines and other machines, etc.
There was at this time, as there always has been, a considerable number of students who took special courses and were not candidates for a degree.
After a lapse of fourteen years the course in Natural Science was re-established at a meeting of the trustees held September 23, 1885, and still continues a department of instruction at the Institute.
The semi-centennial celebration of the foundation of the school was held at Troy, June 14 to 18, 1874.
Besides the usual commencement exercises there was a largely attended alumni meeting, three days in duration, at which historical and other addresses pertinent to the occasion were made by the President, graduates, professors and others.
A monument to Amos Eaton, which had recently been placed in Oakwood Cemetery, was dedicated, and sketches were given of the lives of five graduates and students who had served in the civil war and for whom memorial windows had recently been placed in the Main Building.
These were Major James Cromwell, C.E., Colonel Charles Osborn Gray, Major Otis Fisher, Lieutenant Henry W. Merian, C.E., and Major Albert Metcalf Harper, C.E.
Shortly after the meeting a sixth window, to the memory of Captain James R. Percy, C.E., was added.
These six memorials, however, did not represent all of the graduates and students who had been in the war.
More than seventy-five had served in the army and navy of the United States, in various capacities, during that period.
In 1874 memorial windows to Amos Eaton and to Professors John Wright and William Elderhorst were also placed in the assembly hall of the Main Building.
Professor Wright had held the chair of Botany and Zoology from 1838 to 1845, and William Elderhorst had been Professor of Chemistry from 1855 to 1861.
A leave of absence was granted Professor Drowne, in November, 1875, on account of ill health.
He did not recover sufficiently to enable him to return, but resigned December 9, 1876, on which date William L. Adams was appointed Director.
President Forsyth had been acting in this capacity from December 11, 1875, until his appointment.
Professor Adams was a graduate of the class of 1862.
After some experience in the field he became Acting Professor of Geodesy, Road Engineering and Topographical Drawing from September, 1864, to February, 1865, when he resumed the active practice of his profession.
In September, 1872, he returned to the Institute to take charge of the department in which he had previously been Acting Professor.
He again left, in 1878, to return to the profession of railroad engineering, and on September 10 of the same year David M. Greene of the class of 1851 was elected Director.
Professor Greene had been for a short time after his graduation Assistant in Mechanics and Physics at the Institute, and had occupied the chair of Geodesy and Topographical Drawing from 1855 to 1861.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
The third building to be erected for purposes of instruction was an astronomical observatory which was finished in 1878.
It was presented by Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer Proudfit of Troy as a memorial to their son Williams Proudfit, a bright and promising student of the class of 1877, who was, in 1875, fatally injured by being thrown from his carriage.
The trustees received a letter from the donors November 6, 1875, in which they signified their intention to erect the observatory.
In consequence, a suitable site was found in the Ranken property, situated on the east side of Eighth Street, nearly opposite to the chemical laboratory.
This was bought by the Board January 25, 1877.
It has a frontage of one hundred and fifty feet on Eighth Street and extends eastward about five hundred feet to the brow of a hill which has an elevation of about two hundred feet above the Hudson River.
The property included a dwelling-house and stable, both built of brick.
The house, forty feet square and two stories in height, now contains the testing-machines of the school.
The Williams Proudfit Observatory, situated on the brow of the hill, is built of brick with stone trimmings, and consists of a central part thirty feet square, with three wings, the total length being seventy-six feet and breadth sixty feet.
The main part is two stories high, with a dome twenty-nine feet in diameter, under which is the main pier intended for an equatorial telescope.
The wings are each one story in height, that to the east containing the transit instrument and other apparatus used for astronomical purposes.
During the alumni meeting held at Troy in June, 1881, a committee of graduates was appointed to solicit funds for the endowment of the institution.
Francis Collingwood, '55, was made chairman, and the other members were: George W. Plympton '47, William H. Martin '56, William Metcalf '58, Joseph M. Wilson '58, Robert Neilson '61, Arba R. Haddock '62, Frederic W. Vaughan '63, Joseph C. Piatt '66, Joseph W. Campbell '68, Thomas Appleton '68, Theodore Voorhees '69, Arthur E. Boardman '70, David Reeves '72, Frank L. Rowland '75, J. F. Aldrich '77, Conrad B. Krause '79, and George A. Just '81.
This action was approved at the meeting held in New York City in January, 1882, and was officially sanctioned by the board of trustees February 24, 1882.
On this date the board appointed James P. Wallace '37, E. Thompson Gale '37, and Charles Macdonald '57, as a committee to receive and manage the funds, which were to be deposited, pending investment, with the Central Trust Company of New York City.
It was concluded to make an effort to raise $100,000 for the purpose of endowing the Directorship.
Subscriptions were solicited from graduates, and although the whole sum has not yet been raised, partly because other demands have since been made upon them, notably for the construction of the Alumni Building, a considerable proportion has been received.
The amount collected was largely due to the efforts of Mr. Collingwood.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
The third building to be erected for purposes of instruction was an astronomical observatory which was finished in 1878.
It was presented by Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer Proudfit of Troy as a memorial to their son Williams Proudfit, a bright and promising student of the class of 1877, who was, in 1875, fatally injured by being thrown from his carriage.
The trustees received a letter from the donors November 6, 1875, in which they signified their intention to erect the observatory.
In consequence, a suitable site was found in the Ranken property, situated on the east side of Eighth Street, nearly opposite to the chemical laboratory.
This was bought by the Board January 25, 1877.
It has a frontage of one hundred and fifty feet on Eighth Street and extends eastward about five hundred feet to the brow of a hill which has an elevation of about two hundred feet above the Hudson River.
The property included a dwelling-house and stable, both built of brick.
The house, forty feet square and two stories in height, now contains the testing-machines of the school.
The Williams Proudfit Observatory, situated on the brow of the hill, is built of brick with stone trimmings, and consists of a central part thirty feet square, with three wings, the total length being seventy-six feet and breadth sixty feet.
The main part is two stories high, with a dome twenty-nine feet in diameter, under which is the main pier intended for an equatorial telescope.
The wings are each one story in height, that to the east containing the transit instrument and other apparatus used for astronomical purposes.
During the alumni meeting held at Troy in June, 1881, a committee of graduates was appointed to solicit funds for the endowment of the institution.
Francis Collingwood, '55, was made chairman, and the other members were: George W. Plympton '47, William H. Martin '56, William Metcalf '58, Joseph M. Wilson '58, Robert Neilson '61, Arba R. Haddock '62, Frederic W. Vaughan '63, Joseph C. Piatt '66, Joseph W. Campbell '68, Thomas Appleton '68, Theodore Voorhees '69, Arthur E. Boardman '70, David Reeves '72, Frank L. Rowland '75, J. F. Aldrich '77, Conrad B. Krause '79, and George A. Just '81.
This action was approved at the meeting held in New York City in January, 1882, and was officially sanctioned by the board of trustees February 24, 1882.
On this date the board appointed James P. Wallace '37, E. Thompson Gale '37, and Charles Macdonald '57, as a committee to receive and manage the funds, which were to be deposited, pending investment, with the Central Trust Company of New York City.
It was concluded to make an effort to raise $100,000 for the purpose of endowing the Directorship.
Subscriptions were solicited from graduates, and although the whole sum has not yet been raised, partly because other demands have since been made upon them, notably for the construction of the Alumni Building, a considerable proportion has been received.
The amount collected was largely due to the efforts of Mr. Collingwood.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
The year 1883 is made memorable by the endowment of the chair of Rational and Technical Mechanics.
Sixty thousand dollars was given for this purpose by Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Hart, as a memorial to her husband, with the condition that the chair should be designated the William Howard Hart Professorship of Rational and Technical Mechanics.
The communication to the board of trustees offering the endowment was dated June 11, 1883, Mr. Hart having died on the third day of the preceding April.
He was the son of Richard P. Hart, who had been a trustee of the school in its earlier days (1825—43), and was a man of fine character; an earnest student of nature with strong scientific tastes.
He had always been interested in the school, and in her letter Mrs. Hart informed the board that the endowment was "in furtherance of his views and as a fitting memorial of his interest in the prosperity and success of the Institute".
It is proper to remember, nevertheless, that the gift was due to Mrs. Hart and was an evidence of that benevolence of character which has since been shown in so many ways, to the benefit of her native city.
In May, 1883, a petition was received by the trustees from the students, who asked that steps be taken by the board to provide a suitable gymnasium for their use.
The subject was again agitated later in the year, and in 1884 a lot on the south side of Broadway, at the foot of the property containing the Main Bulling, was purchased by the trustees.
Upon this site a gymnasium of brick, trimmed with stone and terra-cotta, eighty feet long by forty-four feet wide, and two stories in height, was erected.
It was opened March 11, 1887.
About half the money expended in its construction was contributed by alumni, trustees, students and residents of Troy, and the remainder was appropriated from the funds of the institution.
The first story contains a reception-room, a dressing-room, shower-baths and bowling-alleys, and the second the main hall, which is about thirty feet high and is fitted with the best patterns of gymnastic apparatus.
There is a running track around this hall and at one end a gallery for spectators.
It has been seen that the geological and mineralogical specimens belonging to the school were destroyed by the fire of 1862.
Another collection was immediately begun by Professor H. B. Nason, at that time Professor of Natural History, who was then in Europe.
A thousand dollars was given for this purpose, and by the fall of 1862 more than a thousand specimens of minerals, rocks and fossils had been obtained.
Since then their number has been constantly augmented and collections in other branches of natural history have been accumulated.
At the present time the cabinets of minerals, rocks, fossils, etc., contain more than ten thousand specimens, the collection of shells numbers about seven thousand, of birds about four hundred, of specimens of wood nearly three hundred, and of plants about five thousand.
The library, composed almost wholly of scientific books, has also been constantly increasing in value.
It consists at present of about six thousand volumes and about three thousand pamphlets and maps.
It contains many engineering works, including the publications of foreign and American scientific societies, and bound volumes of all the more important technical journals.
The valuable professional library and drawings of Alexander L. Holley, formerly a trustee of the Institute, was bequeathed to it in 1882.
For many years the geological collections and cabinets of natural history were kept in a large hall on the top floor of the Main Building and the library was in a room on the second floor.
The erection of a fire-proof building in which both could be safely kept was urged by Professor Nason at the Alumni meeting in Troy, June 13, 1888.
The State Geologist of New York, Professor James Hall of the class of 1832, had promised to give a valuable collection of fossils if such a building were provided.
Part of the amount required for its construction was raised by subscription from graduates at the meeting, and at the Pittsburgh meeting of the association of graduates held January 31, to February 1, 1889, enough was pledged to insure its erection.
A lot on the east side of Second Street, between State Street and Broadway, immediately north of the Savings Bank building, was purchased June 2, 1890, with a fund raised by subscription among the trustees, and the building was completed in 1893.
Wilson Brothers and Co. of Philadelphia provided the plans, the three brothers from whom the firm takes its name being graduates of the Institute.
The structure is fireproof, fifty feet square and three stories in height.
The lower portion is faced with brownstone and the upper with yellow brick and terra-cotta.
The library, a room for the trustees and the office of the Director are on the first floor, and the other two contain the geological, mineralogical and general natural history collections.
There is also a lecture-room for the department of Geology on the second floor.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
The year 1883 is made memorable by the endowment of the chair of Rational and Technical Mechanics.
Sixty thousand dollars was given for this purpose by Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Hart, as a memorial to her husband, with the condition that the chair should be designated the William Howard Hart Professorship of Rational and Technical Mechanics.
The communication to the board of trustees offering the endowment was dated June 11, 1883, Mr. Hart having died on the third day of the preceding April.
He was the son of Richard P. Hart, who had been a trustee of the school in its earlier days (1825—43), and was a man of fine character; an earnest student of nature with strong scientific tastes.
He had always been interested in the school, and in her letter Mrs. Hart informed the board that the endowment was "in furtherance of his views and as a fitting memorial of his interest in the prosperity and success of the Institute".
It is proper to remember, nevertheless, that the gift was due to Mrs. Hart and was an evidence of that benevolence of character which has since been shown in so many ways, to the benefit of her native city.
In May, 1883, a petition was received by the trustees from the students, who asked that steps be taken by the board to provide a suitable gymnasium for their use.
The subject was again agitated later in the year, and in 1884 a lot on the south side of Broadway, at the foot of the property containing the Main Bulling, was purchased by the trustees.
Upon this site a gymnasium of brick, trimmed with stone and terra-cotta, eighty feet long by forty-four feet wide, and two stories in height, was erected.
It was opened March 11, 1887.
About half the money expended in its construction was contributed by alumni, trustees, students and residents of Troy, and the remainder was appropriated from the funds of the institution.
The first story contains a reception-room, a dressing-room, shower-baths and bowling-alleys, and the second the main hall, which is about thirty feet high and is fitted with the best patterns of gymnastic apparatus.
There is a running track around this hall and at one end a gallery for spectators.
It has been seen that the geological and mineralogical specimens belonging to the school were destroyed by the fire of 1862.
Another collection was immediately begun by Professor H. B. Nason, at that time Professor of Natural History, who was then in Europe.
A thousand dollars was given for this purpose, and by the fall of 1862 more than a thousand specimens of minerals, rocks and fossils had been obtained.
Since then their number has been constantly augmented and collections in other branches of natural history have been accumulated.
At the present time the cabinets of minerals, rocks, fossils, etc., contain more than ten thousand specimens, the collection of shells numbers about seven thousand, of birds about four hundred, of specimens of wood nearly three hundred, and of plants about five thousand.
The library, composed almost wholly of scientific books, has also been constantly increasing in value.
It consists at present of about six thousand volumes and about three thousand pamphlets and maps.
It contains many engineering works, including the publications of foreign and American scientific societies, and bound volumes of all the more important technical journals.
The valuable professional library and drawings of Alexander L. Holley, formerly a trustee of the Institute, was bequeathed to it in 1882.
For many years the geological collections and cabinets of natural history were kept in a large hall on the top floor of the Main Building and the library was in a room on the second floor.
The erection of a fire-proof building in which both could be safely kept was urged by Professor Nason at the Alumni meeting in Troy, June 13, 1888.
The State Geologist of New York, Professor James Hall of the class of 1832, had promised to give a valuable collection of fossils if such a building were provided.
Part of the amount required for its construction was raised by subscription from graduates at the meeting, and at the Pittsburgh meeting of the association of graduates held January 31, to February 1, 1889, enough was pledged to insure its erection.
A lot on the east side of Second Street, between State Street and Broadway, immediately north of the Savings Bank building, was purchased June 2, 1890, with a fund raised by subscription among the trustees, and the building was completed in 1893.
Wilson Brothers and Co. of Philadelphia provided the plans, the three brothers from whom the firm takes its name being graduates of the Institute.
The structure is fireproof, fifty feet square and three stories in height.
The lower portion is faced with brownstone and the upper with yellow brick and terra-cotta.
The library, a room for the trustees and the office of the Director are on the first floor, and the other two contain the geological, mineralogical and general natural history collections.
There is also a lecture-room for the department of Geology on the second floor.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
President Forsyth, who beside his official duties as President of the Board of Trustees had lectured on the Law of Contracts since 1873, died August 10, 1886.
Upon his death, William Gurley of the class of 1839, the Vice-president of the board, became Acting President and remained so until his death, January 11, 1887.
On June 1 of the same year Albert E. Powers, a banker and manufacturer of Lansingburg, who had been a trustee since 1861, was elected Vice-president and acted as President until May 2, 1888, when John H. Peck, a prominent lawyer of Troy, was elected to that office.
Mr. Peck had been a member of the board of trustees since June 1, 1887.
He is still (1895) President and is also lecturer on the Law of Contracts.
After a service of thirteen years David M. Greene resigned September 15, 1891, and Professor Dascom Greene, at the head of the department of Mathematics and Astronomy, was appointed temporary Director.
He held this position until the election, January 15, 1892, of Palmer C. Ricketts of the class of 1875, who had been Assistant in Mathematics and Astronomy from that year until 1882 and Assistant Professor in the same department from 1882 until 1885, when he became William Howard Hart Professor of Rational and Technical Mechanics.
He is still (1895) Director and Professor of Mechanics.
Ever since the reorganization of the Institute by B. Franklin Greene each candidate for a degree has been required to present a thesis on some subject germane to his course.
Such theses are read at commencement, and one of the conditions for graduation is that they must be approved by the faculty.
In order to improve their quality Charles Macdonald, C.E., LL.D., of the Union Bridge Company, a graduate of the class of 1857, established, September 24, 1890, a prize consisting of the net annual income from $2000, to be given to that member of Division A, in each year, who should, on graduating, present the best thesis involving a design for an engineering work or an investigation of a process or natural product, or of a natural law of especial interest to civil engineers.
This prize is awarded at the commencement following that at which the competitor graduates.
It has already proved of much value as it increases the interest taken in their theses by those students competing for it, and incidentally has been effective in improving the character of all which are presented.
Three graduates have received it: from the class of 1891, Stacey E. Denny; from that of 1892, Elmer J. Bucknell; and from the class of 1893, Ralph H. Chambers.
The successful competitor in the class of 1894 is Paul L. Reed of Denver, Colorado.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
President Forsyth, who beside his official duties as President of the Board of Trustees had lectured on the Law of Contracts since 1873, died August 10, 1886.
Upon his death, William Gurley of the class of 1839, the Vice-president of the board, became Acting President and remained so until his death, January 11, 1887.
On June 1 of the same year Albert E. Powers, a banker and manufacturer of Lansingburg, who had been a trustee since 1861, was elected Vice-president and acted as President until May 2, 1888, when John H. Peck, a prominent lawyer of Troy, was elected to that office.
Mr. Peck had been a member of the board of trustees since June 1, 1887.
He is still (1895) President and is also lecturer on the Law of Contracts.
After a service of thirteen years David M. Greene resigned September 15, 1891, and Professor Dascom Greene, at the head of the department of Mathematics and Astronomy, was appointed temporary Director.
He held this position until the election, January 15, 1892, of Palmer C. Ricketts of the class of 1875, who had been Assistant in Mathematics and Astronomy from that year until 1882 and Assistant Professor in the same department from 1882 until 1885, when he became William Howard Hart Professor of Rational and Technical Mechanics.
He is still (1895) Director and Professor of Mechanics.
Ever since the reorganization of the Institute by B. Franklin Greene each candidate for a degree has been required to present a thesis on some subject germane to his course.
Such theses are read at commencement, and one of the conditions for graduation is that they must be approved by the faculty.
In order to improve their quality Charles Macdonald, C.E., LL.D., of the Union Bridge Company, a graduate of the class of 1857, established, September 24, 1890, a prize consisting of the net annual income from $2000, to be given to that member of Division A, in each year, who should, on graduating, present the best thesis involving a design for an engineering work or an investigation of a process or natural product, or of a natural law of especial interest to civil engineers.
This prize is awarded at the commencement following that at which the competitor graduates.
It has already proved of much value as it increases the interest taken in their theses by those students competing for it, and incidentally has been effective in improving the character of all which are presented.
Three graduates have received it: from the class of 1891, Stacey E. Denny; from that of 1892, Elmer J. Bucknell; and from the class of 1893, Ralph H. Chambers.
The successful competitor in the class of 1894 is Paul L. Reed of Denver, Colorado.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Re: HISTORY OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
HISTORY RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, continued ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
The Alumni Association of the Institute was organized at Troy June 22, 1869.
Annual meetings are held on commencement day of each year at Troy, and of late years it has been customary to hold winter reunions some time during February in one of the larger cities of the country containing a considerable number of resident graduates.
Such meetings have been held in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Kansas City and Cleveland, and a summer meeting was held, during the Columbian Exposition, at Chicago in August, 1893.
The first general reunion was held February 18, 1881, in New York, at the residence of Hon. Clarkson N. Potter of the class of 1843.
The names of graduates who have been presidents of the Association, with their terms of office, are as follows: James Hall, 1869-71; Albert R. Fox, 1871-73; Strickland Kneass, 1873-74; William Gurley, 1874-78; John G. Ambler, 1878-79; James P. Wallace, 1879-80; Francis Collingwood, 1880-81; Charles Macdonald, 1881-83. Charles C. Martin, 1883-84; Joseph M. Wilson, 1884-85; Joseph C. Platt, 1885-86; David Reeves, 1886-87; Theordore Voorhees, 1887-88; T. Guilford Smith, 1888-89; Christopher C. Waite, 1889-90; Joseph J. Albright, 1890-91; Clark Fisher, 1891-92; William B. Cogswell, 1892-93; Theodore N. Ely, 1893-94, and William Metcalf, 1894.
Several local alumni associations have recently been formed; one, February 10, 1888, at Kansas City called the "Central R. P. I. Association"; the "Pittsburgh Association of Graduates" May 11, 1888; the "Chicago R. P. I. Association" November 25, 1889, and the "R. P. I. Alumni Association of New York City" January 17, 1893.
In past years a number of attempts were made by undergraduates to publish periodicals in the interest of the students and alumni of the school.
The first number of the Rod and Leveller appeared November 18, 1865; and in May, 1884, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Quarterly was issued for the first time.
These failed shortly after their inception.
A successful effort in this direction, however, was made by Tracy C. Drake of the class of 1886, and the first number of the Polytechnic, with him and A. R. Elliott as editors, appeared February 16, 1885.
Since that time it has been issued regularly each month during the scholastic year and is now well supported by students and alumni.
It is published by a board of editors from different classes and each issue contains about twenty-five quarto pages of scientific and literary articles and of news items relating to the school and its graduates.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
CHAPTER VIII.
PRESENT EQUIPMENT — MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION, continued ...
The Alumni Association of the Institute was organized at Troy June 22, 1869.
Annual meetings are held on commencement day of each year at Troy, and of late years it has been customary to hold winter reunions some time during February in one of the larger cities of the country containing a considerable number of resident graduates.
Such meetings have been held in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Kansas City and Cleveland, and a summer meeting was held, during the Columbian Exposition, at Chicago in August, 1893.
The first general reunion was held February 18, 1881, in New York, at the residence of Hon. Clarkson N. Potter of the class of 1843.
The names of graduates who have been presidents of the Association, with their terms of office, are as follows: James Hall, 1869-71; Albert R. Fox, 1871-73; Strickland Kneass, 1873-74; William Gurley, 1874-78; John G. Ambler, 1878-79; James P. Wallace, 1879-80; Francis Collingwood, 1880-81; Charles Macdonald, 1881-83. Charles C. Martin, 1883-84; Joseph M. Wilson, 1884-85; Joseph C. Platt, 1885-86; David Reeves, 1886-87; Theordore Voorhees, 1887-88; T. Guilford Smith, 1888-89; Christopher C. Waite, 1889-90; Joseph J. Albright, 1890-91; Clark Fisher, 1891-92; William B. Cogswell, 1892-93; Theodore N. Ely, 1893-94, and William Metcalf, 1894.
Several local alumni associations have recently been formed; one, February 10, 1888, at Kansas City called the "Central R. P. I. Association"; the "Pittsburgh Association of Graduates" May 11, 1888; the "Chicago R. P. I. Association" November 25, 1889, and the "R. P. I. Alumni Association of New York City" January 17, 1893.
In past years a number of attempts were made by undergraduates to publish periodicals in the interest of the students and alumni of the school.
The first number of the Rod and Leveller appeared November 18, 1865; and in May, 1884, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Quarterly was issued for the first time.
These failed shortly after their inception.
A successful effort in this direction, however, was made by Tracy C. Drake of the class of 1886, and the first number of the Polytechnic, with him and A. R. Elliott as editors, appeared February 16, 1885.
Since that time it has been issued regularly each month during the scholastic year and is now well supported by students and alumni.
It is published by a board of editors from different classes and each issue contains about twenty-five quarto pages of scientific and literary articles and of news items relating to the school and its graduates.
TO BE CONTINUED ...