ERNST

ERNST 27.06. 1842 Cincinnati OH/USA 21.03. 1926 Washington DC/USA Oswald Herbert Ernst studied at Harvard University, graduating in 1864 from the US Military Academy. After his war service until 1864 as captain, he was assistant engineer in the construction of fortifications in San Francisco Harbor until 1868, attaining the rank of captain of engineers in 1867. He was until 1871 instructor at Engineering School of Practice, Willit’s Point, Long Island NY, and instructor at the Military Academy. From 1878 to 1886 he was in charge of river and harbour improvements of Osage River MO, and of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers in Illinois. From 1886 to 1889 he supervised the digging of the deep-sea channel to Galveston Harbor TX. He attained the rank of colonel of engineers in 1893 and was the superintendent of the US Military Academy until 1898, when taking over as brigadier general in the Spanish-American War. He served as Inspector General in Cuba until 1899. From 1900 Ernst was closely related to the Isthmian Canal as member of the Canal Commission. He visited Europe and Central America in connection with the route proposed. He also was in the commission which determined that Panama Canal should have locks. He was involved in parallel in river and harbor improvements. Ernst was from 1903 to 1906 president of the Mississippi River Commission, chairing the Board of Engineers to survey the route of the 4 m deep waterway between Chicago and St. Louis MO. He was promoted to colonel in 1903 retiring from active service in 1906 as brigadier general. He was appointed to the International Waterways Commission, and chaired the American Section until 1913. From 1907 he was a consulting engineer preparing plans to protect the levees in St. Louis. He presided from 1916 the Board of Consulting Engineers and thereby examined plans to protect the valley of the Miami River in Ohio from floods. He finally was given the rank of major general in 1916. Ernst, O.H. (1873). A manual of practical military engineering, prepared for the use of the cadets of the US Military Academy, and for engineer troops. Van Nostrand: New York. Ernst, O.H. (1904). Report on Respecting tunnels under the Chicago River. Washington DC. Ernst, O.H. (1910). Report of the Intl. Waterways Commission, on the regulation of Lake Erie, with a discussion of the regulation of the Great Lakes system. Buffalo NY. FitzSimons, N. (1991). Ernst, Oswald H. A biographical dictionary of American civil engineers 2: 33-34. ASCE: New York. https://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22133.htm P

ETCHEVERRY 30.06. 1881 San Diego CA/USA 26.10. 1954 New Haven CT/USA Bernard Alfred Etcheverry obtained his BC degree in civil engineering from University of California, Berkeley CA in 1902. He was appointed associate professor of civil engineering and physics in 1903 at University of Nevada, returned to his Alma Mater as assistant professor of irrigation in 1905, became there associate professor in 1910, taking over as professor of irrigation and drainage engineering in 1917 until retirement in 1951. He was in parallel a consultant for irrigation projects, including the US Department of Agriculture, the Government of the Province of British Columbia, or the SacramentoSan Joaquin Drainage District. He was also a Member of Board of consulting engineers, the State Department of Public Works, to study water resources of California State in the 1920s, or of the Orange County Flood Control District in the 1930s. He was finally a consulting engineer for the Los Angeles County Flood Control District from 1936, and of the Central Valley Project, for the US Bureau of Reclamation USBR. Etcheverry was an authority on irrigation and known for his role in California’s Water Resources Board. Since the latter was set up in 1946, he was a member of committee first and its vice-chairman from 1950. He authored various books in this field, namely Irrigation practice and engineering including the chapters: 1. Soil moisture and plant growth, 2. Disposal of irrigation water applied to the soil, 3. Water requirements of irrigated crops, 4. Results of investigations and irrigation practice regarding proper time to irrigate, 5. Duty of water, 6. Preparation of land for irrigation and method of applying water to the land, 7. Farm ditches and structures for the distribution of irrigation water, and 8. Selection and cost of a small pumping plant. Etcheverry was described as man of extraordinary friendliness. He was highly regarded and deeply esteemed by his students and colleagues. He was loyal to his professional tasks and to his intimate friends. Anonymous (1936). B.A. Etcheverry. Civil Engineering 6(8): 533. P Anonymous (1954). Etcheverry, Bernard A. Who’s who in engineering 7: 739. Lewis: New York. Anonymous (1954). B.A. Etcheverry dies. Engineering News-Record 153(Nov.4): 26. P Anonymous (1954). B.A. Etcheverry, former director, dies. Civil Engineering 24(12): 846. P Etcheverry, B.A. (1912). Units of measurement of irrigation water. Engineering and Contracting 38(13): 359-362. Etcheverry, B.A. (1915). Irrigation practice and engineering. McGraw-Hill: New York. Etcheverry, B.A. (1931). Land drainage and flood protection. McGraw-Hill: New York.