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Show National Engineers' Week George Washington's Many Interests Included Science and Engineering Who was the first head of a government to express the belief that aeronautics could be useful to mankind? The answer: No less a personage person-age than our own first President, George Washington. This week, February 19-25, which happens to be National Engineers' Week, the members of one of the country's largest professions are pointing to General Gen-eral Washington as a man who was not only a great soldier and statesman, but also one of the first engineer-builders who laid the foundations for modern America. ' The question about Washington's Washing-ton's interest in aeronautics may come as a surprise to most people today, considering that he died a century before the Wright Brothers got off the ground. However, when the French balloonist Jean Pierre Blanchard made the first balloon ascension in Philadelphia (and the Western Hemisphere) on January 9, 1793, President Washington went to the scene and personally issued Blanchard a "passport" urging all citizens to come to the aeronaut's aero-naut's aid if necessary. The President's remarks at this event clearly indicate that he believed in the future development of air travel. Trained Surveyor Washington, a trained sur- veyor who began actual land surveying sur-veying at the age of 16, was a practical builder who left his mark throughout the Colonies long before he was offered the command of the Revolutionary forces In his early military career he had the responsibility for the planning and construction of many roads, blockhouses, stockades, stock-ades, and forts. He not only assigned as-signed and supervised this construction con-struction work but often drew up the detailed plans for the buildings himself. One of his wilderness roads was eventually to become the great coast to coast highway, U. S. Route 40. As a strategist In the Revolutionary War his battle plans showed Washington as a man with a deep grasp of terrain and fortification conditions. condi-tions. Many drafts of plans for camps and battlefields are in his own hand. Washington's unique role as a general, statesman, and technical-minded engineer is clearly shown in the museum at historic Mt. Vernon. There, along with his battle swords and official papers, are displayed his map drawing and surveying instruments. instru-ments. Scientific Books The numerous scientific books on the shelves of Washington's Mt. Vernon study further suggest sug-gest a man with a strongly curious curi-ous mind concerning technical progress. Among the books is a many-volume set entitled "Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences," an 18th Century British Brit-ish encyclopedia devoted to machines, ma-chines, instruments, tools, geography, geog-raphy, and a variety of other scientific topics. Washington's letters and diaries dia-ries reflect the lively interest s i- fc-nj- 4&&j , ' ' v ": ' ' I I k J m f ""'"'' . ....... V a Drawing instruments used by the first President of the United States. These carefully preserved instruments at Mount Vernon could be used today by engineers and draftsmen. George Washington Wash-ington used the set as a young man in his surveying and map drawing work. which he took in new inventions and discoveries. In 1764 he was greatly impressed by an advertisement adver-tisement for a "tree pulling engine" supposedly capable of pulling up trees by the roots. But apparently he was not enough impressed to purchase the device. de-vice. As a plantation owner and farmer, Washington busied himself him-self with such things as designing design-ing an experimental barn, and a "barrel plow" for planting grain. His diaries mention such things as a threshing machine, a device for measuring exactly the "burning power" of various kinds of candles, the use of steam power for boats, and of all things a hand-powered boat designed to travel upstream through rapids. Potomac Canal Washington's life-long interest in cheap river transportation for the struggling Colonies led him to design and supervise the construction con-struction of a mile-long canal on the Potomac River which allowed al-lowed boats to pass around the treacherous Great Falls. Swamp drainage also claimed Washington's Washing-ton's attention, and he devoted much time and energy to the reclaiming re-claiming of farm land from water-filled swamps in Virginia. In the turbulent months of 1776 General Washington gave his personal attention to an idea for a crank-driven submarine which was to ram British warships war-ships with an explosive charge. In the happier days of 1787 the Statesman Washington could take time out to record a brief note in his diary after examining an "ironing machine," or mangle. Wrote the military saviour of his country: "Well calculated for table cloths and such articles as have not pleats and Irregular foldings, and would be very successful suc-cessful in all large families." Engineering Side The engineering side of Washington Wash-ington would be no stranger in today's "large families" where ironing machines and a whole battery of other gadgets are regularly reg-ularly used. The "civil" aspects of his engineering engi-neering talents were exemplified in his personal supervision of the details of the original planning and laying-out of the Capital City that was to bear his name. In his formal education and technical training, George Washington Wash-ington could hardly be called a professional engineer as we know the term today. But Washington Wash-ington was In spirit and attitude every bit the engineer-scientist type. His limitations were only the limitations of science itself in his day. In his advice-filled farewell address ad-dress to the young Republic, Washington urged that the citizens citi-zens ". . . Promote then as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion dif-fusion of knowledge." As the nation's approximately 400,000 engineers observe their Week, it is obvious that a considerable con-siderable amount of technical ' knowledge has been "diffused" since Washington's day. 20th Century Career Engineering in the 20th Century Cen-tury is a career of opportunity. Interested young people or their parents may obtain a free booklet book-let that gives the basic facts about this challenging' profession. profes-sion. The booklet, "Engineering ... A Career of Opportunity," is available from the National Society of Professional Engineers, Engi-neers, 2029 K Street, N.W., Washington 6, D. C |