the Water Commissioners would have general administrative overview of the project as a "Board of Directors," Douglass divided ten of the remaining eleven "specifica- tions" between the responsibilities of the Engineering Department and the particular duties of the chief engineer. According to Douglass, the Engineering Department would consist of the chief engineer and assistant engineers, rodmen (holders of the surveyor's target in order to assist in determining the necessary levels), axemen (persons who cut the brush from the line of survey) and inspectors (persons who inspected work done by contractors). The Department would administer the technical and professional duties related to construction. It also would prepare plans and designs and see to it that the contractors properly executed the work as per agreement. The Department would keep records of all correspondence, plans, and specifications of the project. The chief engineer was responsible Larkin for the appointment of Engineering Department staff, the administra- tion of the Department, and the disbursement of necessary funds, subject to periodic audit. He would act as "professional advisor" to the Water Commissioners with regard to the construction plans and the negotiation of agreements with the contractors. Particular notice should be given to the emphasis on profession- alism in Douglass organizational plan. At the time of the building of the Croton, American civil engineering was in the process of devel- oping standards and rules of conduct so necessary to the forma- tion and recognition of any profession. In the 1830s, the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the Rensselaer School (later Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) in Troy, New York, had the only two engineering programs in the United States. The widespread waterway and railroad construction ongoing then served in the training of civil engineers and, as was the case with the Croton, in the systematizing of their duties and responsibil- ities. It is interesting to note that while the Croton was under con- stmction, its second chief engineer, John B. Jervis, participated in the initial attempt to create an American Society of Civil Engineers. In 1839 Jervis was among 17 prominent engineers, led by Benjamin Wright, who attempted to organize a society dedicated to the collection and distribution of "professional knowledge" and the advancement of the "character and standing" of American civil engineers. However, for a variety of reasons, their efforts ended in failure. Yet the attempt served to increase awareness of the neces- sity for professional standards and was the precursor of the current national engineering society of the same name, founded in 1852 and headquartered in New York City. As soon as Jervis took charge of the Croton Aqueduct construc- tion, he moved to revitalize the Engineering Department based upon his experience in state service on the Erie Canal and his high regard for professionalism. He began by enumerating items such as levels, compasses, chain tapes, and drawing materials that should be fur- nished by the engineers, then in rapid succession admonished a division resident engineer for not starting his party sufficiently early in the moming, and directed another resident engineer in the proper manner of operation of the engineer's office. Jervis' instructions were to have everything clean and orderly, to remove all unneces- sary articles, and to allow 'no smoking and no play of any kind." The office was to be "strictly a place of business." For ease of management, Jen/is retained the divisional break- down of the aqueduct line that he Inherited and even reappointed two of Douglass resident engineers. Each of the four 10-mile-long divisions were under the charge of a resident engineer. Each resi- dent had one or two first assistant engineers and usually a single second assistant on his divisional staff. There were also inspec- tors, rodmen, and axemen, as needed. The resident engineers' pay was between $1,500 and $1,800 per year with the assistants earning from $720 to $1,000. Jervis' annual salary was $5,000 and that of Horatio Allen, his second in command, $3,500. By com- parison, in an era when an urban family of four was estimated to have needed an annual income of at least $450 to subsist, the laborers who dug the ditch for the water tunnel were paid as little as SO* a day. During the winter months when most construction activities ceased, Jervis, ever mindful of economy, reduced the size of the staff in each division. The organization of the Engineering Department that was used on the Croton Aqueduct served as a model and was carried over into many later projects by the engineers who furthered their pro- fessional training on this great weiter system. Sources American Railroad Magazine and Mechanics Magazine. April 15, 1839. Douglass, David Bates, MSB. Hobart and William Smith College, Geneva, New York. Jervis, John B. MSB. Jen/is Public Library, Rome, New York. King, Charles. A Memoir