Page:Men of Mark in America vol 1.djvu/420



ORDECAI THOMAS ENDICOTT, civil engineer, rear-admiral in the United States navy, and chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks of the Department of the Navy, was born at Mays Landing, New Jersey, November 24, 1844. He is the son of Thomas Doughty and Ann (Pennington) Endicott.

After receiving his preparatory school training in a parochial school of the Presbyterian church, he entered the Renselaer Polytechnic Institute of New York, where he was graduated in the class of 1868, receiving the degree of civil engineer. Immediately after graduation he found employment as a civil engineer. His first professional work was in the mines of Pennsylvania. After several years' experience in practical railroad and bridge work, he was appointed, in 1874, civil engineer in the United States navy. For the past thirty years he has served as constructing engineer in various navy yards throughout the country, consulting engineer in the Navy Department at Washington, and in 1899 as chief of its Bureau of Yards and Docks, which has control of the construction of our navy yards and naval stations, their improvement and maintenance. His administration, beginning with the Spanish war, has seen our naval stations increase from 23 to 33 in number, and our naval dry docks from 10 to 21. Two of the docks added are the largest and finest steel floating dry docks in the world. With his accession to the charge of his bureau congress had authorized the construction of four dry docks of the largest class, to be built of timber. He began a campaign of education in opposition to this construction as perishable and unsafe, advocating his view in the navy department, before scientific societies and with congress; and he had the satisfaction of securing congressional action authorizing the building of these four in stone and concrete. Experience with the wooden dry docks previously constructed has justified his views upon this important subject, and the government is now committed to the safer and permanent construction.