William
Candler Hodgkins,
a field officer of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey
in charge of the field station of the survey at Boston, Massachusetts,
died at Charleston, South Carolina as the result of a sudden
illness, March 21, 1922.
Mr. Hodgkins was born in Boston, October 21, 1854. He attended
private schools in Boston; public schools in Cambridge until
1871; and Harvard University from 1873 to 1877. He graduated
at Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University with the
degree of civil engineer in 1877.
After one season as a temporary rodman in a topographic party
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, beginning July 5, 1871, he
was appointed an aid in the survey November 7, 1871. He was
appointed a subassistant August 5, 1882, an assistant May 5,
1890, and a hydrographic and geodetic engineer May 18, 1920.
He was retired from the service on account of age May 18, 1920,
but was recalled to active duty on the same date.
His experience in the survey was varied. He was engaged at various
times in triangulation, topography, hydrography, magnetic, observations
for time, azimuth, and latitude, tidal observations, leveling,
boundary surveys, and exploration, including photographic reconnaissance.
He served as commanding officer of several of the vessels of
the survey, and for some years acted as director of coast surveys
in the Philippine Islands.
He was one of the officers assigned to the duty of resurveying
the Mason and Dixon Line, the boundary between the States of
Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the circular boundary between
Pennsylvania and Delaware, and made a report on that work. He
also reran the boundary line between the States of Maryland
and Virginia in Tangier and Pokomoke Sounds. He was for several
years employed on the survey of the Alaskan boundary. He was
one of the officers assigned to the duty of making a detailed
topographic survey of the District of Columbia.
Mr. Hodgkins was a man of ability in his profession and accomplished
much valuable work of which the results are now in the archives
of the survey.
He is survived by his widow and one daughter.
C&GS BULLETIN, No. 83, 4/30/1922
