Water Resources: Hydraulics and Hydrology -
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But about that time, the Weather Bureau, the Geological Survey, and the State of
Pennsylvania worked up a cooperative program where they were going to install rain
gauges and study flood forecasting. Pennsylvania had just suffered the 1936 floods
which devastated the state. This was an unusual federal-state program, where the
state furnished the money. Generally, the Federal government furnishes the money.
But in this case, the state furnished the money.
By that time, Merrill Bernard that I mentioned as a part- time employee on the
Geological Survey Study had become Chief of the River Service in the Weather
Bureau Washington office. He was the Weather Bureau officer that was working
on this cooperative program along with a man from the Geological Survey and the
State of Pennsylvania. They formalized the agreement and then started hiring
people. So Merrill Bernard, the man in the Weather Bureau, contacted me.
Weather Bureau
The program was divided into two parts: one in the research, which I was to be in
charge of; and another on the field work of putting out the recording rain gauges and
everything, was under the charge of another man by the name of George Weber.
So I accepted. I had a telegram, official Weather Bureau telegram from Bernard,
after I had accepted telling me to report.
I mention that because this George Weber had been a regular Civil Service
employee. So when he shifted over to state employment, the Geological Survey still
paid his retirement pay which kept him in the federal service. At that time I still
wasn't fully convinced I was going to be a government employee, so I didn't give
much thought to it. But I should have arranged a similar deal with the Weather
Bureau. So later on when I retired, which we'll get to eventually, from the Corps,
I was scrounging together to get all of the service time I could. I tried to get credit
for these two or three years in Pennsylvania. I had a Congressman write, and I had
this telegram from the Weather Bureau and everything, but they never would accept
that.
Marriage, October 1, 1938
I went to Pennsylvania then and that's where I met my wife. We were married in,
I went there in `37, and we were married in `38, October 1, 1938.
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