Franklin F. Snyder
Q ..
Well, almost everything is done on computers now. Send a little disk in, you know.
That's the way it is. Modern technology. What was the influence of an
organization like the American Geophysical Union? Do you think they had a lot of
influence in the development of hydrological science?
A ..
Yes, I think I mentioned before, one of the consultants on that U.S. Geological
Survey project that I started out on was Robert E. Horton. He was the top man in
hydrology. I don't know whether they called it hydrology when I joined in 1935.
But that's probably where the name, more widespread use of the tern-i hydrology was
due to the American Geophysical Union. He would come to the AGU, when I was
working for the Geological Survey. They held their annual meetings in Washington
at that time and we could go to them and you got to know all of the people.
I can still see Robert E. Horton come striding in with a cigar. He was quite a
character. He was a real smart man. He had a lot of odd characteristics, but he was
quite a scientist. He made his money, he was a consultant when the Great Lake
states, there was a big case back in, I guess in the ' 3 0 s , when the states were suing
the federal government on the amount of water being diverted at Chicago and he was
a consultant in that case. I understand that's where he did well financially so that
he was able--he had a private hydraulic laboratory up in New York State, and he did
a lot of private research. He was quite interested in hydrology. He wrote a lot of
papers in the field of hydrology. They say that when he was busy, he'd stand in the
middle, he had two or three secretaries, and he'd be dictating to them all at the same
time, keeping them all busy.
Q ..
So he was one of the prime people involved in developing hydrology as a science?
A ..
Yes. When he died, he left, I don't know how much, but the American Geophysical
Union has two prizes that they award each year from the funds that he left. He left
part of it to the hydrology section, and part of it to a general fund, I think. Then
each year they award, I don't know how much money is involved, but they have a
Robert E. Horton Award each year.
Q ..
Do you think that that work that was done in the American Geophysical Union then
helped to influence the development of hydrology in organizations like the Corps of
Engineers?
I think so. In the beginning, I don't think there were too many Corps people
A
involved. But they were as time went on. The publications were probably utilized.