470 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE confusion of technical description. It can only be hoped that a sub sequent printing will remove some of the more subtle errors. For such as “the boiler should generate about 8.9 pounds of water per pound of coal,” common sense must be our guide. The rewards of reading the book as a continuous narrative far outweigh the irritation of the many errors. I am aware of no other modern account of the whole business of buying a locomotive—from scratch pad notes to builder’s photo and delivery. The section on estimating costs, the section on the profit margins obtained on 1923 orders, or the section dealing with construction techniques for the modern steam locomotives—any one of these is worth the price of the book. Before the whole complex business of building steam lo comotives becomes as esoteric as heraldry, we are fortunate to have this work on how it was done in Lima, by Lima. Louis A. Marre Dr. Marre is associate professor of English at the University of Dayton. His pub lications relating to the Lima Locomotive Works include a full account of Lima's diesel production and an article on the Lima diesels once operated by Armco Steel. He has written two books devoted to diesel rosters of both the Rock island and the Frisco railroads, is coauthor of the Contemporary Diesel Spotters Guide, and is currently at work on a book dealing with the Kansas City Southern. Building the American Highway System: Engineers as Policy Makers. By Bruce E. Seely. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1987. Pp. xv + 315; illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $32.95. Bruce E. Seely has written a masterful analysis of the effect of engineer-administrators in the Bureau of Public Roads on the devel opment of highways in the United States. By focusing on the engineer, rather than on the automobile or the highway, he provides valuable insights and information that complement the earlier work of John B. Rae, Mark H. Rose, and Mark S. Foster. Seely begins with the establishment of the Office of Road Inquiry (ORI) in the Department of Agriculture in 1893. By collecting data and demonstrating road-building technology, ORI aimed to convince rural residents that good market roads were essential to a better life. Renamed the Office of Public Road Inquiry (OPRI) in 1899, the office became more political. The lobbying efforts of the new director, Mar tin Dodge—which included official endorsements of various materials and construction processes—backfired. He left in 1905, and Congress indicated that the next director of the OPRI should be a “scientist,” reflecting the Progressive Era desire for apolitical expertise. The renamed Office of Public Roads (OPR) came under the guid ance of Logan W. Page, a professional engineer, who developed the first federal highway policy. Page stressed cooperative efforts with the TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 471 states. He increased the number of demonstration projects (“objectlesson programs”), provided technical information, and expanded the OPR’s testing facilities. Through his efforts OPR gained a preeminent reputation in highway engineering expertise. Local and state officials deluged the agency with requests for help. For his part, Page promoted state highway programs and succeeded in forming a nationwide or ganization—the American Association for Highway Improvement— to lobby on behalf of the “good roads movement.” Thomas H. MacDonald, who succeeded Page in 1919 in the newly named Bureau of Public Roads (BPR), continued to believe in co operative enterprise, but he no longer stressed the construction of farm-to-market roads. Instead, he wished to let economic and tech nical rationale determine the course of highway construction. MacDonald encouraged and expected district engineers to work closely with the states, and he also expected high engineering standards. In short order, he became the recognized spokesman for highway trans portation. In congressional hearings he was rarely challenged. Rather, his expertise was sought and, backed by ample statistics, was usually decisive. It was certainly instrumental in the passage of the 1921 Federal Highway Act, which set basic policy for federal highway aid. The reputation of the BPR remained unchallenged until the mid1930s , when New Deal initiatives destroyed the consensus that...
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Jun 1, 2013
Enrique Castillo + 3
Open Access