Arthur H. Frazier (1899-2000)
December 1974 Recognized during his U.S. Geological Survey career as a principal expert on equipment used in the measurement of streamflow, Art Frazier designed discharge-measurement systems for use on boats, the Price pygmy meter, sounding reels, and other equipment. Art is also credited with making numerous improvements to the hydrologic field equipment used by USGS and others. He was Engineer-in-Charge of the Columbus Equipment Development Laboratory for 10 years late in his career. For many years, Art was the USGS expert on current meters, which measure water velocity. He received the Department of the Interior's Meritorious Service Award in 1959. Art had an abiding interest in the history of streamgaging, techniques and equipment, especially current meters. After his retirement in 1959, Art expressed these interests by writing a number of papers (cited below) on these subjects. He made his collection of historical materials available to USGS, where it is now available in the Rare Books Room of the Reston library. He translated two early papers on current meters and techniques from Italian and German, which are also in the Rare Books Room. Working with the Museum of National History and Technology, he wrote two notable papers on current meters, which the Smithsonian Institute published, along with two other of Art's research papers (all cited below). Thus, Art's contributions to the science of surface-water data collection made after his retirement from USGS may be considerably larger than his contributions during his career. Even so, his accomplishments during his USGS career are considered to be very important. A chronology of his professional life appears below: February 11, 1899: Was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin 1928: Graduated from the University of Wisconsin, BS (CE) June 1928: Working for the USGS, made the first Survey boat measurements, using a reel and boom of his own design, to provide discharge data for the Upper Mississippi to the Corps of Engineers, August 1928: Received an appointment with USGS in Wisconsin as a Junior Engineer at $2000 per annum July 1930: Transferred to St. Paul, Minnesota January 1935: Transferred to Section of Instrument Design, Surface Water Branch, Washington, D.C., to work on needs for smaller equipment than the cranes, reels, weights, and gages being developed at Columbus District Office January 1936: Tested with others the prototype, of his design, of the pygmy current meter April 1936: Was assigned the responsibility for preparing current-meter rating tables for meters used in USGS 1937: Was detailed to Columbus, Ohio, to assist in the design, fabrication, and testing of the type D sounding reel, which was gasoline-engine driven 1941: Became chief of the Division of Field Equipment 1941: Published "Care and rating of current meters," first edition (second edition, 1948) July 1946: Moved back to Columbus, Ohio, as a mechanical engineer, to direct the Water Resources Branch Equipment Laboratory-later renamed Equipment Development Laboratory (EDL) 1956: Stepped down as Engineer-in-Charge of the EDL, continuing work on the vertical vane current meter and history of current-meter development 1958: Wrote "Portable cranes for making streamflow measurements" 1959: Received the Meritorious Service Award of the Department of the Interior July 1959: Retired as a GS-13 at about $12,000 per annum 1964: Published "Daniel Farrand Henry's cup type 'telegraphic' current meter" in Technology and Culture, Vol. V, No. 4 1967: Finished English translation of "Early instructions for making streamflow measurements: an extract from Theatrum machinerum molarum (sic) (currently in Rare Book Room of USGS library in Reston, Virginia) 1967: Published "William Gunn Price and the Price current meters," Smithsonian Institution Press 1968: Translated (with Carlo Zammattio) "Description, examination, and theory for all hydraulic tachometers previously known" (in Rare Book Room) 1972: Published "Embudo, New Mexico, birthplace of systematic stream gaging," USGS Professional Paper 1973: Assembled "History of current meters and of the methods used for gaging the flow of streams," (seven volumes in Rare Book Room) 1974: Published: "Water current meters in the Smithsonian collections of the National Museum of History and Technology," Smithsonian Institution Press 1975: Published "Joseph Saxton and his contributions to the medal ruling and photographic arts," Smithsonian Institution Press 1978: Published "U.S. standards of weights and measures, their creation and creators, " Smithsonian Institution Press November 5, 2000: Died at an age of nearly 102 in Madison, Wisconsin Interesting facts: Art's 1974 publication, "Water current meters in the Smithsonian collections of the National Museum of History and Technology," was sold out by 1975. It was subsequently reprinted. This publication on current meters received international recognition. In an article on "Historical development of hydrometry," presented at a UNESCO-WMO-IAHS sponsored meeting in Paris, author Caesperlein of Germany drew heavily on Art's findings. Caesperlein acknowledged them as "the most comprehensive work on the history of this subject." The Smithsonian designated Art as an Honorary Research Associate. His 1972 publication on the birthplace of systematic stream gaging led to the ASCE designating the Embudo gage as a National Civil Engineering Landmark. Although his short-term memory was not what it once was, Art's niece, June Allcott, reported in 1993, when Art was 94, that "He manages to beat almost everyone who plays checkers with him " During the spring through fall of 1974, Art was a member of the workgroup that brought the USGS Water Resources Division Retirees organization into being. He remained an active contributor to the newsletter for many years, writing articles for most of the first 20 editions of the newsletter.3/21/01 E.F. Hubbard, P.E.
