Obituary

William Charles Gotshall (A´01, M´02, and Life Member) consulting and constructing engineer, New York, N. Y., and former president and chief engineer of the New York and Port Chester Railroad, died August 20, 1935. Mr. Gotshall was born at St. Louis, Mo., May 9, 1870. Following studies at Washington University he was employed by the St. Louis and Eastern Railroad Company and the Missouri Power and Light Company, and subsequently rebuilt and operated a number of electric railways. As chief engineer of the Union Railway Company, St. Louis, he undertook the rehabilitation of the system, which involved the first introduction of the 3 wire system on railways. In 1897 he was in charge of the rebuilding of the Second Avenue Railway in New York, which was converted from horsepower to a conduit system. Following this he became president and chief engineer of the New York and Port Chester Railroad, which he designed and constructed. This was the first high speed electric railway in the United States built entirely on its own right of way without grade crossings, which involved the introduction of many improvements in high speed electric traction. This work was completed in 1912, and subsequently Mr. Gotshall was engaged in other railroad work in the United States, Europe, and Africa. He also took part in several archaeological expeditions and was the author of a number of articles on electric railways, as well as a book on their economics. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and other organizations.