George W. Baird, Grand Master, 1896
For many
years Brother Baird has been prominent and active in Masonic,
naval, literary, and social circles. Born in Washington,
District of Columbia, in 1843, he received his early education
in the private and public schools of this city, and when quite
young was apprenticed first to a printer and later to a
machinist, at which latter occupation he quickly attained
proficiency. A natural draughtsman and ready free-hand sketcher,
he prepared detail drawings from which work was gotten out when
he was less than twelve years of age. At nineteen he entered the
Navy as an Acting Third Assistant Engineer, serving in the West
Gulf Blockading Squadron on the "Mississippi," "Calhoun," and
"Pensacola," and was under fire twenty-three times during his
first year of service. At twenty (the lowest age permitted) he
entered the regular Navy, and served through all the grades to
that of Chief Engineer. In August, 1895, he was appointed
Superintendent of the State, War, and Navy building, was
transferred to the Line of the Navy March 3, 1899, promoted to
Captain December, 1902, and retired as a Rear Admiral April 22,
1905.
Admiral Baird has been remarkably
prolific in inventions for the betterment of conditions in the
Navy as well as along other lines. Among them are: A fresh-water
distiller, an evaporator, pneumatic tell-tale, steam trap,
automatic throttle, boiler feeder, etc. He also invented and
worked out, proportioned and wrote up the system of ventilating
ships by aspiration which is now universally used in large
steamships. He was one of the pioneers in incandescent electric
lighting, having installed the first incandescent
electric-lighting plant ever used in a government ship of any
nation, the "Albatross" a steamer built under his
superintendence and of which he was chief engineer for nearly
five years. This vessel being intended exclusively for deep-sea
exploring he perfected plans for special machinery for that
purpose which proved eminently successful. He was a member of
the board which powered the enormous gun shops at Washington,
where he introduced the high-speed engines, rope transmission,
etc., which are now in use in that plant.
As an essayist on scientific subjects
he has attained first rank. Following are a few of his writings:
"Absorption of gases by water and the organic matter contained
therein," (Franklin Institute Journal, Vol. 00, 1870); "An
improved distilling apparatus for steamships," (F. I. J,, Vol.
64, 1872); "Pneumatic Steering Gear," (F. I. J., Vol. 71); "The
Flagship Trenton," (Naval Institute, Vols. 4 and 5); "
Ventilation of ships," (N. I., Vol. 6, 1880); " Engineering
reports from the Albatross," (G. P. O., 1882-3-4-5-6);
"Electric lighting on shipboard,"
(Science, Vol. 2, 1883); "Flight of the flying fish," (Science,
Vols. 8 and 10). In the French Academy it was said: "It remained
for an American naval officer to prove by mathematics the flight
of this fish."
Brother Baird is Past President of
the American Society of Naval Engineers, a member of the
Geographical Society, Sons of American Revolution, Cosmos Club,
and Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. After the
reorganization of the public school system in Washington, in
1906, he held the very important position of President of the
local Board of Education for several years.
In Masonry Brother Baird has long
been unusually active. He comes of a family of Masons, his
father, grandfather, and three uncles on that side being members
of the Craft, while on his mother's side tradition has it that
every man for eleven generations back was entitled to wear the
lambskin apron. He was initiated, passed, and raised in
Tolerancia Lodge, No. 4, at Lisbon, Portugal, in July, 1867;
affiliated with Naval Lodge, No. 87, in Vallejo, California, in
1870, and affiliated with Hope Lodge, No. 20, of this
jurisdiction, in 1875, of which last lodge he became Master in
1883. He was also elected an honorary member of Naval Lodge, No.
4, of Washington, D. C, February 6, 1902. He received the
Capitular degrees in Washington R. A. Chapter, No. 2,
Washington, D. C, being exalted January 25, 1882, and serving as
High Priest of that Chapter during 1890. He was knighted in
Washington Commandery, No. 1, in January, 1891. He received the
first fourteen degrees of the Scottish Rite in Portugal in 1867;
the Rose Croix grade in Evangelist Chapter; the Knight of Kadosh
in Robert de Bruce Council, and the Consistory grades in Albert
Pike Consistory. He was crowned a thirty-third degree Mason
October 26, 1901, in the A. A. S. R., Southern Jurisdiction of
the United States.
Since the death of Brother Singleton
Brother Baird has most ably and acceptably filled the position
of Chairman of the Committee on Correspondence.
AHGP
District of Columbia
Source: History of the Grand Lodge and
Freemasonry in the District of Columbia, compiled by W. Brother
Kenton N. Harper, 1911.
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