Personal Background, Panama Canal Trip

1911 May 31 Montour PA High School Commencement 15 pages of remarks that his uncle Henry Drinker and Judge Asa Packer became acquainted in Springville, Susquehanna County before Packer went to Mauch Chunk, the Susquehanna County connection is strong at Lehigh as William A. Lathrop formerly of Springville now president of Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., Samuel D. Warriner of Lehigh Valley Coal Co., Ruel C. Warriner of Crown Mines in South Africa, all came from Lehigh; reflects on his boyhood in Susquehanna County and the merits of a good education.

1911 Winter 29 pages of recollections of a recent trip to the Panama Canal a history of how his interest in mining was developed when Eckley B. Coxe and Martin Coryell issued a call for those of the mining profession to form the American Institute of Mining Engineers Drinker joined, now that Institute had a meeting in Panama Drinker and wife participated, they stopped at Havana and Jamaica on the way down and had a week at the Isthmus; Drinker gives a detailed description of the history of the Canal, the engineering particulars, noting that J. A. Smith, formerly of the Lehigh Valley Railroad now supervised the Panama Railroad, the Atlas Cement Company provides 5 million barrels cement and H. J. Seaman (LU 1879) is General Superintendent; the gates built by Lehigh alumni McClintic and Marshall (LU 1888); Ingersoll Rand drills in the quarries; yellow fever.

1911-1912 Winter Address to Bethlehem High School 30 pages of recollections of recent visit to Panama Canal (similar to previous)

1913 May 9 The Bethlehem Times Newspaper article reporting on Dr. Drinker’s remarks about Warren A. Wilbur and his father Elisha P. Wilbur – Drinker says he met Elisha P. Wilbur in the building of Musconetong Tunnel

1920 June 16 Address to Moravian Preparatory School 16 pages of reflections on his connection to the school – two of his children attended and his other Moravian connection is that he had an ancestor, Andreas Schober of Neuhofmansdorf, Jannowiz , Moravia who joined the company of Moravians and settled at Bethlehem in 1743 and subsequently relates history of Lehigh and connection to Moravians.

1920 November 30 Address to Chamber of Commerce three pages remarks about John Fritz’s independence into old age, remarks that he (Drinker) is now 70 years old and notes the great leaders that Bethlehem has: Charles M. Schwab, Warren A. Wilbur, Eugene Grace, Archibald Johnston, Asa Packer, Elisha P. Wilbur, Robert H. Sayre and the current Mayor (Archibald Johnston)

12 page address apparently to Lehigh students “Practical Experience of a Mining Student and Young Engineer” discusses how Lehigh filled its faculty positions in Mining Engineering – Richard P. Rothwell and in Railroad Engineering – H. Stanley Goodwin