Remembering Charles David Underhill

Remembering Charles David Underhill

Charles David Underhill
September 16, 1922 – February 9, 2020

Charles David Underhill (Dave, or C.D.) was born in Vancouver on September 16, 1922 to parents Anne and Frederic Clare Underhill. During WWII Dave served as an officer in the Royal Canadian Artillery from 1942 though 1946.

charles underhill

C.D. Underhill, President, Corporation of Land Surveyors of BC, 1952

He attended the University of British Columbia and received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1949. Dave articled to his father, Clare Underhill, and was commissioned as a BCLS on April 14,1950. Dave also became a partner at Underhill at this time. In 1954, Dave was registered as a Professional Engineer in British Columbia. Dave was elected to the Board of Management of the ABCLS in 1954, and served as President in1957.

Some projects that Dave worked on during his career:

  • Wahleach Power Development – B.C. Electric Co. Survey of 3½ mile tunnel, damsite and penstock control, Legal surveys of land requirements, Precise level control. Transmission Line Rights-of-Way.
  • Cheakamus Power Development – triangulation survey control for 7 mile tunnel, topographic surveys of penstock areas, power house site, intake structures, damsites and canals, road locations to construction areas. Reservoir perimeter survey.
  • Supervision and direction of layout of underground gas lines and power ducts in City of Vancouver.
  • Supervision of Clowhom Power Development field surveys. Dam site topography, reservoir boundaries, soundings of trailrace, penstock profiles.
  • Bridge River (2) Power Development – survey control of 4 mile tunnel, penstocks and switching yard topography. Legal surveys of rights-of-way.
  • Townsite surveys, reposting residential and industrial properties, subdivisions.
  • Control surveys for undersea cables across Gulf of Georgia and other water crossing to Vancouver Island.
  • Legal Surveys of mineral claims and underground workings for Climax Molybdenum, Brenda Mines Ltd., Noranda Mines, Kennco Explorations, etc.
  • Transmission line right -of-way surveys throughout province of British Columbia, interconnecting major power stations.
    Topographic and engineering surveys for location and construct ion of major chain of micro-wave site from Jasper (Alberta) to Kamloops (B.C.) – client – CNR.
  • Harbour surveys – soundings for wharf and grain elevator developments, soundings for cable landing Vancouver Island.
    Precise layout surveys for Granville Street Bridge Piers, CPA Hanger Pile foundations and other Highway Bridges.
    Foreshore surveys for wharves, fish camps, industries, booming grounds.

In 1966 Dave became President of Underhill Engineering Co. Ltd. He was responsible for the direction of Civil Engineering projects undertaken with special emphasis on topographic and engineering surveying utilizing the latest developments in Electronic distance measurement and computing (link computing to <http://underhill.ca/land-survey-project/15/underhill-engineering-computing-services>).

Dave became a retiring partner at Underhill in 1983, with full retirement in 1988, he was also designated as a Life Member of the Association of BC Land Surveyors at this time.

Our sincere condolences to Dave’s family and friends.