Mike,
Great, now TMac will post that quote again, claiming it as fact!
TMac,
As I have said before, I understand where you are coming from on this - you want to better understand the transitional relationship between CBM and Raynor.
As I have also said before, I think it was a long term transition. Why CBM mentioned 1917 in 1928 we don't know, especially since he declares SR a post graduate based on work undertaken in 1914-15. I do think CBM's book was a collection of writings and that may have been the date he was thinking about when he wrote it earlier and editors didn't remove it when the book was published. Just a guess.
The understanding of the transition is also clouded by the fact that CBM never accepted a fee. So, in the case of NS, its quite possible that SR got hired as the official gca and CBM was involved to some degree, whether in just helping Raynor sell the job, or offering a one day review of the plans to bless them (most likely in my view, but again, it really speculation)
He was obviously willing to offer advice to close friends, and was much sought out when NGLA was being built, as evidenced by MCC in 1910-12. But, I think he was trying to turn down all but the most interesting commissions very shortly thereafter. Is that everyone else's understanding?
I also think the plan hatched early to credit SR signifigantly, so he could take over the jobs that CBM didn't want, but still use that CBM association if it helped SR, not unlike Pete Dye and his sons today.
So, I agree it would be interseting to study the contract of those 1913-16 jobs to see if the followed the NS example, or if CBM was actually written in somehow. (I doubt it, though given the amateur status issues and him never taking a fee) But, the NS contract may be the best example we have of how that transition worked - Raynor hired as gca and construction overseer (with help from on site super) and CBM still get some credit for a greatly reduced role, mostly, IHMO, to give Raynor some street cred. I think we know that they mentioned CBM in the minutes at NS because he was a star, and Raynor wasn;t at that time.
To me, that document is far more telling than a 1928 quote in a book where CBM is really obsessed with his own history. 1917 probably meant more to him than it did to Raynor, since he had been gradually taking over the chores of design since nearly the beginning.
I think we also know that he didn't make a lot of trips even to the big jobs like STL if they were distant, but they still wanted the CBM name. Hey, not a lot different than JN, TF, or TD today where associates do most of the work, but under approved guidelines of the boss.
To me, if that is how they worked, the credit should be given like it was given. I am not sure what is gained by altering it, even if a deeper understanding of how they worked is desired. But, as you might say, I think its pretty clear how they worked, and finding that CBM went to one project twice and another only once isn't that signifigant. Others may have a different view.