Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-04
A Maine Man to Build the Canal.


has been chosen to succeed Engineer
Wallace as chief engineer of the Pana-
ma canal a position of greatest re-
spDnsibility and carrying with it an an
nual salary Of no less than $4,000.
The man thus hcnored is John F. Ste
vens. who was born in West Gardiner
in 1853, and who has been in railroad
work in the Northwest for the past 80
wears. OF late Mr.. Stevens has been in
the service of the Philippine commits
sion, in charge of the 1000 miles of
Philippine railway to be constructed
In the islands under government aid.
and he was about to start for the Phil
ippines when he received the appoint
ment which will take him at once to
Panama
The opportunity which this appoint
ment gives Mr.. Stevens is one such as
few Maine men. or any other man for
that matter, have had offered them in
our times. 1t is his chance to do q
great work. which. according to pres
ent hopes and plans. will stand as one
Of the monumental undertakings of
history II he measures up to the op-
portunity offered him. he will rank
with the great men of all times. Juhg
ing from TIE work which he has al
ready done and from the determination.
ability and high character which he
has already shown, there is every :ca-
son to believe that he is just the man
for the place and that the government
has made most fortunate selection.
Certainly the good wishes which ac-
company him to his great work as
chief engineer of the Panama canal are
nowhere more general or generous
than here in his native state where he
is well remembered and where his ca
reer has been watched with such pride.
As stated above. Mr.. Stevens was
born i'm West Gardiner. Maine in 1858.
He was the son of the late John Ste
vens Of that town. man of fine old
New England stock. strong Of Charac-
ter and of rugged honesty. One other
son Is now a teacher in Colorado.
John r Stevens was educated in the
public schools of his native town
and at the Pennington Normal
school and then he went to Min
nesota. in 1874 and WAS employer
that year and the next as assistant In
tho CITY engineers office at Minneapo-
liz. Early in 1876 he went to Texas
and for three years was employed on
preliminary and location surveys as
chief engineer of TIE proposed railroa.'
between D.nison and Sabine pass He
spent considerable time during this pc
Iiod in the service of other roads in
operation.
In the fall of 1879 he went to New
Mexico and entered the service of the
Denver and Rio Grande railway as as
sistant engineer in charge of heavy
mountain location and construction.
He remained at this work during 1850
and part IF 1881. when he went to the
Chicago. Milwaukee and st. Paul rail-
way, and took charge of the location Of
the main line across Iowa. and of other
lines for the same company. He left
the company in the spring Of 1882 ano
became the contractors engiHeec on tho
construction of 500 miles of the main
line Of the Canadian Pacific railway be
tween Winnipeg and the Rocky Noun
tains.
During 1888. 'S4 and 'S5. or until the
completion of the road. he was the
principal assistant engineer of the Ca
na1ian Pacific railway. and was en-
gagged i'm the location and construction
Of heavy mountain work in the noun
tains of British Columbia. In the
spring of 1896 he returned to the c NJ
& ST p. railway Company and took
yharge or the construction of eighty
miles Of the Ottumwa Kansas City line
and also of the Sioux City line-nine-
ty miles-of the same road. In Decer'-
Der. 1886. he went to the Duluth, South
Shore and Atlantic railway as principal
assistant engineer and took entire
charge Of the explorations location and
construction of that companys line
from Sault Ste. Marie to Duluth. re-
manning until the line was fully COM
pleted and turned over to its owner.
the Canadian Pacific Railway Com
pany in the winter of 1888.
The following year Mr.. Stevens was
engaged for some months in develop
ing mining property in British Column
bia. and the rest of the time was en-
ployed as locating engineer of the Spo
kane Falls and Northern Railway Com
pany, now owned by the Great North
ern Railway Company. In 1890 he went
to the Great Northern Railway Com
pany as principal assistant engineer ir
charge of explorations and surveys of