Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-29
RECOGNIZES The CHORUS
General Dodge Compares Panama Canal to
Building of Union Pacific.
Asvns PLAYED THE SAME TUNE THEN
Future Generations Likely TO Pay
Tribute 20 Men Doing This work
as They Did 10 Builders of
the Union Pacific.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 2S.-President Roose-
welt has received letter from General
GrenVille NJ. Dodge, who was chief engineer
and superintendent OF construction of the
Union Pacific railway. calling attention TO
the remarkable similarity between the
music of the anvil chorus" in those days,
when every form of "hammering' and
knocking" was utilized to discourage the
building Of that great transcontinental link.
and the mischievous and malicious fault
finding that Is now IA mpant regarding the
great isthmian canal enterprise. General
Dodge writes from New York, on January
II. as follows:
My Dear Mr.. President: These continual
and persistent attacks upon the Panama
canal remind me that very much the same
condition OF affairs existed when the Union
Pacific railway was built. At that time II
was considered a national work. as the
l'anama canal is now. A great deal of my
time was used I'm answering charges and
threats none Of which were based on facts.
They were mostly of the same nature
the attacks upon the Panama canal Every
disappointed applicant for position, every
discharged engineer and workman and dis
appointed contractor knew they could air
their grievances and get congress to con-
slder them and the papers to take them up,
and could get hearing from the reporters.
and Tor n time they made II very uncom-
portable. Thcre never would have been a
WORD from any of them If they had not
known they could get the attention of con-
gress ana the people. Committee. after
committee of investigation was authorized
and went upon the property and made an
examination OF all the charges. and with
out an exception they always reported
against the charges and in favor of tho
road. considering that it. was being ably,
nonorably and economically built. | think
thc last committee of investigation was APP
pointed Fifteen years after the completion of
the road. That committee made the most
thorough examination ever made and its
report even after going through all the
financial transactions Of the company. was
very favorable to he property. Now since
The reorganizat ton of the Union Pacific the
dev opment of the country and the great
increase Of traffic across the continent have
MADE IL necessary to increase the capacity
OF the road, reduce its grades, take out it's
curvatures, supply terminals. sidetracks
ETC. the people having this work i'm charge
aiter going into the details of the original
surveys and construction of the road. have
paid II the highest compliments possible TO
EE ns to any work. They found it cost nearly
nalt as much to make the improvements as
IL dld TO construct the road,
Compliments for Original work,
In a Speech in Denver Mr. Hartman
PAID a very nigh compliment 10 the build
SlS OF the roau ana wiped out many of
Tue charges made Originally, sucn as that
,io fOau was increased IN length TO oD-
tam additional suDsIdles. etc, ana the chief
, engineer OF the road, Mr.. Berry. in his
report OF the changes MADE. also pays a
very nigh compliment TO the original To-
eaton, construction, management, etc. Tnc
ihgnest compliment, however, when was
pald to the construction OF the road was
by the CANADIAN government wnen II maze
contract Tor the construction or the can
% adlan Paclnc. one OF the conditions of
That contract was that the road should
be built equal to the Union Pacl1c. When
inc maj examination OF the Union Pacinc
was made by the government commission
VI engineers to ma out how much money
shouiu be spent on IT to bring ii up to
the cnarter and specifications of the gov
eminent that commission brought in a
sum less than the chief engineer of the
Union racine estimated at tnat time Tor
the same work, showing that the company
proposed to build an even better road tnun
the government required.
l have no doubt myself that the Panama
canal Mlii nave 10 pass through the same
e,eNpefiehce. ana | nave no. doubt that 1t
Will come out in the same way. AS long
as disappointed engineers, applicants for
positions, wOfkmen, etc, can air their
grievances and get congress to give them
attention, and the press 10 promulgate
tnenI so long Will congress appoint COM
mttees. ana when they get at the facts
9 these committees will maze the same kind
Of reports they did on the Union Pacific
Truth VIII Come out.
OF course, in all great works there are
mistakes, but experience teaches from year
10 year where you can improve ana mend,
but when any commission or any set of eX-
perts make an examination of the work and
get at the facts and the circumstances, and
all the facts, and consider them at the time
they were done. in my opinion they will
give all people connected with the building
OF the Panama canal full credit and fun
justice, but IL may not come sooner than
1t did In the case of the Union Pacific forty
years after its construction. The engineers
and others | see who have been down to the
isthmus all speak well of the work. Now
That you are getting the care of the labor
and sanitation settled II seems to me the
nearer You can get to one head the more
effective Il will be. Such a work as that
has TO he handled as an army is handled
ana IL Is good deal better TO have one
head than half dozen. With one head
YOU can get all the ability and advice YOU
want from experts and others by paying