Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-18
WORKS Of ARMY MEN
Great Achievements OF Uncle
Sans Engineering Corps Are
World Famous
BLOWING UP OF HE'LL GATE

This Caused a Sensation In the En-
cheering World - Difficult Light
house Construction-Sault Ste. Maris
Locks and Canal One of the Wonders
Although the supervision of the con
struction of the Panama canal will
prove far and away their greatest
work and when completed will add
another to the seven wonders of the
world, the army engineers have JUST
fed the faith which the country has
manifested in their qualifications for
this gigantic task in many difficult en-
gineering projects which already stand
to their credit.
The president is quoted as saying
1.-THE army engineers may take longer
to build the canal. but there are nc
cutters among them; they are i'm
pervious to criticism. and Of their in
tegrity the country needs no assur
ance."
High up the roll OF notable engineer
Ing projects with which the army en-
gineers have been successfully fdenti.
fed is the work at Hell Gate. once the
worst obstruction In the eastern ap
proach to New York harhor, says the
Boston Transcript 1t was under the
supervision Of General John Newton, q
West Point graduate and an officer OF
the engineer corps OF the army, that
this obstruction was undermined and
hurled from Its foundation. At the
time that the work was begun the pre-
dictions were general that 1t would
prove unsuccessful. At that time, as
now. criticisms were heard about the
slowness Of the work Of the army en-
gIneers hut General Newton blew up
He'll Gate. and few people are aware
today of the sensation caused in the
engineering world at the time by the
complete success Of this difficult prof.
ect
Illustrative Of the professional versa.
tility Of the army engineers is the fact
that in addition to their SO called civil
duties-the entire supervision OF the
improvements Of the rivers and har-
bors of the country-are such monu.
ments to their engineering ability ~
the Washington aqueduct, Cabin John
bridge the Washington monument and
the wings and dome Of the capitol.
Montgomery G. Meigs. an engineer of.
fcer of the army. built the Washington
aqueduct. which crosses two creeks
flowing through deep ravines. He was
also the builder of Cabin John bridge,
which has span of 22S feet, and for
half q century has been the best ex-
ample of masonry arches. Meigs was
criticised for attempting engineering
projects upon so great scale and many
prophesied his failure in this and other
undertakings. Colonel William b. Jud-
son has pointed out the daring of his
originality and declared that the COM
munity is now congratulating itself up
on the fact that Meigs was possessed
of such large ideas.
Nearly all the lighthouses of the
country have been erected by army en-
gineers. and some of these have pre-
scented engineering problems of great
difficulty. Each section OF the country
knows the class of work that the engi-
neer corps has done upon the rivers
and harbors of the United States. This
work has been almost entirely under
control Of the engineer corps. 1t was
this corps which practically made pos
sible through communication between
Buffalo and Duluth by means of uni
form twenty foot channel. The work
at Sault Ste. Marie is one of the most
notable Of the accomplishments Of the
engineer corps. Where navigation be-
tween Lakes Huron and Superior was
completely blocked a canal has. been
excavated, and two locks have been
built side by side, each with an eight
cen foot lift One Of these locks is
among the largest and best pieces of
masonry in the world. The army en-
gineers built the lock of this canal.