The Washington herald., 1907-02-27

sibert win also receive additional COM
pensation as members of the Canal Com
mission.
/ There will be a reorganization of the
Canal Commission next month. The
Craftsmanship will become vacant on
March 4 through the resignation Of Mr.
/ Shonts, and the retirement OF Nh. Stevens
will be practically synchronous with
/ the arrival Of Mai GOethals on the
/ isthmus The commission consists OF
seven members, and in order TO create
! two additional vacancies 10 make places
/ for the three army engineers 1~A Senator
| Blackburn. il will be necessary to drop,
or more properly, fail to reappoint, two
members OF the present commission in
addition 20 Mr. ShOnts and Mr. stevens
1t is believed that Benjamin Harrod
and Brig Gen p. c. Hams. members of
the present commission. will retire, and
that the remaining members will be re-
appointed
Makeup Of New Board.
/ In that event the commission will con
sist OF Mai GOethals. chairman and chief
engineer; Mai. Gainard, Maj sibert. VIII
liam X Gorgas. Rear Admiral NJ. T.
Endieott, Jackson Smith, and Senator
!
the Senate Committee on Interoceanic
Canals on the nominations Of Chairman
Shonts and the present Canal Commits
sioners and from present indications none
Is likely before the Fifty-ninth Congress
ends. II Is held that unless these nomi-
nations are confirmed the acts OF the
commissioners win have no validity.
/ Mai. Cocktails, to whom will possibly
fan the honor of having constructed the
great Panama waterway. is fOrty-nine
years old Mai GaillaTd is forty-seven
! Mai. Sibert is forty-six.
/ Mai. GOethals has been IN the military
/ service nearly thirty-oRe years having
entered the Military Academy from New
York in 1876. He was graduated from
West Point in June. 1850. very near the
| top Of his class, and was assigned to the
engineer corps. Following graduation he
had a brief tour of duty at the Academy.
and was then sent 10 Willetts Point.
y. Y, in charge Of some government
work. He remained there from Novem-
/ Der, 1850 20 November 1852 From VII
let's Point Maj GOethals went West.
/ being assigned 10 duty as the engineer
officer Of the Department of the Column
bia. He had two years OF this. from
November, 1882, 10 November, 1884
Following this he had four years at the
Military Academy. serving most or the
time as assistant professor and principal
assistant professor OF civil and military
! engineering.
In Charge of River Work
In March, 1891 he was placed in charge
Of the government work OF Improvement
on the Tennessee River This lasted
from March, 1891, until October s. 1894
He constructed the Muscle Shoals Canal
and this work is known as his greatest
achievement in an engineering way. He
also built the Marietta lock In the Ohio
| River. He was relieved from his Ten
nessee River work TO come 10 Washington
as assistant chief OF engineers Of the
army. He served in this capacity from
October 1894. 10 May 1898 in the mean
time, on December Il. 1891. he had been
advanced to the rank Of captain While
IN the War Department under the chief
/ engineer. The war with Spain broke out
Maj Cocktails was made a lieutenant col
onel OF the volunteer army.
For several months In 1858 he was chief
engineer Of the First Army Corps and
served i'm Southern camps. When the
! Chinese troubles broke out in 1890. Mai
/ Cocktails went over with the American
Z forces. He became a major in February,
1890 He was on duty AT Newport r. l.
from August ], 1910. 10 June l. 1893. in
( charge Of the Qualifications and river and
harDor works at that place. On June /,
1893 Mai. Goethals was assigned 20 the
/ General STAFF OF the Army.
He holds an important position in the
/ first division. and is considered one Of
/ the abiest officers I'm the entire service
4 He IS member OF the board on fortifca-
tons, and as such has done much 10 aid
( In the working out Of scheme for coast
and hdrboT defense
Mai GaillaTd was born in South Caro-
/ lima i'm 1853. and was appointed TO the
/ Military Academy from that State in 1850
/ the year Mai. Gothals was graduated In
! 1891 he was commissioned a second lieu
: tenant Of engineers. In the Spanish war
; he served as colonel Of volunteers
/ Maj Siebert was born in Alabama. sp-
( pointed 10 the Military Academy from
/ that State, and was graduated in 1884 and
/ commissioned second lieutenant Of en-
. gineeTs.