The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-03-18
BUILDING Of
PANAMA CANAL
Some of the Difficulties Met
by the President in Get
ting Started.
(Man Special to the Advertiser

/ N-1a4 SPCCEdi TO the Ad9eTflS6r.1
WASHINGTON, D. C., March A.
There has been another overturning in
canal management. 1t came almost
like a bolt out Of the blue. The most
alert newspaper correspondents in
Washington We're scooped'' by the
| President. And the overturning had
actually been decided upon for ten
days before 1t leaked out" from the
White House offices. The leak by
the way was not a leak but a formal
announcement that Chief Engineer
John F. Stevens had resigned, that his
resignation had been accepted, and the
President had determined TO turn the
building of the Panama canal over to
army engineers. with Lieut.. Col. Geo
W Cocktails in command, having Najs.
David DUB. Gaillard and William l.
Sibert as his assistants.
Tongues have been wagging ever
since It turns out that Chief Engi-
neer Stevens had simply grown a lit
tie 'fchesty." He is doing excellent
work, making the dirt fly very salts
factorily to the President. He has
good administrative force on the 18TH
mus; he likewise has a good excavat-
ing force and all In all things are get
ting on nicely. But the chief thought
ed that the President could get along
without him. Mr. Stevens reasoned
that he could be as dictatorial as he
pleased and the President would have
10 accede. Therein he erred.
An impertinent letter, based on jeaI-
ousy of contractors. led TO his DOWN
fall. There has been much talk around
Washington about being the man who
built the canal" The big contractors
who came down to Washington to bid
on the titanic project filed the news
pa pers with comment about their pat
riotic motives. They wanted 10 help
poor Uncle Sam out" Of course the
money for doing the work would be
some consideration. but the govern
menr was getting in q bad snarl and
they were willing TO come forward
and help out with their practical ex-
perience. They would be proud TO
have their names go down the ages as
having built the canal as to be Presi-
pent of the United States.
The engineers and chairTnen Of
commissions, who have been appoint
ed by President Roosevelt seem TO
have been imbued with a like idea
All along the line one has heard it.
First Admiral Walker was going 10 be
the master canal builder OF all ages.
But he failed even 10 grasp the outline
OF the mammoth enterprise, was more
interested in having salaries adjusted
than in getting around TO the big
questions and finally had TO give way
Theodore Shonts, a crony OF ex-Secre-
tary Of the Navy Paul Morton, was
brought forward He would do big
things. Morton had recommended him
as 2 wonder The President could
make no mistake in naming him a
humorous recommendation for Shonts
was that his first name Is Theodore
And Shonts was going to write his
name large across the isthmus of Pan
anna. He swelled around Warrington
would not go to the isthmus unless
he u-as driven there and then would
not stay there.
Sbonts had not been holding down
his lob long before the public began
70 tire of the idea that any chairman
If the Commission would dig It De
gan To trickie through the popular
mind that the chief engineer was the
man whose name would be written
large a. canal builder. There had been
homes IF Wallace, John F Wallace,
who was the first chief engineer ana
who made a good impression but ne
bacap7a weary Of residence on the lsth-
mus. plodding along with the WORK
while 4 chairman of the Commission
1oIgAd around Washington, ATTENDED
mink teas and sat in places Of hof1or
AT swell dinners How wallace
signed .conditionally and had WRATH
r7,I Interview with Secretary 1atL III
New York Is ancient history F" al
lace wanted 10 brand the cahal -ish
arick with his initials but he did not
ike S?.onts. did not ike the reo tap
z;4 NOT ike the way the admlnIstfa-
-, IS doing He wanted 20 get out
n an honorable way but secretary
INSISTED on kicking him OUT
I-r,fsr Engineer stevens. succeeding
H., became enarnored Of the same
.,--,Ff-5er - be the canal builder ne
T3-.-:7.7- said a few days ago that
vx-afTars left nothing Of much value
,,,,s-7z him as a monument 10 his e.
e9rrs on the isthmus. Stevens laoore Cd
ba-rer H did secure the good VIII
n the people up in the states who are
- ~. hills. Sherts To the popu-
- ---fr-z mas not much Of = man but
stevens went 10 work On the l ~
ana was giving some return for eLlV
money expended The prospects sem
81 bright. At last ShontS. AFTER E-as
f~r done The social stunt pTo1l1ll1sl- ~
and. to 5udieioDs minded eeop r. -, I-s
---,sr5~r7v. was lifted oUc Of his place
=. T@,r1 1farren had again found hin
-fls bar-h. H could q over u
81 ya-x 70 head the interborougA
The President was CAD 70 have
-rr-,-s o-,r Of the way h was VII
,f-g - appoint Mr. Stevens as cAa17