The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-03-14

Panama job had changed with obser-
walton on the spot The general pub
lie, however, thought it curious "a curl
Gus coincidence, so to speak-that the
same concern had annexed both chief
engineer and chairman. It reminded
one Of celebrated couplet in the Kan
sas, bard Thomas Brewer Peacock's
rhyme Of the border war:
On her he then took pity
And took her up to Kansas City.
The Interborough seems to have TAX
en- pity on these two gentlemen Ian
gushing in the lonesome and malari-
GUS canal zone and took them up to
New York city, where things were go
ing on.
The next move on the board was to
let the canal job out to some expert
enced contractor, Mr.. Stevens still ex-
ercising supervision. William J. Oil
yer Of Knoxville, Tenn, made the low
est bid, and it was announced that
this was to be accepted. Mr.. Oliver
organized his company, secured the
requisite Capital and was almost ready
to embark for Panama when some
thing happened.
Resignation No. 3. "...
Mr.. Stevens resigned. AS yet no
body seems to know just why. There
are those who say that it was because
Mr.. Stevens is passionately fond of
golf, and Panama has no golf links
Others aver that he Is passionately
fond of reading, and the mucky at
mosphere of. the canal strip causes a
green moss to grow on the pages of
his favorite tones. Both these expla-
nations of course are jocular, and yet
they are to be estimated with some
degree Of seriousness, for it is unde-
niable that Panama is a long way
from the golf links, the Carnegie IL
braries and all the other adjuncts Of
civilization that make life worth liv-
ing after man has lived in Chicago,
where Mr.. Stevens halls from.
There is also hint Of red tape in
explanation of Mr.. Stevens throwing
up the sponge. 1t is said furthermore
that he did not receive with hidebound
equanimity the constant criticism Of
his work, though it is understood that
the administration was satisfied with
his conduct of the big job.
At any rate Mr.. Stevens resigned,
his resignation was accepted, and upon
the heels Of it came the announcement
that oil bids for the contract were re-
jected and that the canal would be
constructed by army engineers.
Naturally Mr.. Oliver who says he
has spent $4,000 in perfecting his
company and his plans, felt like a man
who had bought a sweet orange and
had sour lemon delivered to him. He
Remarked:
II have been whangdoodled in q good
game. l know and have known all
along who was sitting in the game"
Mr.. Oliver did not divulge the nature
OF the game nor the names Of those
who sat in.
The New Canal Engineers.
Colonel ..Goethals, who is, to- be the
head of the new isthmian canal com
mission, has been serving on the gen
eral staff of the army at WASHINGTON.
He is forty-nine years old and was
graduated from West Point in 1880.
AS assistant engineers the president
mas named two majors of the engineer
corps, d. Du 8. Gaillard and William
u. Slbert, forty-seven and forty-six
years old respectively and both of the
West Point class Of 1884. These three
gentlemen have had long service as
army engineers. For the canal work
their salaries are to be largely in
creased. An army officer, however, is
subject to resignation if he doesn't like
his job. The theory of the president
seems to be that Colonel Cocktails is
young enough to see the job through,
and II he should not stay until the end
one OF the two majors mentioned will
be qualified to succeed him.
Meantime the work is going on. the
steam shovels are cutting out the ditch
and progress is reported. There ap-
pears to be reasonable expectation
tnat the canal will be completed by
about 1917 and at a cost of not more
than $30o,O0o,000, perhaps not nearly
so much. AS to time and cost, howev-
er, nothing definite should be ventured.
The isthmian canal is and always has
been an unknown quantity. We are
coming to know more about it, but we
must learn mostly by experience
The Panama canal idea is lust 357
years old. Antonio Galvao, a Portu-
guese navigator, in 1850 proposed to
the king of Spain plan for cutting a
canal through the isthmus. Christopher
Columbus discovered the isthmus in
1902. Eleven years later, from the
summit Of the mountains in that part
of the isthmus which used to be called
Darien, Miguel Cabello de Balboa dis
covered the Pacific ocean.
Balboa climbed that peak in d.
rien" with the specific purpose Of dis
covering water passage to the orient.
Columbus made his voyages with the
same purpose in view. Though he
never knew it himself, believing he had
reached Asia, the great navigator ran
against an obstruction in the shane of
two vast bodies of land connoo+od Iu