The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-02-17


TO talk. They we're more than that-they
were enthusiastic. But the minute one
.of them started 70 take his rs hearers
.into his confidence each Of the other mem
GERS OF the ce=1mission held Up the first
finger on his right hand and it was all OF
Frederic p. Stearns. chief engineer Of
the metropolitan water and sewage board
Of Boston. and chairman OF the commits
sion. seemed to be heart-broken over the
oath OF silence imposed upon him for the
time being
Burning Words Not Uttered.
John r. Freeman. a consulting engineer
OF Providence. r. l.. said:
I am sorry I can't tell you 2 number
OF things that are burning on the end OF
my tongue, but 7 am afraid OF intrench-
ing on forbidden ground You had better
wait day or two"
Ny lips are sealed" was the COM
plant OF Ishan Randolph. OF the Illinois
Improvement Company, OF Chicago he
struggled with 81 evident desire 70 let
/ loose a food OF language. and finally sat
down. disappointed, but true 10 MS coiors-
Cant Charles p Allen. consulting engl-
neer Of Chicago; Allen Hazen, consulting
engineer. Of New York City; James D.
SCHUYLER. consulting engineer. OF Los
Angeles. Arthur p. Davis. chief engineer
Of the United States Reclamation Service
were IN the same boat II was plain the
commission had been well trained IN
the first requirement Of government seTv-
/ ice-an ability 10 keep the tongue close 70
I the roof OF the mouth
Lieut. Col. GoethaIs. chairman OF the
I Isthmian Canal Commission, was 70 have
( been present. but was prevented d. :
I CARL. president Of the Washington So
I cletv OF Engineers. introduced the speak
/ ers. and IN spite Of the temporary ofiicia'
/ embargo OF silence addresses were made
/ Enthusiastically praising the work Cd the
!sthmus.
described the Reception.
Mr.. stearns told OF the reception &C
/ corded NJ. Taft and the members OF the
! commission on their arrival
we are given an opportunity 10 90
through everything. and were immensely
pleased with what we saw" Re said. Tbs
progress OF the work down there Is truly
wonderful. But as admirable a. the en-
/ gineering features are. We were even more
interested in the solution Of the problem
lof sanitation-in seeing how an organiza'
ton OF Americans has produced IN tha'
hitherto unsavory region conditions a.
good as any IN the North.
There Is no question that the canal 4
going through. and that i Is goint
/ through rapidly"
The splendid health conditions on TIT
L L. al % F1 al
dress OF Mr. Freeman he ukened III
miracle wrought by the government ea-
( gineers TO the cleaning up OF Havana b.
the United States army
! Mr. Randolph paid q high tribute &
/ Col. Goethals. He spoke IN eulosasti'
/ terms Of the Efficient organization OF IA
work. saying details had been woTket
out 20 such a fns point that there va
never a minutes delay al the steam
shovels FOR lack OF dump trains
Greatest Movement OF Dirt
when tia French commenced 10 dii
the CuIebra cut" he said. the level va
rs feet above the sea When thel
! stopped. It was Iss feet above. and nov
It is ninety feet above sea level It &
/ the greatest movement Of dirt in history
E4-lEAEL VI a. NV NDA1 N-f-t'-- -A-A-l
used to describe the evidences OF the IN
completed work OF the French-the aban
doned machinery lying in the jungles an
II the caved-in cuts they excavated-
what they I'D was remarkable" h
said, considering the equipment the
had Their machinery was well designed
J but Il was too small
T. ---f
spoke OF the climate Of the isthmus
, which they Iikened 70 that OF Califo-nis
and said it was only less delightful ths
that OF the Hswiisn Islands
r II. Newell. director % the Unite
States Reclamation Service. made an I'D
dress on behalf Of the society. in whic
he thanked the members Of the commits
sion for giving their impressions Of thei
trip.
: Among those present were ". H. Code
2 chief engineer Of the Indian Irrtgatio
Service: L. c. Hill. experimenting eng
neer OF the Reclamation Service; Marsde
Manson. city engineer or san Francisco
lie. Z. GrunsSy. consulting engineer q
2 New York City. and ". B. Matthew
I chief counsel Of the Los Angeles AQuc
: duct.
I Preceding the reception, the Washing
I ton Society Of Engineers listened 10 3
: illustrated lecture IN the main hall I
George Washington University, By Va
H. Manning. topographer, United State
Z Geological Survey. who has since la!
D summer been IN charge OF the govern
: ment reclamation work IN the YszC
Basin. His subject was the "Overio
lands Of the Yazoo Delta He had
l / number OF excellent lantern slides show
| ing the damage caused by the overfowir
of the waters OF the Mississippi River.
Quoted the President.
| The region 70 which he referred cor
pr;ses s.s4S square miles, extending sou;
from q point ten miles south Of Memphi
He quoted the remark Of Presidel
Roosevelt, that The Valley OF the Nj
sissippi IS politically and commercial
more important than any other valley {
the face Of the globe Here more thu
anywhere else VIII be determined 4
future OF the United States"
II Among those who heard the lectu
were Representative 2. G. Humphreys,
Mississippi. member Of the Rivers az
| Hsrbors Committee OF the House: G.
Smith, director OF the Geological Su
vey; Frank Sutton, OF the Geological ST
| vey: R. B. Marshall. chief geographer
III the Geological Survey. and E ". PsTke
chief OF the bureau OF mineral resource
III President CARL announced that the II
chanical Society Of Engineers, who ha-
Il been invited to hold their national col
| vention n Washington. have respond
fayorably. The meeting viii be held
Il the first week OF May.