Putnam patriot., 1909-12-03
Praise for Panama Canal Work.

The people of this country should feel deep interest in the Panama can- al, it Is their enterprise, it is on territo. " owned by them, and Is destined to work a great revolution In the com- mcrce of the world, greatly to the ben | fit of the United states. It ought to; when t was begun its cost was estima- ted al about tl50,00O,0e After being about half completed, its present esti- mated cost Is about x400, ,0oO,0oO. Even at that immense cost our best govern msnt authorities regard that sum as small as compared 10 the magnificent advantages It Is to bestow to the entire world.
 After three of the most renowned en- gineers of the country were given its control, they each tn succession resign. ed, giving various reasons for so doing, but no doubt, from the necessity of changing the plans of each engineer as impracticable, that they felt the task was beyond their abilities. Then Lieu tenant Colonel Goethnls, an army engi- neer, received the appointment of head Of the commission, who submitted plans that met the approval Of the government and the best scientific au- thorities of the country. And now, af- ter nearly two years of his manage ment, faith in his plans and methods of carrying them out have deepened and strengthened, until finally all op- position has been silenced or given way to endorsement,
 Visits after visits of individuals and bodies of men have been made 10 the canal continually, to view for them, selves the work being done and to in- vestigate all the conditions of the great engineering enterprise that Is to add fame and wealth to their great country. In every instance, except one-the re ports of Colonel Goethals, showing steady great progress and improve ment in working out the great engi. neering problem, have been verified. Aud more than that, Panama WAS a pest hole when the United States pur- chased the " zone aud after dealing | with it as IL has with its other un-
 healthy outlying possessions, il has
 made il as salubrious as any part Of
 the country. This has helped swell the cost of the canal, but IL has paid a
 thousand fold in the immunity it has
 wrought for the work. people, and all
 others, from sickness and death which
 had previously been so prevalent
 The last recent visitors To exam.
 inc the work on the canal and the pros
 pect for its completion, is the Congress
 sionsl appropriations committee, sent
 thcr by Congress to make assurance
 doubly sure, that everything was go
 ing on there in accordance with the
 official and general reports received
 from that quarter since Colonel Goeth
 ais assumed control,
 The official report of this committee
 will not he made paelic unlll tns
 meeting of Congress the members
 however, have been free in expressing
 how greatly pleased they were with tn.
 progress of the work on the canal, and
 especially with the fine way Colonel
 Goethals WAS administering the gener.
 al affairs of the canal. All the mem,
 bers were agreed that new legislation
 would he enacted to give Chief Engi.
 neer Goelhals freef hand tn proseca.
 ting his work. They were also agreed ! in believing that the canal would oe
 completed and open for traffic earlier
 than the estimated date.
 We said above that the reports had been uniform in praise ef the work on the Panama espal-uiIh one eNeep- tion. A popular American writer, who