The Forrest City times., 1911-12-01

States l. enc CT tEe crest S- scorHgs ever gwen puaa 1eial
 Probably the country not
 know the inside History conn ed with the final employment of army eng.neef fs 70 batld the Pan ana canal The engineer carPs of the army at the outset thought that f sha##d be eFen eharge Of .he canal Wers bat fHdaentHal civilians brought pressure to bear on the adm alstratidu on behalf CT engineers In eiyIl He l. aas said by certain civilians of ptantHtn that tae army @as not accustomed to handling groat business pTopost uoa and that army ng.leer ever lad done a work of anything like the Iaa saItuae of the ono proposed There were all sorts Of attempts 70 belittle he engineering work of the army
 Tb.s sort oi thing had its effect. althoac9 1t is probable that fl was with considerable reluctance that the administration disappointed the proper ambition Of army engineers 70 be assigned to the work Of canal building Wien three civilian engineers. one after another had given eFer the work President Roosevelt and Secretary of War Taft concluded hat the sine had come to give the army chance Tn effect the president told the secretary Cat no army officer would desert hie post even by the resignation route. for dis eipIue and Ineueatod Rig 10 do his duty would keep him at the digging Hattl f ~as au4shed. or untll failure lad come Moreover. it was known that no army officer would Zee in the face of yellow fever or in fear of death from any cause
 Colonel George W Goetha's of the West Point class of 1880 was selected by the secretary of to take up the work that the civilian engineers had dropped Colonel Goethals is still at it and success has marked every step of the way. The colonel chose the outset as two chief assistants Lieutenant Colonels David D Gaillard and William l.. Sbert who graduated from the military acad. emy in the class of 1884 Since that time other army officers have been detailed in addition 10 the three who were first assigned. three who still working and who hope 10 be present when the first ship pokes its prov into the completed canal
 Colonel George W Goethals Is a tall slender with firmly knit figure and snow white hair He has face remarkably youthful and neither the climate the hard work nor the anxl- cites of the isthmian life have touched his vigor He is a sort of court of last resort in the isthmus He travels from place to place on certain days and establishes headquarters for the hearing of complaints He brings hard common sense to bear all kinds of matters. from the settling of a family TOW 10 controversies as 10 seniority in rank of some of the civilian superntendents La borers can go 10 him with complaints of bad food and be sure of hearing and also be sure that any kind of a wrong will be righted He Is a sort of shepherd of the flock father of family of 43o00 children
 Colonel Gaillard. who is the engineer in charge of the central division of the work and Colonel William l. Sibert, enginer in charge of the At, lantic division, as has been said were classmates at West Point Gaillard's first name Is David When he and Sibert entered the military academy "plebes" they took a great liking to each other They chums and eonGdants all through their cadet course. Sibert Is big man physically and the cadets ncknamed him Goliath Galllard