Putnam patriot., 1912-11-15
The Nsn



The special appliances which have con
tnbuled 50 greatly 10 the early com
Z plelion Of the Pa0ams Canal But
what about the "man behind the
machine2 No MISTER how great The
! exeeIlenee-of an engineering plant, is
output may be EASILY cut down by in
| efficient handling and faulty orgaui-
cation Of The working force IL took
nigh upon forty thousand men 10 build
| the canal. and Of this yeutabie army
only scattered few were natives Of
the soil. Literally, this was sn army
| Of INVASION, carrying its attack into q
country situated two thousand miles
from it, base. Not alone the men
| themselves had To be carried 70 far
distant and unfavorsbie field, and
strewn out on a working front fifty
miles in length, put with them had to
be carried practically the very homes
in which they were housed; and day
by day the commissariat and quarter
masters department have had 10 for
ward from the United States, ard dis
tribute, the food and general supplies
necessary for their maintenance at the
front In view of these facts, shall We
be stretching the point too far when
We say that the conquest Of the
Isthmus Of Panama is a feat Of the
arms Of peace, as brilliant and as diff.
fieuIt as any ever accomplished by the
arms Of war?
Continuing to speak in the terms OF
our analogy, it must be admitted that
In its Of ening days, the campaign was
not marked by that brilliant success
which has distinguished its later
phases. The period OF civilian control
was marked by doubt and disappoint-
ment Wallace and stevens, engineers
Of brilliant achievement, we're beset
with many difficulties, of which not a
few we're quite unnecessary. Chief
among the latter was the hampeung
system Of control, largely from WASH
ington, which left these men without
that absolutely free hand which is
necessary for the successful execution
Of a work Of this difficulty and magni-
tude. To both Of these men, and par
ticulafly to stevens, is credit due for
working out plan Of organization
which has contributed largely 10 the
success OF the work. But there vas a
lack OF cooperation and absolutely un-
hampered central control which, if it
did not threaten the ultimate success
Of the work, certainly promised to ex
tend the lime of its execution TO an
uncomfortable length. The resigna.
ton and return 10 the United States Of
two civilian chief engineers in rather
close succession presented an emefgen-
CIV which i. took the clear insight and
quick judgment and action of ex
President Roosevelt To grapple with
successfully. He decided TO place the
whole work under army control, and
thus subject IL To an iron discipline
against which there could be no appeal
Fortunately, he found in the Corps of
Engineers of the army a highly expert
body of men, who were already pos
sessed OF wide experience IN works of
civil engineering Of character gen
orally similar 10 thai at Panama. Need
we go any further in this historical re-
view? The fact that the canal will be
ready for traffic over year ahead of
the time appointed, tells the story of
the army's sucee ssful handling Of this,
the worlds greatest engineer ring work.
In spite of some beIaled criticism, 10
which we do not attribute much value
il is generally agreed that one of the
finest ccomplishments of the japanese
people In the war with Russia was
their successful handling of the prob
lem OF sanitation. SO, also, in this
more peaceful bat not less difficult
campaign at Panama, the cleaning up
of the Canal Zone, and the extirpation
aud control of tropical fevers, as car
ried out under Gol- Gorgas, must ever
be considered As great an accom- plish-
ment in the field of sanitation as is the
actual digging Of the canal in the
broad field of engineering. Not alone
did the work OF Col. Gorgas and his
stall pave the way for the construe.
ton OF the canal but they have given
an object lesson To the TOPICS in health.
fui living, whose benefits will be felt
throughout the whole belt of the equa-
turial zone as long Is time endures.
1t was fortunate for the success of
the enterprise that when Col. Goethals
was placed in control AS chairman of
the lslhmian Canal Commission and
chief engineer OF the work, he was al
lowed To have such absolute control
that he has himself spoken of his rule
rs a benevolent despotismn To the
vast adN anlages II army organization
aud discipline Cocktails dded all the
force of an unusually strong PERSONAL
ity His enthusiastic devotion TO the
enterprise, coupled with n magnetic
personal interest in the working force,
have found u quick response among
the men-engiueers, mechanics and Ia
borers alike, who have 50 loyalty co
operated TO push the great work so
rapidly 10 its completion.