Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-10-10

stand the rush or the Cha&res WA
ters. is admitted now TO be 50 strong
that nothing short of an earthquake
such az has never been known In the
Central American region can harm
II. The Gatun dam, Gatun lake and
the Culebra cut, so gigantic are the
proportions Of each, dwarf the other
engineering works Of the canal that
in themselves have challenged the
admiration Of the world.
World Gives Cocktails Credit.
To Col. George Cocktails, chairman
of the Isthmian canal commission,
chief engineer OF the commission and
I governor OF the canal zone, the world
will give the credit for the successful
completion of the Panama canal. Col
onel Goethals could not have accom-
plished his task without the assist
ance Of such men as Col H. ,.
Hodges, Lieut.. Col David Du B. Call
lard and Lieut.. Col. William L. Sibort,
army engineers, who have had charge
OF various phases OF the work, but
Colonel Goethals is recognized as the
real builder OF the canal.
Under Colonel Goethals the greater
part of the SAFE, 100000 which the
canal will have cost when 1t is COM
pIeted has been spent. 1t has been BY
far the costliest engineering project
in the world. Nearly three-fifths Of 9
billion dollars has been spent In dig
ging a 4O-mile ditch This means
that the Panama canal has cost the
United States s1O,00O.O00 a mile.
Over $16.0000O0 Of the total amount
spent has been used to make the canal
zone habitable and sanitary. 1t has
been suggested that this Is an enor-l
nous amount of money to spend In
cleaning up place in which few peo-
pie win reside permanently, but the
|, engineers say that the sanitation Of
the canal zone was the chief factor In
making the canal reality. The fall
ure of the French has been attributed
the workmen could not survive in the
fever and pest ridden country.
The building of the great locks
which raise vessel to d height of 81
, feet above sea level at one end OF
: the canal and lower 1t the same dis
| lance at the other end, has been In
? charge Of two Of Colonel Cocktails
j assistants, Colonel Hodges and Lieu
] tenant Colonel Sibert. Colonel Hodges
! work In installing the immense lock-
{ gates that form so important a part
I Of the operating machinery of the
! canal, and his ability to overcome all
obstacles had led Colonel Goethals to
call him genius. The building, pois-
ing and operation of the lock gates
constitute one of the delicate prob
lens of lock canal construction, and
the proper handling OF this problem
has been Colonel Hodges contribu-
ton to the work OF construction of
the canal.
Lieutenant Colonel Sibert has had
charge of the building of the great
dam and locks at Gatun, in addition
to other duties. He saw long, &C.
tive service in the Philippines, and
he is known in the army as a fight
er as we'll as an engineer. His fight
ing qualities have enabled him to
carry through the great work of
which he has had charge in the
canal zone.
Realize Dream of Centuries.
Through the work of these men-aII
of them members of Uncle Sans
fighting body-the United States has
been able to attain what has been in
truth the dream OF centuries. In nine
years these men have carried through
an undertaking that was first thought
of several hundreds of years ago.
There Is evidence that the idea of an
isthmian canal was born as early as
the sixteenth century, for history re-
cords the fact that the Inquisition
declared such a project to alter the
face of the earth to be impious and
further discussion of the matter was
forbidden by Philip H. of Spain, whose
reign began in 1856. More than a CEN
fury later Scotchman named Patter.
son revived the scheme, established q
colony on the shores of the isthmus.
and made crude survey of the route.
Q The United States government first
2 took definite action looking toward
$ the construction of an isthmian canal
in 1884, when the senate voted for
the building Of a Nicaraguan canal.
e An expedition was sent to Nicaragua
. to make an investigation, and report
l. ed that the canal could be construct
e ed for $25,00O,O0O, hardly one-twenti-
g eth Of the amount that the Panama
l. canal will have cost when completed.
t De Lesseps First to DIa.
l. Fhe matter rested until after the
u Civil war when negotiations for q
IS canal commission were entered into
e by the United States government. Be
n fore anything had been accomplished
a the concession for a Panama canal
g had been given to Lucien Napoleon
" Banaparte Wyse, a Frenehman. He
e organized company, which sold out
- later to the financiers associated with
10 Ferdinand de Lesseps The company
a organized with de Lssseps at its head
2 was the first one to actually begin Cd
erations on the isthmus. For eight
70 years de Lesseps struggled manfuIIy
y against the greatest odds that man
o ever was called upon to face.
e Such was the history of the 18th.
II milan canal project for some 900 on
1t 400 years, until the day in 1904 when
e Uncle Sam undertook the task.
It In nine years the dream OF the cen.