Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-10-10

whom resigned, he would give the
job Of building the canal to . man
who couldn't quit, and Colonel Goe-
tbals, then attached to the general
stan OF the army at Washington. was
selected for the post.
Colonel Goethals would not have
quit il he could, once the job was
undertaken. for the word is not in
his vocabulary. He plunged into his
work with all the enthusiasm that he
possessed, and soon created a working
organization that has been the wonder
of the world.
Under Colonel Cocktails the greater
part Of the 1915, 900, 900 which the
canal would have cost when 1t is COM
pleted has been spent. 1t has been by
far the costliest engineering project
in the world. Nearly three-hfths Of a
billion dollars has been spent in dig
ging a 40-mile ditch" This means
that the Panama canal has cost the
United States $40, 000, 900 a mile.
Over $4,000, 900 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
nous amount Of money to spend In
cleaning up a place in which few peo-
pie will reside permanently, but the
engineers say hat the sanitation Of
the canal zone was the chief factor In
making the canal a reality. The fail
ure Of the French has been attributed
to a large extent to the fact that
the workmen could not survive In the
fever and pest ridden country.
The building of the great locks
which raise a vessel to a 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
assistants, Colonel Hodges and Lieu.
tenant Colonel Sibert. Colonel Hodges
work In installing the immense lock
gates that form so important a part
of the operating machinery of the
canal and his ability to overcome all
obstacles had led Colonel Goethals to
call him a 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
err as well 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-all
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 ID evidence that the idea of ar
isthmian canal was born as early al
the sixteenth century, for history re
cords the fact that the lnQuisitior
declared such a project to alter thu
face Of the earth to be impious ant
further discussion Of the matter wal
forbidden by Philip IL. Of Spain, whose
reign began in 1856. More than a cen
fury later a S%cotchman named Patter
son revived the scheme, established
colony on the shores Of the isthmus
and made a crude survey of the route
, During the succeeding century tn
, project was considered at variou
( times by French, Spanish and Amer
t cans.
The United States government frs
t took definite action looking towar
= the construction of an isthmian cana
: in 1884, when the senate voted 70
: the building of a Nicaraguan cana
3 An expedition was sent to Nicaragu
Q to make an Investigation, and repor
q ed that the canal could be construc
n ed for $685. 900, 900, hardly one-twent
d eth OF the amount that the Panam
e canal will have cost when complete,
: De Lesseps First to Dig.
The matter rested until after tn
Civil war, when negotiations for
canal commission were entered int
by the United States government B
1, fore anything had been accomplishe
d the concession for q Panama can,
d had been given to Lucien Napoleo
IL ~Bonaparte Wyse, a Frenchman. H
l. organized a company, which sold o,
n later to the fnanciers associated vii
{. Ferdinand de Lesseps. The compar
organized with de Lesseps at its hea
i. was the first one to actually begin o
erations on the isthmus. For eigl
70 years de Lesseps struggled manful
It against the greatest odds that ms
lie ever was called upon to face. The
he was forced to give up the fgh
II his company collapsing as a result
Dr. dishonesty and extravaganza on Il
IL part Of its promoters. and de Lessep