The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-03-04
President Wilson Lauds the
Work of Engineer Who
Supervised Construction of
Panama Canal.
LEAD TAKEN BY U. S.
Executive at Banquet of Geo
graphic Society Boa s is
That This Country Cut
Highway for Ships.


1ngton paid tribute last night to Col
George Washington Goethals, builder
or the Panama canal The occasion
was the annual banquet Of the Nation
al Geographic society, with Col Goe
thals present as the guest of honor
and to receive from the hand of Presi-
dent Wilson a special gold medal
awarded him by the society in recog
milton Of his wonderful achievement.
Secretary Bryan Of the state de
partment, was POSTMASTER, and gath
cred about the banquet table with
the distinguished scientists of the so
ciety were President Wilson and his
cabinet, justices of the supreme court
members Of the diplomatic corps, high
officers Of the army and navy. leaders
IN both houses of congress and other
notable figures in the life Of the ma
tional capital,
During the evening Jules ]. Jusse-
rand. French ambassador and dean of
the diplomatic corps, formally was
notified of his election to honorary
membership in the society.
The banquet hall presented a strik-
ing scene At one end, raised high
above the table the words "Atlantic-
Goethals-Pacific," blazed in brilliant
electric letters, as all other lights were
extinguished. AS though it had been
prearranged, this brought a roar of
applause from the assemblage.
Ice cream was served the diners
from miniature dredges. carried by
walters dressed in uniform of the
United States engineer corps, and fol-
lowed by sailors bearing a tiny battle
ship. Individual dishes of ice cream
appeared nodded in the shape of the
Panama canal dump car
The medal awarded Colonel Goe-
thals was Of heavy Roman gold. 1t
was an expression Of the appreciation
OF the society and the nation of the
army engineers distinguished achieve
ment. Its presentation was the final
act Of President Wilson's first year
&c chief executive of the United
States.
Inscribed on the medal were these
words: This medal of the National
Geographic society is awarded to
George Washington Goethals, to
whose ability and patriotism the world
owes the construction of the Panama
canal, March s, 1914
Presenting the medal, President Will
son said:
Il am here to do what I suppose is
an unusual thing for a society of this
ort 1t generally confers its honors
upon those who have disclosed geo
-'aphy rather than upon those who
nave altered It. II is a sort of adver
ser and custodian Of the globe, but
{ is about TO honor q gentleman who
has had the audacity 10 change the
?obe
The engineering profession is one
Of the few creative professions. Those
Of us who have attempted to be liter
airy men conceive that we have created
conceptions of the mind, bat We never
can produce them in Court. They arc
never visihly UDcN eXhthition. But the
magic Of the engineer is that he can
change the fact Of nature ard show
The work of his bands. an! that it is
III some deep sense creative in char
aCter.
The life Of mankind on the globe
IS altered, for example by the cutting
and the use Of the Panama Canal
The United states has made the
world very uncomfortable but it has
at least done SO by the exercise of
extraordinary dynamic qualities. It
is not one Of the statistical nations
Of the world It is one of the nations
which has distributed equilibrium
which has cut nCW paths for the
thought ana action OF nlnC.
Name Is Praised
And now there is to be elevated,
and kept always on high. this new eX-
perience. a name which will not be
blotted ont until and unless the whole
civilization Of the world should change.
the name Of Colonel Goethals.
The government Of the United
States lent him to the world and he
has done this thing for the world. For
IT. is our proud boast that We have cut
his highway for al the sca-going
ships Of the world.
Il take it for granted hat we do not
tonight forget that distinguished group
Of men who has been associated with
Colonel GOethaIs--that gallant and de-
voted soldier who gave his very life
to see that the great work was done at
Culebra Cut; that man who made so
much OF this work possible Surgeon
General GOrgaS.
"COlOucl Sclbert. who built the
walls of Gatun dam and created Cat
un lake, making it look to the eyes Of
the beholder as if nature had done the
work over which he himself presided ;
and Colonel Hodges, who made the