Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-04-28

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yelopment of the inland waterways in
a bill which is now in congress.
Senator Ransdell also has his plan
and a large following of believers,
including, il is said, some of the army
| engineers who have given the subject
study. 1t is understood that Senator
Ransdelfs plan represents the view
of the people of the lower Mississippi
sections and in part those of other
| sections He holds that there is only
one way at present to conquer floods
and that is to build levees ana dikes
so that streams cannot overflow.
| Levees Versus Reservoirs.
/ This plan of Senator Ransdell is
put into effect will mean that large
sums of money must be spent imme-
diately on levees. Congress has grant
| ed a considerable sum already, but
nothing can be done even with plenty
of money at hand for a little while
! at least, to make it certain that the
! floods of last spring will not be re-
| peated if the rain conditions shall be
duplicated.
| The Newlands measure is a broad
bill. 1t provides for a government
appropriation of s50,000,000 each year
for period of ten years, making a
| total of 100000, 000 1t includes
plan for reforestation which is
| good one, but it will take a good
many years to grow woods and to
prevent floods by means of natural
| conditions of the country. Mr.. New
| lands plan provides for flood proven
| ton and protection by means of huge
reservoirs for water storage purposes
and by the protection of water sheds
| from denudation and erosion. the lat
| ter plan involving reforestation
| Col c. Med. Townsend of the
United States engineer corps is chair
man of the Mississippi river commits
sion. He is opposed to Mr. New
lands plan, which, however, has re-
ceived the Endorsement of those con-
| servationists who would have refor-
| estation the mainstay of the work of
| flood prevention. In writing on the
| subject, particularly as it relates to
the Mississippi river Colonel Town
send says:
while of the opinion that levees
afford the only practicable method of
| controlling the floods of the Missis-
| sippi river, | desire to state that I
am strongly in favor of both refores-
tation and reservoir construction, but
limited to the purposes for which they
are adapted just as l am in favor of a
reinforced concrete for small bridges
| though not considering it applicable to
one spanning the Lower Mississippi
river"
siebert May Get Alaska Job.
Lieut. Col. William L. Sibert, a mem
| Der Of the Isthmian Canal commits
| sion and builder of the Gatun locks,
dam and spillway, has just been
ordered to Washington to report
for duty, his great work on the
Isthmus having been completed. Army
men, and civilians, too, for that mat
| ter, are wondering if Colonel Sibert
| is to be ordered to Alaska, there to
undertake the job of constructing the
railroad which is to be built by the
government of the United States.
Colonel Sibert already has made
| great name for himself as an engineer
| in the Isthmus of Panama. 1t is per-
| haps a question whether or not he at
hears would care to undertake the
work in the Northwest, for the eli
| m fic conditions would ho antirolv DIFF
| ferent from those to which he has
| been subjected for the last seven
| years, and, moreover, it may be that
he would prefer a home job for some
time to come. However, if he is or
| dered to go to Alaska of course he
will go without a word of demur, as
would any other officer of the United
States army, and there are many of
them connected with the corps of en-
gineers who unQuestionably could be
| intrusted with the great work.
President Wilson and Secretary of
War Garrison in way have the same
problem confronting them today that
confronted President Roosevelt and
| Secretary of War Taft seven years
ago. Pressure is being brought to
bear to have civilian engineer APP
pointed to the work in Alaska, just as
pressure was brought to bear on a
previous administration to have civil
ians appointed to the work in Panama.
Chance for Fame or Failure.
The Panama canal virtually having
been built by army engineers, and
| built so successfully, it would seem
that the natural inclination would be
to give the next big job into the hands
of the soldiers. The man who is APP
pointed as chief engineer of this gov
eminent work in Alaska will have an
opportunity to make a great name for
himself, or, as is possible, he may not
be able to achieve the great name,
failure coming from no fault of his
own. If congress shall give the men
in charge enough money to push the
work and he has as free a hand as
was given to the workers in Panama
the c,fef engineer will succeed or fail
according to his own merits.
If congress delays in parceling out
the 100000 appropriated for the
Alaska work, dribbling the supplies
out at long intervals, the road con-
struction will lag and the head man on
the work probably will be blamed for
something which is no fault of his
If the lawmakers show that they want
the thing done and vote the money
free-handedly, the proper man in the
proper place will complete the com
manding piece of work and will get
fame second only to that which has
come TO the engineers who construct
ed the great lsthmian waterway
The Result.
Ibid you see how the tango has got