Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-05-21
Recognition for Canal Work.


Recognition for Canal Work.
Congress apparently is prepared
finally to take action on a bill which
makes provision for the recognition
| of the services of the officers of the
army and navy who held membership
on the Isthmian canal commission and
| to whose hard and devoted service
| the completion of the waterway is due.
The proposed legislation will give
| the thanks of congress to the army
and navy officers concerned and will
| give authority for their promotion. If
| the bill becomes a law George W.
| Goethals, chief engineer of the canal
| project, will be made a major general
| Of the line, and Brig. Gen. William c.
| Gorgas, sanitary expert of the zone,
| will be made major general in the
medical department. Lieut.. Col. Will
liam L. Sibert, the builder of the Ga
tun dam, locks and spillway and the
| creator of the Gatun lake, and Lieut.
| Col. H. F. Hodges, the designer of the
| operating machinery of the canal, will
| be made brigadier generals in the en-
| gineer corps. Commander H. H. Rous
seau, the civil engineer of the navy
who did constructive work on the sea
approaches to the canal, will be ap-
| pointed to the grade of rear admiral
''Of the lower nine in that corps"
Thanks of Congress to All.
What doubtless will be more CRATE
full to all these officers than promotion
is the provision in the bill which gives
| to all of them the thanks of congress
for their distinguished service in con-
structing the Panama canal"
| Care was taken in framing the bill
| to avoid interfering with the promo
| ton Of officers of the army and navy,
either senior or junior in grade to the
men whom it is proposed to advance.
! The bill provides for the promotion
| of Colonel Goethals and Brigadier Gen
eTal Gorgas to the rank of major gen
erals, the one Of the line and the other
in the medical department, but in or
! der to accomplish this without inter
| fering with the promotion of other
men the existing number of major gen
erals Of the line and the number in
! the medical department are increased
/ by one each. Thus it will be seen
readily that this not only will not in
terfere with the promotions of men of
| junior grade, but actually will advance
the junior officers of the engineer
corps one grade, because of the va
cancy caused by the promotion of
| Colonel GoethaIs, who is now an en-
gineer officer.
In order that the promotion of
Colonies Sibert and Hodges shall not
| interfere with the regular promotions
of junior officers in the corps of engi-
neers, two additional brigadier gen
| eralships are provided in the corps
| of engineers. The promotion of Sibert
| and Hodges to these ranks will pro-
mote every officer junior to them in
the engineer corps, one file.
Extra Grade Is Temporary.
William G. Gorgas, now the sur
| geon general of the army with the
rank of brigadier general, has only a
| little more than four years to serve
| When he retires or leaves the service
| from whatever cause the extra grade
which it is proposed to provide for
him shall cease and determine" A
similar provision is made to fit the
| cases of the other officers of whose
promotion the bill takes cognizance.
In the past when junior officers'were
promoted to general rank there was a
good deal of criticism of the acts. IN
questionably the trainers of the pres
ent measure had this matter in mind
when they gave consideration to pro-
motion as a reward.
The services of Lieut.. Col David
Du B. Gailard, the digger of the Gu
| Zebra cut, who died as the result of
his devotion to duty, were recognized
! by congress. Colonel Gaillard was
dead when congress took action, but
his high services to his country were
recognized in a manner as close as
possible to that in which the thanks
of congress are given to living man
! Svnonathy Wanted Not Truth