The Washington herald., 1915-05-23

What God hath Joined together. let
no man put asunder"
This Biblical Injunction. quoted by
the spiritual advisers Of Philip IL OF
Spain. with a unique application to the
Western Continent. delayed by sew
eral centuries the first actual attempt
to construct a great canal linking
the Atlantic with the Pacific.
The joining of the two seas.
strangely as it may seem. was a prob
lem which confronted men even in
the days of Columbus. The earliest
Spanish explorers sought natural
passageway across Central America
the hidden strait referred to in the
traditions Of the native Indians. But
when exploration revealed the alb
sence of any such route, the minds of
the Spaniards were turned TO thoughts
of an artificial channel
The first plans for such waterway
are said to have been made by a
Spanish engineer named Saavedra. one
Of Balboa's followers. between 1911
and 1929. but when. after his death.
Charles v of Spain ordered surveys
of the Isthmus, the scheme was re-
ported to be impracticable-as. in
deed II would have been with the
tools for excavation then in use.
! PIous Advice Needed.
| Philip ii revived the idea in 1J61,
sending an engineer to survey route
across Nicaragua. but he piously gave
up the project when his spiritual adj
| visers then pointed out to him the
| probability that the Creator had an
Isthmian Canal, bisecting the Amer
lean continent, in mind when he issued
the admonition:
What God hath Joined together, let
no man put asunder."
This illustrates one of the unique
and interesting angles from which w.
Leon Pepperman approaches the sub
ject of the Panama Canal in his book
entitled. who Built the Panams
Canalc" The book has just left the
press of E. p. Dutton & Co. New York.
| and is attracting attention because OF
the authenticity insured by the fact
that the author was chief of admins
tration Of the Second Isthmian Com
| mission.
| The French company which undertook
the building OF the canal is defended in
one OF the chapters of the book against
the often-heard charges Of graft and in
efficiency.
1.-THE fact that the Official valuation of
| what the Americans obtained for the
$40 00O. 900 paid the French company" says
the author, Shows II to be worth more
than $40. 100000 Is seldom recorded; while
the favorite theory that De Lesseps was
a constituencies CRATER has been public
| ~ rebuked by the War Department in
giving his name to one Of the two LARGEST
fortresses on the canal"
First Canal Commission.
Mr.. Pepperman explains that the first
Isthmian Canal Commission. which took
| over the construction of the duct from
the French. was known as the army and
navy commission. and was an unques-
tionable failure because of a misconcep-
| ton on the part Of the members as to
their duties. Each attempted to fulfill q
joint obligation instead Of together con-
stituting an organization and formulating
a policy. More than one Of the seven
members. says the author. felt himself
individually responsible for every barrel
Of crude oil and every typewriter pur-
chased for the Canal Zone.
Army and navy methods were adopted
on the Isthmus and the red tape became
so tangled that the wheels Of progress
were almost totally clogged. 1t was
vouchers, vouchers, vouchers. Vouchers
were the bane Of all in the zone. Carts
and wagons were hired by the week from
Isthmian natives. six government expense
vouchers being essential in the payment
for the use of each vehicle. Before the
army and navy accounting system was
headed by Theodore P. Shonts, now pres
ident Of the Interborough Metropolitan
Company of New York, the division eu-
Sineers in charge Of the paving OF the
city Of Panama. who had employed 10
carts during one week, found himself
with 100 vouchers to fill out on Saturday
night for one part of the work alone.
The failure of the army and navy
regime was apparent. and President
dacided select railroad
man to assume charge, realizing that
otter all the big problem Of the canal
was one Of transportation-the moving OF
sand. rock, cement, and iron to the points
for the location of the locks.
Mr. Shonts was the man whom Presf-
dent Roosevelt selected to be chairman
of the commission. Mr. Shonts realized
that the army and navy regime had
failed because of the lack of concentra-
ton. the failure to centralize respon-
sibility and authority. He told the Presi-
dent he would accept only on condition
that he be given absolute authority as
to both men and measures. The condi- |
ton was approved by Mr.. Roosevelt and
announcement Immediately was made OF
the acceptance by Mr.. Shonts. Mr..
Shonts then stipulated another condition. |
to which che President reluctantly as
scented, namely, that he be permitted to
return to the conduct of his own affairs 1
as soon as the work Of the construction |
of the canal should be under full head I
way, with all mechanical problems solved
and an organization effected capable OF
carrying the scheme to its consumma- !
ton.
Railway Men Given Credit.
1t is Mr.. Shonts and the regime of the
railroad men to whom the author thinks
the just glory for the building Of the
canal should go. He comments:
80 Mr.. Shonts lost the glory that now
pertains to Col. Goethals by asking the
President to release him from the canal
organization after its construction was
under full Roadway early In 1907, but he
did not surrender control at Panama
until convinced that the completion Of the |
work was merely a matter of routine
that might be accomplished by anyl
highly competent executive
Under lr. Shonts' energetic adminis-
ira ton. explains the author. yellow fever |
was extirpated from tho Canal Zone. i
workers of all grades were provided with
suitable and sanitary quarters. the Pam
anna Railroad was converted from an
ANTICIPATED, inadequate. and dilspidated
relic Of an earlier century into an up-to-
date system: new wharee. equipped with /
modern mechanical appliances at both
terminals. were built: extensive ware
houses and machine shops were erected. /
and some 31O.00e 900 was expended In the I
assembling Of an operating plant for the
Il