Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-01-22
GEN. COCKTAILS,
PANAMA CANAL,
BUILDER, DIES

NEW YORK, jan 81 up = George
Washington Gcethals, cleaver of con-
tinents, who literally moved noun
tains to bring true q seemingly hope
less dream, the Panama canal, died at
the age of 10 in his home today after a
lingering illness.
Mrs. GOethals and two SONS were
with the famous engineer at the end.
They announced that at his expressed
wish burial would be at West Point,
where General Goethals was trained
for his career and where for time he
acted as instructor in astronomy and
civil engineering.
Services will be held at the chapel of
the military academy at o'clock Tues
day afternoon and ihterment will be
in the historic post burial ground over
looking the Hudson.
Although the Goethals history is al
long list of signal achievements the.
feat with which his name is most
widely associated is the construction
of the Panama canal, the great engi-I
neering project which separated the
American continents, after previous at
I3tempts during the preceding half cen
tury had Iailed.
For seven years the work went on,
seemingly impossible of success yet
never slackening. Mountains were
sheered away and a great lake was
created far above the sea. Such al
system of locks as had never before
been conceived was thrown across the
+ the isthndus and the laws Of nature it.
self were apparently bent to the in
dcmitable will of this invincible man.
Success of the project was probably
largely due to the fact that General
Goettals could see beyond the strict
limits Of his profession He realized
that if Panama was to be conquered
by engineers the lives of those engi-
neers and all their employees must be,
protected And SO he took with him on
his great mission Major General VIII
liam GCrgas, whom he made chief san
itary officer of the canal zone and who
cleaned the isthmus of the fever which
had taken terrible toll in previous at
temptS 81
In 1914 the great canal was at last
completed and for two years, with his
new commission IS major general and
with the thanks of congress publicly
accorded him, General Goethals acted
as the first governor of the canal zone
Then he asked TO retire from publicl
life and for time but little was heard
of him. a
During the war, however, he was re-
called to active duty end performed
notable services After that he opened
offices here and acted in an advisory
capacity in connection with numerous
large projects. He was an advisor of
the port authority of New York and
had Il hand in another engineering
triumph-the Holland vericular tunnel
under the Hudson, the longest tunnel
OF it's kind in the world.
Despite his long years in the canal
zone, so deadly a place until he him.
self saw the necessity of ridding it Of
peStilence, and his arduous career IN
other places, General Goethals re-
tanned his robust he2lth until recent
ly, and only in the past few months
did illness lay a heavy hand on him,
But two months ago, associates said
today in revealing for the first time
that death was not so unexpected tol
those close to him as to the general
public, he became seriously ILL., From
that time until today his strength mad
been slowly slipping from him and jus5
at noon death at last. terminated the
long career of Americas greatest engi-
nPPr