The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-01-21
LONG ILLNESS
PROVES FATAL
TO G0ETHALS
Construction Engineer Won
World wide Fame by Sue.
cessfuly Connecting Oceans
FUNERAL AT WEST POINT
Major Generals Two Sons and
Wife Were at His Bedside
When Death Came

New York, Jan. 2l.-(AP)-Ma;o ;or
General George w. Coethals. builder
of the Panama canal. died a ~
apartment today.
Inc announcement was made bv =
son who said that his father had
oeen III for several months. Inter,
ment viii b 1t West Point.
H!c TWO sons and his wife wera
AZ MS bedside when death came.
- Will Go Down in History
Inc name Of Major General
Leorge washington Goethals will
De recorded in history "A the man
VINO accomplished one Of the Rreatcst
ieats OF engineering and construc.
ton since the Egyptians compietS1
their mighty pyramids-the cnff;r~
OF the Panaml Canal.
While the American forr.. ,.s...
6Doclnals found on the Isthmus Of
70, tanama the remains % many wears
.JIl Dy several French COMPANIES
WI, Mno nad attempted to dig the CAN'T
,:I Mnae the latter ACCOMPLISHED wss "a
.e'Ie = any aid to those who f;nsl-
y crowned their efforts with a.
most undreamed Of success. r. 49,.
me ingenuity, persistence and brs;ns
u tne army engineers: the remsrLs
s1le efficiency Of the workers who
iaDored under them, and the ur,,s,,., ""v
organizing ability poss...aJ 1sIs. e.
sJe Ie'na's ,..L tnat did in less than Z dec
+ae wnat the experts Of other ns.
T Gsrosci oeciared could never be done.
J., 1ener:i Goethals was appointri
1y ~, PRESIDENT Roosevelt in 1906 to
.ske over the work Of dieeinr :
Ianai across the Isthmus. Previon.-
- several civilian engineers and rr;-
sate construction comp.n;e. h.d
unoeTtaken the task 4. the ;nv;t.-
s,on OF the government. but ths;.
STOW progress and apparent insh;l.
,,ty 70 surmount the countles. nh
1en1s- confronting them ina he.rss
volumes of criticism upon the r.c;
~, t;n.,I un.ii Tor = time it seemed des.
tno t.meu 20 60 the way Of former at.
h;n himp.s' Goethals gathered about
:. mn. as aides the most efficient bodv
oI army officers at the call Of The
government, and proceeded to Pan
s.'n .ma with m organization Almost
"nClIy military in its personnel.
To mention OF tho Panama Canal
ana the officers who made T. me-
s,Dle s would be com. letc without
naming the late Major General VII.
nam Crawford Gorgas, chief s.ri.
.ary oiticer of the Canal Zone. the
man who Cleaned up" the Isthmus
projected the lives Of the workers
ana made the digging Of the .h;o.
oltch practicable. His name viii
remain indelibly linked with that of
Goethals. S''e' y
Performs the Impossible
AFTER seven years Of unremittins
,aDor, wherein he drove himself a.
nara and as rele1.lessly Is he drove
the other isthmian toiiers, and dur.
ing which he met and conquered al
most unbelievable obstacles Of M.
ture and science. General .Coethals
reported to the Congress Of the
United States and to the world that
ms lie work was completed. and
tnat the two American continents at
last were separated by = uavi9able
waterway.
The nSmerable success Of General
Gcethals 49, built largely upon the
failure OF hig predecessors. chief Of
which were three French companies.
One Of these had turned the first
SCo0t,nued on page twol