I
-0-
7&TT 7mTW
RESIDENT Taft'a word of hopb that
the Panama canal may bo opened for
(raffle two years carllor than tho tlmo
tentatively sot by Chlor Engineer
Oeorgo W. Qoothnls teems to havo ro
directed tho attention of tho pooplo
to tho marvelous (word used advis
edly) progress of tho Isthmian ven
ture slnco tho time when It was fin
ally definitely determined that a wa
terway was to 1o opened through
Panama and not through Its sister
Slate, Nicaragua.
Former President Roosovclt recently has defended
vigorously his action in tho caso of tho recognition
mmmm us - - jm&zw mmm? : .
of tho Independence
of Panama, an "oyer
night proceeding"
which mndo It possl
Wo for tho United
States to ontor Into a
treaty with thotwelvo
liour old republic
which would allow op
erations to begin at
onco. Colombia has
not yot forgiven us
'or giving the Pana
mans recognition. Mr.
Rooeevolt said that If
Panama had contin
ued under the rule
of Colombia the canal
hIIII would be a
dream, for the Col raj
Wans simply -temporized
with ha end at
td as If they thought
that In seeking the
trip of land for
canal purposes, the United States bad mleveleat
territorial designs toward all Central and J5euth
America.
No one had any conception that progress e
the canal would be as rapid as It has proved to
be. Much more time was spent In talking prior
to the beginning of operations than has been spent
slnco Jn digging. Now that It long in In past,
tho country Is perhaps forgetful, but It may be
of Interest to remember that for many weary
months the congress of tho United States gave
itself over to debate, discussions and even bick
erings upon the relative values of two routes for
the waterway, the Nlcaraugan route and tho Pan
ama route.
Senator Morgan of Alabama, who. died a few
years ago, was an advocate of the Nlcaraugan
route, lie was an old man at the time that ho
undertook to voice sentiment and argument on
behalf of the mora northern waterway, He
worked night and day, studying (he questions In
volved from every possible viewpoint and the long
speeches which he made on the matter In hand
were written almost entirely by his. -own hand'.
He was Indefatigable In labor, and what he did
on behalf of the Nlcaraugan route and on behalf
of the waterway scheme generally Is best told
in tho words of Senator Jonathan F, Dolllver of
Iowa, Dolllver, like Morgan, is dead. The lowan
whs In fnvon of (be Panama route, while the
Alabaman was in favor of the Nlcaraugan route.
The two men were opposed te each other polit
ically, but ihey were personal friends. When bit
ter disappointment came to Morgan in 'the final
defeat, of the Nlcaraugan project, Dolllver rose In
his scat and paid this tribute to Ms aged col
league: "He stands here In his old age, one of tho his
toric figures connected with this canal contro
versy. He may not be the man who began the
discussion, but for nearly a generation he ban
kept It up, No man has ever exhibited within our
knowledge any such marvelous Industry, energy
and sagacity as he has put into tho argument for
the Nlcaraugan canal. Day and night ho has la
Bored, not with the asslstanco of others, but per
sonally, often with his own pen writing the
speeches which have heqpmo the chief part of
the agitation which has resulted In unifying public
sentiment In the United States in favor of- tho
canal.
"I regret more than 1 can, cay that be was dis
appointed In hla own personal ambition In respect
to the route that Hnally was chosen, hut that
does not prevent me tram adding that long after
the little controveistes of (his hour are forgotten,
hla name will be connected in immortal reputa
tion with the Isthmian canal, wherever it Is built.'
Few people probably have forgotten the first
attempts of President Roosevelt and Secretary of
War Taft to secure (he service of a civilian engi
neer who would stick at his post until the Panama
canal was dug. Three great engineers, one after
another, resigned their positions as engineera-ln-cltlef.
it h? perhaps usejeax te discuss the cnuteu which
led te the restgnattens af 4 We civilian engineers.
All setts of stories were (bid, Kern the. fear of
- yeJlew fever te Inability to maintain diseipMne. In
the working fercea, It Is probable that one engi
neer's ears tingled rer a long time .with the re.
bwke -which was given hint by Secretary et War
Taft, who Is new it president of (he United
States. It was one of the severest
scorings ever given n public official.
Probably the country doea not
know the Inside history connected with the final
employment of array engineers to build the Pan
ama canal. The engineer corps of the army at
the outset thought that It should be given charge
of the canal work, hut Influential civilians brought
pressure to bear en tho administration on behalf
of engineers In civil life. It was said by certain
civilians of promlnenco that the arnyvaa not
accustomed to handling great buslneFproposl
tions and that no army engineer ever had done
a work of anything like the magnitude of the one
proposed. There were all sorta of attempts to
belittle the engineering work of the army.
This sort of thing had Its effect, although It Is
probable that it was with considerable reluctance
that the administration disappointed, the proper
ambition of army engineers to be assigned to
the work of canal building. When three civilian
engineers, one after another, had given over the
work. President Itoosovolt and Secretary of War
Taft concluded that tho time had come to glvo
the army a chance. In effoct the president told
the secretary that no army officer would desert
bis post, even by the resignation route, for dis
cipline and inculcated will to do his duty would
keep him at tho digging until It was finished, or
until failure had come. Moreover, It was known
that no urmy officer would flea In tho face of
yellow fever or In fear of death from any cause.
Colonel George W. (locthals of tho West Point
class of 1880 was selected by the secretary of war
to take tip tho work that Uio civilian onglnoers
had dropped. Colonel Goutmfls Is 1,1 u nnd
success has marked every ntcp of tho way, Tho
colonel choso nt tho outset as two ohlot assistants,
Lieutenant Colonels David D. Gatllard and William
I;. Slbort, who graduated from tho military acad
emy In tho clasB of 1884. Since that tlmo othor
army ofllcora havo been detailed In addition to tho
throe who wore Ilrot assigned, three who nro still
working nnd who hopo to bo. present when the
flrftl ship pokes Its prow Into tho completed cannl
Colonel Gcorgo W. Gocthals Is n tall, slender
man with n firmly knit flgura and snow white
hnlr. Ho hits n faco remarkably youthful and
neither tho climate, tho hard work nor the nnxl
otlos of tho Utkmtnu life hnvo touched his vigor.
Ho is a sort of court of last resort In the Isthmus.
He travels from place to place on certain days
and establishes headquarters for tho hearing of
complaints, lie brings hard, common aenso to
bear on all kinds of mattors, from the settling of
a family row to controversies an to seniority In
rank of somo of the civilian superintendents. La
borers can go to him with complaints of bad
food and bo euro of a hearing, and also be sure
that any kind of a wrong will be righted. Ho is
a sort of a shepherd of tho tlock, a father of a
family of 43,000 children.
Cotonel Galllnrd, who Is the engineer in charge
of the central division of the work, and Colonel
William L. Slbort, englnor In charge of the At
lantic division, aa has been said, were classmates
at West point, (laniard's first name Is David
When, he and filbert enlercd the military academy
as "plehes" they took a great liking to each other.
They were chums and confidants all through their
cadet course. Slbert Ir a big man, physically,
and the cadets nicknamed him Goliath. Gatllard
GIOS H1.JL QT ttOXO 7JGM&. JLOCKS
always was called David and so tho military acad
omy held a friendly David and Goliath, thereby
establishing a better record for nmlty and frlond
HnoBs than that contalnod In (he Scriptures.
When tho army ctiglncors went to Panama to
take chnrgo of tho work they know that In order
to make progress with the digging they must hnvo
a contented family of laborers, They also knew
that thoy must maintain discipline. In the army
discipline Is maintained as a mattor oftourse,
the men who enlist knowing, that thoy must sub
mit themselves without question to tho proper
orders of their superiors.
Tho men who' work on tho Isthmus of Pan
ama aro mostly civilians, nnd Colonel Goothala
and his assistants knew that they would resent
anything like army disciplinary methods, even
though they wero Intonded' for their benefit and
would soon prove tholr -worth, Goethals is a
most tactful man, With his assistants, ho secured
army discipline on tho Isthmus without allowing
the civilians even to appreclato that gradually
they wero coming Under tho guidance of rules
laid down for men who wear the uniform of tho
service. The army officers worked nt first in a
suggestive way. Men were directed to "try" cer
tain things nnd see how they enmo out.
Trial was made and then other suggestions
wero mado and finally the big working force
found that It was living a regular, healthful life
with tlmo for regulated recreation, and that It
was poGslhlo to get pleasure out of existence by
other means than by drinking It In. Sugges
tion rather thnn command mado a disciplined
force out of tho forty-odd thousand laborers.
Thoro probably Is not a healthier place on the
face of tho earth today than tho cannl strip of
tho Isthmus of Panama.
Colonet William C. Gorgns of the medical de
partment of tho United States army la the head
of tho department of sanitation on tho isthmus
Under his direction disease virtually has boon
killed and foar Itself has been set at doflanco.
A lnrgo part of tho food for the isthmus Is
purchased In (he United States and It Ib shipped
under tho most favornblo conditions. A paper
called "Tho Canal Record" Is published at fre
quent Intervals and Ita last page is devoted to
a list of tho food which can ho obtained at the
commissary department, with the prices affixed.
Living on the Isthmus is just as cheap If not
cheaper than it Is in this country and tho food
Is of the highest possible quality. Many of the
civilian employes constituting clerical and engi
neering forces havo taken their families to Pan
ama, Thoy have fine quarters and they buy their
fAit vlrillallv at Cftflt tlHnA
Vvyv. ... U( I V " " " - - ......
The army was on Its metal when It was put In
charge of the Panama cannl building. Thus far,
admittedly. Its work has been nothing short of
wonderful In all lines of isthmian endeavor, It
may. be that President Taft'a prophecy will not
come true and that the canal will not be opened
until 1915, but It should be remembered that the
latter date Is the ofta set for the opealfc by
Cdtenel Geerge W, Goethals, the enginer-ln-chief.
It la tfrobable, however, that he hopes to see the
procession of ships, with the old Oregon leading,
pass into the great waterway on some day within
the next two years.
WAS THE OLDEST CHICAGOAN
Fernando Jones, Chicago's oldest
Inhabltant-and for years the most pic
turesque old mnn among tho survi
vors of the city's pioneer's days, ia
dead. With the death of Mr. Jones
comes the breaking of a connecting
link between Chicago as a swampy
village with one bridge and a major
population of Indians and the Chi
cago of today, fifth city in tho world.
Mr. Jones was bom in Forestvllle,
Chautauqua county, N. Y on May 26,
1820. When fbur years old the fam
ily moved to Buffalo, where he re
ceived hla early education and where
ho was onco thrashed by his school
master, Millard Fillmore, -who Inter
.became president of tho United
States.
When sixteen years old Mr. Jonos
followed his father to Chicago, where
the elder Jonea had established ft
hardwaro"storo. He camo in a sloop
carrying a cargo of stoves. Able to
deal "with the Indians by virtue of his
new knowledge of nn Indian tongue ho obtained employment a year after
his arrival nt tho land office then in Chicago.
In 183? Mr. Jones attended Canandalgua (N. Y.) academy, where he met
Stephen A. Douglas. When ho. returned to Chicago ho engaged in tho real
estate business, but soon went south for his health. Then ho took up news
paper work In Jackson, Mich. Ho then took up again his real estate business
in Chicago until retirement from activo work.
Mr. Jonea married MIbb Jane Grnhamo In 1853. Ills wlfo died ia 1305".
After tho Chicago lire ho was one of tho most useful men in Chicago because
of hla long acquaintance -with land titles nnd the destroyed records of Cook
county rcul estate.
JUL tt&ft
vmi.-Wiiisr 1
WON HOT MAYORALTY FIGHT
Tho hottest political campaign in
tho history of Philadelphia camo to
nn end in the election of Rudolph
Blankenburg for mayor.
Tho campaign Tenlly began months
previous to the election, when Will
iam S, Varo, a contractor, announced
hin candidacy for tho Republican nom
ination and was beaten by Geo. H.
ISarle, who had tho support of United
States Senator Penrose. This some
what epllt tho Republican ranks, for
tho fight over tho nomination left
soveral soro spots. Dlankcnburg's en
try into tho race, representing tho In
dependent Republicans and Demo
crats, Intensified tho interest in tho
campaign.
Thero nr? few better known citi
zens in Philadelphia than Rudolph
Blankenburg, who has been fighting
In the reform ranks for thirty years.
Mr. Blankenburg spent $750, accord
ing to tho itemized account of his
election expenses filed. Ho. did not
rccclvo money from outsldo resources but paid all his personal expenses
from his own pocket. Two years ago the regular Republicans elected thetr
'district attorney by 43,000, while the usual Republican majority Is frona 75J100
to 100,000.
Mrs. Blankenburg, wlfotif tho successful candidate, is a suffragist -who-apparently
'will have much to say regnrdlng the government of Pennsylvania's
metropolis during; her husband's term of offlco. "We have pronounced views
on how the city should bo managed" Mrs. Blankenburg Bays, "and havo -want-cd
for years tho opportunity to test our ideas. With the election of Mr. Blan
kenburg we havo tho opportunity."
ITALIAN DENIES BUTCHERY
General Caneva, having boon re
quested by tho Italian government to
glvo some explanation regarding the
charges of brutality and alleged
slaughter of unarmed Arab women
and children in Tripoli replied as fol
lows: "If reproach may bo mado of us, it
1b only for our exceeding indulgence
and benevolence toward tho natlvos.
A full demonstration of this is the
order and declaration which advised
tho soldiers to treat tho Arabs on
friendly torms, respecting their tra
ditions. It was a treacherous surprise
and many soldiers were shot, tho am
bulance corps of tho Rod Cross was
attacked and the sick and 'wounded
wero horribly killed in tho town, by
shots fired from roofs. Women cried,
'Revolt against tho infidels..' The sol
dlors wero surprised and massacred,
and so it wns necessary to guarantee
our safety and that of tho Europeans.
The soldiers wero ordorod to shoot
men shooting against us and to arrest thoso keeping' arms and munitions.
Hassuna Pasha admitted it wna indispensable that -wo should act as wo havo
dono, considering the Turks hnd in Tripoli a wild band preaching a holy war
and -using-such balls as tho dum-dum."
FLEW ACROSS THE COUNTRY
The longest flight over mado by an
aviator was that completed by Cal
bratth P, Rodgers, who landed on tho
Pacific coast after n trip by tho air
route across the country. Rodgera
left the Sheopshead Bay race track,
New York, and when he reached Pas
adena, Cal., he had traveled a distance
of 4,231 miles, being 49 days in com
pleting the Journey. Ho met with a
number of mishaps on the wuy and
hla machine practically had to be re
built several times on the long Jour
ney across the continent. Ills actual
flying time was three days and ten
hours. He traveled at an average
rate of Gl miles an hour -while hla"
machine was In the sir. The daring
aviator had many nerve-racking expe
riences on his journey.
Rodgers is a newcomer to the field
of aviation. He became a pupil 'of the
Wright brothers at Dayton, Ohio,
only last Julyv Ills first exhibitions
of consequence were made during the
meet held in. Chicago during September, when he' captured prlres of $15 000
He la thirty-two years of age asd comes or a distinguished family lie . u
a son or Capt. Rodgers, of the United State army, and a grandron of Com.
saodore Perry. v