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The Commoner.
JUNE 13, 1913
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CONCERNING the work on the Panama canal,
a writer in the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph says:
As the Panama canal is nearing completion It
increases in interest. The man who made the
Canal Zone possible for health is Colonell Wil
liam C. Gorgas. He was made colonel and as
sistant surgeon general by - special act of con
gress for yellow fever work in 1903 and has
been chieif sanitary ofllcer on the isthmus since
March, 1007. He has done marvelous work in
establishing health conditions in Panama and
Colon and throughout the Canal Zone. He has
eradicated the mosquito from that section. Most
effective in the fight was the use and distribu
tion of coal oil. The Union Oil company of
California has five ships in the trade. Colonel
Gorgas is a southern man. He was born in Mo
bile October 3, 1854, and is a graduate of the
University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn. He
is tho son of General Josiah Gorgas, chief of
the ordnance department, C. S. A., with head
quarters in Richmond. After the war General
Gorgas was elected in 1870 vice chancellor of
the University of the South. In 1878 General
Gorgas became president of the University of
Alabama, and when he died in 1883 his wife
was made librarian of the university, a position
she held for twenty-four years. She was a re
markable woman, and was eighty-six years of
age at her death January 3, 1913. "Born and
bred of the best of a gracious and unique civili
zation, her young womanhood, caught in the
grip of a great revolution, was passed in days
of storm and tragedy. The strength of her
middle life was spent amid the passion and hor
rors of reconstruction, and the rebuilding of the
land she loved. Her mature years were devoted
to an unselfish service to the young men of
Alabama, who loved her vith an unfailing de
votion." So, Dr. Gorgas, who has taught the
world how to eradicate the mosquito, was born
of this good old ante-bellum stock. Dr. Charles
F. Mason of Virginia has been the superinten
dent of the great Ancon hospital for the past
four years, while Dr. W. R. Noble, who uses the
hospital car across the isthmus daily, in look
ing after the sick, is a Tennessean. All of the
buildings in the zone are wired against mos
quitoes. V ft
ON Tuesday, May 6, 1896, Samuel P. Langley,
.the pioneer inventor of the aeroplane, made
the first successful flight with a model machine
in the history o the world. May 6 of each year
has been set aside by the Aero Club of America
as the day to celebrate the real awakening of
tho world to the wonders of the aeroplane.
The anniversary was observed at Washington
under the auspices of the federal government.
A writer in the New Orleans Democrat says:
On May 6, 1896, for the first time a machine
of man's construction sprang from the earth
and swept continuously through the air like a
Jiving thing. Zeppelin, Wright, Curtis, Atwood
are names synonymous with airship, but to .com
paratively few is the name of Langley known.
Yot aviation as it exists today is the result of
the dreams and long days and nights of labor
of Samuel Pierpont Langley. In honor of this
pioneer of the great universal highway a day
has been set aside for annual memorial exer
cises. May 6 was chosen not because it was the
day of his birth, but because on that day ho
saw the fruit of his many years' labor. On the
same day a tablet made by John Flanigan, the
famous New York sculptor, was unveiled
under the direction of the board of regents of
the Smithsonian. The story of the life of Prof.
Langley reads like a romance. Indeed, one
might better say, the story of his life is a
tragedy. Of New England ancestry, that fine
reserve which is an innate characteristic of the
child of the cloud-capped granite hills, prevented
the world from getting at the warm, loving heart
which beat so tenderly in his bosom and found
expression in many ways. He was especially
attracted by the friendship of children. Many
of his friends will tell you today pathetic stories
illustrative of this characteristic of the great
scientist. .In. his drives he loved to have as
many children around him as he could crowd
in, and dearly prized were the stories this good
friend told them. The children's room in the
Smithsonian building at Washington was his
happy thought. Over the door is tho now
famous inscription "Knowledge Begins in Won
der." The most curious and wonder arousing
treasures of tho institution are there arranged
on shelves so low the wee toddler can easily
admire. There is but one Latin name and that
Ib the longest of names for the tiniest of hum
ming birds. A bird's playground is another
wonder for the children originated by the fa
mous scientist. It shows tho peculiar house of
the white ant, the way nature helps birds to
hide, and is decorated with gay shells, the
bright stones and funny little animals being so
naturally scattered as to seem quite capable of
coming out to play if someone would only open
tho door.
& & &
PIOF LANGLEY'S own story of the day
when anxious expectation became cortainty
is so graphic that anyone can almost see the
wide reaches of the shining water and feel the
anxiety of the inventor, wearied with long labor
and repeated discouragement. Evon in the ela
tion of success he is modest as a schoolboy. He
said of this experience: "On May 6, 1896, I
journeyed, perhaps for the twentieth time, to
the distant river station and recommenced tho
weary routine of another launch with very mod
erate expectation, indeed. When that, to me,
memorable afternoon, the signal was given and
the aerodrome sprang into the air, I watched
it from the shore with hardly a hope that the
long series of accidents had come to a close.
And yet it had, for the first time the aerodrome
swept continuously through tho air like a living
thing. One man who saw it said it looked like
a miracle. The great universal highway was
open. The vision of the dreaming boy lying on
his back on tho hillside in far off New England
watching the soaring birds had become an epoch
in history. It was trfken uninjured from the
water and flown again successfully. Another
model was flown the following autumn. Great
Interest was aroused all over the world. At
the request of President McKinley the Inventor
set about constructing a man-carrying machine.
Again almost insurmountable difficulties were
met and conquered, and at last the eventful day
came. An accident to the launching apparatus
caused the aeroplane to fall into the water. It
was rescued, repaired and about two months
later a similar accident prevented the flight of
the airship. The storm of adverse crltlcisnl made
congress slow to appropriate funds. Private
citizens were ready to advance money, but Prof.
Langley steadfastly refused to accept It. He
declared his work was solely in the interest of
the nation, and if the nation was not prepared
to support it, he was not willing to proceed at
private expense. Although it was conceded that
Prof. Langley's man-carrying machine was cap
able of flight, the failure not being due to the
machine, he was not permitted to live to know
it. He furnished tho first data by which we
have been able to conquer the air, and he will
always be remembered as the real pioneer of the
flying machine as it is today.
i i J
THE United Press, carried under recent date,
the following London cablegram: Secretary
of State Bryan of the United States says his
peace plan does not propose absolute inactivity
by disputants while their controversy Is being
investigated by an international tribunal accord
ing to an Interview with Bryan published in the
Daily Express. The interview was obtained In
Washington by a correspondent of the Express.
"I want to correct the idea that ray peace pro
posal includes a provision for the cessation of
all strategic moves by any two disputants dur
ing the period of investigation of the cause of
their dispute," Bryan is quoted as saying. "This
idea was inserted in my plan as originally drawn
up, but was eliminated later and ought not to
have been included in the public announcement.
I am encouraged by the information thus far
received concerning the favorable mention given
to my suggestion and I have no doubt that the
United States will be able to make such treaties
with several of the nations. I call them supple
mental treaties because they would supplement
existing arbitration agreements. It is not in
tended to call a conference of the powers to
discuss my proposal. All that 1b expected will
bo an interchange of views between the Ameri
can government and representatives of tho
foreign powors individually. Each treaty would
be mado distinct from the others and thoy may
not be tho same in dotalls, but in broad outlino
thoy will contain those provisions: First, a
time limit fixed for tho discussion of disputed
points at issuo after diplomacy has failed to
roach an agreement. Second, the appointment
of a commission consisting of cltizona of both
countrios to investigate the dispute and report.
Third, no declaration of war shall bo mado
until after tho report is received. Fourth, the
powers roservo the right of independent action
after the report has been received. My sugges
tion was proposed on tho theory that there Is
no cause of war that ought to be considered in
evitable. It Ik unnecessary that a peace plan bo
guaranteed to prevent war, if it is calculated to
make war less probable. Such a treaty as I
suggest gives opportunity for the separation of
essentials from non-essentials, with the possi
bility of discovering either that what were con
sidered essentials are not really so at all, or
that national anger may bo duo to a misunder
standing of essentials. Tho plan is a stop and
a long step in the right direction for it embracoH
all questions not generally included in arbitra
tion treaties of which national honor is one. Tho
full details have not been worked out and tho
proposition has been stated merely in its out
line. It will remain for diplomatic oxchanges of
views to elaborate the proposal. I have reason
to believe the Benato will ratify tho treaties
wheu they aro signed."
O w w
CONCERNING the forecasting of earthquakes
a writer in the New York Press says: -A
number of years ago a great earthquake oc
curred in Chili. Later tho California earth
quake wrought havoc at San Francisco. On tho
day after the San Francisco disaster an eminent
American geologist pointed out that the con
tinental backbone of the three Americas, fol
lowing the Andes In South America and tho
coast ranges in this country, was a groat fault
line, along which readjustment of the earth's
crust were liable to produce earthquakes. Ho
pointed out that, there having been a slipping
and readjustment in the southern section of tho
fault line, and then a corresponding one in tho
northern section, it was reasonable to presume
that the middle area would have its correspond
ing disturbance. He declined to predict, but
his analysis was widely presented as a predic
tion, and before many months had passed the
thing actually happened, In the exact region ho
had indicated the west coast of Mexico and
Central America. Predicting earthquakes has
not been generally attempted, but that case pre
sents an instance of scientific knowledgo at least
guessing right. Therefore especial interest must
attach to tho suggestion of Prof. George Hallock
Chadwlck, who occupies the chair of geology of
St. Lawrence university. Ho points out, first,
that there is an ancient line of fault through
the Appalachian region, from Quebec to Ala
bama. In 1663 a tremendously violent earth
quake shook the upper parts of this region, and
Prof. Chadwlck, by the same analogy that made
a prediction of the Mexico shock, declares thero
Is possibility of more shocks along the Appala
chian line. The Appalachians are a far older
mountain system than the Rockies and Andes.
Therefore, their area Is less liable to earth
quakes. But It has had widespread and destruc
tive shocks in the past, and it is not for anybody
to say that exemption for all the future is as
sured. Geologically, 1663 is not far in the past.
Mr. Bryan's Selected Speeches. Revised and
arranged In a convenient two-volume edition.
These books present Mr. Bryan's most notable
addresses and orations, and cover the chief
important phases and features of his career as
an orator and advocate. A familiarly intimate
and interesting biographical Introduction by
Mary Baird Bryan, his wife, opens Volume I.
Tho two volumes, bound in cloth, sent to any
address prepaid on receipt of price, $2.00. Tba
half leather edition, 2 vols., sent for $3.00,
prepaid. Address The Commoner, Lincoln. Neb.
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