PAST TWO
EDITORIAL
PAGES OKE TO TWELVE
n-iK
Omaha
Sunday Bee
f AST TWO.
SOCIETY
?ACS 05E TO TWELVE
VOL. .XU NO. 39.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, MAKCII 17, 1912.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
Omaha and Nebraska Folks Prominent
ill - j r ::" zzr-mmm.' .", i i v. a irvvii o
A v-.'.v--.oft - , i yg&i
on Big Canal Zone
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T
HE Nebraska Government" waa the un
official title of the Panamanian canal
too from 1904 to 1909. ' During (hat
time the supervising staffs, from Got
ernor Charles E. Magoon to Assistant
fire Chief C. E. Weldman, were native
born or resident Nebraakans. Not less than 100
, 1 miner officials and skilled laborers have also been
. contributed to the arory tf 8d.rTBm TrKlrirliYrli-
nuugiiuio sua is rapiaiy com pie ti
' tng one of the most colossal tasks of modern time. '
10 1907 Governor .Magoon 'was sent as minister
iw V4uu. rruiuuiions ana cnanges fol
lowed and several Omahans and manjr Nebraakans .
. , were offlclclly recogulsed as leaders. In the work
and advanced to positions of greater authority and
fclgher salary. However, an exodus started the
following year-and the Panamanian soae lost grad
ually the title of "Nebraska Government."
"George L. Campen, assistant city engineer of
Omaha, began In Panama in 1905 as water com
missioner, but when he left in 1909 he had been
promoted to superintendent of public works for
the entire canal tone. Harry Bortin, now appraisal f
engineer for the Union Pacific, waa on the Isthmus ',
from 1807 to 1909.- He was in charge of party
that made a complete survey of the city of Psnama
1 n Tulv ' nan? uhA .d- .... . . . .
" cumpieiea ne sur-
veyed and laid out the town of San Miguel, com
pleted a topographical survey of Ancon hill and
vicinity and a watershed survey of the Pedro Ml-
cuel valley: Camping with his men 4n the jungle.
Bortin began the, location of a wagon road between
Panama and Culebra. In July, 1908, he was placed
in charge of , the department of. hydraulics 'and '
meteorology on the Rid Chagres and its tributaries
Latjr he was at the Culebra cut makln aurveva
end estimates of steam shovel performance.' Here
ie worked until he returned to Omaha In December.
190, to take his present position with the. Union -
Pacific. - .' v ; : : t . :
. 'Many dangers lend to service on the canal a
hatardoas aspect, fi few Nebraskana have .met
Wtth. serious accidents.. 'h. P. Warren, once a resl-.
dent of Omaha a,nd now an inmate of Mercy hos- ,
piul in Chicago,, was' engineer of construction In ,
the canal tone until a year ago, when both his legs
were broken and he was rushed by boat and special
train ' to Chicago 'for " treatment The shattered
bones of one leg have been removed and grafted
Into the other and bis recovery Is now certain.
although he is probably destined always to be an
invalid. Dr. J. B. Murphy, an expert in this branch
of surgery, performed the delicate operation of
removing and grafting the splintered bones. This
accident waa -file aad climax of a most promising
career, for Warren wentto the Isthmus as a rod-
bead of his department, a recognised authority,
signally honored by the government for a series of
unusually brilliant services.
Tom M. Cooke, formerly of Lincoln, is now
director of posts in Panama. Other Nebraakans now '
serving In the canal tone are: C. E. Weldman.
chief of the fire: department; Charles - Lbgasa.
draftsman for the Panama railroad, formerly in
the city engineer's office In Omaha; M. B. Con
nelly of Seward, superintendent of construction on
the Panama railroad; L. K. Need ham, assistant
engineer; E. Zook of Nebratka City, once In the
v employ of the Burlington, engineer of maintenance;
Charles F. Koerner, assistant fire chief; William
Dotson, superintendent of masonry. ' - -' '
A. K. Stone, master of constrnctioa on the
isthmus, wss formerly an employe of the street
railway of this city. John Whitmore, now residing
at Los Angeles, was formerly traveling auditor for
Sli TT .
" ) - "'M'.l a yfai ' M m J y --
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UvH: vJw u "(7 , -d:'J..v" - :
;,TT I ' ED.mRMESlER " A 1 it ""
fir"-' .... - . r - i 1 A ' ' v k
' J'i - , ireatest thing about this canal you are gfttyo ' - - M ( ' t-.
I J i I building across the Isthmus ol Panama ia the spirl ft " 1 i ' ''- '-it ' v ...-. r
' J 1 ' ' wMn nlchvery man, to the least of them, co- K ' , . J ' - J J ij",?, J" ' " ," '
" ,'"-, operates and fights Indomitably for Its completion." , , ' -. t
I . an English visitor said to an Omaha audience re- " " ' 4 --.. . " , , , ; ' y.
V - eently. "When I was there we were standing on I Z. 1 . . . J ' - S1 ' ' ,"'''
V. 1 ' ' " '-''-J t nks of the ditch watching a ateam shovel l . y .", " " ' -f .--r--i - - ....... : , (I
1 Ll!5"!r lJ?.'.,'' f ln OP"10"- 0n of ",en his hand to 1 1 nYj i -rrrrr, . ; , . L ; , j - I
Nh6lT7T TVr-rnTrrr" Colonel Goethals. 'Don't worry, boss.' he seemed 1 1 . AV'littLSr? 1 11 II .
w
used to live In ' Omaha. Another Nebraskan, L. W.
Huntington, spent a year on the isthmus, but left
there for Haiti, where he now resides. " - '
Charles Sargent and Charles Borg, two Ne
braska boys, took a post-graduate course In the
canal sone. They arenow In Washington' in part-'
nership ln law and interested In banks In the cap!-,
tal. .'While on the isthmus Mr. Bargent was Engi
neer Campen 's chief clerk. Mr. Borg la a graduate
of the Omaha High school and the University of
Nebraska. '
'' Prof.' David O'Connor and his family, consisting
of a wife, two sons and two daughters, were on
the canal for "over a year. Prof. O'Connor was
superintendent of schools in Panama and his sons
were employed in the mechanical department. - The
. two daughters taught school. They were married
ln Panama and shortly afterwards returned to
Nebraska with' their -parents and settled at Ran
dolph, where the family now lives. .
Omaha families have contributed at least three
school teachers to the army of useful workers now
engaged In leading the Panamanians to the front
They are Jessie Pontius, formerly of the Beala
school, whose mother resides at 1110 South Twenty
eighth street; Edith Anderson, whose Omaha home'
is at C08 North Forty-first street,and Helen Nason,
daughter or Dr. A. W. Nason, whose office is in
The Bee building. These young' women have stuck
to their task without faltering, aad la letters home
-express themselves quite happy and well placed in
' their new. field of labor.vThe two first named had
teaching experience in the Omaha schools, while
Miss Nason received her training at the University
j of Nebraska. " T , . .
Ed Burmester, a brother of Councilman Louis
Burmester of Omaha, has. been an officer of the
fire department at Gorgona for the last five years.
He was chosen for the job on the isthmus through
the friendship of Senator Millard aad has made a
fine record tor efficiency. He is the baby of his
branch of the Omaha Burmesters. His elder brother.
William Bormester. was killed at the time of the
the Panama railroad. Alfred. Larson, an Omaha destruction of Allen Bros.' wholesale house. No
lad, waa foreman on the Catna locks for a yeex. vember It. 1903. Other Omaha firemen now doing
J. J. Jeffries, once a quartermaster in the canal duty ln Panama are Olof Olson, Albert P. Living
xone.v now with the Guayaquil Quito railnuzl. p'on, fir F. tprnn aad August Scbaefer.
. " ' ... t ..... , ..
r i '
"Toe greatest thing about this canal you are
building across the Isthmus ot Panama la the spirit,
with which" every man, to th least of them, co
operates and fights Indomitably for Its completion,"
an English visitor said to an Omaha audience re
cently. "When I was there we were standing on
the banks of the ditch watching a steam shovel
In operstion. One of the men waved his hsnd to
Colonel Goethals. 'Don't worry, boss," . he seemed
to say, .'we'll finish the Job on time." "
.. Five thousand' directors, supervisors, foremen
and men skilled In engineering, directing the ef
forts of 30,000 laborers, educated for Very depart
ment ot construction work, are united as one man
by this spirit Nebraskana who have returned from
'the isthmus express emphatic faith In the govern- .
ment and the men In authority on the canal. The
number of natives Working on. the big. ditch la'
comparatively small. 'Naturally Indolent, 85 per
cent of the population are colored and disapprove '
of all manual labor. The other IS per cent are of .
English, German, French, Spanish or Italian descent
snd the majority of them speak several languages.
However, they are not enthusiastic about this huge
trench being excavated through the territory of
Panama, and crowds of peons will lounge for hours
In the vicinity of the workmen, scornfully watching
the tolling "gringos." - I
Machinery has displaced hand labor and ma
chinists, architects, engineers and builders are
doing In hours what the old French Canal company
' could not do In moutha. Many of the laborers are
from the United States. Gallagos from southern
Spain, Sicilians and Italians, all now thoroughly
Americaniied and vitally Interested In the comple
tion of the canal.
Life In the canal zone Is quick-moving and the
tenderfoot must become rapidly Inured to its hard-
ships or turn his face homeward. . Engineers
fomruu. . . J U . I ..... . I 1 1 1 .
part of the tone and experienced every unpleasant
ness. For weeks they camped In the jungle, labor
ing from "dawn to dusk, shorn of all luxuries snd -sometimes
thankful for bare necessities.
However, ss Campen says. Uncle 8am wisely
provided for play as well aa for labor. Ail work "
ceases on Sunday. The forenoon is spent at church
and the afternoon is given over to entertainments
of divers and sundry kinds, Including picnics to the
secluded haunts of the jungle, boating excursions
and base ball games. These games attract the
largest crowds, for major league material is often
found in the lineups, and wandering outlaws are
gladly welcomed by the amateur managers. Gsmes
of fifteen innings, with scores standing 3 to 3, are
recorded In the base ball annals of the Isthmus.
A fine band, made up of men from all parts
of the isthmus, plays all day Sunday to attentive
Jf
Geo. Li. Caxzpea aadJLis f-nm f.r,-,?
audiences. The players are given an extra stipend
of $33 per month for their services as musicians,
snd this adds to their natural test for good music
and has resulted In a very creditable musical
organisation.
When the rainy season comes the work of the
northerners is impeded by floods and stifling'
humidity, say the Nebraska veterans, but so well
have the sanitation authorities coped with this
problem that today Panamaa death rate is lower
than many of the cities In the, United States.' Upon ,
the arrival of the Americans in the cities on the -isthmus
they found a loathsome neglect of the
simplest sanitary rules. The eewage system bred
disease, the streets were rivers of mud and there '
was an-aggravating attitude of indifference to be -overcome.
,
come true believe the Panama canal will be com
pleted in January of 1915," aald Mr. Campen;
"Nebraskana can join in the chorus ot celebration
with greater ardor, perhaps, than the people of any
other state, for many of .them have known the
difficulties of the undertaking, faced the danger
and participated In the work to a greater propor
tionate extent than the people of any sister state."
"The west will derive a direct and immediate
benefit from the opening of the canal,' aald John
Barrett ot Washington, president of the Pan-AmerK
can Union, during his visit to Omaha in February.
"And I would have the great business organizations
ot Omaha, Chicago, Kansas City. St Louis, Minne
apolis, .Memphis and New Orleans send' special
representatives -of keen capacity of observation to
Streets were paved and entire cities were, in study, every phase of the; new commercial field
Instances, 'raised as" much as eighteen Inches above
their original levels. Cleanliness was made com
pulsory and a stricter discipline and newer methods
wrought wonders among the people. These precau
tions and a careful regard for sanitary rules de
stroyed the old fear that had existed since the
French abandoned work on the isthmus and proved
that the white man could live and work In Panama
with aa much immunity as on the plains ot the
west Even in the camps In the jungles few con
tagions occurred and malaria became less and less
a spectre of death as the work progressed.
"Colonel Goethals and the men who are making
his dreams nd tie dreams of the United States
which will be reached by the canal." '
Months before this advice was given it had been)
heeded and dozens of Nebraskana had made from
one to three trips to Central America and studied
the situation. Preparations are now Incubating te
continue these studies at the exposition to be given
in San Francisco upon the completion of. the canal.
In the meantime everything affecting the canal,
from the smallest landslide in any of the' huge cuta
to the legislation fixing the tolls. Is 'of a peculiar
personal' Interest to a small army of Nebraskana
who are veterans of this contest being fought out
In the tropics to open a wonderful new avenue of
commerce to the world. ' 1 ' ,