Show f 4 Ar 1 l. l The Building of Panama Thi BlI MAJOR GENER GEORGE EORGE W. W GOETHALS GOETHALS Governor o of the Panama Canal J 1 II E E U J 0 w J V. V THE ORGANIZATION I IZ OF THE FORCE occurred after the I i U J 0 w W which the canal was through The organization develop elop development result of or a process s of constructed was as the understanding of it can best be bo and a clear meat ment the possible outlining as ns briefly as 15 by con conveyed will in in- include in- in This outline steps which led to its adoption adoption- of the the- conditions which account necessarily an clude in transferred work was at the Ufe time the existed which developed developed developed devel devel- 1907 and the impediments to I progress progress o 1 subsequently Gaillard Major As noted in ill a n previous ious article the isthmus in March arch of that year tear arrived on and I am o During arty of g congressmen m in company with a z p party the sightseeing sightsee sightsee- them on accompanied their v visit sit we we e trains supplied b by br the tho officials for inspection rug ing what b l idea of of the work vork thereby eby getting a gener general contemplated and the being done what was vas was ns departure of the congressmen congressmen con con- the methods employed After work going over o the time wets was devoted dc to gressmen into the organization organization organization or or- m in greater detail looking particularly factor success in such enterprises enterprises en en- for upon this f ft es always depends There were in operation at the time departments depart departments all phases of the work covering cring ments meats and dr visions divisions and construction construction construe construe- engineering the chief of which were iu charge o of under the chief engineer tion ion directly construction of the canal sanitation in charge the tl re cities of canal canol zone the of the sanitation of the law lawand laWand Panama and Colon hospitals an and quarantine and government i in charge chaise of courts schools pol police ce b works work labor affairs customs and public fire fire Fre postal recruiting g gand of in and subsistence charge quarters rs of skilled and unskilled labor ass assignment s and care hotels messes and management of quarters quarter and construction engaged in the erection erection erection kitchens building tion of oC t guart quarter e c mechanical in charge of shops municipal engineering in charge of streets sewers material and supplies s rn in charge and water supply materials of all of r equipment and construction kinds meteorology and river hydraulics and others p lithography map mapp mapmaking making and r in rn ch charge of map r Commission System em Ineffective With ith the settlement in June 1906 of the question that had been pending for some time as to the typo force had he been 11 organized to designing of f canal a R their the plans plan for the locks 3 lock lock- lock gates ate and prepare P with their and the ways spill aP aPing Appurtenances pi Wash Wash- ing mechanisms This force was located in in direction n and supervision ision and was under the p ington of a committee composed of the end engineer neer members r of the commission who were stationed in the United States of The chief element in the organization was canal commission of seven isthmian course the r. r executive control H members which constituted the considerable friction and trouble in been had There Where p previous p commissions commissions commissions' because c of of r the th seven headed authority Mr 1 Stevens ma maintained l that the commission had that its ineffectiveness ineffectiveness trial and antI iven fair never never er been g a given gen en a iven ss ns 1 vas due n not not r t. t to the system itself but to had been handled He claimed the way Ray a in which it T in in tha th the case of the one with which he had been c connected that its members had hail l been een cen pr practically called for only i ignored since their services were for vote on a w when en a quorum was necessary a He believed that with a n proper personnel under intelligent leadership the work could be he subdivided sub- sub members in such h a way as to d divided ded amon among they then P obtained but hut secure better hetter results than had been this could be hoped for only in case the chairman was vested with the direction of the various subdivisions subdivisions sub sub- divisions and with final approval or oreto veto eto power I T had not given i the matter an any thou thought ht for this form of executive control had been provided by law and that settled the matter Still there could beno be beno no question that in there must be bea a directing and controlling controlling- head and arid this would bo he hea a accomplished were the veto eto power vested in the chairman of the commission 1 with visitors to the canal I was In Inco on other strongly ly impressed b by the magnitude of the work which seemed to grow row greater eater the more closely examination examination ex ex- n in tion was ade Whether hether the new regime peame would be he able to carry carrS' the bur burden remained to be seen l there we were e times ime when I had a feeling of doubt but certain it is s that we c were rere fortunate in falling heir to the he organization that had been perfected for excavating Culebra cut for no on one not thoroughly hor familiar with railroad transportation on and not possessed pos pos- possessed of or organizing ability could have ha succeeded in inthis this thi part of tle work work the the one part for which our previous training had not fitted any of us Existing Organization m Continued The lock type of canal hari had been adopted only the previous June so that the or organization f for or other portions portions portions por por- of the construction work was yas in a more or orless orle le less leis tentative stage stare The period of preparation was practically completed however and the tho success subsequently subsequently sub sub- o attained is i indicative of the thoroughness and sightedness clear-sightedness displayed in the preparatory work Recalling the Presidents President's desire to continue continua intact the existing organization I could not but feel t that nt it would be madness to attempt any change such a course had it been taken would have resulted resulted re re- in in nothing nothing short of chaos Because of his familiarity with the work in all its ramifications I took counsel with Mr Stevens s as fis to the manner in which he would so subdivide it as asto to utilize to the fullest extent the services ices of the theother other ther members of the commission and at the same time time- time carry out the views of the President by placing eachin charge of n a department I t l Three of them fell f n into place naturally Colonel Gorgas at the head of the department o of sanitation Jackson Smith at the head of the the department of of labor quarters and subsistence and nd Senator ex-Senator Blackburn as ns governor For the other three who I ere engineers there must bo he found departments a and d necessary necessarily y the they must form part of the de de- of construction and engineering which ro- ro with the chi chief f en engineer neer 1 Following the hc 5 suggestions of Mr Stevens I decided decided de- de to organize the department of excavation an anI and I 0 n to it Major Gaillard with supervisory charge I t of Jf all aU excavation hotly both dry and wet a d Major Sibert to lo the department of lock and dam construction I Instead of placing Mr Ir Rousseau at the head hend of oC the I division of material rial and supplies as had bad been su sug- sug V ested I 1 combined ed the dg divisions ions of I g co municipal engineering en- en building construction and motive power I t second cond lock at nt Gatun Below Delo Toro point or the west breakwater in inI 1 nl BO first and s gates fifteen fifteen A ABOVE about two miles in length I Colon harbor This breakwater is of artificial construction level le It contains three surface ten feet above mean sea teen feet wide at the top the tho being f million cubic yards of oT r rock and is armored with especially hard ro rook reek k it i. i t t lk aw a 4 fir ea ti y t t i Ss S r. r 6 y h y s c v y W Wt t t 4 Ry r dj i i K r 41 fib M J wr a 4 4 St vl try i. i r. r a I st t Jk c S. S r 1 r 11 d A fr ah M a iN t r R f 1 4 t 3 I rs 4 w 4 4 r I y lY s A 3 a v l r a F o N M J t ij i and machinery into one department and assigned him to the head of it In this way each of the engineers was given charge of engineering work Mr rr Stevens Steens retired from the thc service at al the end of March l 1907 and on April 1 the management of canal affairs passed into th the hands of the third commission that had been heen treated created since construction was undertaken The secretary of war Mr r. r Taft the isthmus at the time and various was wa-s on n questions questions questions ques ques- concerning the organization were taken up w with th him First Move Made to Concentrate Authority The he canal commission maintained its headquarters tel'S in in in- Washington which for a time were rere in charge of ot the bureau of insular affairs of the thc war depart depart- ment Soon after the creation of the second canal commiE commission ion Mr Shouts chairman of that commission commis commis- sion stun took charge of the office He as well weB as ns the theother theother oth other r members of the commission commission spent most of his time in m Washington making b o only ly occasional visits to the isthmus When Mr resigned on March 4 1907 Mr r. r Stevens who had lead been appointed a member of the commission in July 1906 was appointed chairman ns as 5 well ell as as' chief ch ef en engineer incer t th the fi first t m move e in the thc direction of or concentrating authorIty He lie designated Mr r. r Joseph Bucklin Bishop who was as secretary sec sec- sec secretary of the commission to act as the head of the office which action temporarily temporarily temporarily tem tem- Washington was approved by the secretary of war Mr fr Taft preferred to have ha the office placed again under the bureau of insular affairs but for various arious rea reasons ons this could not be he accomplished I desired to have Mr Bishop on the isthmus All the members were there and the secretary should be also x From the committee of the labor organizations I had learned that the members of the working force had been given little opportunity for a hearing hearIn incase in incase incase case an any of them had grievances and complaints While I Had h ad promised hearings s 1 in all such cases I Iwas was assured assured that it would not b be ho possible for me to to attend personally to matters of this kind ir if this should prove to be the case then there was great need for someone to look after them and it seemed to me that Mr r. r Bishop by reason of or his position o i would not only be useful but hut the proper person inthis in inthis inthis this field How to Settle Labor Troubles Not Known How pending labor questions would be he s settled was unknown at the time for the formal hearing by bythe bythe bythe the secretary of war lad had not been heep held but there had been in instances of complaints und and grievances being taken being taken direct to the President President-ao so eo that more were likely likel to be and aud if the tho comm commission sion side could be bo pres presented as such cases eases our authority would be strengthened materially If MY Mr Ir Bishop lived on the isthmus he would be he familiar with local conditions conditions conditions condi condi- and would be of much assistance i in making such I had a further reason for d desiring shing his presence with the commission commission In m my interview with the President on February 18 as aR mentioned in a previous ous article I suggested that the canal work be placed under und r the c a lief ie of engineers enl of or the army in order that I might have a n II friend at court Having fail failed d in this I realized that Mr fr Bishop would be much more moro valuable on the isthmus than limn in Wash Wash- v N rk Y y r 4 r rf r- r f 2 4 ington for that the President had confidence in n nhim him was indicated clearly in what he ho said about him himat nt at that time Mr Taft expressed doubt about the President sending Mr 1 Bishop d down wn but hut suggested ed that I write to him after his return to Washington and make the necessary application In regard to the Washington n office wh while it served many useful useful use use- useful ful purposes there was no DO doubt that its most important dut duty was to contract for supplies supplies' and purchase and inspect them Officers of the corps of o engineers had head experience in such matters and antI furthermore if through the chief of engineers engineer's inspections in inspections in- in could be bo made by his local officers distributed distributed distributed dis dis- dis- dis over oyer the country usually u in commercial com l and manufacturing centers in connection with river and harbor work some some economy would result I thereforE therefore therefore there there- fore advocated that an army engineer be placed in charge of the Washington office acting under the chief of engineers A A Case Oase of the Tail Wagging the Dog Previous to the advent of the new new commission there had arisen some friction between the head of the department of law and government and thc hief cn engineer due to lack of proper operation co for there was as the seeming impression on t the he part of the thc former that tho the raison d detre of the presence of the Americans on the as not primarily to construct a n canal but to set an example in government government government govern govern- ment to the republics of or Central and South America Referring to this subject Mr r. r Stevens was said aid to toI f I x I have remarked It is a case of the tail wagging the dot dog clog concluded after examining tho the situation situation situation situa situa- l f Mr r. r Taft the tho subordinate everything e to tion that in order to construction work the tho chairman of tho commission the hc civil functions and andon should hould ha have hae e direction over t on April 2 1907 1007 he lie issued i an executive order by direction of the President decreeing that the authority authority au oi the governor or chief executive of the canal zone under exist existing n laws regulations and executive orders orders shall be vested in and exercised by the chairman chairman chairman chair chair- This put man of the isthmian canal commission an end to that source of friction and also to the idea which had been the cause of o-f it In view of this order I was instructed that thol when Senator Blackburn arrived on the isthmus he should be he assigned to duty as ns governor governor but designated as ns head of the department of civil administration The of official designation li governor governor thus thus passed out o of existence until re revived ved by the Panama canal act of August 24 4 1912 I brought brou ht up with Mr fr Taft the question of giving giving gh ing me the veto power over any action of the commission commission com com- mission and in jn discussing the matter he expressed the hope that as all tho uIO members of the com commission commis commis- mis- mis sion Ion were on the isthmus things would work more smoothly under the seven headed system I explained ex- ex explained explained ex ex- to him the tho views of the President who had said he would give ge g e mo me such power and nd suggested sug ested that while occasion for use of the power might not notarise notarise notarise arise it might be he advisable to issue an order conferring conferring conferring con con- ferring ferring- it This he did dill not think it a advisable to do for t. t the law Jaw contained no such provision but |