George Washington Goethals was an army officer who advocated
the high-lift canal locks that would eventually be used in the Panama Canal. He was recommended as an engineer for the
Panama Canal by U.S. President Taft.
President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him chief engineer of the Panama
Canal in 1907.
Earlier Canal Work
After graduating second in his class from West Point in
1880, Goethals joined the Corps of Engineers as a lieutenant and worked on the
Ohio, Columbia, and Tennessee rivers.
His responsibilities include the dams, bridges, canals, and locks. Goethals also taught civil and military
engineering.
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal, completed in 1914, links the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans and was created by Goethals and 50,000 workers. In addition to the challenges of deal with
all of the water and mud, the group had to deal with heat and disease.
The problems solved and tasks completed on the Panama Canal project
included:
- Cutting down mountains to eliminate canal
elevation
- Creating the Gatun Dam and Gatun Lake to control
the Chagres River
- Building concrete locks with filling/emptying
systems and steel opening/closing devices
- Handling frequent changes with the project
- Supervising the well-being of the workers
including health and sanitation
- Listening to complaints and settling disputes
among the workers
Although Goethals' background was in the military, the workers
were civilians; Goethals did not wear his uniform during work on the Panama
Canal project. The project was run with
quasi-military discipline and efficiency.
With Goethals' leadership, the Panama Canal project was completed six
months ahead of schedule - and $23 million below budget.
Goethals retired after the completion of the Panama Canal in
1914. In 1917 he was recalled to active
duty and was tasked with reforming the Army's supply system. He also created the New York Port Authority. A bridge between New York City and New Jersey was named in his honor.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Goethals
http://www.asce.org/PPLContent.aspx?id=2147487331
http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Make-the-Dirt-Fly/goethals.html
http://www.newporthistorical.org/index.php/maj-george-washington-goethals/
http://www.pancanal.com/eng/history/biographies/goethals.html
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Re: George Washington Goethals: Panama Canal Construction Supervisor (1858-1928)
