MAJOR GENERAL GEORGE W. GOETHALS - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 07/15/1913 - HFSID 262829

GEORGE W. GOETHALS
George W. Goethals sends a typed letter of regret the he may not be able to fulfill a request.
Typed Letter signed: "Geo. W. Goethals," 1p, 8x10½ attached to 8½x11½ piece of paper (two surfaces). On letterhead of Isthmian Canal Commission. Canal Zone, Culebra, 1913 July 5. To Mr. Harris M. Crist, News Editor, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York. The engineer writes, in full: Your letter of the 20th ultimo has followed me to the Isthmus and, if time permits I will endeavor to prepare something for your Panama Canal number which will appear on September 25th. I can make no promises, however, as I have some very pressing matters demanding my attention and must begin the preparation of the annual report of the Commission the latter part of the month. Yours sincerely," In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt had appointed George Washington Goethals (1858-1928) as Chief Engineer (1908-1914) and Chairman of the Panama Canal Commission. Goethals took complete charge of both in January 1908. The Panama Canal, which was made possible by a pact between the Republic of Panama and the U.S. in 1903, opened ocean travel between the Atlantic and Pacific (prior to its opening, ships had to travel around the southern tip of South America). Goethals, who carried the canal construction through its completion in 1914, was promoted to Major General in 1915, while serving as Governor of the Canal Zone (1914-1917). He was appointed Governor by President Woodrow Wilson; that position was appointed by the President of the U.S., while other officials of the Canal Zone were appointed by the President and Congress. Goethals, who had graduated from West Point in 1880, was a Second Lieutenant with the Corps of Engineers and taught civil and military engineering at West Point. He was construction supervisor of the Muscle Shoals Dam Project on the Tennessee River and served in the Spanish-American War (1898) as Chief of Engineers. Following duty in WWI, Goethals became chief consultant for the Port of New York Authority through his own engineering firm. A bridge connecting New York City with New Jersey is named in honor of the Brooklyn-born engineer. Lightly creased not near signature. Torn all the way through that is why it is attached to another piece of paper. Rippled.