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O'Rourke, John F. (John Francis), 1854-1934

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Letter from John F. Stevens to Theodore P. Shonts

Letter from John F. Stevens to Theodore P. Shonts

Chief Engineer John F. Stevens prefers Chief Counsel Richard Reid Rogers’s plan for financing the Panama Canal to that proposed by the engineer John Francis O’Rourke. Stevens cautions Panama Canal Commission Chairman Shonts that the Culebra Cut is “such a mix-up” that there will no doubt be complications in the construction project, and so they should avoid financing based on progress estimates.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-02

Creator(s)

Stevens, John F. (John Frank), 1853-1943

Letter from John F. Stevens to Theodore P. Shonts

Letter from John F. Stevens to Theodore P. Shonts

Chief Engineer Stevens opines on the nature of the government contracts for those building the Panama Canal; he thinks the plan suggested by John F. O’Rourke, a railroad engineer who is one of the bidders, to be “misleading and dangerous.” Stevens says that, in his experience, when dealing with contractors it is necessary “to be ‘as wise as a serpent, and apparently as harmless as a dove.'”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-25

Creator(s)

Stevens, John F. (John Frank), 1853-1943