Sibert, William L. (William Luther), 1860-1935

Isthmian Canal Commission Secretary Bishop updates President Roosevelt on his family. Chairman and Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission Colonel George W. Goethals requested Bishop’s presence on the Isthmus to have a channel of communication to Roosevelt, and Roosevelt’s recent letter pleased him. Bishop says the only major issue is the arrogant behavior of Jackson Smith, the Head of the Department of Labor, Quarters, and Subsistence on the Panama Canal Commission. Additionally, the engineer Joseph Ripley created incorrect blueprints and has been proven to be no expert on locks, but Major William L. Sibert is excellent. Bishop thinks the Republican Club of New York’s motives for disparaging Roosevelt’s canal policy are political. In response to Roosevelt’s suggestion to include local events in the new paper, Bishop explains that it may be hard to keep current, but he will try his best.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-03

Creator(s)

Bishop, Joseph Bucklin, 1847-1928

Joseph Bucklin Bishop, secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission, reports to President Roosevelt that matters on the Isthmus are in good condition thanks to Chief Engineer and Commission Chairman George W. Goethals’s systematic military organization. Goethals is an effective leader and greatly appreciates Bishop’s help, especially in handling complaints. Bishop compliments Roosevelt’s Provincetown speech and gives an update on his family.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-29

Creator(s)

Bishop, Joseph Bucklin, 1847-1928

Secretary of War Taft requests Commissioner Shonts forward the following dispatch from President Roosevelt to Chief Engineer John F. Stevens. After serious review, Taft asks Shonts whether to accept a bid for the construction of the Panama Canal under the present contract or to reject all bids entirely. Taft cites that the two most desirable bids, McArthur Syndicate then William J. Oliver and Anson M. Bangs fit all the requirements with exception to “the least expense of the Government.” Taft informs Shonts of the resignation of Stevens, Chief Engineer of the project, and solicits to have him replaced with Major George W. Goethals. In the meantime, Taft requests that the Commission reject the two bids aforementioned. In a typed postscript, Taft informs Stevens that Goethals will replace him as Chief Engineer and Chairman of the Commission. Roosevelt expects him to use every attempt to assists Goethals with “as little friction and as little loss of efficiency” as possible.

After serious review, Secretary of War Taft asks Chairman Shonts whether to accept a bid for the construction of the Panama Canal under the present contract or to reject all bids entirely. Taft cites that the two most desirable bids, McArthur Syndicate then William J. Oliver and Anson M. Bangs, fit all the requirements with exception to “the least expense of the Government” due to the bidders’ desire to split profits with investors. Taft informs Shonts of the resignation of John F. Stevens, chief engineer of the project, and solicits to have him replaced with Major George W. Goethals, who agrees with Taft and Stevens that a new contract must be drafted. In the meantime, Taft requests that the Commission reject the two bids aforementioned. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-23

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

After serious review, President Roosevelt asks Chairman Shonts whether to accept a bid for the construction of the Panama Canal under the present contract or to reject all bids entirely. Roosevelt cites that the two most desirable bids, McArthur Syndicate then William J. Oliver and Anson M. Bangs, fit all the requirements with exception to “the least expense of the Government” due to the bidders’ desire to split profits with investors. Roosevelt also informs Shonts of the resignation of John F. Stevens, chief engineer of the project, and solicits to have him replaced with Major George W. Goethals, who agrees with Roosevelt and Stevens that a new contract must be drafted. In the meantime, he requests that the Commission reject the two bids aforementioned. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-26

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-10-30

Creator(s)

Bishop, Joseph Bucklin, 1847-1928

Recipient

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Language

English

John Ripley Freeman has spoken to a number of people about the Panama Canal who are sure that it will ultimately be built as a sea-level canal, but Freeman does not believe this will be the case. The current slipping at Gatun has done nothing to shake Freeman’s confidence in this, and he has communicated as such to Senator Kittredge, who he met by chance recently. Freeman sends Taft a copy of a book relating to the work of the New York State Water Supply Commission which references a pair of earth dams that he was formerly involved with.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-19

Creator(s)

Freeman, John Ripley, 1855-1932

George W. Davis offers President-elect Taft his opinion regarding several engineers who are candidates to accompany Taft on a trip to inspect the Panama Canal. If a change to the canal plans is required, as Davis suspects it may be, it should be done early enough before public opinion begins to be swayed against the canal by a lack of confidence.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-15

Creator(s)

Davis, George W. (George Whitefield), 1839-1918

Recipient

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Secretary of War Taft reports to President Roosevelt on his visit to the Panama Canal Zone. Taft was investigating reports of poor conditions in the Subsistence Department to head off a scandal. As a result, Jackson Smith has resigned from the Commission, and Taft suggests personnel and organizational changes. Taft also reports on attempts to rig the upcoming election in Panama.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-05-16

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission Bishop sends President Roosevelt a rough draft of talking points he can use in his message about the Panama Canal. Bishop also includes a detailed description of the canal’s progress, as well as his evaluation of some other members of the Commission.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-16

Creator(s)

Bishop, Joseph Bucklin, 1847-1928

Thomas R. Goethals describes the appointment of his grandfather, George W. Goethals, as chairman and chief engineer of the Panama Canal Commission in 1907. He recounts President Theodore Roosevelt’s repeated reorganization of the commission and his desire to place the project under the authority of the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army. Goethals notes the rapport quickly established between Roosevelt and Goethals, and he details Goethals’s concern over having to replace the very popular John F. Stevens as chief engineer of the project. Goethals notes that his grandfather was most worried about managing the people who would actually build the canal, and he highlights Goethals first speech in Panama in which he tried to reassure them that he would not militarize the project. Goethals also stresses the important role played by Secretary of War William Howard Taft in staffing and overseeing the construction of the canal.

The article includes nine photographs, including five of George W. Goethals, four illustrations, and one map of the canal zone. An advertisement for the Chocolate Lady candy store of Oyster Bay, New York, appears at the conclusion of the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2010

Photograph of a trestle bridge over the Chagres River, Panama, showing the construction of a dam that is part of the Panama Canal project. Five men sit in a canoe near the bridge, one of whom is possibly William L. Sibert, member of the Panama Canal Commission.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09

Creator(s)

Unknown

This newsletter, available free of charge to employees of the Isthmian Canal Commission and the Panama Railroad Company, reports on various happenings in the Canal Zone, including updates on progress, revenue, mosquitoes, sports, and excavation. It also includes a directory of names at the end.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-11

Creator(s)

Unknown

President-Elect Taft forwards a letter from John Ripley Freeman to President Roosevelt concerning the recent trip to examine the Panama Canal. Taft is sure that reports that Alfred Noble has expressed doubts about the dam are unfounded. Joseph Pulitzer is planning to visit the Isthmus with some engineers, “for the purpose of stirring up as much mud as he can.” Taft welcomes this, as he believes that “liars will be at a disadvantage in the end.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-24

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930