As Chairman of the Blue Ribbon Engineering Committee (BREC) which studied the present state of the Canal with the US Army Corps of Engineers, I had the wonderful opportunity to see and learn about things in the waterway that very few people have had the opportunity to discover.

All the meetings, interviews, site visits and reading of the necessary material started to give me a deeper perspective of the Canal enterprise. I also seized the chance of looking at the historical side; engineering being only one of my many interests.

For starters, a second reading of "The Path Between the Seas" was mandatory . It never ceases to amaze me the wheeling and dealing of De Lesseps to get the French Canal going, not to mention Teddy Roosevelt's . A lot is owed to these men, without whom our history, without a doubt, would have been totally different. As the year 2000 approaches, reading this book again is kind of a compulsory homework for Panamanian as well as American Canal employees.

With so many things going on, one day, I came upon the name of Edward Schildhauer while reading "The Path Between the Seas". A lot of credit was given to him by McCullough regarding the design of mechanical and electrical systems, so it was very intriguing to me to see what he had done.

I must admit that I had never heard of him before. Canal history is full of accounts of Gorgas, Goethals, De Lesseps, Roosevelt, Hay, Buneau-Varilla and the rest, but not of Edward Schildhauer. So I kept reading on.

Being an engineer, the more I read, the more interesting his work, as the electrical and mechanical engineer during the construction period, looked. I decided that I would do some research on him.

Soon, like a ghost out of the past, a lot of things written about and by him began to surface.

It happens that the Canal owes so much to Edward Schildhauer that it is not only unfair but totally ridiculous how little we know about him...

Edward was born on August 21, 1872 on the sleepy "cow town" of New Holstein, Wisconsin, the son of German immigrants, Joachim and Dorothea (Kuehl) Schildhauer.

His father Joachim had left Germany in 1852 to join some relatives in Brazil . While en route he met some people who persuaded him that Wisconsin was the place to go, and so they ended up at New Holstein.

From his early life it was clear that he was very gifted for mathematics.

After high school, he went to the University of Wisconsin where he graduated in 1897 with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, married in 1902 to Ruth Burton Crall, and later obtained his degree in Mechanical Engineering.

While studying, Edward worked his way up in the ranks at the famous Commonwealth Edison Co. in Chicago, from 1898 to 1906; starting as a draftsman, then assistant electrical engineer, and then assistant mechanical engineer. To his credit were several patents on different apparatus.

His work was so exacting but most accounts, that only nine years after graduating, he was appointed to the great Panama Canal enterprise as mechanical and electrical engineer, a job coveted by a lot of other older and more experienced candidates.

Edward and his wife arrived on the Isthmus on September 1907 after spending almost a year coordinating canal designs in Washington.

His personal impact can best be described by the writings of the time: "He is one of those men who win friends and get ahead in their business at one and the same time. His popularity is only exceeded by the respect in which he is held by those who are conversant with the work that he has done in the comparatively few years that he has been out in the world".

Since the Canal components had no exact or close predecessors, he had to design, from scratch, systems that had never been built before.

To Edward Schildhauer, (Photo at bottom of page) this tall and skinny, dedicated engineer in his thirties, the Panama Canal, believe it or not, owes all of the following:

1. Complete design of the gates opening and closing machinery system. This comprises all the bullwheels, pinions and electric motors. (his work partner, Henry Goldmark designed the miter gates themselves).

Schildhauer's system consisted of wheels 20 feet in diameter, connected by steel arms to 27 hp electric motors that moved the gates on the reduction of gears.

He writes that he had to design the systems from scratch, as there was no previous data available or "data at variance" as he says. Some of the problems he had to solve where friction, wind resistance and tidal forces that made the calculations very detailed. Particularly difficult was to calculate the moving of the gates when the chambers were empty, as this was the critical design condition. Incredibly, this machinery can still, after almost 90 years, be seen working underneath the locks.

As a part of the USACE study, I had the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh and evaluate more modern hydraulic systems that, finally, will replace Schildhauer's wonderful and reliable but worn out bull wheels.

2. Design of all the systems components for the Locomotives ("Electric Mules" as they were called at the time). This included the rack/tracking system to go up the inclines.

For this design he was awarded a US Patent. This system is one of the better known features of the Panama Canal, as can be observed any day. Where else can you see locomotives going at 45 degree angles?. Its reliability is de facto, but lots of maintenance or outright replacement will be needed in the next few years as confirmed by the USACE study. These locomotives were replaced by more powerful machines during the 1960's and right now are scheduled for further retrofitting or replacement.

3. Design of the sluice gates of the Gatun Spillway.

4. Design of the complete locks control system . This in itself, for anyone, would be a momentous and career topping job. Schildhauer, in his characteristic humble way, designed the panel with the miniature lock gates, all the electrical controls, as well as the interlocking system underneath the control panel that insures that no mistakes be made during the operation of the valves, gates, etc.

But, as all things electrical these days, it is proposed to be replaced by a microprocessor based modern system. This new proposal is also backed by USACE's study.

5. Gatun and Miraflores Power plants and transmission systems. In excellent condition today.

6. Design of the Hydro electric Power houses of the Gatun and Miraflores Spillways. Also in excellent condition today.

His work is clearly presented in beautiful plans kept at the PCC Engineering Division,as well as in these detailed articles that he wrote:

a) Electricity in the construction and operation of the Panama Canal (General Electric Review 7 July 1915)

b) The Control of Lock Machinery on the Panama Canal (Switchboard News Vol 2,No. 1, Jan 1914)

c) Electrical and mechanical Installations of the Panama Canal (Paper No. 20, See PCC Tech. Resource Library)

Other major magazines of the epoch carried his articles on the Canal, especially Scientific American.

It is also interesting to know that most of these components were built at a comparatively new and small company called General Electric, for which the Panama Canal contract was do or die!

Edward was a happy man when he saw the fruits of his labor, accompanied by his wife, on the day of the first lockage. This is what remains written: "The tug steamed into the lower lock, looking, as one man recalled, like a chip on a pond. Sibert, Schildhauer, young George Goethals and their wives were standing in the prow." The entire first lockage lasted one hour and fifty one minutes, followed by great cheers.

During his work in the Isthmus, Schildhauer was very active and involved, belonging to the University Club in Panama, the Stranger's Club in Colon, and numerous other professional associations.

After leaving the Canal in 1914, he went back to private enterprise, being the general manager of the New Castle construction company, President of the Artillery Fuse Co . of Wilmington, Delaware (1915-1919). He participated in the design and study of airplanes (1919-1924), Vice President of the Solvay Process Co. one of the Allied companies (1925-1930). He retired in 1931.

He also participated in Good Government, through the Los Angeles County Republican Assembly, where he was the president in 1946.

As a recognition of his pioneering work at the Panama Canal, The University of Wisconsin placed his portrait among those of distinguished alumni, in University Hall.

Edward Schildhauer passed away in 1953, leaving behind a stupendous legacy to the Panama Canal.

After his wife died in 1961, all his papers, blueprints, and memorabilia from his years in Panama, were bequeathed to the New Holstein, Wisconsin, Public Library, where they remain.

The Panama Canal will forever have an immortal debt with Edward Schildhauer.

I know that on December 31, 1999 at noon, the politicians will have a field day.

I can, picture the sunny day, the fanfare, the parades, the ladies with their best clothes on and, most dreadfully, copious speeches by all kinds of politicians from both sides, Panamanian and American, most of whom who probably won't really appreciate all the work that has been done at the Canal for 90 years.

It will be a happy day for a lot of people, sad for a few others. But the pen of history writes on, whether we like it or not.

I am sure that a lot of us, the responsible people of Panama, will think clearly of the tasks and challenges ahead and will rise to the occasion.

But, also on that day, under the sun's glare, when the euphoria or the sadness takes hold, when all the beautiful words are said and done, I will remember the builders .

I will remember the forgotten engineers who sought and got no glory, those whose clear mission was to build the best and keep it that way.

For them I will be thankful... I will remember Edward.

The author wishes to thank Carole Schildhauer, librarian at MIT, wife of the late great-nephew of Edward, and who was named after him. I found her through the INTERNET . She has been instrumental in obtaining data for this article.

I also found Mark Schildhauer in California and Wayne Schildhauer in Florida. Wayne was also helpful with other family insights.

If nothing else, the research for this article has helped bring together many members of the Schildhauer family through Internet. Some of them had not seen or heard of each other for years. For this, they were very happy, and made me feel very good.

Further references can be obtained at:

1) PCC Technical Resources

2) New Holstein Historical Society ; New Holstein, Wisconsin 53061. Secretary, Joelle Myers.

3) The New Holstein's Public Library: 2115 Washington, Street. Librarian, Barbara Weber.

Schildhauer Family Photo, sent by Carole Schildhauer:
Click on the image to see a larger image with description.

Carole Schildhauer estimates this picture must have been taken about 1885.

Click on the image to read about Roberto Roy.
Use the BACK button on your browser to return to this page.