Engineering the Panama Canal

Engineering the Panama Canal — page 1 — CHAPTER ONE 4

Engineering the Panama Canal — page 2 — A PLAN TO MOVE MOUNTAINS President President Woodrow Wilson pressed a small button in Washington DC in October 1913 It sent a signal thousands of miles through telegraph wires The signal went all the way to Central America When it reached Panama it exploded a dam holding back a river The river flooded a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans With the press of a button world trade suddenly became much faster Until then the trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific was long and dangerous Ships A newspaper illustration from 1913 depicts the moment Wilson sent the signal to Panama 5

Engineering the Panama Canal — page 3 — ISTHMUS OF PANAMA The Isthmus of Panama links North and South America It is about 50 miles 81 km across It is the narrowest strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean Why might the canal have been built there Are there other good places the canal could have been built PANAMA El Porvenir Portobello Colón CARIBBEAN SEA Alajuela Lake Chepo Paplama Canal Cañita Panama Canal Rio Chepo Bayano Gatun Bayano Lake La Chorrera PANAMA CITY san Miguel Playa Coronado Archipielago de las Perlas 50 miles 80 km Gulf of Panama

Engineering the Panama Canal — page 4 — had to sail around the southern tip of South America Yet a narrow strip of land separated the two oceans by just 50 miles 81 km This was the Isthmus of Panama Explorers and sailors had long dreamed of a water shortcut here This would make journeys much shorter The French were the first to attempt to build a canal across THE PANAMA RAILWAY Gold was discovered in California in the 1840s Thousands of people traveled there in search of riches Some made the long trip around the tip of South America by ship Others slowly crossed North America by wagon Some US businessmen decided to build a railway across Panama as a shortcut It was finished in 1855 Engineers planning the route found something important They noticed a gap in the ridge of tall mountains at a place called Culebra This would eventually provide a path for the Panama Canal Panama They began work in 1880 Their plan involved digging a canal at sea level The French struggled due to mistakes and a lack of funds Diseases killed many workers France stopped the project in 1889 7

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