PANAMA CANAL 100TH BIRTHDAY

The Panama Canal one of greatest engineering miracles and greatest human loss.  We must not forget the 25,000 people died to build this marvel of 48 miles connecting two oceans together.  On 15 August the Panama Canal will celebrated its 100^th Anniversary.

This engineering achievement is a great human triumph and also great human sacrifices. 25,000 people died of tropical diseases such like yellow fiver and malaria.

To think that these men shuffled

all that earth is incredible and

they surely didn't get well paid

Further more history does not 

even remember their names.

It had been recorded that already Columbus was eyeing the Panama isthmus. He was planning to cut through to shorten his journey when transporting the stolen Inca gold back to Spain. However, it was even for Columbus too ambitious of his time in the 16^th century.

The first serious attempt was made by the French in 1881. After their success of building the Suez Canal, the French were full of confidence.  Their engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps was boasting to link the Atlantic with the Pacific.  After 13 years they counted a death toll of 20,000 and the privately owned canal company was bankrupt.  They had to bear the scandal of having spent £300million and showing little progress.  Diseases and inhospitable climate plus terrain defeated them.  Criticism also rained down on them for treating the Caribbean workers badly.

The next attempt to build the Panama Canal was the USA. They bought the rights to the project. And started work in 1904. They completed it in 1914 but again the shame of badly treating the Caribbean workers marked the success.  Due to the US Army physician Colonel William Gorgas and improved medical knowledge the death toll was not so great.  He discovered that mosquito spread the yellow fever and malaria and not as previously believed swamp gas.  He organised the mosquito beds to be destroyed and with it the widespread epidemic was reduced.

America was in those days a New Country and had an enormous engineering world power and finances available.  The Panama Canal was opened on 15 August, 1914. The first ship went through it was the SS Ancon. 

Today, you experience the wonderful achievement from many luxurious leisure ships going through the canal. It will take you about 12-14 hours which otherwise would take 20 days and sailed 7,872 miles round South America treacherous Cape Hope.

From land you can watch container ships pass through which some of them is the maximum size for the locks. The biggest size allowed is passing through with no more than 2ft on either side. The huge vessels are inching through the locks and little trains with cables attached to keep them in the centre. When a ship enters the lock and the gates  just close behind the stern the water rises in the chamber  by 27ft in around 10 minutes before moving on to the next gate. It is an incredible experience. Cars crossing the locks on bridges look like little toys which emphasize the huge structures of the canal.

MIRAFLORES LOCKS

To go through the canal safely a team of canal pilots and crew goes on board. And practically take over the bridge. They are liable for the ship from then on. However, the Royal Caribbean policy demands for the senior officers to be present during entire journey through the canal.

There is an expansion going on which is practically new and bigger locks being built at a cost of $5billion. When it is finished it will increase container ships from 5,000 to 13,000. The project is planned to be finish by the end of next year.