The Panama Canal and Its Makers

The author traces the canal project's historical background and explains planned lock-and-reservoir engineering, with detailed description of the Culebra Cut, Gatun works, excavation techniques, machinery, spoil disposal and re-location of railways; it reports on workforce composition, living conditions, health and sanitation measures in the tropics; it surveys the impact on navigation by estimating shortened sea routes and types of steamships suited to transit; chapters consider cost estimates and logistic organization. Numerous maps, plans and photographs document earthworks, machinery, camps and river works to illustrate technical points and working conditions.