Panama Fever: The Story of One of Man's Greatest Achievements

Acclaimed by international critics, this meticulous and extraordinary work by writer Matthew Parker—named by the British newspaper Daily Telegraph as a strong contender for all nonfiction awards—singularly and impressively tells the story of one of humanity's most monumental achievements of all time—the Panama Canal. In 1513, Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa became the first European to sight the planet's largest ocean and discover that only a narrow strip of land separated it from the already traversed—and reasonably well-known—Atlantic. It was the beginning of a dream that would ignite monarchs, presidents, businessmen, and explorers: to find a waterway between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Whoever discovered it would be at the forefront of global trade and influence the future of several nations. But what would come to be considered one of the key arteries of world commerce was not in nature's plan. It was up to man to pave the way, in a project begun by the French in 1880 and completed by the United States in 1914. A project as ambitious as the construction of the pyramids: between the two colossal bodies of water, mountains, forests, and swamps. The climatic conditions were an engineer's nightmare—eight months of the year, the rains fell without stopping, making the isthmus one of the wettest places on the planet. A veritable tropical hell, further affected by political instability, malaria, and yellow fever. Thousands of men worked under torrential rains and scorching heat to break the rocky spine connecting the Americas, often succumbing to the adverse working conditions, climate, and the ills of the tropics. Decades later, with a toll of 25,000 lives lost—about 500 men dead for every 620 meters excavated—and many others irreparably scarred by mutilation and disease, the first vessel would cross the Panama Canal. Since then, more than a million ships have done the same, averaging 14,000 per year. Despite the increase in vessel size, 5% of all global maritime trade—and 12% of American ships—still passes through its locks. Panama Fever is a detailed account of this epic endeavor. Matthew Parker analyzes not only the incredible engineering feat, but also the financial, technical, and even medical achievements that made it possible. He dissects the staggering ambition behind it all, in a detailed study of the myriad people and plans associated with the work, and captures the anguish of those involved in this task. He clearly describes the high price paid in lives and the diplomatic maneuvering to determine the canal's route and location. He also addresses the enemies the endeavor amassed, addressing the vested interests that feared the changing global geography. Parker also reveals where the French went wrong and why the Americans succeeded. And it explains how the canal's opening, almost simultaneously with the Old World's plunge into global conflict, catapulted the United States to a position of universal command. Filled with confidences, letters, diaries, and memoirs, it shows how a small strip of land in Central America made the world a place.