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Panama Canal Video

Disease

Disease served as a major problem while building the Panama Canal. Dr. William C. Gorgas, the doctor in charge of destroying the Panamanian disease, had experience in Cuba and used many intellingent tactics such as spraying chemicals in infected areas, isolating patients in screened areas, and sending out crews to kill the bugs themselves. Theses actions were especially present with yellow fever and malaria, since they were the two most common and the most deadly. Other diseases included smallpox, cholera, diptheria, tuberculosis, and bubonic plague. Each disease has its own odd symtoms, but the most common among these were shivering, aches, and regular vomitting or vomitting blood.

Engineering Difficulties

Several engineering difficulties took place during the Panama Canal's building process but many people and resources were available to help out. Machinery consisted of Bucyrus steam shovels and dynamite which both worked on the Culebra Cut excavation. The locks, located on both the Atlantic and Pacific ends, made voyages a lot simpler and were extremly safe. Also, the many dirt trains helped remove spoil from the mountains and sped up the constantly delaying schedule. Finally, three actual engineers each worked on the project themselves and their names were John F. Wallace, John F. Stevens, and George W. Goethals. They each progessed successfully, but the best of all was definetly Goethals, said by the workers, since he was the one who actually completed the work.

Physical Difficulties

Many physical difficulties delayed the Panama Canal such as climate, rainforest, animals, mountains, and the bodies of water. The temperatures were very extreme and caused damage to many workers because of the heat. Also, the rainforest was very dense with greenery,making it hard to ravel through. Many animals were either poisonous, dangerous, or just plain disgusting. The Culebra Cut mountains caused delays for the excavation process and had to be blown up with dynamite. Lastly, the bodies of water such as the Chagres River served as a problem that was constantly flooding and slowing down the canal building process.