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The Panama Canal: A Land Divided, A World United

J.M. Syken

Course Outline

In this course, we will examine the background and history of the creation of “The Path Between the Seas” – the Panama Canal. This will include the geographical and topographical features of the Isthmus of Panama, the early use of the Isthmus as a ”land bridge” between the Atlantic and Pacific ocean/s, early and later plans for both a sea-level and/or “lake & lock” trans-oceanic canal and the developments in the mid-nineteenth century such as the creation of the trans-Isthmian Panama Railroad and the completion of the Suez Canal and their influences on the creation of the Panama Canal. The strategic and commercial importance/value/benefits of the canal will also be discussed extensively

We will examine in depth and detail the failed French effort to build both a sea-level and, later, instead a lock canal across Panama and its influences on the later successful American effort. The various schemes for a canal in the Central American region and their inherent pros and cons will be reviewed carefully as will be the decision by the United States to build a lock canal in Panama rather than Nicaragua. The infrastructure, organization, health and sanitary conditions/efforts, technology, construction and engineering used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build, maintain and defend the canal will be the subject of much discussion. As well, the plans for alternate canals and/or expansion of the existing canal will be reviewed in-depth.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Intended Audience

This course is intended for architects, engineers and other design professionals.

Benefit to Attendees

The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into one of the greatest engineering achievements in human history: Panama Canal

Course Introduction

The course includes an in-depth PowerPoint presentation and the viewing of documentary films

Course Content

In this course, you are required to view/study the following slideshow and the materials contained in the web pages:

The Panama Canal: A Land Divided, A World United (printable handout in PDF, 18 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)
The Panama Canal: A Land Divided, A World United (non-printable slideshow for screen-viewing only, 69 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)

Archival/Documentary Film:

TITLE: Megastructures: Panama Canal
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp8hlIn7eFQ
DURATION: 53:56
TITLE: A New Experience - Transits Through Expanded Panama Canal
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQrKAku3e0
DURATION: 11:01

Note A: Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.

Course Summary

With the completion of the Panama Canal, the world became a smaller place. No longer would ships be required to take the “Magellan Route” - around the tip of South America at Cape Horn and there experience the fearsome seas of “The Roaring Forties.” Almost immediately, shippers and manufacturers realized the benefits of using the canal in lieu of land/rail transportation, even though the route to and through the canal might be longer geographically, it typically proved more cost-effective. With the 21st Century expansion of the canal, a new era is dawning in world commerce, opening up the east coast of the United States to direct shipping from Asia via the expanded and improved canal. Perhaps the distinguished author and historian David McCullough summed the work of creating the Panama Canal best in his landmark book entitled: “The Path Between the Seas”: “The creation of a water passage across Panama was one of the supreme human achievements of all time, the culmination of a heroic dream of over four hundred years and of more than twenty years of phenomenal effort and sacrifice. The fifty miles between the oceans were among the hardest ever won by human effort and ingenuity, and no statistics on tonnage or tolls can begin to convey the grandeur of what was accomplished. Primarily the canal is an expression of that old and noble desire to bridge the divide, to bring people together. It is a work of civilization.”

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal

http://www.scribd.com/doc/75796643/Interocianic-Canal-Studies-1970

http://archive.org/details/0385_Panama_Canal_16_37_51_00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15klPdOAWSc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzCULxAmkRU
(film - Panama Canal: Post Panamax - 56:46)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc3YI5Zt0Jc
(Film: Modern Marvels: The Suez Canal - 47:26)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_3074429681&feature=iv&src_vid=YzCULxAmkRU&v=yFxYPgzhOQk
(Film: Panama Canal: Prized Possession)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2XslDKriLA
(film - Panama Canal: The Mountain and the Mosquito - 52:02)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAfHtaRcTXc
(Film: The Chinese Plan to Build a Canal Across Nicaragua - 10:05)

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.


DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.