BORIS BURDA: How to steer a channel in the right direction
Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash
ATTENTION — QUESTION!
In 1928, the traveler Richard Halliburton swam about 80 km and paid a toll of 36 cents for his weight, 64 kg. What did he swim through?
ATTENTION — CORRECT ANSWER!
The Panama Canal — this was the smallest toll ever paid for its passage.
THE CONQUISTADOR’S IDEA
A
s early as 1513, the daring conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the American continent at its narrowest point in less than a month and became the first European — seven years before Magellan — to see the Pacific Ocean. Already then, he noted in his journal that a waterway between the two oceans should be sought. Perhaps not only sought… The first clear proposal to dig a canal through the isthmus was put forward by his associate Álvaro de Saavedra fourteen years later — incidentally, one of the four routes he suggested almost exactly matched the one eventually realized. But King Philip II ultimately declared that what God had joined, Spain had no right to tear apart, and the project stalled.
In 1698, still-independent Scotland attempted to establish a colony in Panama. The climate was unforgiving, the English offered no help, the Spaniards were hostile — and Scotland, having invested a third of its national capital in this colony, went bankrupt and was soon forced to unite with England. That is where the British Empire came from… The idea of the canal was revived in the 19th century; already in 1811, it began to be developed by the great traveler Alexander von Humboldt.
Great Britain and the United States took an interest in it, and against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush, a railway was even laid across the Panamanian isthmus — three and a half hours, and you were at the other ocean! But by water it was easier… However, the construction of the railway revealed serious problems. There was horrific mortality among workers from tropical diseases. This is not to mention the political instability characteristic of Latin American states. On the plus side, a pass was found with elevations of no more than 100 meters, and it was demonstrated that the ocean levels are the same.
PANAMA IS NOT SUEZ
Construction attracted the interest of the man who had been the first in the world to solve a similar problem — Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal. In 1879, he founded the Universal Company of the Interoceanic Canal of Panama and began construction. Working conditions were horrific — poisonous snakes, yellow fever… The project’s general director, Georges Dingler, brought his wife, two children, and son-in-law to the site — all quickly died of yellow fever, and he fled. The next general director, Louis Bonaparte Wyse, brought 60 engineers from France, and within just a few months, they either fled or died (Wyse himself also died). What kind of work could there be at all…
All deadlines were missed, money was running out, bonds were issued several times — each new issue at a higher interest rate than the previous one — then a state lottery loan was pushed through, but the subscription failed. The company had to suspend payments, but it was only liquidated in 1894. Three years later, a terrible scandal erupted — large bribes were uncovered that de Lesseps had paid to senators, ministers, and as many as 104 members of the Chamber of Deputies. De Lesseps and his son received five years in prison each, Gustave Eiffel — also implicated — received two years, and the word «panama», as a synonym for fraud, began to be written with a lowercase letter.
A TERRIBLE VOLCANO
The United States then became interested in the canal. They had been eyeing this project for quite some time; back in 1850, they signed a treaty with Britain to build the canal jointly. But during the Anglo-Boer War, they took advantage of Britain’s difficulties and withdrew from the agreement, having firmly decided that they could manage on their own. The question was how to route the canal. Through Lake Nicaragua and the adjacent rivers — it would be four times longer, but the terrain was flat, and the lake and rivers would save a great deal of work. Or through the Panamanian Isthmus — mountains, jungle, and unknown diseases. And again, with whom to negotiate — with Nicaragua over the lake, or with Colombia over the isthmus?
Here, Philippe Bunau-Varilla entered the game — an illegitimate-born adventurer, a former associate of de Lesseps, obsessed with the idea of the canal. He had ambitious plans involving Colombia, following de Lesseps’s route, and the Nicaraguan option did not suit him. But what would Congress decide? Each option had its supporters — how could the argument be won? One of Nicaragua’s symbols came to the rescue — the Momotombo volcano. A beautiful cone with clouds of steam above it — so striking that Nicaragua issued a postage stamp featuring it. On the eve of the Senate vote on which route to choose, Bunau-Varilla sent this stamp to every senator. Who would agree to build next to a volcano?
WITHOUT RULES
The United States concluded a treaty with Colombia to lease land for the canal for 100 years. However, the Colombian Senate refused to ratify it — within a year, the contract with the French company would expire, and Colombia would receive all its property. Bunau-Varilla was unwilling to wait and decided that if Colombia did not want the canal, then the isthmus should not be Colombia! He immediately created a separatist movement and, on November 4, 1903, with the support of the U.S. Navy, separated Panama from Colombia. The new authorities granted the United States the Canal Zone in perpetual possession. Bunau-Varilla, a French citizen, signed this treaty on behalf of Panama two hours before the Panamanian delegation arrived in Washington.
Panama immediately acquired a new state motto. Since various international forces and interests had played a huge role in its appearance on the map, the motto became the Latin phrase Pro Mundi Beneficio — «By the grace of the whole world». Sometimes it is translated as «For the benefit of the world» — which, in essence, is undoubtedly true… Construction immediately received a major boost: the outstanding physician Walter Reed established that the cause of yellow fever was a local mosquito. The mosquito swamps were simply flooded with kerosene, small bushes and dry grass were cut down, excess water was drained away, and not only yellow fever but also malaria was reduced to a minimum. This played an enormous role.
Ten years passed, $400,000,000 was spent, 5,000 of the 70,000 builders died, and the canal was dug. Into the final barrier near the town of Gamboa, 20,000 tons of dynamite were laid; a wire was stretched 4,000 kilometers from it to the White House; President Wilson pressed the button — a blast rang out, and the waters of the two oceans were joined!
THE LIFE OF THE CANAL
The canal proved to be extremely popular and soon gave rise to a new word: «Panamax». This refers to the length, width, draft, and displacement of a vessel that can pass through the Panama Canal. In 2016, the canal was expanded, and the dimensions of «Panamax» increased. Nevertheless, there are ships that are even larger, and they still sail the old way — through the Strait of Magellan. During World War II, Japanese admirals decided that their new battleships would certainly be unable to pass through the Panama Canal, in order to be larger than the U.S. dreadnoughts designed to fit it. True, this did not help them — their armored monsters Yamato and Musashi were dealt with perfectly well by aircraft.
In 1977, President Carter decided to return the canal to Panama by the year 2000. But this decision came into question when Panama’s president, Noriega — who lost the election but refused to relinquish power, and was nicknamed «Pineapple» (in our parlance, a «grenade»; having survived smallpox, Noriega did indeed resemble one) — began trafficking drugs and befriending the USSR. The United States sent ships to Panama, and Noriega declared war on them! I don’t know what he was counting on, but it didn’t work. Noriega took refuge in the Vatican embassy. U.S. troops surrounded the embassy with loudspeakers and for a month blasted AC/DC music at full volume for Noriega’s listening pleasure. In the end, he surrendered and died in prison in 2018.
In 2000, the canal became Panamanian again. For how long? President Trump is already demanding that it be returned to the United States — or, if not returned, then at least that tolls for American ships be sharply reduced. It might be worth checking the dictionary definition of the term «racketeering»… Still, the history of such an amusing place cannot fail to be amusing. And Nicaragua, of course, is envious — the Panama Canal brings in enormous sums of money. In 2012, the Nicaraguan Senate decided to build the Great Nicaraguan Canal — a competitor to Panama’s — counting on investments from China and Russia. For now, the project is frozen — the money ultimately did not materialize. But no one can forbid dreaming…
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