{"id":32236,"date":"2021-11-02T10:03:50","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T15:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=32236"},"modified":"2021-11-02T10:03:50","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T15:03:50","slug":"construction-panama-canal-difficult-deadly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/construction-panama-canal-difficult-deadly\/","title":{"rendered":"Why The Construction Of The Panama Canal Was So Difficult \u2013 And Deadly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/canal-old-time.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-32237\" src=\"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/canal-old-time.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"527\" height=\"676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/canal-old-time.jpg 527w, https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/canal-old-time-234x300.jpg 234w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 527px) 100vw, 527px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A staggering 25,000 workers lost their lives. And artificial limb makers clamored for contracts with the canal builders.<\/p>\n<p>In a quest to fulfill a centuries-old dream to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the builders of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/landmarks\/panama-canal\">Panama Canal<\/a>\u00a0quickly learned that the construction of a waterway across a narrow ribbon of land looked easier on a map than in reality.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_119634\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119634 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; width: 778.681px; display: block;\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506-696x696.jpg 696w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506-328x328.jpg 328w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506-313x313.jpg 313w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"119634\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/why-the-construction-of-the-panama-canal-was-so-difficult-and-deadly\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,1024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A staggering 25,000 workers lost their lives. And artificial limb makers clamored for contracts with the canal builders. Getty Images&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506-300x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-gettyimages-530849506.jpg\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The Panamanian isthmus proved to be one of the most difficult\u2014and deadly\u2014spots in the world in which to construct a channel. The builders of the passage attempted to re-engineer the natural landscape, but nature didn\u2019t give up without a fight.<\/p>\n<p>Construction crews literally had to move mountains in a snake-infested jungle with an average temperature of 80 degrees and 105 inches of rainfall a year. In the wet season, torrential downpours transformed the flood-prone Chagres River into raging rapids and soaked workers. \u201cSometimes you didn\u2019t see sun for about two straight weeks,\u201d recalled laborer Rufus Forde. \u201cIn the morning you had to put your clothes on damp. There was no sun to dry them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-90770454.jpg\" width=\"787\" height=\"679\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Death could strike in the form of an 18-ton boulder or miniscule, malaria-carrying mosquitoes that bred by the millions in festering swamps and puddles. Over the span of more than three decades, at least 25,000 workers died in the construction of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/7-fascinating-facts-about-the-panama-canal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Panama Canal<\/a>. \u201cThe working condition in those days were so horrible it would stagger your imagination,\u201d recalled laborer Alfred Dottin. \u201cDeath was our constant companion. I shall never forget the train loads of dead men being carted away daily, as if they were just so much lumber.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>A French Attempt Ends in Death and Failure<\/h3>\n<p>A French venture started construction of the Panama Canal in 1881. Seeking to duplicate his success in leading the construction of the Suez Canal, French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps found that building a 51-mile sea-level canal through Panama\u2019s mountainous jungle would be far more difficult than a 120-mile passage through the flat Egyptian desert.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-530849106.jpg\" width=\"768\" height=\"590\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Ceaseless rains triggered mudslides that buried workers alive. Floods swept away construction equipment. On top of everything, an earthquake rocked the country, and fire destroyed the city of Col\u00f3n when a civil war ignited. \u201cThere is too much water, the rocks are exceedingly hard, the soil is very hilly and the climate is deadly. The country is literally poisoned,\u201d complained senior French engineer Adolphe Godin de L\u00e9pinay.<\/p>\n<p>Outbreaks of dysentery and epidemics of yellow fever and malaria decimated the workforce. An estimated three-quarters of the French engineers who joined Lesseps in Panama died within three months of arriving. A Canadian doctor estimated that between 30 and 40 workers a day died during the wet seasons in 1882 and 1883, writes author Matthew Parker in Panama Fever.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-90003152.jpg\" width=\"770\" height=\"569\" \/><\/p>\n<p>By the time France abandoned the project in 1888, accidents and disease had claimed the lives of a staggering 20,000 laborers, according to the U.S. State Department. Most of the dead hailed from Caribbean islands such as Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica.<\/p>\n<h3>The United States Restarts Canal Construction<\/h3>\n<p>Sixteen years after the French venture went bankrupt, an ascendant United States restarted work on the partially excavated ditch. The Americans encountered many of the same obstacles as the French in the project\u2019s first year as yellow fever and malaria killed hundreds of workers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_119638\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119638 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; width: 778.681px; display: block;\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784-300x238.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784-150x119.jpg 150w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784-768x609.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784-696x552.jpg 696w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784-313x248.jpg 313w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"812\" data-attachment-id=\"119638\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/why-the-construction-of-the-panama-canal-was-so-difficult-and-deadly\/gettyimages-615314784\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,812\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gettyimages-615314784\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Thousands of Italians, Spaniards, West Indians and other nationalities were brought in to work on the construction of the Panama Canal. Getty Images&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784-300x238.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-615314784.jpg\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-119638\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thousands of Italians, Spaniards, West Indians and other nationalities were brought in to work on the construction of the Panama Canal. Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As death pervaded the canal zone, downtrodden chief engineer John Findley Wallace made plans for his return trip home\u2014by importing a metal coffin. By June 1905, three-quarters of the original American contingent had fled. Wallace followed suit and returned to the United States with his metal coffin\u2014occupied by the corpse of one of his workers.<\/p>\n<p>Wallace\u2019s successor, John F. Stevens, emphasized the work undertaken by chief sanitary officer William Crawford Gorgas. For centuries, it was thought that filth, rotting garbage and airborne bacteria released from tropical soil caused yellow fever and malaria (derived from the Italian for \u201cbad air\u201d). A yellow fever survivor, Gorgas was among the doctors whose research pinpointed the role played by mosquitoes in spreading tropical diseases.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_119637\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119637 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; width: 778.681px; display: block;\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565-150x106.jpg 150w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565-768x542.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565-696x491.jpg 696w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565-313x221.jpg 313w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"723\" data-attachment-id=\"119637\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/why-the-construction-of-the-panama-canal-was-so-difficult-and-deadly\/gettyimages-542911565\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,723\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gettyimages-542911565\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Building of the upper chamber of the Gatun locks of the Panama Canal. Getty Images&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565-300x212.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-542911565.jpg\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-119637\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Building of the upper chamber of the Gatun locks of the Panama Canal. Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Spearheading a massive public health campaign in the canal zone, Gorgas ordered the fumigation of homes, the drainage of pools of water and the attachment of screens to windows and gutters. To smother mosquito larvae, health officials sprayed crude oil mixed with kerosene in water sources and puddles. Thanks to those efforts, yellow fever cases on the isthmus were largely eradicated by the end of 1905.<\/p>\n<p>Although case numbers dropped, malaria proved more stubborn. Sanitary inspector Joseph Le Prince estimated that 80 percent of the workforce was hospitalized at some point during 1906 for malaria. Still, Gorgas is credited with saving tens of thousands of lives.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_119636\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119636 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; width: 778.681px; display: block;\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519-150x114.jpg 150w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519-768x584.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519-696x529.jpg 696w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519-313x238.jpg 313w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"779\" data-attachment-id=\"119636\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/why-the-construction-of-the-panama-canal-was-so-difficult-and-deadly\/gettyimages-640467519\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,779\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gettyimages-640467519\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Overview of the construction of the canal locks and gates for the Panama Canal, 1913. Getty Images&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519-300x228.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640467519.jpg\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-119636\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Overview of the construction of the canal locks and gates for the Panama Canal, 1913. Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Accidents Abound in the Culebra Cut<\/h3>\n<p>Workers waiting in line for their pay at the Culebra Cut, formerly called Gaillard Cut,an artificial valley that cut through the continental divide in Panama.<\/p>\n<p>With the yellow fever threat abating, accidents replaced disease as the largest cause of death in the canal zone in 1909. The most dangerous work took place as laborers carved a ditch 45 feet deep and at least 300 feet wide through an eight-mile mountainous stretch known as the Culebra Cut.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_119633\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119633 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; width: 778.681px; display: block;\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978-313x176.jpg 313w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-attachment-id=\"119633\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/why-the-construction-of-the-panama-canal-was-so-difficult-and-deadly\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,576\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Workers waiting in line for their pay at the Culebra Cut, formerly called Gaillard Cut, an artificial valley that cut through the continental divide in Panama. Getty Images&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978-300x169.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/panama-canal-construction-gettyimages-542403978.jpg\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-119633\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers waiting in line for their pay at the Culebra Cut, formerly called Gaillard Cut, an artificial valley that cut through the continental divide in Panama. Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nicknamed \u201cHell\u2019s Gorge,\u201d the Culebra Cut was a cauldron of noise with roaring locomotives and belching steam shovels where risks of death ranged from drowning to electrocution. Workers blasted away at the mountains with upwards of 60 million pounds of dynamite, which could ignite prematurely in the tropical Panamanian climate. Excavating machines also detonated unexploded charges as was the case in a December 1908 accident that killed 23 men.<\/p>\n<p>Flooding regularly submerged equipment, and the unstable ground could give way at any instance. \u201cThe work of months or even years might be blotted out by an avalanche of earth,\u201d lamented a senior U.S. administrator.<\/p>\n<div class=\"google-auto-placed ap_container\">\n<p>Particularly for workers partially deafened as a side effect of drinking quinine to ward off malaria, the inability to hear made deadly railroad accidents a regular occurrence. In an oral history, George Hodges remembered a fellow worker who fell trying to hop on a train and the wheel of another train \u201ccut his body right in two\u2026as if he had been chopped with a machete.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_119635\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119635 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; width: 778.681px; display: block;\" src=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335-150x118.jpg 150w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335-768x605.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335-696x549.jpg 696w, https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335-313x247.jpg 313w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"807\" data-attachment-id=\"119635\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/qcostarica.com\/why-the-construction-of-the-panama-canal-was-so-difficult-and-deadly\/gettyimages-640468335\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,807\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gettyimages-640468335\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Workers take a break at a construction site, possibly canal locks, during the construction of the Panama Canal, 1913. Getty Images&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335-300x236.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/149478393.v2.pressablecdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/gettyimages-640468335.jpg\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-119635\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers take a break at a construction site, possibly canal locks, during the construction of the Panama Canal, 1913. Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Laborer Antonio Sanchez said work in the cut was like \u201cgoing to a battlefield.\u201d With workers suffering gruesome injuries, some of which required amputation, hospitals in the canal zone resembled those in a war zone. So many Panama Canal workers were maimed during the construction that artificial limb makers competed for highly coveted contracts with the canal builders.<\/p>\n<p>One such manufacturer, A.A. Marks, boasted that its waterproof arms and legs were \u201cmost suited to the climate and conditions of the locality\u201d and the \u201conly kind manufactured that would meet the demands\u201d of injured workers who returned to the job on the Panama Canal.<\/p>\n<p>Between 1904 and the end of construction in 1913, the United States recorded the deaths of 5,855 canal workers. When combined with the deaths from the French venture, Parker estimates it amounted to 500 lives lost for each mile of the canal.<\/p>\n<p>Get Vaccinated and stay safe!!<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f16536-o1\" lang=\"\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"16536\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32236#wpcf7-f16536-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"16536\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.1.6\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f16536-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<p><B><I>Sign Up for our Newsletter:<\/i><\/b>\n<\/p>\n<p>Your Name (required)\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"your-name\" \/><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p>Your Email (required)\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-email\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-email wpcf7-validates-as-required wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-email\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" value=\"\" type=\"email\" name=\"your-email\" \/><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Send\" \/>\n<\/p><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"google-auto-placed ap_container\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A staggering 25,000 workers lost their lives. And artificial limb makers clamored for contracts with the canal builders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[242,12,241,39,248,34,33,62,42,219,11,249,243,7,246,244,262,281],"class_list":["post-32236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-articles-panama-perpsective","tag-boca-chica-real-estate","tag-boquete","tag-boquete-real-estate","tag-buenaventura","tag-casco","tag-casco-antiguo","tag-casco-viejo","tag-coffee-in-panama","tag-estate-homes-in-panama","tag-move-to-panama","tag-offshore-real-estate","tag-panama-offshore-real-estate","tag-panama-papers","tag-panama-real-estate","tag-relocate-to-panama","tag-rum-in-panama","tag-safety-in-panama-panama-real-estate-bocas-del-toro","tag-travel-to-panama-rent-in-boquete-expat-tourism"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why The Construction Of The Panama Canal Was So Difficult \u2013 And Deadly -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/construction-panama-canal-difficult-deadly\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why The Construction Of The Panama Canal Was So Difficult \u2013 And Deadly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A staggering 25,000 workers lost their lives. 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