The Path Between the Seas

The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914

By: David McCullough

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

The National Book Award–winning epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal, a first-rate drama of the bold and brilliant engineering feat that transformed global trade routes and shaped modern American history, as told by Pulitzer Prize–winning author and master historian David McCullough.

A national bestseller and testament to human determination, The Path Between the Seas tells the stories of the men and women who fought against all odds to fulfill the 400-year-old dream of constructing a maritime passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. McCullough masterfully recounts astonishing engineering and medical accomplishments, political power plays, heroic successes, and tragic failures. Applying his remarkable gift for writing lucid, lively exposition, McCullough weaves the many strands of the momentous event into a comprehensive and captivating tale.

Winner of the National Book Award for history, the Francis Parkman Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and the Cornelius Ryan Award (for the best book of the year on international affairs), The Path Between the Seas is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, technological innovation, international intrigue, and human drama.

An incredible Undertaking

This fascinating story suffers a bit from too much detail...yet I hesitate to suggest what could be left out. Nelson Runger did a great job of narration, but until I figured out that it needed to be listened to at 1.25 speed, he was making me crazy. I think this was the producer’s error, and not Runger’s. Now that I have finally finished, I am excited to be going to Panama next week!

Outstanding Book and Historical

What made the experience of listening to The Path Between the Seas the most enjoyable?

The history of the Panama Canal is covered in this book and goes into great detail. I have been to the canal several times and had no idea of what went into building it. Gave me a much greater appreciation of the French roll and how the U. S. completed it. A very interesting read.

What about Nelson Runger’s performance did you like?

Nelson was great and easy to listen to. I had to finish this book and spent several long hours listening to his rendition.

A story of engineering accomplishment made persona

The creation of the Panama Canal. I remember that from history class, but this book goes far beyond what I knew and makes it into a great story, not just a historical account. Before the Transcontinental Railway was completed in 1869, getting across America was a long and very dangerous journey. The quicker way was to take a ship to the Isthmus of Panama, then a part of Colombia, cross that by canoe and by foot, and then take another ship up to the US west coast. When the great California Gold Rush began in 1849, many prospectors did just that. So, a railroad was built (you could say, the first American transcontinental railroad) by Americans under a treaty with Colombia. Building the railroad was a very difficult engineering task, crossing swamps, through tropical forests, and crossing the continental divide. It was one of the most expensive railroads per mile of its day, and not just in terms of money. Thousands of lives were also lost, and no one will ever even know how many. But, it also became the most profitable railroad in the world at that time as well. In 1869, a French company completed the Suez Canal, considered a marvel at the time and greatly shortening the voyage between Europe and Asia. With that, the same engineer began to raise money to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. The Suez Canal was a sea level canal with no locks, and he was determined that the same thing could be done on Panama. An agreement with Colombia was reached, the Panama Railroad was purchased, and work started in 1881, however the task faced huge obstacles. There were venomous spiders, scorpions, and snakes and there were the two great killer diseases of the tropics, Yellow Fever and Malaria. By 1884, 200 workers were dying each day. Financial losses mounted and finally a financial scandal brought down the company in 1889. It’s estimated that at least 22,000 lives were lost, and the savings of 800,000 investors were gone. Due to the immense financial success of the Suez, many of these investors were not rich people, but middle class workers seeking a sure-fire investment. A second French company took over the project in 1894, but just to keep the agreement with Colombia in force and maintain equipment while they searched for a buyer. At the same time, the US was considering a canal, but they had been looking mostly at Nicaragua. But, with a start already on Panama and some surveys suggesting that, if the plans were changed to allow for locks, Panama might be the best option, and in 1902, Congress approved a plan. However, Colombia, at that time the most pro-American country in Latin America, was slow at coming to an agreement and US President Theodore Roosevelt was not known for his patience. Some Colombian troops on the isthmus were dissatisfied with their lot and saw an opportunity. With some backroom negotiations, they agreed to proclaim independence if the US would agree to back them and to prevent other Colombian forces from landing. With US gunboats blocking harbors the troops declared independence and the US quickly recognized the new nation of Panama. Within days an agreement was signed with representatives of the new country granting the US the rights to a 10 mile wide canal zone. The US purchased the French company’s assets and work started in 1904. Some had thought that the French were inept, but as work proceeded, the French efforts gained greater and greater respect. The soil was very unstable and at the Culebra cut kept collapsing, destroying months of work and eating up valuable equipment. Even as the canal was opened in 1914, they were working on clearing up another collapse and the canal has been closed at various times afterwards by landslides in the same place. But, what became clear early on was that the task was not just an engineering task. Solving the disease problem had to be done for the work to continue smoothly. An Alabamian, Dr. William C. Gorgas (and coincidentally, my engineering internship was at a steam power plant named for him) was given that task and worked under difficult conditions from the start. The idea that mosquitoes spread disease was still not accepted at that time, and Gorgas had to fight at every turn to keep a focus on mosquito eradication, putting window and door screens in the budget, get rid of standing water, and keep those who came down with either disease separate from other hospital patients. But, his work had success. Over the 10 years that the US worked on the canal, only about 5,000 lives were lost, and that includes lives lost by any cause. Within a few years, the instance of disease had dropped so low that families were encouraged to join their husbands in moving to Panama. The work in building the canal proceeded slowly at first, and changed directors several times. In 1907, Army Major George Washington Goethals was appointed, and he applied strict discipline in terms of the project, while loosening restrictions on the workers and, radical at that time, inviting any worker with any grievance to meet with him at a certain time each week. He focused on improving the lives of workers, while introducing a bit of competition by posting the progress of various teams on bulletin boards. The canal was opened in 1914, two years ahead of schedule. The author makes it extremely interesting, and tells personal stories. Completing the canal was truly a great accomplishment, though there are some parts of the stories that bring shame. The drawings and descriptions in American newspapers made it seem like all the workers were white Americans when in fact, the vast majority were blacks, mostly from Barbados and Jamaica. And, the housing and provisions for them were terrible so that, even looking at the statistics in proportion to the number of workers, the death rate for Blacks were many times that of the whites. The gunboat “diplomacy” that created the nation of Panama caused resentments of the Yanquis that continue today. McCullough doesn’t whitewash those problems, and in fact, covers them in great detail. An excellent book, and not only for engineers. 

Fantastic

One of the the best books I’ve ever read or listened to. McCullough captured a moment in time.

Very informative

This is a good read that enhances your knowledge of American history in regards to technology and innovation.