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Panama Fever: The Epic Story of the Building of the Panama Canal
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About Panama Fever: The Epic Story Of The Building Of The
Product Description The Panama Canal was the costliest undertaking in history; its completion in 1914 marked the beginning of the “American Century.” Panama Fever draws on contemporary accounts, bringing the experience of those who built the canal vividly to life. Politicians engaged in high-stakes diplomacy in order to influence its construction. Meanwhile, engineers and workers from around the world rushed to take advantage of high wages and the chance to be a part of history. Filled with remarkable characters, Panama Fever is an epic history that shows how a small, fiercely contested strip of land made the world a smaller place and launched the era of American global dominance. Review “An absolutely gripping account of the canal's conception and construction. . . . [An] exemplary history, vigorously told.” — Los Angeles Times “A marvelously comprehensive work about an epic engineering triumph.” — The Philadelphia Inquirer “A detailed study of the myriad personalities and design plans associated with the work. . . . . [Parker's] limpid prose is best suited to accounts of the dangers the laborers faced.” — The New Yorker “Parker has written the Panama story for a new generation. . . . It is [the workers'] heartfelt views on the conditions in which they lived and worked that really bring this book to life.” — The Economist “Few great feats of engineering have been steeped in as much passion and tragedy as the Panama Canal, and no one tells the story better than Matthew Parker. Through meticulous research and vivid, vigorous prose, Parker has captured the frenzy surrounding the canal and the heartbreaking toll that it took on the thousands of men who set off like soldiers to Panama’s ‘Fever Coast,’ never to return.” —Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey “An epic tale of human folly and endeavor, beautifully told and researched.” —John le Carré “[An] engrossing narrative of what Theodore Roosevelt called ‘one of the great works of the world.’” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) About the Author Matthew Parker was born in El Salvador in 1970 to an expatriate family, and grew up in Britain, Norway, and Barbados. He earned a degree in English at Oxford University before moving to London to work in publishing. The author of The Battle of Britain, Monte Casino, The Sugar Barons, and Goldeneye, Matthew is a member of the Authors Cricket Club and contributes regularly to the Oxford Companion. He now works as a writer and editor specializing in modern history, and lives in London with his wife and three children. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CHAPTER ONE "THE KEYS TO THE UNIVERSE" What had motivated the voyages that led to the discovery of the New World was exactly what the Panama Canal would eventually deliver--a through passage to the East. On his fourth voyage, in 1502, Columbus, by then embittered and sickly, sailed all along Panama's northern coast, obsessively searching every tiny cove for a "hidden strait." At one point he anchored in Limón, or "Navy," Bay, now the Atlantic terminus of the canal. Even after Columbus's failure to find an open passage to the East, the idea died hard. In 1507, the first map ever printed of the New World optimistically showed an open strait about where the Isthmus of Panama is located. But Columbus did report back that the Tierra Firme he had discovered was rich in gold and pearls. West of Limon Bay he had encountered Indians wearing solid gold breastplates, which they were happy to exchange for a couple of hawk's bells. Having set out to discover a route to the wealth of the East, the Spaniards had effectively found far greater riches on the way. At the end of 1509 a settlement was established, Santa Maria de la Antigua del Darién, some sixty miles southeast of what would later be named Caledonia Bay. Then in 1513 the colony's leader, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, his curiosity aroused by Indian stories
