The Panama Canal, Panama
It is very difficult to describe the feeling one gets when faced for the first time with one of the greatest results of man’s genius: the Panama Canal. Despite the fact that many people lost their lives, and that probably it could have caused a biological disaster if they had been able to build an ocean-to-ocean canal, one can hardly deny that this is one of man’s utmost engineering feats. The Panama Canal is a lock-type canal, about 50 miles long, that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, allowing world trade and world travel to become practically effortless.
The principal physical features of the Canal are the following: The locks, on both sides of the isthmus, the locks raise and lower ships between sea level and lake level; with enormous locks weighing 800 tons they only need a 40-horsepower motor to move them. Gatun Lake, this artificial lake built to provide transit to the large ships stretches almost all the way across the isthmus. The Gaillard Cut, a colossal excavation carved through solid rock and shale, extends Gatun Lake to the locks on the Pacific slope. The ports of Balboa and Cristobal, are on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts respectively, it is at these ports where the canal pilots board and disembark the vessels passing through the canal.
Despite all of these interesting features, the one piece that usually calls people’s attention the most are the cabled locomotives known as the mules. To lessen the risk of a mishap, the ships are attached to mules at their approach to each series of locks and are pulled through them. There are about 80 of these locomotives “on duty” at a time on the Canal, a mere one million dollars for the older ones, the newer locomotives are $2.1 million!
On the other hand, the Canal crossing provides the opportunity many of us are hoping for to spot things; birds, mammals, trees, islets, and boats or ships. There is more to ship watching than meets the eye. Merchant ships, fishing boats, sailboats, barges, and even, once in a while, military ships make their way through the isthmus. Along came our small vessel once again from one coast to the other. From now on, on the Pacific Ocean! To continue our tropical adventure!
It is very difficult to describe the feeling one gets when faced for the first time with one of the greatest results of man’s genius: the Panama Canal. Despite the fact that many people lost their lives, and that probably it could have caused a biological disaster if they had been able to build an ocean-to-ocean canal, one can hardly deny that this is one of man’s utmost engineering feats. The Panama Canal is a lock-type canal, about 50 miles long, that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, allowing world trade and world travel to become practically effortless.
The principal physical features of the Canal are the following: The locks, on both sides of the isthmus, the locks raise and lower ships between sea level and lake level; with enormous locks weighing 800 tons they only need a 40-horsepower motor to move them. Gatun Lake, this artificial lake built to provide transit to the large ships stretches almost all the way across the isthmus. The Gaillard Cut, a colossal excavation carved through solid rock and shale, extends Gatun Lake to the locks on the Pacific slope. The ports of Balboa and Cristobal, are on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts respectively, it is at these ports where the canal pilots board and disembark the vessels passing through the canal.
Despite all of these interesting features, the one piece that usually calls people’s attention the most are the cabled locomotives known as the mules. To lessen the risk of a mishap, the ships are attached to mules at their approach to each series of locks and are pulled through them. There are about 80 of these locomotives “on duty” at a time on the Canal, a mere one million dollars for the older ones, the newer locomotives are $2.1 million!
On the other hand, the Canal crossing provides the opportunity many of us are hoping for to spot things; birds, mammals, trees, islets, and boats or ships. There is more to ship watching than meets the eye. Merchant ships, fishing boats, sailboats, barges, and even, once in a while, military ships make their way through the isthmus. Along came our small vessel once again from one coast to the other. From now on, on the Pacific Ocean! To continue our tropical adventure!
