Dynamite blasts open the Panama Canal.

[Frederick Lacey]

Thought this would be of interest to every body who has been through. 101 years ago. yesterday.

Dynamite blasts open the Panama Canal.

Monday. October. 10th. 1913.

President Wilson today opened the Panama canal from more than 4,000 miles away.
At his desk in the White House, the President pressed a button, detonating 40 tons of dynamite to remove
the last obstacle between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The canal has been called "the greatest liberty man
has ever taken with nature". The hero today is Colonel George Goethals, the autocratic engineer who has been
in charge of the project since 1907.

Monday. November. 17th. 1913.

Panama. The steamship "Louise" is the first vessel through the Panama Canal.

Fred.

[Chris Allman]

What a pity U Tube was not going then I would love to have seen the explosion and the water entering.

[Captain Kong]

I cannot find any films of the event , here is an account of it from the Guardian.
...................
The Panama Canal completed


Last barrier destroyed | Little work still to be done

Saturday 11 October 1913
guardian.co.uk


The last barrier in the Panama Canal was destroyed yesterday with a charge of 40 tons of dynamite, exploded by an electric current from Washington, and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were at last joined by a Trans-Isthmian waterway. Thus a project that has occupied men's minds for 350 years reaches what is virtually its successful conclusion. Already the ship which will be the first to pass through the canal, the Fram, Nansen's and Amundsen's famous Polar exploration vessel, is waiting at Colon, whence she will proceed by means of the new waterway to the San Francisco Universal Exhibition. The first part of the work was done, it will be remembered, by the de Lesseps company which ended in financial disaster; the completion has been the task of the American Government.
Since 1904, the United States of America have been in possession of the canal zone, a strip of land ten miles wide and reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast of the Isthmus. Their object in virtually annexing the country was to obtain complete and final control of the great undertaking, and their method of securing what they desired was the aiding and abetting of the revolution whereby Panama asserted her independence of Colombia. In all their dealings with a most intricate problem the American authorities have met with a deserved and almost unqualified success, save only in their treatment of Colombia, where they showed a high-handedness that aroused apprehension in many of the Republics of the South. After the control of the canal zone had passed to the United States, some time was passed in considering matters of construction and administration.

A board of thirteen consulting engineers, five nominated by European Governments, was appointed to inquire into the relative advantages of the sea-level and the lock systems. Eight of the thirteen reported in favour of the first, but the Congress sided with the minority, and the lock system was adopted. Tenders for the making of the canal were invited. None of these received was thought satisfactory, however, and Mr. Roosevelt decided that the Government should do the work. Finally Major (now Colonel) G. W. Goethals, of the Military Corps of Engineers, was appointed engineer-in-chief, and under his direction were begun the operations which have now been brought almost to their triumphant close.

................
I last went through there this year in January. Still interesting, The New Locks that will take the biggest containor ships etc. should have been finished by now but they did have a big strike this year.
Our ship, AMSTERDAM went to the new locks so we could see the construction. One east of Gatun Locks about half a mile away to the lake and the other one at the Pacific side bypassed the Miraflores Locks.
Cheers
Brian

[Frederick Lacey]

Hi Brian, its on youtube, a long documentary under the heading

Panama Canal, Full Documentary on building the Panama Canal, also shows near the
end the using of the dynamite, tried to put it on here but it wouldn't accept it for some reason.

will try again. YouTube

F.
No luck comes up unavailable. but is OK if you google it.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Fred.
Wouldn't come up said it was unavailable. But funny thing is looking at Brian's pics despite it being over sixty years since I went through there first it still has that something.
Cheers Des

redc.gif

[John Arton]

There was a documentary on BBC last night about the building of the Panama Canal. It may have been on BBC3 or 4, check it out on catch up if you have that facility.
rgds
JA