The Panama Canal And Its Dark Secrets
The Panama Canal that claimed thousands of lives. The black pages covered by the US government!
The Panama Canal structure is one of the most important structures in American history. This project, which has been a dream for centuries, has claimed many thousands of lives.
The Panama Canal is the largest infrastructure project in the world. The 77-kilometer-long Panama Canal was officially opened in 1914 after 10 years of construction. It is a dream project that has been planned for centuries. For a long time it seemed impossible to everyone. Journalist Arthur Bullard wrote with awe, "Man has never dreamed of performing such miracles in harmony with nature."
But the plan, which employs more than 40,000 workers, played a brutal role in human life. Thousands of workers were killed. Although it is officially said that about 5,609 people died, historians estimate that the actual number is many times higher. Tens of thousands were injured.
Do you know how the US government, which is responsible for this project, fixed it? Governments still do what they do today. They did what they had to do to keep the critics, keeping promises that would not help anything.
Engineering strength of America
The canal project was intended to show the world the power and potential of the United States.
Attempts by the French to build a canal in the 1880s failed. They were unable to cope with the terrain, the devastating plague, the deaths of 20,000 workers and the revolving costs. But the U.S., which bought the French company's equipment, said it was going to do it differently.
First, the U.S. government sought to make a deal with Colombia, which controlled the land needed to build the canal. When that was not possible, the U.S. Do you know what he did? Supported the separatist uprising in Panama and quickly signed an agreement with the new nation. This gave the U.S. full control of the 16-kilometer-wide canal site.
The Isthmian Canal Authority, which managed the project, first began to work actively to regulate the area and its inhabitants. The commission repaired the swamps, killed the mosquitoes and launched a full-scale clean-up program. The place became a new police force, with schools and hospitals. The English geologist Vaughan Cornish called these changes "wonderful honor."
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The path of destruction
But these changes are just the beginning. The largest dam in the world had to be built on that site. Necessary arrangements should be made to control the Sacras River and supply electricity to the canal's lock system. In addition, the large Gatún Lake must be protected. The lake is designed to provide transport for one-third of the distance between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The beginning of the catastrophe
The disasters that occurred there during the construction were very bad. The surrounding villages and forests were inundated. And a railway built in the 1850s had to be replaced. This was the biggest challenge for everyone. The Culebra cut, now known as the Gaylord cut, was dug into an artificial valley about 13 kilometers of hilly terrain.
Thus, more than 100 million cubic meters of damaged materials and debris had to be disposed of; Eight million kilograms of dynamite was spent on this work in just three years. Imagine digging more than 90 meters wide and 10 storeys deep for a length of 130 football fields. Isn’t that hard to think of? That, too, often had to be done at temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, sometimes with heavy rainfall. That too with simple tools like the 1910s dynamite, pix and coal burning steam coils. It's hard to think.
Disgrace to the servants
The United States has tried to cover up the horrific situation behind many record speeches. Thousands of contract workers, mostly from the Caribbean, were called in to build the Panama Canal. They called the place Culebra Cut "the gate of hell." Those workers lived as sinful second-class citizens with all the hardships of bad food, long hours of work, low wages, and ever-present danger. In the 1980s, filmmaker Roman Foster sought out these workers; Most of the survivors of this danger were in their 90s.
Tigers (1984)
Only a few copies of Foster's film "Tigers (1984)" are in libraries around the world today. This is the first testimony to the injustice done to workers during the construction of the Panama Canal. Constantine Parkinson, one of the workers who told his story to this foster, heard his voice clearly, but his face was not clear on camera. He began to engage in canal work at the age of 15; Like many, he may have lied about his age. He said he worked as a brakeman, transporting rocks to the breakwater on a train. On July 16, 1913, he had one of the most memorable days of his life, yes! He lost his right leg and his left heel was crushed. Parkinson said his grandmother went to George Godals, the canal's chief engineer, to ask for help. Kothal's response: "Grandma, Congress has not passed any legislation to compensate workers when they lose limbs. However, don't worry." That we will take care of your grandson if he comes to work in a wheelchair. ” Godels said that was only partially true. Initially, the U.S. was working to protect tens of thousands of foreign workers from Barbados, Jamaica, Spain and elsewhere. The government has not enacted any legislation. Officials, like the Goths, believed that the economic needs of the workers would prevent their excessive struggle. Their maneuver also worked. Despite fears about living conditions, workers' injuries were little considered. And the administration's philanthropy has been very slow, providing only the wages needed to get workers back to work.
Some relief
In 1908, after several years of construction, the Isthmian Canal Authority finally began to apply certain compensation policies. They are A.A. Marx contacted the New York Manufacturers Association and made arrangements to provide prosthetic legs to men who were injured while on the job. "This assistance is provided regardless of color, nationality, or work ethic."
Compensation?
In spite of all these circumstances, by 1912, A.A. The company provided employees with more than 200 prosthetic legs. Through a full-page ad in The New York Sun, Marx told people how these prosthetic arms and legs helped many men who had been victims of accidents, unexpected bombings, and railroad accidents. These ads were even published in medical journals. Yet these compensations are not enough for the affected workers. The stories of many workers were hard to find. But the National Archives in College Park has stories of a few workers. Wilfred McDonald, from Jamaica or Barbados, told his story in a letter to canal officials on May 25, 1913. "I have been working on this canal since 1906. I was there until I had an accident in 1912. I have lost my legs and I have not yet received any relief. I beg you to have mercy on me. Help me by giving. I was the only helper for all of them, my widowed mother and motherless children. ” Anyone who sees his letter in English as he knows it will shed tears. We can feel McDonald's pain through his writing.
Results
He signed the letter "Truly Sobriety Client" to most clearly testify to his position on the bureaucracy and unforgivable policies of the Canal Zone. Due to the fall in sugar prices, much of the Caribbean was in severe economic crisis in the early 1900s, making it difficult for many workers to even make a living; His families were just as dependent as McDonald's. But his "misfortune" was that his injury was considered his own fault. By law, McDonald got nothing. Eventually the Canal Commission decided to help him for fear of being publicly accused, so they gave him the prosthetic legs they demanded, but made it clear that no one should take his case as a precedent. Other men are not so lucky. Many were deported, and some spent their lives working for a charity.
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