THE PANAMA CANAL BY HARRY CLOW BOARDMAN THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESENTED JUNE, 1910 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING. June 1, 1910 This is to certify that the thesis of HARRY CLOW BOARDMAN entitled The Panama Canal is approved by me as meeting this part of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. F. O. Dufour Instructor in Charge. Approved: Ira O. Baker. Professor of Civil Engineering. OUTLINE OF THESIS ON THE PANAMA CANAL Page I. INTRODUCTION v II. INTEROCEANIC CANALS 1 III. HISTORY OF THE PANAMA CANAL 6 IV. TYPE OF CANAL, (Lock or Sea-level) 13 V. LOCATION, SIZE AND PLAN 20 VI. ORGANIZATION OF FORCES 21 VII. CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANAL PRISM 26 VIII. CONSTRUCTION OF THE LOCKS 29 IX. CONSTRUCTION OF THE DAMS 33 X. SANITATION 38 XI. SOCIAL LIFE 40 XII. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE 43 I. INTRODUCTION The building of a canal across the American Isthmus has occupied the attention of the world for four hundred years. While yet the sailors who crossed the sea with Columbus were living in all the vigor of mature manhood, a Spanish engineer drew the plans for an artificial waterway across the Isthmus and submitted them to the King of Spain. From that time to this the building of an Isthmian Canal has been a fascinating project in the minds of progressive men. Attempts to build it have resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and the squandering of millions of treasure; and this “dream of the centuries” is still unrealized. [Illustration: _PROPOSED ROUTES FOR AN ISTHMIAN CANAL._ _FIG. 1._] II. INTEROCEANIC CANALS There are at least five routes which at one time or another have been chosen and seriously considered as possible locations for the Isthmian Canal. They are: the Atrato-Napipi, the San Blas, the Tehuantepec, the Nicaragua, and the Panama routes. The Atrato-Napipi route follows the river Atrato, which empties into the Gulf of Darien, as far as the mouth of its tributary, the Napipi, thence up that river through the mountains and empties in Capica Bay. See Fig. 1, No. 1.