Culebra Cut, Panama Canal, Before and After

Culebra Cut, deepest section of the Panama Cut, photographed looking south before and after flooding (c. 1905 and c. 1912). The Panama Canal is an artificial 82 km (51 mi) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade. Canal locks are at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 m (85 ft) above sea level, and then lower the ships at the other end. France began work on the canal in 1881, but stopped due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality rate. The United States took over the project in 1904 and opened the canal on August 15, 1914

Picture No

12696365

Media ID

47669965

Size

4656px x 7256px (5.7MB)

Credit

Library of Congress/Science Source/Mary Evans