THE PANAMA CANAL

A cargo ship passes beneath the Bridge of the Americas as it exits the canal en route to the Pacific Ocean.

Historian David McCullough in his book The Path Between the Seas wrote this about the Panama Canal:

"The creation of a water passage across Panama was one of the supreme human achievements of all time, the culmination of a heroic dream of over 400 years and of more than 20 years of phenomenal effort and sacrifice. The 50 miles between the oceans were among the hardest ever won by human effort and ingenuity, and no statistics on tonnage or tolls can begin to convey the grandeur of what was accomplished." 

As McCullough writes, mere statistics don't do justice to the marvel that is the Panama Canal. 

But let's give it a shot anyway, shall we? 

By the time the United States bought the rights to the canal from the French in 1904 following their decade-long failed attempt to build the waterway, $287 million had been spent and thousands of workers (20,000+) had died, mostly from yellow fever and malaria.

After 10 more years, millions of dollars, and thousands more lives lost, the canal finally opened to commercial traffic under U.S. control. 

A few stats:

• Construction cost in 1914: $375,000,000 (not counting the French attempt)
• Cost in 2007 dollars: $7.4 billion
• Number of workers to build: 56,000+
• Lowest toll paid: 36 cents paid by Richard Haliburton, who swam through in 1928
• Highest toll paid: $375,600 by the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl in 2010
• Time to cross: 1-2 days, depending on traffic; if a boat enters on time for her early morning appointment, she can make the passage in 8-10 hours, typically
• Boats per year: 1,000 (1915); 14,000+ (2010)

One of the canal's 3,000-ton, five-story tall gates closes behind a cargo ship.

For more stats, check out this page or the official page of the Canal de Panama. 

The Canal truly is a wonder of the modern world. If you ever get to Panama, you gotta head out to the Miraflores Locks and Visitors' Center and watch this feat of engineering in operation. 

It's so worth it. 

Liz on the radio in the control tower of a ship passing through the canal.
OK, maybe it's a simulator in the Canal Visitor's Center.

View from the visitor center.

The view from the bar of the Balboa Yacht Club. Great place to enjoy a sunset.