Panama Fever: The Epic Story of One of the Greatest Human Achievements of All Time-- the Building of the Panama Canal [Hardcover]

Matthew Parker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2008

A thrilling tale of exploration, conquest, money, politics, and medicine

The Panama Canal was the costliest undertaking in human history. It literally required moving mountains, breaking the back of the great range that connects North and South America. Begun by the French in 1880, its successful completion in 1914 by the Americans marked the end of the Victorian Age and the beginning of the “American Century.”

The building of the Panama Canal was a project whose gestation spanned hundreds of years. Columbus himself searched for a way to get to the Pacific across the narrow isthmus of Central America. For centuries, monarchs, presidents, businessmen, and explorers all struggled to find such a passage, knowing that whoever controlled it would exert unsurpassed control over global trade, and therefore the fate of nations.

The first history of this mighty achievement in nearly thirty years, Panama Fever draws on diaries, memoirs, letters, and other contemporary accounts, bringing the experience of those who built the canal vividly to life. The massive project riveted public attention: “Panama Fever” spread throughout the Western world. Politicians and businessmen engaged in high-stakes international diplomacy in order to influence its location, path, ownership, and construction. Meanwhile, ditch-diggers, machinists, drivers, engineers, and foremen from all over the world rushed to take advantage of high wages and the chance to be a part of history.

But the grim reality of Panama – searing heat, torrential rains, fatal mud slides, and malarial mosquitoes – soon caught up with them. More than 25,000 of those who enthusiastically signed on as workers succumbed to dysentery, yellow fever, and malaria, giving a fatal twist to the meaning of “Panama Fever.” The truly horrific toll unleashed a second race to find a cure so the canal could be completed. The discoveries of the heroic doctors who battled these diseases would lead to a sea change in the way infectious diseases were treated, thus paving the way for the tremendous medical advances of the twentieth century.

Filled with remarkable characters, including Teddy Roosevelt, Ulysses S. Grant, and Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French genius who built the Suez Canal and almost snatched Panama out from under American control, Panama Fever is an epic historical adventure that shows how a small but fiercely contested strip of land in a largely unknown Central American nation suddenly made the world a smaller place and launched the era of American global dominance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Parker (Monte Cassino: The Hardest Fought Battle of World War II) begins this engrossing narrative of the construction of what Theodore Roosevelt called one of the great works of the world well before the 20th century: everyone from Benjamin Franklin to Goethe was interested in a trans-isthmus canal, and one of the most arresting sections of the book chronicles the failed French efforts, in the late 1800s, to build one. Roosevelt then called for the building of a canal in his first address to Congress. The project faced countless challenges, but Parker is especially deft when addressing the racism that magnified already appalling working conditions. Those in charge didn't want to hire white American workers, who were too expensive and too unionized (though later, whites were hired), and the discussions about workers became racialized. The native Isthmian was too indolent, but black workers from the British West Indies were viewed as cheap and expendable. U.S. authorities discriminated racially, paying workers unequally and trying, in general, to prevent the intermingling of the races. This is not a narrow history of mechanical engineering but a well-researched and satisfying account of imperial vision and social inequity. Illus., maps. (Mar. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The New Yorker

This history of the Panama Canal describes the scheming, the speculating, and the backbreaking labor—performed mostly by West Indians, who bore the brunt of the estimated twenty-five thousand fatalities—that went into "the costliest project ever yet attempted." Construction began in 1880, as a privately financed French enterprise, and was completed by the United States, in 1914. (Theodore Roosevelt called in the Army to finish the job.) Parker offers a detailed study of the myriad personalities and design plans associated with the work, but his limpid prose is best suited to accounts of the dangers the laborers faced: frequent mechanical accidents, landslides spanning fifty acres and ten days, and bouts of typhoid, dysentery, malaria, and yellow fever. As mountains were moved and raging rivers rerouted, one American diplomat observed, "Human life is about the cheapest article to be purchased."
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (March 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385515340
• ISBN-13: 978-0385515344
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > History > Americas > Central America > Panama

More About the Author

Born in Central America in 1970, Matthew Parker spent part of his childhood in the West Indies, acquiring a life-long fascination with the history of the region and a hopeless enthusiasm for cricket. A first-class graduate of Oxford University, he has worked as a writer, an editorial consultant, a commissioning editor, and as a contributor to history television projects. Radio appearances include the Diane Rehm show in the United States. His books include Monte Cassino, Panama Fever: The Battle to Build the Canal and, most recently, The Sugar Barons: Family, Corruption, Empire and War in the West Indies. Matthew has written for a number of newspapers and magazines, including History Today, BBC History Magazine and the Guardian, and lectured at the Royal Geographical Society in London, the Explorers' Club in New York, Northwestern University in Chicago, and the Society of the Americas in Washington DC. His most recent television project was as historical consultant and interviewee for PBS's "Panama Canal". He currently lives in the East End of London with his family and annoying dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Building the Canal, May 5, 2008

By 

David Montgomery (Beaufort, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panama Fever: The Epic Story of One of the Greatest Human Achievements of All Time-- the Building of the Panama Canal (Hardcover)

This is a well written story on the building of the Panama Canal. Matthew Parker focuses on the French efforts in the 1880s to the United States taking over the project in 1904. Several key figures are discussed such as Ferdinand de Lesseps, John Stevens, Theodore Roosevelt, William Gorgas and others from various skilled backgrounds. The author is extremely effective in telling the human side of the story, which is the area I usually find most compelling. The sheer scale of this project is enough to merit praise for those who were involved in this engineering marvel, though it had negative aspects to its building as well.

From the earliest explorers, the narrowness of the Panamanian Isthmus presented great potential to those who could envision the linking of the two oceans. Over time, we see competing ideas of where the canal should be built, e.g. such as the early U.S. view of building it in Nicaragua. People like Ferdinand de Lesseps, who built the Suez Canal, wanted it to be a sea level canal, while it was later on conceded that only a lock canal would be possible. How would the building of the canal be funded? Where would the labor force come from? How would the natural environment be manipulated? These were some of the major issues faced.

The nature of the Panamanian Isthmus, and its political status are also delved into. The controversial U.S. involvement in the independence of Panama is discussed in some detail. The United States had at this time an imperialistic streak, especially when seen against the backdrop of the Spanish-American War. Panama was in essence a government propped up by the U.S. Government in its desire to have control over the canal zone.

The French effort in building the canal ended in bankruptcy. The toll the building of the canal took on its workers, such as the sad story of Jules Dingler and his family, can't be overlooked either. Yellow fever, malaria, and other diseases ravaged the work force. Parker is good at tracing the stories behind some of the workers and leaders involved in the canal project. What motivated them to travel so far, how they adapted to or struggled in their new surroundings, and the families that came over with them (usually later on) all offer powerful glimpses into the actual goings on in the Canal Zone.

The Americans took up the work the French had begun and finally completed it in 1914, just when world events were beginning to take on a whole new shape. The struggles in controlling the Chagres River, mudslides, and all the other powers of nature made the project difficult for the Americans as well As I mentioned earlier, the human element comes through most powerfully in this narrative, whether it be in the fields of construction and engineering, or fighting diseases, or just coping with living conditions on the Isthmus. The racist attitudes that resulted in better living conditions for the whites than the West Indians, the power of nationalistic feeling, and the likes also weave into this story.

The ending felt a bit rushed in my opinion. Parker briefly touched on the impact the canal had on countries like Panama and the U.S., but his primary focus was on the building of the canal. While he was certainly critical of those who oversaw the project, he also gave credit to the talents of those who were involved, from both the French and American sides. Overall, a very good read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intersting take on a great story, December 26, 2008

By 

Gustavo A. Mellander, Ph.D., D.H.L. "Gus A. M... (George Mason Univer., Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panama Fever: The Epic Story of One of the Greatest Human Achievements of All Time-- the Building of the Panama Canal (Hardcover)

The very narrowness of the Isthmus of Panam'less than forty miles wide in certain sections, together with the relative calmness of the two great masses of water which caress her shores, appears to have destined Panam'rom time immemorial to become, as present day Panamanians are proud to boast, "the Crossroads of the World."

That has not been accomplished without a price; the history of Panam'whether as an exploited Spanish colony, or as a neglected sector of Colombia, or as a republic, is replete with examples of decisions fundamental to her very existence and freedom being made by non-Panamanians in far away lands.

It all began in the 1490?s with Columbus? vain search for a water passage to the riches of the Far East. He never found it.

In 1501, Rodrigo de Bastidas became the first European to set foot on the Isthmus of Panam'SPAN>. After relieving the Indians of a fortune in pearls and gold, he enslaved as many hapless souls as he could20carry off. Thus, were native Isthmians first introduced to the ways more materially advanced civilizations. Time would change the list of characters but not necessarily their behavior.

Twelve years after Bastidas, the intrepid Vasco N?de Balboa marched into history at the head of a motley band of adventurers. He led them on a fifty-mile blood strewn trek through Panam's steaming jungles to discover the Pacific Ocean.

When they reached its shores the tide was out. So Balboa and his twenty-six men, the first Europeans ever to cast eyes upon that great body of water, found themselves, in spite of their proven ability to overcome man and nature, obliged to wait. Finally, the tide came in. Balboa, put on his armor and carrying ?a flag with the coat of arms of Castile and Leon on one side and a picture of the Virgin and child on the reverse,? plunged into the ocean and lay formal claim to its waters and all surrounding territories.


Interest in a transoceanic canal blossomed and motivated many a powerful person. The enlightened Charles V sent a team to ascertain the feasibility of constructing such a passage during the mid 1500's. His son the pious and inept Philip suppressed the preliminary studies stating that ?a canal would be against God's will.?


Many nations England, France, Scotland and the United States among others all had ambitions for the narrow isthmus. Time would pass, blood would be shed, fortunes and reputations would be lost but on August 15, 1914, the SS Ancon sailed into history as the first ship to transverse the Panama Canal. It was a dream come true.

Author Matthew Parker, born in Central America and educated in England, has written a distinct ive history of the dramatic and drastic battle to build the canal. Parker?s book is unique because aside from telling the fascinating story gracefully and with style he captures the anguish and grim reality of those consumed by the endeavor. He depicts clearly and concisely the human price that was paid. He is one of the few to acknowledge the tremendous contributions made by many Jamaicans, Barbadians and other West Indians who flocked to the Isthmus to earn a living but became as enamoured as any group with the magnitude and nobility of their task. With all of its cruel challenges, it was an inspiring undertaking. Those who participated, and lived, never forgot it.

Few nations have had a closer or more intimate relationship than the United States of America and the Republic of Panam'SPAN>. The latter would not exist today had the United States not actively supported the latest of over 83 uprisings on the Isthmus in less than 80 years. President Theodore Roosevelt was not acting altruistically. He was perhaps the most impatient man ever to reside in the White House. He was determined to build a canal and quickly. He grew weary of Colombia?s vacillating negotiations and took matters into his own hands. His behavior abhorrent to many today was perfectly in keeping with how great powers acted 100 years ago.

Through Roosevelt's leadership, passion, and consuming determination to build a canal, thousands of his countrymen would brave the tropical desolation that was Panam'n the first decade of the 20th century. They would succeed where the French had fa iled reaping financial scandal, political turmoil and embarrassment.
The book in enriched by Parker?s extensive use of first hand sources such as letters sent back home to the Caribbean Islands, the United States, England and other countries. They relate the daily reality and routines of tens of thousands of common men and women who succeeded admirably.
Parker fleshes out the human contributions of these tens of thousands from scores of countries who built the engineering marvel that is the Panama Canal. It is a refreshing and inspiring story elegantly written.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, November 18, 2008

By 

Daniel Hillman (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panama Fever: The Epic Story of One of the Greatest Human Achievements of All Time-- the Building of the Panama Canal (Hardcover)

I loved this book. The Panama Canal story is an extraordinary, epic tale and Matthew Parker's marvellous account more than does it justice.

The book is written with a sure feel for the grand sweep of history: the unprecedented engineering challenge, the daunting geography of the mountainous Panamanian jungles, the strategic imperatives, the complex and fascinating finances, and the heart-rending and totally unforeseen logistical difficulties that turned dreams to nightmares.

At the same time the author has a wonderful nose for characters and this book has a rich and compelling cast to propel the story along. Parker clearly is a fine historian and one of the most impressive aspects of this book is the original work he has clearly done in scouring the archives to deliver a wealth of original written accounts - letters, diaries, company memos, political machinations, and so on.

The structure of the story is fascinating. The canal was begun by the French, expected to be the crowning glory of the man who built the Suez Canal, Ferdinand de Lesseps: and the years of disaster didn't just finish him but came close to bankrupting a generation of French investors. The canal then went into a second, very different phase, after the rising power of the United States took it over as the keystone of a very modern strategic vision of the future. The Americans, it should be said, also completed it.

Parker devotes roughly half of the book to each phase, and the contrast is amazing - between, if you like, the Victorian era of Jules Verne fantasies and the modern age of skyscrapers and internal combustion engines. All this helps to make this story not just a historical epic but also a very modern tale of engineering on the grand scale.

All in all I heartily recommend this book. I read a lot of non-fiction and this has been one of the treats of the year. Buy it!