The Panama Canal

© 2014 Universal Uclick Centennial Celebration from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick The Panama Canal Imagine yourself A different idea as a businessman A group from the United States living on the East thought a railroad could cross the Coast of the United isthmus. The Panama Railroad was States 170 years completed in 1855 and was hugely ago. The country successful. is growing toward While building the railroad, engineers the West, and your company’s products, iceboxes, are found a gap in the mountains at needed in new settlements. But the Culebra that they thought would offer a railroad that will cross the continent perfect setting for a ship canal. is still 25 years from completion. You Colombia makes a deal would like to move your goods by ship. At the time, Panama belonged to In the 1800s, a ship traveling from Colombia. For more than 20 years, the East Coast to the West Coast of governments and engineers argued North America had to travel all the about the best place to build a canal. way around the tip of South America. A French businessman, Ferdinand The journey was long and dangerous, de Lesseps, had built the Suez Canal as the winds around Cape Horn stir connecting the Mediterranean and up huge waves. People began to look Red Seas in Egypt. He thought he for a shorter, safer passage. could build a similar canal in Panama. A trail across Panama Finally, in 1881, construction began. As early as the 1500s, Europeans A Century of Service But the conditions in Panama were thought a canal might cross the The Panama very different. Equipment rusted isthmus* in Panama. In 1850, a Canal is celebrating quickly in the humid atmosphere. geographer from Great Britain its centennial, or An earthquake damaged the work discovered a trail across the isthmus. 100th anniversary, in progress. Landslides slowed the Officials from the U.S., France, this year. The canal work and killed or injured workers. England and Colombia explored the officially opened on Aug. 15, 1914. The Laborers suffered from disease. area, but the difficulties of traveling American Society of Civil Engineers Finally, de Lesseps and his business through the jungle discouraged them. has named it one of the seven partners gave up, and construction * An isthmus is a narrow strip of land with wonders of the modern world. stopped on the canal in 1889. water on either side. from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick Overcoming Obstacles New owners One of the ways Dr. In 1902, the U.S. government Gorgas worked against bought the Panama Canal Co. As the mosquitoes was spraying U.S. was trying to reach agreements oil on the grass in ditches. The oil would kill larvae, with Colombia about the canal, or baby mosquitoes, after people in Panama were planning to they hatched from eggs separate from Colombia. laid on the surface of The U.S. agreed to support Panama. standing water. In late 1903, U.S. military ships arrived near Colón, Panama, to help defend it against Colombian troops.

The Panamians declared photo courtesy University of Florida independence from Colombia without George A. Smathers Libraries having to fight. And the United A tiny insect threatens a huge project States was able to proceed with building the Panama Canal. Dr. Gorgas attacked the mosquito One worker, problem in several ways: Alfred E. Dottin, Disease draining ponds and swamps wrote: One of the biggest obstacles for using mosquito netting “I saw the workforce was sickness. Malaria fumigating, or using fumes of mosquitoes, I say photo courtesy James Gathany/CDC and yellow fever, spread by mosquito certain chemicals to repel insects this without fear bites, killed more than 22,000 quarantining (KWOR-an-teen- of exaggerating, by the thousands workers before 1889. ing), or isolating, people who were sick. attack one man. There were days In 1904, the United States asked In just one year, the number of that we could only work a few hours Dr. William C. Gorgas to lead the deaths from malaria and yellow fever because of the high fever racking our fight against the deadly diseases. was greatly reduced. bodies.”

from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick TM Panama Canal Ready Resources W B N P E N I T N A R A U Q D The Mini Page provides ideas for websites, P I H S A X M A L A R I A V I Basset L A K E V N P O I S T H M U S books or other resources that will help you learn Brown’s more about this week’s topics. Y T A E R T A A S B L O C K E On the Web: Try A M A N A P H M N Q M A B M A bit.ly/1vYWHYW D A O R L I A R A S U O N J S bit.ly/1oH78QX ’n’ K E T A G I M U F X I I L A E bit.ly/1qejgWY Find L A I N N E T N E C Y O T O C At the library: Z D L N O I T C U R T S N O C “The Panama Canal” by Peter Benoit Words that remind us of the Panama Canal are hidden in the block above. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if “Building the Panama Canal” by Sabrina Crewe you can find: CANAL, CENTENNIAL, COLOMBIA, CONSTRUCTION, DISEASE, “Silver People: Voices From the Panama Canal” by EXPANSION, FUMIGATE, ISTHMUS, LAKE, LARVAE, LOCK, MALARIA, Margarita Engle MOSQUITO, PANAMA, PANAMAX, QUARANTINE, RAILROAD, SHIP, TREATY. TM Goodsport’s q q q q q Canal! Seeifyoucanfind: Supersport Hometown: Height: 6-0 2-11-1994 Birthdate: Marietta, Marietta, Georgia saw key snake ruler heart Gus TM

Mini Spy and her friends are visiting the Panama Mini SpyandherfriendsarevisitingthePanama

q q q q q teapot needle muffin chicken peanut bases andplayederror-free ballatsecondbase. .323, scoredfiveruns,drove intworuns,stolethree National Championship. Over sixgames,hebatted after leadinghisCommodores totheNCAADivisionI this year’sCollegeWorldSeriesinOmaha,Nebraska, plays hisheartoutforteam. a secondbasemanfortheVanderbiltCommodores, opponents’ chancestoscoreruns.AndDansbySwanson, team’s defense,turningdoubleplaysandlimiting Swanson said afterthegame,“anything ispossible.” you’ve gotguys backingupeachother likewedo,” ever national championshipinamen’s sport.“When Virginia inGame3ofthe finalsgavetheschoolitsfirst- Dansby Swanson Vanderbilt’s 3-2 victory over the University of Vanderbilt’s 3-2victoryover theUniversityof Dansby wasnamedtheMostOutstandingPlayer at In baseball,middleinfieldersformtheheartofa Mini Spy q q q q q number2 toothbrush wordMINI number 7 umbrella q cat q bell q q q q exclamation mark sailboat q question mark high heelshoe from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from TheMiniPage©2014Universal whale q ladder

photo by Rick Rowell, courtesy when hewas10. impersonate thevoicesofmorethan150celebrities. for “America’sFunniestHomeVideos.” shows, including“TheSimpsons”and“Animaniacs.”Heistheannouncer movies. HehasalsobeenavoiceactorinmanycommercialsandonTV “Up,” the“ToyStory”movies,“Cars”moviesand“Transformers” Meet JessHarnell 8ouncessobanoodles McMeel Publishing(andrewsmcmeel.com). Adapted from“TheRobinTakes5CookbookforBusyFamilies”withpermissionAndrews You willneedanadult’shelpwiththisrecipe. 3. Refrigerateuntilreadytoserveorpackforlunch.Serves4. 2. Addtheremainingingredientsandmixwell. 1. What todo: You’ll need: Disney XD TM guess thecommonthemeorcategory? All thefollowingjokeshavesomethingincommon. Canyou 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (soybeans) 1cupshellededamame Jess, 50, was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, and moved to Los Angeles Jess, 50,wasborninTeaneck,NewJersey,andmovedtoLosAngeles He wastheleadsingerinrockbandRockSugar.can He hasbeenavoiceactorinmanymovies,including“FindingNemo,” Jamie: Ian: transfer toalargebowl. Cookthenoodlesaccordingtopackagedirections.Drainand Brad: Parker: How canabrokenpizzabefixed? TM With tomatopaste! Rookie Cookie’s Recipe Cookie’s Rookie The Leaning Tower ofPizzas! Funny’s Mighty Soba NoodlesWithEdamame up thousands ofpizzas? Whatwould yougetifstacked voice ofChillyintheDisneyJuniorseries“DocMcStuffins.” Cedric intheDisneyJuniorseries“SofiaFirst”and and DisneyJunior. Seven Dwarfs.ItairsonDisneyXD,theChannel animated comedyseries“The7D,”setintheworldof Jess specializes in being a voice actor. He is the voice of Jess specializesinbeingavoiceactor.Heistheof Jess HarnellisthevoiceofGrimGloominDisney Anjan: David: Mini Jokes A pizzathatdeliversitself! some cheeseandamail carrier? Whathappensifyoucross atomato, 2teaspoonstoastedsesameoil soy sauce 2tablespoonsreduced-sodium from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from TheMiniPage©2014Universal from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from TheMiniPage©2014Universal from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from TheMiniPage©2014Universal from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick A Modern Marvel Building the canal Returning to Panama Panama Canal facts As construction got underway In 1977, the United States and About 40 ships pass through the again, President Theodore Roosevelt Panama canal every day. assigned the U.S. Army Corps of signed a It takes a ship eight to 10 hours Engineers to take over. In 1909, treaty, or to move through the canal. About workers began building the locks. agreement, three of those hours are spent What is a lock? that passing through the locks. ownership “Panamax” refers to the size Locks are machines that raise and limits for ships passing through the and lower ships between different Flag of Panama management canal. The levels of water. of the canal would permanently existing For instance, if a boat is going transfer to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999. locks are from a river into a lake and the river 110 feet is higher than the lake, the boat will wide and steer into a lock. The lock will slowly 1,050 release water until the boat is at the feet long. lake level, and then the boat will exit

Panamax photo by Dozenist the other side into the lake. ships must This ship barely fits through be no the existing Miraflores wider than Locks. New locks will allow 107 feet even larger ships to pass

photo courtesy Panama Canal Authority through the canal. and no Work is underway on one of the new locks at the Atlantic Ocean entrance of longer than 965 feet. the Panama Canal. The expansion is When the expansion of the expected to be complete in early 2016. Panama Canal is complete, “New The Panama Canal today Panamax” ships will be able to move through the canal. They will have a As ships have become bigger and maximum width of 161 feet and a traffic has increased, the canal has maximum length of 1,200 feet. been improved and changed. In On Sept. 4, 2010, the Fortune September 2007, the Panama Canal Plum became the 1 millionth ship to Expansion Program began. The work transit the canal. includes: From the Atlantic Ocean, ships enter building two new locks, one at the Panama Canal through the Gatún The Locks. They travel over Gatún Lake, each entrance Fortune a manmade lake built for the canal, carving out new channels to the Plum then exit through the Pedro Miguel and locks and widening and deepening Miraflores Locks into the Pacific Ocean. the existing channels Next week, The Mini Page shares award- raising the water level of Gatún winning books with readers. Lake. The Mini Page Staff Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist