Demolition, disease, and death: Building the Panama Canal - Alex Gendler

譯者: Man Chun Ma 審譯者: Zoe Walmsley

In the middle of the 19th century,

十九世紀中葉，

the California gold rush brought thousands of settlers to America’s west coast.

加州的淘金潮吸引了 數千拓荒者前往美國西岸。

But finding gold may have been easier than transporting it back east.

但後來發現挖到金子 還比將金子運回東岸容易。

The only hope for avoiding a grueling six month wagon journey

若想避免六個月篷車跋涉的艱辛，

was to travel the narrowest portion of the continent—

唯一的希望是穿越 美洲大陸最狹窄的部分──

the 48-kilometer Isthmus of Panama.

全長 48 公里的巴拿馬地峽。

By 1855, a railroad spanning the region significantly shortened to the trip,

1855 年，一條橫跨兩岸， 大幅縮短旅途的鐵路完工，

but unloading and reloading ships at each port cost time and money.

然而兩邊港口的裝卸工作 仍然耗費大量時間與金錢。

To truly connect these two bodies of water shipping interests needed a canal—

要真正連結兩片海洋， 船運業者需要的是運河──

a continuous maritime passage through the isthmus.

一條橫跨地峽、沒有間斷的海運通道。

The first attempt at this colossal construction project was taken up in 1881

這個龐大的工程計畫 於 1881 年展開，

by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps.

由法國外交官斐迪南·德雷賽布負責。

De Lesseps had supervised construction of Egypt's Suez Canal,

他之前負責監督過 埃及蘇伊士運河的工程，

but his success made him overconfident.

那次的成功讓他過度自信。

He insisted on digging the canal at sea level,

他堅持運河要在海平面開鑿，

even though it required boring directly through

即便是得直接鑿穿 美洲大陸分水嶺的山脈。

the Continental Divide mountain range.

Futile excavation efforts were buried under constant landslides.

每次努力挖掘開的洞穴 不斷地被山崩掩埋。

And since the diplomat had only visited the site briefly

外交官本人只在巴拿馬旱季時 短暫地視察過工程現場，

during Panama’s dry season,

his workers were unprepared for torrential storms, venomous jungle fauna,

手下的工人則對暴風雨、 叢林的有毒動物、

and tropical diseases.

及熱帶疫病都毫無準備。

After spending $287 million and losing a staggering 22,000 lives,

在耗費了兩億八千七百萬美元 和高達 22,000 條人命後，

the French abandoned the project.

法國人放棄了這項工程。

The United States had been considering building a canal through Nicaragua,

美國之前已經想要興建 一條穿越尼加拉瓜的運河，

but at this point, the chance to succeed where France failed was tempting.

在這個時間點上， 對接手法國失敗的案子頗為心動。

Panamanian leaders were also eager to complete a canal

巴拿馬的領袖也很渴望有條運河，

which would bring their country business and prestige.

爲國家帶來商機和聲望。

However, Panama was still a part of Colombia at the time,

然而，當時巴拿馬還屬於哥倫比亞，

and the country was stalling negotiations with the U.S.

而哥倫比亞正在拖延與美國的談判。

Sensing an opportunity,

直覺到機會難逢，

President Teddy Roosevelt went straight to the Panamanians.

美國總統泰迪·羅斯福 直接找巴拿馬人交涉。

With encouragement and military support from the U.S.,

有了美國的背書與軍事援助，

Panama launched a coup in 1903.

巴拿馬遂在 1903 年發動政變。

Within days, they became an independent nation

幾天內便宣布獨立，

and signed a treaty to begin construction of the canal.

同時簽訂了一份運河工程的合約。

Just over a decade after the French left, the Americans were ready to dig in—

此時距法國撒手走人已經十年， 美國人也準備好開挖──

and they were determined to avoid their predecessor’s mistakes.

而且決心避免重蹈覆轍。

Instead of cutting the mountain down to sea level,

與其將山夷平與海平面等高，

they would raise the sea up the mountain.

他們決定把海平面升高到山上。

The plan was to build massive steel gates

整個計劃包括建造巨大的鋼製閘門，

separating the canal into multiple chambers with different water levels.

將運河分割成數段 不同水位高度的閘道。

As a ship passed through each successive gate would open,

隨着船的行進，渠道閘門逐個開啓，

lowering the water level in the next chamber,

將相鄰渠道中的水 抽取到船所在的閘道中，

while raising the ship and allowing it to move on.

將船升高以便前行到下段閘道。

The design called for five of these so-called canal locks—

這個設計有五段運河閘道──

three on the Atlantic side and two on the Pacific,

大西洋海岸那邊三段， 太平洋海岸兩段，

raising traversing ships 26 meters above sea level.

將通過的船隻升到海拔 26 米高。

Operating this lock system would require a massive reservoir of water.

這個閘道系統需要巨大儲水量去運作。

And fortunately, the low-lying Chagres river valley provided a natural solution.

所幸，查格雷斯河盆地 提供了一個天然的解決辦法。

By building a dam across the gap where the river flowed out to sea,

藉由在河流的入海口處興建水壩，

the entire valley could be flooded.

就能引水將整個河谷淹沒。

At 32 meters high and over 800 meters wide,

規模高達 32 米， 寬度遠超過 800 米，

the Gatun Dam would be larger than any built before.

加通水壩是有史以來最大的水壩。

With this innovative plan,

靠着這個創新計劃，

the Americans didn’t need to excavate the entire mountain,

美國人不需挖開整個山脈，

but rather, just the pathway for the canal itself.

只要挖出運河的路徑即可。

Still, the work was staggering.

即使如此，工程規模還是浩大驚人。

Even after progress made by the French, it took over nine years for 24,000 workers

除了之前法國已完工的， 工程動用了兩萬四千名工人，

to blow up, shovel, and drill out the Culebra Cut—

花了九年時間去爆破、 鏟開、鑽出古列布拉切道──

a roughly 14 kilometer passageway through the Continental Divide.

一條長約 14 公里， 貫穿美洲大陸分水嶺的通道。

The railway, now upgraded and rerouted to follow the canal,

原本的鐵道也升級、改道沿著運河走，

carted away over 76 million cubic meters of excavated rock

將挖鑿出超過七千六百萬立方米的石方

to be used at the Gatun Dam site.

運送到加通水壩的工程上用。

Construction was only half the battle.

運河的工程還只是挑戰的其中一半。

Leading army officials struggled to maintain infrastructure and sanitation,

即使領頭的軍官奮力維持 基礎設施及環境衛生，

but accidents and diseases took the lives of 5,000 workers—

意外和疾病仍然奪走 超過五千條性命——

mostly Black Caribbean migrants.

多數是來自加勒比的黑人移民。

Then, in the fall of 1913, the moment finally came.

1913 年的秋天， 歷史時刻終於來臨。

A telegraph signal from President Woodrow Wilson triggered a dike explosion,

伍德羅·威爾遜總統按下 引爆提防炸彈的電報信號，

flooding the Culebra Cut and joining the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

瞬間淹沒古列布拉切道， 將大西洋和太平洋連接起來。

Today, nearly 14,000 vessels travel through the isthmus annually—

現在每年有近 14,000 艘船隻 通過巴拿馬地峽──

each in under 12 hours.

耗時不到 12 個小時。

The canal remains Panama’s chief source of revenue;

運河始終是巴拿馬主要的收入來源。

and since the country gained ownership of the passage in 1999,

而且自從於 1999 年 獲得運河的所有權，

it has also become a source of national pride.

它也成了巴拿馬的驕傲之一。