The Path Between the Seas

The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 (1977), a work of nonfiction by David McCullough, describes the history of the Panama Canal, from its inception to its completion, and the disasters along the way. The Path Between the Seas received numerous awards, including the 1978 National Book Award for History and the 1977 Cornelius Ryan Award. McCullough is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who has written many nonfiction books.

The book provides an oversight into those who built the Panama Canal, where it was built and everything that happened over the course of the construction—including the major political issues, which see the project change ownership. There are three separate parts to the book. The Canal is supposed to shorten journey times across America and overseas. Many previously contemplated whether this is possible—from explorers, such as Christopher Columbus, to presidents, such as Benjamin Franklin. A thesis central to McCullough’s work is that there is a vast difference between enthusiasm for an idea and having the ability—and vision—to implement this change.

In 1870, Count Ferdinand de Lesseps completes the Suez Canal and seeks new work. He’s feeling positive after this project and wants to further his reputation—he also has many men to keep employed and materials to use. When the U.S. and France show interest in building this new passageway, de Lesseps puts himself forward for the task.



The first concern he has is financing the venture, but this doesn’t last long—he dismisses fears over how expensive it was to build the Panama Railroad, and he tries to disprove reports that don’t support his angle. He then meets with other delegates from across the world to consider how best to build the Canal. They estimate how much the project is going to cost. French businessmen who invested in the Suez Canal fund it. There’s a sense that the project can’t fail.

Major difficulties first arise when de Lesseps must mark off the outline of the passageway. He doesn’t account for the differences in terrain between the Isthmus and the Suez, which was flat and easy to traverse. His engineers must adapt quickly to the uneven and hilly terrain; they feel under immense pressure without much support.

What no one has accounted for, however, are the natural dangers lurking in the forests. There are poisonous snakes, for instance, and workers frequently suffer serious—even fatal—stings and bites. Heavy rainfall causes humidity, making it easy for diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever, to spread. De Lesseps doesn’t pull the men back, even as they die from sickness and injury; he completes his initial road outline.



De Lesseps makes a major error at this point, which McCullough covers in the second part of the book. De Lesseps goes back to Europe to oversee the Suez Canal during political trouble, leaving inexperienced engineers in charge. Their plan is unworkable and requires both machinery and laborers they don’t have. As the Canal comes to a standstill, investors pull out and it seems the work can’t be completed.

In the late 1890’s, another French company takes over the project, after the first project goes bankrupt. They convince de Lesseps to revaluate his design—a lock-and-lake canal is more realistic than a sea-level canal—and they try to fix the lagging construction.

At this point, the U.S. steps in because of its political desires in the region. McCullough blames a series of unfortunate events for causing the French to lose its canal-building reputation as opposed to suggesting de Lesseps was incompetent. The Americans do not have an easy mission ahead of them—they inherit poorly-maintained equipment, a small workforce, and dangerous terrain filled with unsteady infrastructure.



Part 3 covers the U.S. involvement in the completion of the Canal, amidst rising political challenges in the area and struggles for national sovereignty. McCullough notes the U.S. makes more of an effort to keep the workers safe and healthy—contributing to the work getting completed. However, it has its own logistical problems, massively over ordering machinery and parts, causing pileups and low morale.

The sitting president, Roosevelt, uses the project as part of a patriotic campaign and for political advantage. The area is colonized, becoming a comfortable place for white workers. Morale skyrockets; McCullough laments how many seem to forget the hardships of the workers who came before.

The Canal soon becomes a popular tourist destination, especially for privileged white Americans. There isn’t, however, anything glamorous about the opening of the Canal—rather, the opening falls flat compared to the dramatic saga leading to its completion. McCullough does, however, point out that de Lesseps lives long enough to read about the Canal’s finish, so he died knowing he contributed to yet another feat of engineering, albeit he suffered many setbacks.