The Dreamers: Part 10 of 10 Natalia gripped the canal barge’s railing, mesmerized at the mammoth new twin oceanic bridges spanning the waterway far overhead. The mega-structures were the crowning achievement of Panama’s $15 billion Canal 2050 expansion project completed under her leadership as Canal Administrator. As a girl, Natalia had listened enraptured to her …
The Dreamers: Part 9 of 10 Alejandra tightened her grip on the canal tugboat’s controls, maneuvering the muscular vessel to gently nudge the massive container ship Sternway through the narrow Corte Coche lock. Despite crossing the canal daily for a decade now, she still thrilled at this marriage of raw machine power and delicate finesse. …
The Dreamers: Part 8 of 10 Javier tried to ignore the sweat dripping down his back as he guided the cranes lifting 20-foot shipping containers onto the Everdawn, a massive Chinese freighter crossing the Panama Canal’s new Agua Clara Locks. The tanks tops nearly grazed the overhead suspension lines conveying power to the cranes. In …
The Dreamers: Part 7 of 10 Rosa stepped into the bustling control room, bracing herself for a historic day – the first transit through the newly completed third lane of the Panama Canal. This massive expansion project had dominated her last five years as Canal Administrator, but today made the years of stressful toil worthwhile. …
The Dreamers: Part 6 of 10 Rosa steadied her nerves as she entered the canal’s main control room to begin her first full day overseeing operations of the epic waterway now under Panama’s sovereignty. Though prepared through intensive training, this ultimate responsibility still intimidated. The eyes of her country and the world now watched. Her …
The Dreamers: Part 5 of 10 Rosa inhaled the fragrant aroma of coffee beans as she hurried past stacks of shipping crates at the bustling Port of Balboa. The Pacific Ocean gleamed in the distance, its access transformed by the canal bisecting Panama just miles inland from the dock. She still found it astounding to …
The Dreamers: Part 4 of 10 Pedro leaned on his cane watching ships pass through the marvel of the Panama Canal in 1923. Though nearly 70 now, he still came often to see his life’s dream in action. He never tired of witnessing vessels rising and falling in the massive lock chambers, eliminating the hazardous …
The Dreamers: Part 3 Pedro stepped onto Panamanian soil ten years after abandoning the failed French canal attempt. He had returned as an American surveyor, tasked by the Isthmian Canal Commission with assessing the feasibility of the United States building a canal across the isthmus. The jungle had all but reclaimed the derelict French excavations. …
The Dreamers: Part 2 of 10 The years dragged on as Pedro hauled supplies back and forth across the isthmus, supporting the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique’s monumental battle to conquer nature. The work proved far more arduous than anyone anticipated. Harsh realities gradually dissolved the aura of excitement and optimism that had greeted the …
The Dreamers By Jim Nelson Since the first Spanish explorers sought a passage between Earth’s great oceans, visionaries have dedicated their lives to constructing a canal across Panama’s narrow but rugged divide. Countless dreams of uniting the seas dashed against the shoals of geography, disease and politics over centuries before technology finally caught up to …
Short Story About the Panama Canal – The Dreamers – PART 1 of 10 Read More »