1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to you Stuff you should know from House Stuff 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: Josh Clark. Uh with Me is always a Child's de 4 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: wt Chuck Bryant and that's stuff you should know the podcast. 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,799 Speaker 1: The two of us together a couple of months, our voices. 6 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: You know what I've been seeing all day? Of course, 7 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: Panma over and over and I just whistled it and 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: Jerry's you know, I got that stuck in my head. Yeah, 9 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: when we were growing up, my sister was singing it 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: and I realized that she was singing turn and Run, Like, 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: what what she's like that song? That Van Halen song. 12 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: Don't be an idiot? She thought that's what they were saying. Yeah, 13 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: that's so interesting because there's so many misinterpreted song lyrics 14 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: famously over the years, but I never have heard Panama 15 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: as being one of them. Yeah, especially since the song 16 00:00:54,440 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: is named Panama. Yeah parentheses, turn and run? Right, Maybe 17 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: they were talking about the people who were working on 18 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: the early French effort to build a canal in Panama. Yeah, boy, 19 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: that didn't go over so well. We'll get to that, Okay, spoiler, 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: The French didn't build the Panama Canal. I thought we 21 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: were gonna get to it right now. All right, do 22 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 1: you want to talk about Da Gama Balboa? Which one? 23 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: Which one was? George Costanza's favorite explorer was a da 24 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 1: Gama or Balboa? Oh man, it was one of the two. 25 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: Da Gama was Yeah, I think so okay, um that 26 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: was a funny conversation though, Um so, yeah. Balboa back 27 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 1: in the day was was wandering around in a region 28 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 1: called Darien, and he summoned to the peak there and 29 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: was like, holy cow, if I look this away, I 30 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: see the Pacific Ocean, and if I look at that away, 31 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: I see the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean. And the 32 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: only thing between these two big bodies of water it's 33 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: this little isthmus of land. Yeah. I'm gonna have a 34 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: lot of trouble with that word. That's okay, just say 35 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: strip okay. So the strip of land here is the 36 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,920 Speaker 1: only thing in between. And we should figure out a 37 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: way to use this as a as a thoroughfare. Yeah, yeah, 38 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: because this is it connects the world. It does exactly. 39 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: At the time, the Spanish we're trying to trade with 40 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: the Chinese, and we're doing a pretty good job of 41 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: it in the Philippines, and the best way to get 42 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: to that was to come across the Atlantic and go 43 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: into the Pacific. It worked very, very well, and the 44 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: idea of just having a place where you could go 45 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: straight through rather than go all the way down South 46 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 1: America and then back up it was just mind boggling. 47 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: It's like you said, it opened up the world. This 48 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: guy got it immediately. The problem was it would take 49 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: about four dred more years before anyone finally got around 50 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: to completing it successfully. Well, yeah, and forget the rest 51 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: of the world that you know, added states, Just like, Hey, 52 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: I want to ship this by boat from New York 53 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: to San Francisco. How can I do that? I can 54 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: just like kind of sneak around Florida, right Nope, blocked? Right, Well, 55 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,080 Speaker 1: then what do I gotta do? You gotta go eight 56 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: thousand miles nautical miles around South America to get to California, 57 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: right or? Um, you know, when you me and I 58 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: were in Nicaragua, we were in a town in the 59 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: nineteenth century was away station for minor forty niners going 60 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:30,399 Speaker 1: on to California, and um, they would sail on to Nicaragua, 61 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: take a train and then ship out from Nicaragua up 62 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: to California, except the handful that was like I think 63 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: I might just kick it here exactly. Yeah, I bet 64 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: you there were some d oh, definitely, I'm sure. Um, 65 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: but yeah, there was. There was a continent in the way, 66 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: in the idea that it was just this little narrow 67 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: strip of land that that made a lot of people 68 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: say this is the place to be. In the sixteenth 69 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: you know, the eighteenth century, the Scottish showed up. They 70 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: tried to establish an outpost, failed spectacular literally, Yeah, that's 71 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: there's a great um section in about it. Yeah. Um, 72 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: the Spanish were there, the French were there. Uh, they 73 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: established pretty good outposts there. It was very clear that 74 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: this little area which was then part of Colombia is 75 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: now present day Panama, was going to be a hop 76 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: in spot because there was no thinner portion of the 77 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: North or South American continents than this one, and everyone 78 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: needed to figure out a way to get through. Yeah. 79 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 1: And it wasn't as easy as like, hey, let's just 80 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: dredge all this sand and let the waters meet, because 81 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 1: that's not too hard. It's like dense jungle and mountains 82 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 1: and the continental divide. Yeah. So it's it's My first 83 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: thought was like, how hard could it have been? I 84 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: didn't realize how treacherous that area was. Yeah, and I 85 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,119 Speaker 1: think that um that Balboa and a lot of people 86 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: who succeeded him, I thought the same thing, like how 87 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: hard is it? But it is like, that's that continental divide. 88 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: That's a tough thing to break through. That's why they 89 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: call it a divide. Yeah, well that's where two tech 90 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: time plates come gather and form a mountain range. And like, 91 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: that's you're cutting through not one but two tech time plates. 92 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: Everybody wrap your head around that. Seriously. Let's talk about it, 93 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: because obviously we were successful eventually. But the first attempt 94 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: was not in the first attempt, it was by the French, 95 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: who in the eighteen twenties, I believe, started to undertake 96 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: a what is known as a sea level canal, which 97 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: is basically they were going to cut their way straight 98 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: through the isthmus of Panama. That's right, and canals were 99 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: all the rage at the time because of steam technology, 100 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: So all of a sudden, you didn't have to use 101 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 1: the very cool and quaint towpath and have a mule 102 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: walk alongside of a river or canal. Well, yeah, a 103 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: lot of them now are like jogging trails and stuff, 104 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: you know, which you know, that's great, makes for good thing. 105 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: I don't see any mules on them these days, but 106 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 1: it's great that people can use these to pass now too, 107 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: you know, it's like a nature trail. Um. Yes, So 108 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: the steam technology gave the French the idea that hey man, 109 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: we can we can build a sea level canal here 110 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: because we can just dig right through it. We have steam. 111 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 1: We don't need the mules for the towpaths any longer. 112 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: All we need is some good steam shovels. We're gonna 113 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 1: cut right through this continental divide, right through this jungle. 114 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: And as a result of this ambition, twenty thou people died. Yeah. 115 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,159 Speaker 1: And um, they were able to you know, get a little, 116 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: a little far thanks to the railroad there in Panama. 117 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: Believe it or not, it was the first railroad in 118 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: the world to connect both sides of a continent. Right. 119 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: Wasn't very big, but it didn't need to be. It's 120 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: just kind of great. But that allowed the French to 121 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: get in there. They we're deciding between Nicaragua and Panama 122 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: at the time. Um, and they said like you said, 123 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: we can do sea level we don't need these locks. Yeah, 124 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: if you look at a map of Nicaragua and look 125 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 1: at Panama, like the idea of going through Nicaragua over 126 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 1: Panama's just nuts. Yeah, and we'll look plain how the 127 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: locks work. But it essentially just raises and lowers your ship, 128 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: right for sure, in a little like bay station of 129 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: water that's flooded and then drained. Right. Actually, that's how 130 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: lock works. So the French organized this thing called the 131 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: Company Universal d Canal Enter thank you and uh, led 132 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: by a guy named Ferdinand Lesseps who had created a 133 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: sea level canal through the Suez connected the Mediterranean and 134 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: the Red Seas. It was a big deal. So they 135 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: brought him in and he's like, sure, we'll do another 136 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: sea level canal. I'm feeling good about this. He's like, 137 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: I did the c S Canal with my eyes closed, 138 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: Like I can do this with one arm tie behind 139 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: my back. Well, he didn't realize is that digging through 140 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: a bunch of sand is not like digging through two 141 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: tectonic plates and a bunch of jungle and malaria. Uh. 142 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: And like I said, twenty thousand people died as a 143 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 1: result of this like this guy was like, no, we 144 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: can do it. We can do it. We're gonna do 145 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: a sea level canal. We can do it. And then 146 00:07:57,680 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: finally it was like, I don't think we can do this. 147 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: It was too late. A lot a lot, a lot 148 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: of people were dead from yellow fever, in malaria, from accidents. Um, 149 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: it's privately financed, so a lot of people lost a 150 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 1: lot of money too exactly, and this company goes under. 151 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: Well he tried to salvage it though. First he tried 152 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: to hire Gustav Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower fame right, 153 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: and said, hey, I think we need those locks after all, um, 154 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: and you're good at building big steel things, so can 155 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: you help. Then he was like, of course I can. 156 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: And then it was too late though that the business 157 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: was done and they had done a little bit well, 158 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: they had done a lot, Like they made eleven miles 159 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: of canal up to that point. Not bad. It's about 160 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 1: a quarter of the way there, right, But this was 161 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: the when did they start chuck the eighteen so chuck 162 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 1: as we understand that they started in the eighteen twenties 163 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,600 Speaker 1: and this thing went bust by nineteen o two. I 164 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: believe well, that's when Congress. I mean, they were busts 165 00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: before that, but that's when the US stepped in and said, hey, 166 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: we'll by your junk. Oh I'm sorry. So in like sixties, 167 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: about sixty years they they had managed to dig eleven 168 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: miles of canal, build a bunch of buildings, They had 169 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: a lot of equipment and supplies there, um, and yeah, 170 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 1: the US said, we smell a really, really great opportunity. 171 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,719 Speaker 1: And Congress said, let's spend some cash. We're feeling good 172 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: about things these days, where we annexed Hawaii recently, Puerto Rico, Philippines. 173 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:32,439 Speaker 1: What else, How why not take over this very AMBUSHSS project. 174 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: Why it's the American century by now, and we can 175 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: stick it to the French at the same time exactly. 176 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,080 Speaker 1: So they did this in nineteen o two, um, with 177 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 1: the one stipulation that said, you know what, you guys 178 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: have to Columbia controls Panama right now, and you guys 179 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: have to work out a deal with them. And we 180 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: tried and that failed. So he said, you know what, 181 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna overthrow Columbia then and give the control 182 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: to the Panamanians. Yeah, they we supported this Panamanian independ 183 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: its movement and yeah, throw off the shackles of Colombia. 184 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: And Colombia's like, what did you just do? Because we 185 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: gained control of that. We we followed that congressional mandate 186 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: and gained control of this Panama canal zone. Basically, the 187 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 1: swath uh that went through Panama was considered American soil 188 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: thanks to a treaty UM from my believe nineteen o two, 189 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:30,559 Speaker 1: the hey Bunal Varia Treaty UM, where Panama signed over 190 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: the canal zone. There was no Spanish translation of this treaty, 191 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:37,079 Speaker 1: so basically the U S went in over through Colombian 192 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:42,079 Speaker 1: control of Panama, supported Panamanian independence and then rob Panama 193 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,200 Speaker 1: of its canal in one fell sw in like a year, 194 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: and Columbia is like, well, just I guess we'll just 195 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: start exporting cocaine and mass exactly. We'll get you back 196 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: one day. So um. In the end, they paid about 197 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,679 Speaker 1: forty million bucks in nineteen o four for the assets 198 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: of this French company, just a lot of money back then, 199 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: and about ten million dollars UM as this very cheeky article. 200 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: By the way, did you notice UM they offered they 201 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: she referred to it as UM alimony of sorts to 202 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 1: Panama ten million bucks to get gain the rights to 203 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:20,960 Speaker 1: this canal zone. And basically, hey, we're gonna run the show. 204 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: We're gonna finish your canal from the eleven mile mark 205 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: to the you know, to the ocean where it belongs. 206 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:29,559 Speaker 1: And like you said, I think there was a certain 207 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 1: amount of snub to it, right, probably so um, But 208 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: they said, you know what we gotta do first though, 209 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: is we have to decide on if we can go 210 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: sea level? Um, Like, was it just the French were 211 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: incompetent or is it really impossible to do sea level? Yeah, 212 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,440 Speaker 1: like we need to do our own due diligence basically, 213 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:51,439 Speaker 1: And they did that, and Theodore Roosevelt chose chief engineer 214 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:53,800 Speaker 1: John Frank Stevens, and he was like, it's all about 215 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: the locks, dudes. If you want to canal here, you're 216 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,319 Speaker 1: gonna have to go over these mountains, not through them. Right. 217 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: So here's the thing. And this is just brilliant because 218 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: there was another problem with this isthmus And there's this 219 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 1: thing called the Chagres River and it is very temperamental, 220 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 1: was prone to flooding. All sorts of crazy stuff associated 221 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:17,640 Speaker 1: with this river. So not only did you have the 222 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: continental divide in the jungle and the malaria to deal with. 223 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: Once you completed it, what were you going to do 224 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: with this river? Stevens came up with this great idea 225 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: that you go over the mountains, and you go over 226 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: the mountains. You killed two birds with one stone by 227 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 1: damming the river, and you create a lake that will 228 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: carry you over the mountains. Like, yeah, I'm sure that's 229 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: not pronounce correct. Think about that. That is one of 230 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 1: the most brilliant feats of engineering I've ever heard of, 231 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: the Panama Canal. Yeah, but that specific aspect of it, 232 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: the river to create a lake so you can go 233 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,719 Speaker 1: over the mountains. That's just incredibly beautiful the whole thing too. 234 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: And at the time, dude in the early nineteen hundreds 235 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: is just like, it's amazing that they could put us off. Yeah, 236 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:00,679 Speaker 1: because they're all wearing like knickers and stuf. Yeah, it's 237 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: very There's some awesome documentaries out there, by the way, 238 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: you should watch. In fact, there's one. There's one cool. 239 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: Just go to the YouTube's and uh put in time 240 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: lapse Panama Canal and it takes you the full route 241 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 1: in like a minute and a half. Nice, he said, 242 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: eight to ten hours, and it's kind of neat. You know. 243 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 1: The boat goes in and sinks, and then not sinks 244 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 1: but lowers and then raises, and then it tools along 245 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: in the lake for a little while and then sinks 246 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 1: and lowers and raises and yeah, because it's like an 247 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: eight to ten hour transit right from from deep water 248 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:35,719 Speaker 1: to deep water eight to ten hours. Yeah, depending on 249 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,719 Speaker 1: your boat. I guess once you finally get clearance to 250 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,040 Speaker 1: go through, that's right. So he's damned up the river 251 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:45,959 Speaker 1: created cat tuned lake. UM ships going towards the Pacific 252 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 1: kind of enter it uh Lehman Bay in the Caribbean, 253 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: go through a couple of locks upward and just it's 254 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,959 Speaker 1: like walking up steps basically, except it's a big boat 255 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: and it's done with water. And then they navigate through 256 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: that lake for a little while and then and go 257 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 1: towards Panama City through another series of locks and down, down, 258 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:09,200 Speaker 1: down over the mountains and boom, you are connected to 259 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:11,680 Speaker 1: the rest of the world. Right. So when they when 260 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: they um agreed on the lock method, they had one 261 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: other thing to handle. And that's why the Scott is 262 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: maybe they were getting confused with locks meaning lakes. Right, 263 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:26,720 Speaker 1: They're like, where all the locks. They're like, they're right there. 264 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: They're like, no, but where the locks. So there was 265 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 1: one other big problem that had leveled the French effort, 266 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: which was um yellow fever, which you can be immune 267 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 1: to if you're exposed to it in childhood, but if 268 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 1: you're from New York you're not. So you go down 269 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: to Panama and you are stung by a mosquito and 270 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: you die. Um. The thing is, nobody knew that it 271 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: was mosquitoes until a guy named Ronald bross Uh in 272 00:14:56,920 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: seven studied mosquitoes in India and found malaria present in 273 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: their stomachs and that it was transmittable through their saliva. Yeah, 274 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: they didn't know what it was. They were all sorts 275 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: of different theories. Yeah, they thought it was maybe from 276 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: like unclean living whatever. When they found out that it 277 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,840 Speaker 1: was the mosquitoes, they that changed everything. So they institute 278 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: this really rigid um anti mosquito uh program. They cleaned 279 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 1: up the country basically and basically eradicated came close to 280 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: eradicating yellow fever in the area, which paid the way 281 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: for this lock system to be built. Yeah, and you 282 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: can thank Colonel William Gorgas for heading up that sanitation squad, 283 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: and um, yeah, I mean it worked, and that was 284 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,200 Speaker 1: the key, because you can't have your workers dropping dead 285 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: of yellow fever every day. You have to they have 286 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: to drop dead of landslides. Yeah, even though a lot 287 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: of these workers were you know, poor black people. I 288 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: think eighty five percent of the people that died were black, 289 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 1: and a lot of people still died, but it wasn't 290 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 1: like the dropping dead from yellow fever, you know, but 291 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: it's still a very dangerous project. Slides, all sorts of 292 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: drownings and things like that. Um. So we've got the 293 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,520 Speaker 1: the we've got the yellow fever licked. We've settled on 294 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 1: the lock system, and um John Frank Stevens is replaced 295 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:20,840 Speaker 1: by a guy named Lieutenant Colonel George Washington Gothals and 296 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: he was a lock expert, and he looked at the 297 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:25,480 Speaker 1: plan and he said, you know what, We're gonna divide 298 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 1: this up into three sections. That makes perfect sense. It does. 299 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 1: You've got the Pacific section that's going to be working 300 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: from Limon Bay, which by the way, means lime in Spanish. 301 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: Did you know that I did not. Uh, So they're 302 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: working from Limon Bay to the newly created Lake Gatun. 303 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 1: That was the Atlantic Division. Yeah, okay, you're right. So 304 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: the Atlantic Division is synonymous with the Caribbean UM. And 305 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: then so you've got the Atlantic Division working from Ghatun 306 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: to um or Lemon to get tune. You have the 307 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 1: Central Division. This is the hardest part. They're working in 308 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: Lake glad Tune to basically create a channel through this 309 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: Continental divide. Yeah, you don't have to cut sea level, 310 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:09,360 Speaker 1: but you you don't need to make sure these ships 311 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 1: aren't gonna like run aground in the mountain. Um. And 312 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:15,680 Speaker 1: then you have the Pacific Division, which is working from 313 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: uh the end of the Continental divide pass which is 314 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:24,680 Speaker 1: Pedro Miguel locks down to the Pacific, right, that's right. 315 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:29,080 Speaker 1: And like we said, the railway, the Panamanium Railroad is there, 316 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 1: and um, we had like awesome gear at the time. 317 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 1: It was no longer you know, men with chisels and 318 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: sledgehammers and stuff. It was steam shovels, rock drills, dynamite 319 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:46,119 Speaker 1: and uh they moved ninety six million cubic yards of 320 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: earth and rock, right, which is seventy three million cubic meters, 321 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: that's right. And uh, it was really hot though, and 322 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,679 Speaker 1: it was a pretty bad scene and they called that 323 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,159 Speaker 1: Hell's Gorge and it was dangerous and that's where I 324 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: think most of the lives were lost on this second pass. Yeah, 325 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: and that was definitely the hardest work. But they made 326 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:09,160 Speaker 1: it through, um and by a crane that was used 327 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: in the construction of the Panama Canal. Was the first 328 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,439 Speaker 1: thing to ever make it through all the way. And 329 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 1: they were like sweet, Yeah, And eight months later it 330 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 1: was open for business as far as I understand, Yeah, 331 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 1: big business. Um, should we should we walk people through 332 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: or I guess swim people through? Yeah, I think we should. Okay, Uh, 333 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:33,480 Speaker 1: you approach from the Atlantic, you go through the Gattoon locks. 334 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,439 Speaker 1: It's gonna lift your vessel up eighty five ft, pretty awesome, 335 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: and take you two Gatun Lake, very nice there. You're 336 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 1: gonna wind through that channel for about twenty three miles, 337 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 1: then enter the Gallard Cut about eight miles through there, 338 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: and you're gonna reach the Pedro Miguel locks and then 339 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: they're gonna lower your ship about thirty ft to the 340 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: mirror Flors Lake. You're gonna pass through this it's about 341 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 1: a mile long, and then the two steps mirror floors locks. 342 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:03,440 Speaker 1: We're gonna return you finally back to sea level to 343 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 1: seven mile passage from there to the Pacific, and all told, 344 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,439 Speaker 1: you've gone fifty miles in about eight to ten hours. 345 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: And um, mind bogglingly, I saw that it takes fifty 346 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:18,399 Speaker 1: two million gallons of fresh water to move a ship 347 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: from one end to the other two and they're getting 348 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,200 Speaker 1: all that from Lake Gatun. Yeah, and it's just I 349 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:28,399 Speaker 1: imagine it's just recycled back into the system. Right, what 350 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:30,639 Speaker 1: is it? What happens to it? They lose it, most 351 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,160 Speaker 1: of it. It's either pumped back in. It either goes 352 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:38,280 Speaker 1: flows back into Lake Gatun or else it flows out 353 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:42,040 Speaker 1: into the oceans, which is not necessarily good. They're worried 354 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 1: that La gat Tune may become brackish and like a 355 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,680 Speaker 1: tune is now the freshwater supply of Panama and it 356 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:52,640 Speaker 1: they're using a lot of it up. Yeah. Well, it's 357 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 1: always presented a bit of an environmental quagmire, especially with 358 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,199 Speaker 1: their plans to expand, which we'll get to. But right 359 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:01,960 Speaker 1: now they have two weight traffic UM. They're looking to 360 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 1: make that a three lane highway, which would actually adding 361 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: that third lane UM will double the amount of traffic, Yeah, 362 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:12,879 Speaker 1: which is crazy. You would think it would increase it 363 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:16,120 Speaker 1: by a third. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe it's wider. 364 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: Oh maybe allows for two ships at a time. They 365 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 1: just jam like eight in there once. I don't know. 366 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: I do know that if you are a large enough ship, 367 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: they don't let you drive yourself because you know you've 368 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:28,639 Speaker 1: got one drunk sea captain and all of a sudden 369 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 1: your locks are out of commissioned, so they use electric 370 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:35,320 Speaker 1: towing locomotives to tow those big bad boys. Right, And 371 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:37,719 Speaker 1: we should say, just briefly, with the locks, if you 372 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: want to move a ship upward, you flow into a lock. 373 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:44,119 Speaker 1: The lock closes behind you and it fills up with 374 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: water so that you can float over the lip of 375 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,239 Speaker 1: the next higher lock that the gate closes behind you 376 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 1: with that one, and it fills in with water, and 377 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: so on and so forth. Yeah, it's remarkably basic. Yeah. 378 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:58,720 Speaker 1: And then the opposite takes place when you're stepping down. Yeah, 379 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 1: it's just basically going into a little square pool, raising 380 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: or lowering the water level so you can go up 381 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:06,479 Speaker 1: or down. It's really neat. Yeah, And if you've got 382 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:07,920 Speaker 1: a minute and a half to kill you can take 383 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,400 Speaker 1: this voyage in high speed on the YouTube. So uh, like, 384 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,879 Speaker 1: we said, the US used gunboat diplomacy to and I 385 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 1: guess good old fashioned, old timey nineteen o two swindling 386 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:24,399 Speaker 1: to gain control of the Panama Canal zone. And it 387 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 1: had complete control until nineteen nine when Jimmy Carter um 388 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: malaise forever, right, Jerise that Simpsons, they unveil a statue 389 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: of Jimmy Carter and it says Malaise Forever on the 390 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 1: base and one of the townspeople go, he's history's greatest monster. Anyway, 391 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 1: Carter negotiated with the leader of Panama at the time, 392 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:54,280 Speaker 1: UH General Omar Terrios Herrera, and said, hey, how would 393 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 1: you like this thing back? Give us you think they said, hey, 394 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,520 Speaker 1: we'd like this back. I like to think of um 395 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: American magnanimous. Not sure, So we said, you know what, 396 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,359 Speaker 1: we've had it for this long plus plus we're talking Carter, 397 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,160 Speaker 1: it's entirely possible. He just started contacting people and said, 398 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,920 Speaker 1: what's the US have that we can sell or give back. 399 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: It's a good point. Um. So yeah, he he sold 400 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:20,439 Speaker 1: like one of the like the presidential yacht was sold 401 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: by him. Why because he thought it was frivolous UM 402 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: and Panama Canal. He's like, how about this, let's get 403 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: rid of a significant portion over our economy. Anyway, he 404 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: gives it back after twenty years and on December thirty first, 405 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,480 Speaker 1: which is why I suspect they made it a twenty 406 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: year deal. Yeah, I mean they had to transition. You 407 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: can't just hand the keys over and be like, all right, 408 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: send your crew in. Right, but not only that, Like 409 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: why not a fifteen year deal or an eighteen year 410 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:48,639 Speaker 1: deal or ten year deal. They went with twenty because 411 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: it was gonna end on December thirty first millennium. Actually 412 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:56,200 Speaker 1: that didn't start til don't one though, right, Yeah, but 413 00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: you know, okay, it's symbolic, right, Okay, So the Panamanians 414 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 1: take over, and UM immediately start taking flak because the 415 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: things aging traffics jammed up. They've done a good job 416 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: with it, though, it's it's just by nature of how 417 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:16,920 Speaker 1: things are. These they're victims of circumstances. UM and five 418 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: percent of the world's trade goes through the Panama Canal. 419 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 1: Weld of a canal right there. The millionth ship UM 420 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,160 Speaker 1: went through in two thousand, ten hundred and forty four 421 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,439 Speaker 1: thousand ships go through a year, and it's a very 422 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: narrow little strip. You know. That means waiting in line, 423 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 1: a lot of waiting in line. Plus, also there's an 424 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 1: upper limit to the size ship that can go through. 425 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 1: It's called Panama. Panamax is the is the ship size? 426 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: That's yeah, what a great name for the biggest ship 427 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:50,720 Speaker 1: that Panamax. What could be bigger than that? Well, these 428 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 1: ships that are called post Panama exactly, a lot of 429 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 1: shippers are like, you know what, I'm tired of waiting. 430 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 1: It's actually going to be more economical for me to 431 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,320 Speaker 1: build a ship that can't go through the Panama Canal 432 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:04,679 Speaker 1: but can hold a lot more and I'll just sail 433 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:09,719 Speaker 1: around the lower part of South America. And um, that's 434 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:14,400 Speaker 1: kind of increasingly happening. Plus, Nicaragua threatened to open their 435 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,400 Speaker 1: own canal, So Panama says, okay, wait, wait, wait, let's 436 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:19,399 Speaker 1: let's holl the referendum and see if we can expand 437 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 1: this thing and modernize it and save the canal. And 438 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:25,120 Speaker 1: Panamanians said, yes, let's so in two thousand and six 439 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: they approved this third lane that's expected to be open 440 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: by two fourteen. Is Nicaragua still planning a canal. I 441 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: don't know. I don't know if that shot it down 442 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: or not. Well. And there's also talk now of a 443 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:40,640 Speaker 1: Northwest passage thanks to um what some people might say, 444 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,920 Speaker 1: it's climate change and melting ice caps. There may be 445 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 1: a way to get there um by land. Henry Hudson 446 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:51,919 Speaker 1: is clapping in his grave. Um, So we'll see if 447 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 1: that happens. I don't know. I didn't get a chance 448 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: to really look into that research. And like, how real 449 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,680 Speaker 1: is that? Even? Still, the Panamanians will probably make their 450 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:04,920 Speaker 1: five point to five billion investment back eventually, although it 451 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:10,680 Speaker 1: took the US good forty years to make four million back. Yeah, yeah, 452 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,359 Speaker 1: I think the nine when they finally broke even. Huh 453 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:17,440 Speaker 1: that's crazy. And um, you break even by charging a toll, 454 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,679 Speaker 1: I don't think we even mentioned that. You obviously, like 455 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:24,880 Speaker 1: any way station or passage, you gotta pay according to 456 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,439 Speaker 1: what how much stuff you got, right, It's like I 457 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 1: think the record is I looked it up. It's like 458 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: a d or something. Yeah, they do it by ton in. 459 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: The thing is is, if you are um carrying a 460 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: lot of really expensive natural gas, right, you're gonna pay 461 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,800 Speaker 1: a lesser toll than if you're carrying a bunch of 462 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 1: less expensive or even equally expensive coal, which isn't fair. 463 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:51,240 Speaker 1: And if you're if you're transporting a lot of raw steel, 464 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:53,919 Speaker 1: why should you pay more? So they're they're trying to 465 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: figure out a new toll system, especially for the newly 466 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,959 Speaker 1: expanded version of the canal um it takes into account 467 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:03,720 Speaker 1: the value of the of what's on board rather than 468 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: just the weight, right, So they should make a little 469 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: more money that way. Yeah. I don't know if this 470 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: is still accurate, but the record that I have is 471 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,760 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty three thousand dollars six hundred and 472 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: fifty three thousand, six hundred sixty two and the cheapest 473 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:22,399 Speaker 1: was when a dude swam across it any weighed like 474 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:24,359 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty pounds, and so they charged them 475 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 1: what like thirty six cents. Yeah, that back in Richard 476 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 1: Halliburton and he swam the Panama Canal, and I guess 477 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 1: it was some sort of publicity stunt. I'm sure people 478 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:35,479 Speaker 1: love doing stuff like that back then. Yeah, but if 479 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:40,360 Speaker 1: you look at this um this high speed route on YouTube, 480 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:43,680 Speaker 1: it's pretty neat and there's a lot of times you're like, oh, 481 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,120 Speaker 1: look out for that boat and then it turns you're like, Okay, 482 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:48,760 Speaker 1: there's a lot of activity out there. Yeah, you know 483 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:51,879 Speaker 1: it's not a pleasure cruise. Well no, and it's not 484 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 1: one ship at a time. They have, like you said, 485 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: two way traffic, right, that's right, and they try to 486 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: keep them going through as if recently as possible. And 487 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:06,400 Speaker 1: I should say also, um, the the um the new 488 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: locks that they have can serve about six of the 489 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:13,920 Speaker 1: water used, so they'll address a lot of environmental concerns hopefully. 490 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:17,920 Speaker 1: I got a couple of little facts here if you're interested. Uh, 491 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,200 Speaker 1: the entrance to the canal in the Atlantic side is 492 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 1: twenty two and a half miles west of the Pacific entrance, 493 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,280 Speaker 1: which is interesting because it has a unique s shape. 494 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:34,159 Speaker 1: And then, um, the locks themselves are seven feet thick each. 495 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: So if you're wondering how to keep out that much water, 496 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,879 Speaker 1: like to to basically damn up the oceans, you need 497 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:45,480 Speaker 1: to do it with seven foot thick concrete. Um. The 498 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:51,040 Speaker 1: workforce is Panamanian right now, which is pretty great. And uh, 499 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:54,200 Speaker 1: it's about all I got. Sixty million pounds of dynamite 500 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: was used to construct this thing. It's some nice stets Chuck, Yeah, 501 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:01,720 Speaker 1: it's not bad. Cool you got anything else? Like? No, 502 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 1: all the rest of these are kind of boring. Panama 503 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:08,160 Speaker 1: Canal Forever. Uh. If you want to learn more about 504 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:10,359 Speaker 1: the Panama Canal, you can read this very good article 505 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 1: on how Stuff works dot com. Type in Panama Canal 506 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:16,199 Speaker 1: or turning around Canal. See what happens when you do 507 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:19,439 Speaker 1: the ladder, Um, Chuck, hold on, let's let's take a 508 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,680 Speaker 1: message break. Huh. It is time for a listener mail, Josh, 509 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call this one listener mail about listener mail. 510 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,040 Speaker 1: Hey guys, I'm currently on the seven train heading to 511 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:32,399 Speaker 1: Queens for Manhattan after a long day of working as 512 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:35,760 Speaker 1: an auditor at a cp A firm. Um. As usual, 513 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: I'm listening to your podcast. This time it was the 514 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:41,320 Speaker 1: death Mask episode and you were concluding with a listener mail. 515 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: And this is instance. It was from Martha regarding peak oil. 516 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,600 Speaker 1: And I think Martha was talking about the auditing of 517 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:53,480 Speaker 1: oil reserves. And he says this to Martle. She was 518 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: correct for the most part, regarding the audit of oil 519 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:58,840 Speaker 1: reserves held by entities whose stocks may be publicly traded 520 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: on the stock market. Just one thing I was so 521 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:03,800 Speaker 1: a gas by that I felt I needed to type 522 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:05,960 Speaker 1: this from my phone as I'm on the train. Still, 523 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: the SEC does not perform any audits of its own 524 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: on these companies. Uh. It is firms like the one 525 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:17,520 Speaker 1: I work for, that audit these companies, albeit under SEC guidelines. 526 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:22,040 Speaker 1: Actually p c A I would be Public Company Audit 527 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 1: Oversight Board guidelines if you want to get technically yeah, Uh, 528 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: the SEC may perform a type of audit, but when 529 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: they do, they're usually auditing an audit firm or an 530 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 1: audit that has already been done by an audit firm 531 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:38,520 Speaker 1: as part of some kind of investigation. What so they'll 532 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 1: audit an audit like the SEC doesn't audits. It's a 533 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 1: long and charget. I'm s an audit. Well fund actually 534 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: been through one of these audits and it is no 535 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 1: fun at all. For some reason, it seems everyone whom 536 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:53,320 Speaker 1: works at the SEC is what you stereotypically picture as 537 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,160 Speaker 1: an accountant with no humor. Plus, the word audit loses 538 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 1: all meaning when you hear it. That's right. I digress though, Guys. 539 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 1: If you pull up at ten K annual filing for 540 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 1: any public company, you can see in the audit opinion 541 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: the audit firm which performed the audit for that particular year. 542 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: I hope that clears things up. Henrik Olmez and Henry. 543 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 1: I'm not sure if that cleared it up, but if 544 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 1: I was an accountant, I would probably say yes, very 545 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: much clear of things over, very nice. Thank you very much, Henry. 546 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:23,960 Speaker 1: That was very nice of you to correct somebody who 547 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 1: is correcting us. Yeah, and I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You 548 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,520 Speaker 1: gotta take that. Thank you. Seven train man, is that 549 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: a terrible train? Not do that one. It's like it's 550 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:33,720 Speaker 1: the old red train that looks like it's about to 551 00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: fall off. It's like the midnight meat train. Yeah, have 552 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: you seen that now? Man, what's midnight meat? That's a 553 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 1: midnight meat train. It's got Vinnie Jones and Bradley Cooper 554 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:45,280 Speaker 1: in it. It's actually based on a Clive Barker short 555 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 1: story because that's an old joke between me and my 556 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:49,960 Speaker 1: friend p J, who he's met I believe. Yeah, he 557 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: uh cookouts famously. P J is a great chef home chef, 558 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:57,080 Speaker 1: but he was so he would typically take so long. 559 00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: We referred to his meals as midnight meat and then 560 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: made a joke about cold cooking mistake one time night 561 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 1: It took like twenty four hours. Yeah, no, that's definitely 562 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 1: this is not a slam on t J. No. We 563 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: love him in nighted Uh. If you have anything you 564 00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 1: want us to know, if you want to correct somebody 565 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 1: who's corrected us, or you just want to say hi, whatever, 566 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:18,920 Speaker 1: you can tweet to us at s y s K podcast. 567 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:21,200 Speaker 1: You can join us on Facebook dot com slash stuff 568 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 1: you Should Know. You can send us an email to 569 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:26,000 Speaker 1: Stuff Podcast at scovery dot com and chuck uh. They 570 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: can always find us on our website, Right stuff you 571 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 1: Should Know dot com for more on this and thousands 572 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: of other topics. Is it how stuff works dot com. Hey, 573 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:49,720 Speaker 1: Netflix streams TV shows and movies directly to your TV, computer, 574 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:53,400 Speaker 1: wireless device, or game console. You can get a thirty 575 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:57,000 Speaker 1: day free trial membership. Go to www dot Netflix dot 576 00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 1: com slash stuff and sign up now.