The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough
Day 2 (DDRD 1,361): July 24, 2021
Another "crossover" day, as this was really the last day for The Great Bridge, but the 2nd day for The Path Between the Seas. I read about twenty pages (including the table of contents, etcetera) on the 23rd, just seeing if I wanted to go through with another McCullough (since my first such experience left something to be desired), so I wasn't even sure that it was Day 1. Actually, even as I write this (and refer to it as Day 2) I'm not sure that I'll go through with this book. I'm going to read a little bit more before I commit. If I decide to bail, then the Day 2 designation is irrelevant. Either way, it's still DDRY 1,361, and tomorrow, no matter what I'm reading, it will be DDRD 1,362. Yeah, I know. But I'm writing this for Future Me, so there is one eye with a GivuhShit in it.
Speaking of Days, there have been other crossovers, so (Future Self) the Grand Total for Books Read Days is now at 1,363 if you add up the separate book totals, but it's really only 1,361 at this moment.
Carry on.
Here's a bit which caught my eye:
Reference the idea of building a canal from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans, Francisco López de Gómara (a Spanish priest & historian of the 16th century) said, "There are mountains, but there are also hands." That is definitely tattoo worthy. Too bad I'm finished with that shit. I'm also thinking that if I ever decide to go back to work on my novel, ...then there is no mountain..., this would be a very nice quote to have under a chapter number. Try to remember that, Brother K., okay?
Day 3 (DDRD 1,362): July 25, 2021
Read to page 60...and it looks like I'm in for the full pound. For one thing, the story has kind of caught my interest.
Here is a thing:
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his work." Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon (1760 - 1825) So a bit before Karl Marx on that one.
Also, there has been a mention or two (possibly three) of Jules Verne, especially of Around the World in Eighty Days, which reminded me that McCullough had also made a mention or two of Verne in The Great Bridge. It also reminded me that I was quite the Jules Verne fan in the days of my youth, and that I read at least a half-dozen of his novels, maybe more. Which made me think, "I'd like to read a biography of Jules Verne." So I just put in a request for Jules Verne : The Definitive Biography by William Butcher--yet another Remote Shelving book. Sheesh. I wonder if I could get the library to pay me to be a Remote Shelf? Ah, now I have a new goal in life.
And even though I am enjoying this book so far, McCullough's style has already begun to irritate me anew. For one thing, he feels the need not only to describe the physical appearance of most of the people he introduces, even if they are of little consequence to the larger story, but even worse, he seems to delight in evaluating how attractive they are. He also mades unnecessary adjectival insertions, such as when he refers to the "ridiculous suicide" attempt of a woman. I mean...for fuck's sake. What a presumptuous son of a bitch.
But I think I will stick with this thing. Let's see...617 pages of text, of which I've read 60, so 557 to go. And as for the rest of the stuff, I read the Notes as I go, and I will nip away at the other stuff, so let's just estimate that this book will take me 28 more days to read. I think that's an acceptable investment. I am also pretty sure that this will be the last David McCullough book I ever read, though. News as it happens.
Day 4 (DDRD 1,363): July 26, 2021
Read to page 80.
McCullough seems overly preoccupied with the fact that one of his leading characters (at least at this point) in the story of the Panama Canal, Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805 - 1894), was married to a woman who was 43 years younger than him: Louise-Hélène Autard de Bragard (1848 - 1909). (They were married in 1869, when she was 21 years old.) Perhaps the fact that McCullough is married to a woman his own age...and that he met her at age 17, married at 21, and are still married to this day, has something to do with that preoccupation. (Also known as envy .)
Also, I found a couple of videos of "full length journeys" through the Panama Canal. Both of them are time lapsed.
Shortest (1:52): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vi19z4LEi0
But if you have the time, this longer one (6:54) is more interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8TkcWhmByg
I have to confess that before I started reading this book, my image of the Panama Canal was essentially a 50 mile long concrete trough. As perhaps you already know, it's nothing like that. Not at all. In fact, looking at a journey through the Canal, I have to admit I started wondering how the hell it could have taken so long (French 1881–1894, USA 1904–1914). Because about half of the so-called Canal is Gatun Lake. With three sets of locks along the way. So when you watch the video, it looks like a trip down a lake, then a river, with a few narrow spots in between. REALly narrow. As in it looks like a big ship would be scraping the sides. But watching the video made me even more interested in reading about how this thing was built.
So there's that.
And lastly, McCullough continues to be preoccupied with the physical appearance of his "characters"...and continues to be determined to insert snide comments every once in awhile. Fuuuck.
Day 5 (DDRD 1,364): July 27, 2021
Read to page 100. The majority of those pages consisted of the first picture section, though, so I might read a bit more later on.
Day 6 (DDRD 1,365): July 28, 2021
Read to page 120. Had some "crossover" with The Great Bridge: a visit to the bridge-in-progress and a mention of Emily Warren Roebling.
Day 7 (DDRD 1,366): July 29, 2021
Read to page 140.
Day 8 (DDRD 1,367): July 30, 2021
Read to page 160.
Q: How do you get from Yellow Fever to the Louisiana Purchase?
A: Napoleon had plans for an American empire. He sent troops to Haiti to put down a black instruction led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, and after that, the troops were supposed to go to occupy New Orleans and Louisianna. However, while in Wait, these troops became infected with yellow fever, and thousands died. According to McCullough, "...this was a major contributing factor in the ultimate triumph of the black patriots. Haiti achieved independence, and Napoleon, thoroughly disenchanted with his American venture, decided to sell all of the Louisiana Territory to the United States." (141)
And here's a fascinating bit of historical trivia. When new prostitutes arrived at the work site in Panama, the code to announce this was "Langoustes arrivées," which means "the lobsters have arrived." Pretty fuckin' demeaning, but probably a good title for a novel.
And here is a good example of something I really despise in McCullogh's writing style. This opening to Chapter 6--
Day 9 (DDRD 1,368): July 31, 2021
Read to page 181 (chapter end). Lots of death and destruction, and pretty obvious that at this point in the narrative, the attempt to dig the canal (by the French) has been an almost complete failure. The most interesting thing in Today's Twenty was the revelation that Paul Gauguin spent some time working on the canal. He didn't last long.
Day 10 (DDRD 1,369): August 1, 2021
Read to page 200. Today's Twenty (-ish) was primarily about the financial aspects of the de Lesseps Era canal project. Also known as the financial disaster of the de Lesseps Era canal project. I wasn't all that interested in this stuff, I'm sorry to say. But at least we found out that some of the men involved had beautiful wives. Thanks, David McCullough. If I'm ever on Jeopardy!....
Day 11 (DDRD 1,370): August 2, 2021
Read to page 220. And now it's all about the shady goings on behind the de Lesseps project. I suppose that could be interesting, but to be honest, I just want to read about the ditch. Also, McCullogh goes out of his way to give insulting portraits of several more characters. What a lovely human being he must be.
Day 12 (DDRD 1,371): August 3, 2021
Read to page 240.
You know, there are times when I look around the world and think, "People are stupider now than they've ever been before." We've got people who won't take a vaccine which would save them from a horrible illness. We've got people who won't wear a mask to protect others from their infectious exhalations. We've got people who don't believe that the 2020 election was valid. Etcetera. But reading The Path Between the Seas today, I happened upon this "explanation" for why the French attempt to build the canal failed: "Jews had created Panama...." Yep. The Jews did it. And they didn't even have their space lasers in place yet. So I guess there's some consolation in knowing that we've ALWAYS been stupid, it's not just the current situation.
Day 13 (DDRD 1,372): August 4, 2021
Read to page 260.
In Today's Twenty, after the usual derogatory statements about some people's appearances / casual comments on the beauty of some women, McCullough went on a bit about the book The Influence of Sea Power Upon History by Alfred Thayer Mahan. (Whose appearance also came under scrutiny, of course...and not in a positive way.) And it rang some bells. I know that I've read references to this book elsewhere. But a search through my previous DDR didn't come up with anything. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that when I last read references to this book, they were so over-the-top in extolling its virtues that I sought out, found, and downloaded a copy. Must check Kindle asap.... And? Nope. Oh, well.
Day 14 (DDRD 1,373): August 5, 2021
Read to page 280. Which means I'm getting pretty close to the halfway point. Though I have to admit that I am interested in the story, despite the fact that I do not like McCullough's writing, I am also looking forward to finishing this one off and moving on. And I can guarandamntee you that I will not be reading another book written by McCullough.
Forgot to mention a day or so ago...a bit of trivia which I thought would be good to remember for Jeopardy! someday: Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to refer to his official residence as The White House. So there you go.
Day 15 (DDRD 1,374): August 6, 2021
Read to page 304. (Pictures.)
Day 16 (DDRD 1,375): August 7, 2021
Read to page 320.
Day 17 (DDRD 1,376): August 8, 2021
Read to page 340.
So let me get this straight: two of the options Teddy R's USA was seriously considering vis-a-vis the acquisition of the Panama territory were (1) war with Columbia and (2) fomenting revolution on the part of Panama so that it could become an independent nation.
So tell me again: why do "they" hate us?
In other news, part of The Suicide Squad (2021) was filmed in Panama. So there's that.
Day 18 (DDRD 1,377): August 9, 2021
Read to page 360.
Day 19 (DDRD 1,378): August 10, 2021
Read to page 382. Because I was appalled. AP-PALLED.
I was shocked when I read (see above) that the T. Roosevelt presidency was considering fomenting a revolution to get Panama to break away from Colombia...because that would make it easier for the U.S. to dominate the canal zone. So imagine my surprise when I read Today's Twenty (+ Two) and found out that they not only planned it, they actually DID it. Maybe not news to you, but it sure as hell was to me. And post the successful revolution, there's this:
Roosevelt said of people who chastised him for his actions with respect to the Panamanian revolution by saying, "Criticism of it can come only from misinformation, or else from a sentimentality which represents both mental weakness and a moral twist." (382) So people who called him out were either ignorant, stupid, or evil.
And then there was this:
When Roosevelt asked attorney general Knox to "construct a defense" of his actions, Knox is said to have remarked, "Oh, Mr. President, do not let so great an achievement suffer from any taint of legality."
Anybody else thinking of Trump?
Day 20 (DDRD 1,379): August 11, 2021
Read to page 400.
Day 21 (DDRD 1,380): August 12, 2021
Read to page 420. More trickery.
Had a thought vis-à-vis What Comes Next: Maybe it's time to re-start and finally finish Don Quixote? After my Book Pal clocked out on it, I didn't have the will to go on...but I'd really like to have another go at it before I die. (Read it when I was a young fellow, about 50 years ago.) Hmmm. The version I have is only 1,050 pages long, so that's just a 53 day commitment. It could happen.
Day 22 (DDRD 1,381): August 13, 2021
Read to page 440. Finally getting back to the actual work on the canal (I think) after lots of pages on finances, corruption, and disease. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
Also, looks like a mere 9 days until I finish this book off, which is pretty exciting. I've enjoyed some parts of this book, but I am ready to be finished with David McCullough.
Day 23 (DDRD 1,382): August 14, 2021
Read to page 460. Hey, did you know that Teddy was the youngest person to serve as President of the USofA? I'd have lost that bar bet.
Day 24 (DDRD 1,383): August 15, 2021
Read to page 480.
Day 25 (DDRD 1,384): August 16, 2021
Read to page 500. So Teddy Roosevelt was also the first President to travel outside of the United States during his term of office. Hmpf.
Only 120 text pages to go now, and we've just started digging the canal. Seems unbalanced, but I suppose there's only so much one can say about the actual digging, though, hmmm?
Here's a rather telling quote:
"With intense energy men and machines do their tasks, the white men supervising matters and handling the machines, while the tens of thousands of black men do the rough manual labor where it is not worthwhile to have machines do it." (498)
I think it's also telling that David McCullough makes no comment about this at all. He never misses a chance to slip in an adjective to describe someone's appearance in a detrimental fashion, but he has no adjectives for the callous exploitation of black men in a very dangerous work environment. In fact, to the contrary, he reports (several times) on the insulting comments that white men made about the "laziness" of the black workers. I really don't like David McCullough at all. I'm tempted to try to read more pages per day just to get this fucking thing over with now, but I don't think I have it in me.
Day 26 (DDRD 1,385): August 17, 2021
Read to page 530. Also took a look at the sources pages (a pretty impressive 15 pages' worth) and the Index, which means that I now have 92 test pages and 4 pages of notes before I'm finished.
Day 27 (DDRD 1,386): August 18, 2021
Read to page 550.
On page 544, McCullough describes the colors that could be seen in excavation aea. He uses these adjectives: blue-black, warm gray, pale ocher, yellow, bright orange, slate blue, crimson, vibrant green, sea blue, and lavender. This is in the context that although pictures were taken then, they were in black and white. So here's the thing: there is nothing in the endnotes to show that these descriptions were taken from a document written at the time. And the only way that you could have seen these colors in that area would have been to be there at that time, since now (and for the past one-hundred years) that area has been topped off with water. My conclusion? Poetic license. Which is fine for poets. Not so much for historians, I think.
Day 28 (DDRD 1,387): August 19, 2021
Read to page 570.
After several references to clean white people at the railway station, McCullough quotes someone as saying, "...this clean, prosperous, flourishing Anglo-Saxon civilization in the very heart of the jungle, was...unlike anything before in history." (556)
And a few pages later on (559), McCullough quotes Harry Franck as saying, "...even with seven years of American example about him the Panamanian had not yet grasped the divinity of labor. Perhaps he will eons hence when he has grown near true civilization."
Well. That's called r-a-c-i-s-m, I believe. And McCullough doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all.
I am SO ready to be finished with this book. And I can guarantdamntee you that I will not be reading another David McCullough book in this or any subsequent lifetimes.
LATER: Decided that I didn't feel like cutting the grass or going for a walk, so I read some more pages of this book instead. Got to page 593. So you know what that means: I could finish this thing off tomorrow without working up too much of a sweat. We'll see. Meanwhile, McCullough actually did get around to discussing the racial problems, and while I was not completely pleased with what he had to say about it (at one point he threw in the argument, The Black workers weren't treated fairly...or well...but they still had it better than they did back home), at least it showed that his own racism didn't go all the way down to the bone. I guess that's better than the full marrow variety.
EVEN LATER: What the hell. Read to 602. Tomorrow is going to be IT, man.
Day 29 (DDRD 1,388): August 20, 2021
Read to page 698. Finished. The end. Onward.
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