"To shrink the world by half" -- Part. 1. The Panama Railroad -- The Panama Railroad, 1849-1855 -- Part 2. The French canal -- The French canal, 1881-1904 -- Part 3. The US construction of the Panama Canal, 1904-1914 -- Who went, how and why -- What they endured, 1904-1907 -- The work they did there, 1904-1914 -- The lives they lived, 1904-1914 -- How they loved, laughed and prayed -- Part 4. The Post-construction years and the return home -- Life in Panama after construction ended -- What they brought back home
Summary:
The epic story of the involvement of the tiny islands of the West Indies in providing the work force for the construction of the Panama Canal (1904-1914) and before that, the Panama Railroad (1850-1855), and the French attempt under de Lesseps to build the Panama Canal (1881-1889). Written by a West Indian, the book allows the voices of the participants to tell their stories alongside the official accounts.
