Colón Province - Panama - page 398

Not only are the Gatún Locks the largest of the three current sets, but their size is
simply mind-boggling. In The Path Between the Seas, David McCullough notes that, if
stood on its end, a single lock would have been the tallest structure on earth at the time it
was built, taller by several meters than even the Eiffel Tower. Each chamber could have
accommodated the Titanic with room to spare.
Workers poured a record-setting 1,820,000 cu meters of concrete to construct the
Gatún Locks. The concrete was brought from a giant mixing plant to the construction site
by railroad cars that ran on a circular track. Huge buckets maneuvered by cranes carried
the wet concrete from the railroad cars and poured it into enormous steel forms. Loco-
motives moved the forms into place. This protracted process continued virtually uninter-
rupted until the Gatún Locks were completed after four years.
A viewing stand opposite the control tower offers a prime view of the locks in action.
The two-hour process is the most interesting stage of the canal transit and the English
brochure clearly describes what you're watching.
Buses to the Gatún Locks leave the Colón bus terminal hourly (US$1.25, 20 minutes).
If you arrive by taxi you can stop here before heading on to Gatún Dam - another 2km
away. A taxi ride from Colón to the locks and dam and back should cost US$60 per
party, but agree on a price before leaving.
Gatún Dam OUTDOORS
The Gatún Dam, which was constructed in 1908 to shore up the Río Chagres and to cre-
ate Lago Gatún, was the world's largest earthen dam at the time. Before Lake Mead was
formed by the 1936 completion of the Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona (USA) bor-
der, Lago Gatún was the world's largest artificial body of water.
In fact, when Lago Gatún was created it submerged 262 sq km of jungle, entire vil-
lages (which were relocated) and large sections of the Panama Railroad. Today, power
generated by the dam drives all the electrical equipment involved in the operation of the
Panama Canal, including the locomotives that tow ships through the locks.
Although the sight of the dam is impressive enough, if the spillway is open you can
watch millions of gallons of water rushing out. Before going, ask the guard at the en-
trance to the Gatún Locks if the spillway is open.
If you arrive at the Gatún Locks by bus, then it's a leisurely 30-minute walk to the
dam. To get there, cross over the bridge spanning the Gatún Locks, turn left and follow
the road for approximately 2km.