The Big Ditch

About the Book

This tale involves two different groups of people-the French and the Americans. The French began preparations to dig the Panama Canal in 1880, abandoned the effort in 1904, and the Americans completed the job in 1915.

The most important person in this story is Colonel (Doctor) William Gorgas, the man who came to the Canal Zone in 1904 to do exactly what he had been able to do in Havana nine years earlier-defeat yellow fever and malaria.

This is the story of how he defeated these merciless diseases and enabled the building of the Panama Canal.

About the Author

Richard Braden is a retired aeronautical engineer; he served for many years in the U.S. Army and later in the U.S. Air Force. He received his PhD in Aeronautics at Oklahoma State University in the 1970s. This book is the third in a series of stories written for teenagers and young adults. The first book concerned the life and times of the people of the American Southwest in the 1850s (Cowboys and Indians), the second book retold the construction of the first transcontinental railroad in America in the 1870s (Promontory), and now the third book details the construction of the Panama Canal (The Big Ditch).

Richard and Patricia Braden live in Lone Tree, Colorado, where Pat is the Mayor Pro-Tem of the City. Richard?s email address is ?rbraden@comcast.net?. We look forward to hearing from you.