[taxcontrol]

I foresee two things to aid the canal, both are expensive solutions.

1) build a rail system for container ships that would offload from one side cross the Panama hills and then load on other ships on the other side.

2) desalination plants that pump fresh water up to Gatun lake.

[bunster]

“Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea” by Gary Kinder. One of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read.

Tells of the passengers and First San Francisco minted gold out of the Calif Gold Rush being shipped to New York in 1857.

Ship leaves San Francisco in Sept 1857 - travels South to Panama where cargo and passengers are off-loaded. Mules and oxen pulling wagons and carts are used to cross over the 50 miles or so of country of Panama (pre-canal) to the Atlantic side. Here they load the Gold and passengers onto the SS Central America (a side-wheeler, btw) to complete trip up the East Coast of US to NY City.

Fabulous history.

And, surprisingly, I have not told you the good part — the adventure then begins.

[railroader]

1) build a rail system for container ships that would offload from one side cross the Panama hills and then load on other ships on the other side.

The Panama Canal Railway already does this. Capacity would need to increase though.