It almost seems as if Panamanian tour guides, tourist ship narrators, and authors writing articles about the Panama Canal are compelled by law to stress that the lowest toll of 36 cents was charged for transit of that hallowed body from end to end. Travel adventurer/author/amateur swimmer Richard Halliburton pulled off that feat in August, 1928, but further details of his singular accomplishment are usually missing.
Halliburton’s exploit of swimming the canal from end to end is almost always passed off as a prank engineered by a serial attention-seeker solely to advertise his travel adventure books. This is hardly a just assessment of his very physical and lengthy accomplishment.
The feat was an arduous and dangerous struggle which took place over a 10-day period during which he managed to cover about 47 miles while in the water for a total of 50 hours. Alligators, sharks, barracudas, and sunburn, not to mention the ever- present bacteria which could easily bring on serious and often fatal tropical diseases, were daily, constant hazards. Among the other hazards encountered were his accidentally bumping of a dozing alligator, a freighter which nearly ran him over, a case of severe sunburn and a surprise stalking by barracudas that suddenly appeared on the last day before he emerged victorious at Panama City.
At least some protection against the always present reptiles and dangerous marine life was provided by a 6-foot-8 Army sharpshooter on constant duty in a rowboat usually never more than 6 feet away. The sergeant had to prove his vigilance and the accuracy of his rifle more than once.
Although Halliburton had been the first American to swim the Hellespont, had leapt into the Mayan Well of Death twice, and had navigated the garbage-strewn canals of Venice, he was by no means an accomplished swimmer. Many ships’ passengers and well-wishers cheered him on but many also jeered his awkward side-stroke. Despite the catcalls, he gamely paddled away. At this stage of his life he was accustomed to critics.
The passage by the “S. S. Halliburton” through the canal was treated by the operators as routinely as the passage of the many other vessels which steamed through. Just like any other vessel, 27,000,000 cubic feet of water was necessary to lift him 85 feet into Gatun Lake. The toll he was required to pay, like any of the other ships, was based upon his tonnage. Since he weighed 140 pounds, or one thirteenth of a ton, he was charged 36 cents.
Halliburton survived the ordeal and all the physical strain, sunburn discomfort and sore muscles that came with it but he reported that he almost had a heart attack later when the plane carrying his 9000-word story of the Panama Canal experience crashed. Because he did not keep a carbon copy he had to hastily do a re-write from notes and memory to meet a deadline.
The Panama Canal swim was just one of Halliburton’s many risky adventures but it is the one he may be most remembered for because it is so frequently and faithfully mentioned. For further details of his many other incredible adventures, please see the well-researched biography, A Shooting Star Meets the Well of Death, Why and How Richard Halliburton Conquered the World.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? WAS HALLIBURTON A COURAGEOUS ADVENTURER, A FOOLISH PUBLICITY HOUND, A RECKLESS FOOL OR SOMETHING ELSE?
I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY COMMENT.
William R. Taylor
I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY COMMENT.
William R. Taylor
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