







I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY COMMENT.
William R. Taylor
Richard Halliburton biography – BOLD adventurer, globe trotter |
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![]() 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
3 Comments
Gryphonisle
7/11/2019 01:40:19 am
I come to Mr. Halliburton via the last of the "Tales of The City" series, and I am intrigued. I imagine there were lots of perspectives by which to see him up until a very recent period, but, with social media losers crushing the "Super Bloom" to get a good picture, and others leaving nothing but their camera after being blown by a gust of wind off a wall of the Grand Canyon (or was it Yosemite, how easy it is to forget) also trying to get a good instagram shot, I have to think of Mr. Halliburton as more of the adventurer. Sure, there is an attention seeking component even way back then, but given the challenges you just highlighted, and which I would never have considered (having also never considered swimming the Panama Canal) I still think he earned the term, backed up by the rest of his life's accomplishments, and his ultimate death at sea, in a Junk, Adventurer.
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7/13/2019 01:56:53 pm
I would have replied to your colorful and imaginative comment sooner, Gryphonisle, but strange website changes by Weebly caused delays. Yes, Halliburton was the ultimate adventurer but that was only a minimal facet of that fascinating, complicated man. He was full of life aesthete, passionate in his beliefs, daring in his actions, thoroughly grounded in his knowledge of history, geography, and fine literature. He dared the fates grandly, wrote and lectured about those successes breathlessly, then departed this world in the same grand manner. For fuller details of this unique life, please read “A Shooting Star Meets the Well of Death, Why and How Richard Halliburton Conquered the World,” then write a review whether you are impressed or otherwise.
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3/24/2022 09:15:29 am
Very interesting information about the canal on your blog that would be trusted to all. I hope the number of people able to explore about the history here. Thanks for the recommending blogging information these are updated.
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