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Centuries
of Civil Engineering
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Nichols,
A.B., Office Engineer, Culebra, Canal Zone, Panama
Panama Canal Notebooks.
Manuscripts, typescripts, maps, blueprints,
and printed materials, circa 1906-1920.
94 volumes
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In July 1905, less than a year after A.B. Nichols began working on the
Panama Canal,. John F. Stevens replaced J.F. Wallace as Chief Engineer.
Stevens concentrated on preparatory activities, such as building adequate
housing for workers and an extensive railroad system. Everything in the
Isthmus moved by rail – steam shovels, cranes, workers, visitors,
concrete, and dirt. So it is hardly surprising that A.B. Nichols had an
entire notebook devoted to "Rolling Stock Diagrams", with
sketches and blueprints of railroad equipment that was supplemented with
an album of photographs. Stevens realized that the problem of
transportation was perhaps even more important in Panama that the problem
of excavation. This notebook hints at the extent of the railroad
operations, and the care that was taken in understanding the details of
all the equipment that was available for the project.
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