Eastman Kodak produced this black-and-white silent educational film as part of the company’s “Eastman Classroom Films” series. This particular film discusses the Panama Canal. It uses animated maps, title cards, and documentary footage to the Panama Canal’s construction and early use. The film is undated, but the Canal opened on August 15, 1914, Eastman produced many of their Classroom Films in the 1920s and into the 1930s, and the film is silent. It would have been accompanied by a study guide, and narration read aloud in the classroom by an instructor.

Film opens with a large steamer in the Canal, smoke billowing from smokestack; the Canal is narrow, docks line both sides and background mountains are visible (00:08). Shot from the other side of the hills, only the top decks, smokestacks, and masts of two passing ships visible over the hillsides (00:19). Title card: “A water highway through a mountain wall” (00:41). Three ships of steam around a Canal bend, rounding a steep rocky cliff (00:48). Title card: “The Panama Canal saves the long voyage around South America” (01:01). Map of North, Central, and South America, centered on Panama; the words “ATLANTIC OCEAN” and “PACIFIC OCEAN” slowly appear on their respective oceans; an animated circle appears around Panama as a line representing the canal moves across the isthmus (01:08). Shifts to a world map, still centered on Panama; the words “NEW YORK” and “SAN FRANCISCO” appear on their respective cities, and lines tracing shipping routes extend out from New York to San Francisco, showing a 16-day journey through Panama and a 40-day journey around South America (01:35). Title: “The French tried to cut through this mountain barrier” (02:11). Shot of jungle mountains (02:18). Title: “Malaria and yellow fever forced them to abandon the work” (02:30). Shot of the canal, mountains in fore and backgrounds (02:38). Title: “In 1904, the United States took up the task, Science had then found that mosquitoes carry malaria and yellow fever” (02:48). Shot of three men in knee-high swamp, examining water samples with pans (02:58). Title: “The breeding places of these mosquitoes were destroyed” (03:10). Laborers dredging swamp with shovels; man spraying swamp with hand-pumped backpack pesticide tank (03:15). Title: “When malaria and yellow fever were under control, work was begun” (03:36). Large mechanical dredge digging a path through mountains; loading debris onto locomotive cars; long trains carry away rocks and earth; smoke and dust fills the sky (03:44). Title: “The hills of Culebra were moved thirty miles to build Gatun Dam” (03:48). Trains pulling debris, smoke and steam billowing (04:46). Topographic map of Panama showing Gatun Dam location and subsequent flooding (05:05). Spills of the Gatun Dam being opened; plumes of roaring water (05:26). Title: “Thus Gatun Dam became a water bridge 85 feet above the sea” (05:56). Illustration of Atlantic and Pacific locks and the “water bridge” across Panama (06:05). Title: “Entering the canal from the Atlantic side” (06:55). Illustrated Canal map highlighting Gatun Locks (07:00). Aerial view of the locks (07:17). Title: “Locks like giant water elevators lift ships to the level of the lake” (07:33). Ship enters lock; towing engine running on tracks parallel (07:41). Massive gates of the lock close (08:23). Steamer now at Canal level (09:00). Steamer moves through Gatun Lake (09:21). Locomotive pulls train alongside banks of Gatun Lake; radio towers (09:55). Wide shot of steamer in Canal, mountains, train bridge; electrical poles (10:20). Steamer moving between steep banks of the Gaillard Cut (10:42). Wide aerial view of Gaillard Cut and Pacific Locks (11:33). Animated map of the Canal’s path introduces the “Pacific Locks;” aerial of the locks (12:08). A ship, “Mandalay,” chugs through the locks (12:15). A locomotive parallels the canal, pulling a ship through the locks with a cable (12:29). Steamer leaves the Pacific lock (12:44). Title card reads: “Thousands of ships from many lands use the canal each year” (13:31). Animation of a world map, centered on Panama, with words “RAW MATERIALS” being siphoned through Panama from the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans, followed by “FINISHED PRODUCTS” moving east to west back through Panama (13:45). Tugboat moving through Canal ahead of docked cargo vessels; longshoremen moving along wharf (14:45).

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com