The main obstruction at Panama
Subject(s): Canals--Design and construction, Panama, Panama--Panama Canal, Railroads, Trusts, Industrial, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character), United States, Wallace, John Findley, 1852-1921
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A bloated businessman labeled “Railroad Interests,” smoking a cigar and wearing a gold necklace of railroad passenger cars, sits on the hillside at the Culebra Cut in Panama. He is speaking to Uncle Sam, who is standing on the edge of the Cut, his coat over one arm and holding a pick-axe with the other. Stuffed head-first, in the businessman’s pocket, is John F. Wallace, chief engineer of the canal construction until his resignation in 1905. Caption: Gentleman in the Background — Sam, here’s an engineering problem for you. If it’ll take ten years to cut through Culebra, how many years will it take to cut through me?
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1905-07-19
Creator(s)
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The main obstruction at Panama. [July 19, 1905]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278121. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. The main obstruction at Panama. [19 Jul. 1905]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278121.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1905, July 19]. The main obstruction at Panama.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278121.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.