First concrete goes into the Panama Canal locks

For five years American engineers in Panama had mostly moved earth, not built anything permanent. On August 24, 1909, workers began pouring concrete for the canal's lock structures, the first fixed masonry of a project that had until then been dominated by excavation and dam-building along the Chagres River. The pour came just months after President-elect Taft's on-site inspection led to design changes confirmed by President Roosevelt. After that, work on the locks did not stop until the canal opened in 1914…