Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is ship canal situated in Panama. The canal links the Atlantic Ocean  with the Pacific Ocean through the Caribbean Sea. It is approximately 81.8 kilometers (51 miles)  long (McCullough 27). The building of the Panama Canal was started in 1882 by the French  government and successfully completed in 1914 by the United States government after a forceful  takeover in 1903. The canal was officially opened in late 1914. 

Operations at the canal started  immediately after the official opening, with the first ship sailing through it on December 4, 1914  (McCullough 61). The site for building the Panama Canal was identified by European colonists  in Central America who drew various construction plans and schemes for the canal.

  Bennett asserts that the construction of the Panama Canal was inspired and aroused by  the successful completion of the Suez Canal in 1868 by the French government (39). In 1971, the  Columbian government gave the French government a concession to burrow and excavate a Surname 2  canal across the Isthmus. The building process of the canal was spearheaded by Ferdinand de  Lesseps, who was also the leader of the Suez Canal during its construction.

According to Bennett, most investors were impressed by the leadership, fortitude and  commitment of Ferdinand de Lesseps, thus they were certain that after successfully completing  the Suez Canal, Ferdinand would be able to complete the Panama Canal successfully as well  (55). This led to a massive investment of more than four million U.S. dollars into the project.

  In 1819, the Spanish government consented to build of a canal. Various research studies  and surveys were carried out to determine the best location for building the canal. The existence  of a narrow land-bridge between North and South America provided a unique opportunity to  create a waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. According to  Cameron, the first attempt to build a canal on this land-bridge by the colonists from France had  failed (84). Panama, Nicaragua and Isthmus were selected as the most suitable routes for a canal.  In 1975, it was decided that the canal should be located at Panama. Moreover, German scientist  Alexander von Humboldt revived the interest of building the shipway by suggesting that the  canal should be constructed at Panama.

  The construction involved use of a huge labor force of more than twenty thousand men.  Ninety percent of these workers were drawn from afro-Caribbean and West Indies. According to  McCullough, the building of the Panama Canal also attracted the best engineers from France  (130). However, the high death rate made it practically impossible to retain most of the  engineers. Most of the engineers left or died shortly after contracting diseases.

  Due to increased financial constraints, infections by tropical diseases and political  interferences, the building process was temporarily stopped between 1887 and 1889. In 1891, the  construction process resumed and by the beginning of 1903, only forty percent of the work had Surname 3  been completed. More than two hundred and thirty million U.S. dollars had also been spent on  the project (Cameron 103). In 1889, the French company constructing the canal collapsed due to  unidentified reasons. After the collapse of the first French company, a new company called  Compagnie Nouvelle du Canal de Panama was founded in 1895 to conclude the building  process.

Challenges faced during the Building of Panama Canal

Various challenges such as political interference, lack of professional expertise, improper  planning and outbreak of diseases were faced during the building of the Panama Canal. During  the construction period, thousands of workers died from infections caused by tropical diseases  such as malaria, yellow fever and cold feet (Isthmian Canal Commission, U.S. Health  Department 147). The death tolls were high because there were no known prevention and  treatment methods for the diseases. The total number of deaths recorded between 1883 and 1890  was estimated to be twenty-two thousands (Isthmian Canal Commission, U.S. Health  Department 227). The working environment also increased the exposure of the workers to  hazardous conditions that increased their chances of contracting tropical diseases. Housing of  workers was also a significant problem at the initial stages of the construction due to lack of  habitable buildings in the region.

 The building of the Panama Canal was also challenged with lack of engineering  expertise. Although an international engineering congress was convened in Paris in 1879, most  of the delegates were not engineers. For example, out of the one hundred and forty delegates,  only forty were engineers. Even Ferdinand who was the leader of the congress was not a Surname 5 professional engineer. The congress was largely composed of politicians (Cameron 255). This  led to increased political interferences.

  Similarly, the building of the Panama Canal also led to the separation of Panama from  Columbia, and consequently creation of the state of Panama. According to Cameron, the  separation of Panama from Columbia was illegal and involved various outrageous political  interventions such as supporting the pro-autonomy movements in Panama by the U.S.  government (271). According to Bennett, former U.S. President Roosevelt promised that the  United States Navy would provide support to the rebel movements if they revolted against the  Columbian government (186). In late 1903, Panama became independent and returned favors to  former President Roosevelt by allowing the United States to control the Panama Canal Zone as  from February 1904 at a cost of ten million U.S. dollars (McCullough 218). The zone finally  became a territory of the U.S. Moreover, more than one hundred U.S. legislators were found  guilty for involvement in the mismanagement and frauds that led to the collapse of the first  French company. In 1899, the U.S. government constituted the Isthmian Canal Commission  which reportedly recommended that a canal should be constructed through Nicaragua if France was not willing to sell out the Panama Canal to America. Consequently, the new French  company was forced to sell the facility to America in 1904.

About Author:

I am Thomas Britto here to share my experiences in the civil engineering field to all my readers.Today many students are struggling to buy books at high prices. So I decided to start a blog and share my experience and knowledge with all my readers.

Let's Get Connected: Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus