The Panama Canal

Why a Canal? What were the benefits in building the Panama Canal?

Panama Railroad Ulysses S. Grant had sent several expeditions to Panama The French had built a railway that went across the Panama Isthmus, and 6000 people died building that railroad. It did however make 7 million dollars in 6 years.

French Progress Very little progress was being made. The landscape was too difficult. The constant rainfall would cause mudslides, which would ruin any work or progress the workers had made.

Flooding

Landslides

French & the Panama Canal Building the Canal was treacherous. Laborers died from Malaria and Yellow Fever –The official numbers is 60 died the first year, 420 died the next. The numbers were actually much greater, because to save money companies would fire sick men to save on medical bills.

Malaria and Yellow Fever The French had built one of the finest hospitals in the Western Hemisphere –3 out of 4 people in the hospital died In the garden of the hospital, the gardeners had filled the potted plants with water to protect them from ants. The water pots were breeding grounds for the mosquitoes

US Involvement Roosevelt spoke to congress saying, “No single great material work which remains to be undertaken on this continent, is as of such consequence to the American people.“ US purchased the territory and building equipment from France for 40 million dollars.

US Brings in John Stevens After engineer John Wallace failed his first year in Panama, it looked like the building of the Canal would be an impossible task. The US brings in John Stevens, who had built the great Northern Railroad, to replace Wallace. This Ultimately Saves the Canal Project. Stevens decided that this project could only be done by a well housed, well fed, disease free labor force. So the first thing Stevens does is not build but clean.

US Fixes Disease Problem Dr. William Gorgas had solved the mosquitoe problem in Havana a few years earlier, so they brought him to Panama. US paved roads, sprayed, and drained swamps.

US built barracks Established a trading center

Building of the Canal Digging

Digging the Culebra Cut Digging

Blasting

Progression Building of the Canal Locks

Culebra Cut

Flood the Locks and the Canal is Built Flood the Locks and the Canal is Built

How the Locks Work

How Locks Work part 2

Completion The opening of the waterway to world commerce on August 15, 1914, represented the realization of a heroic dream of over 400 years. The 50 miles across the isthmus were among the hardest ever won by human ingenuity. Gatun Lake

Fun Facts A ship traveling from New York to San Francisco can save 7'872 miles using the Panama Canal instead of going around South America. In the fiscal year 1994 there where 14'029 transits, which carried million long tons of cargo and paid US $ million in tolls. The highest Canal toll was US $ 141, paid by the Crown Princess and the lowest toll ever paid was 36 cents by Richard Halliburton for swimming the Canal in The average time spent in transit from port to port is approx hours. Until Lake Mead was formed by the building of the Hoover Dam, Gatun Lake was the largest artificial body of water in the world.