PANAMA CANALThe canal is joining the atlantic
and pacific oceans. It runs fromCristobal on lemon bay, a part of the
Caribbean sea, to Balboa, on the Gulf of Panama. The canal is slightly
more than 64 km long, not includingthe dredged approach channels at
either end. The minimum depth is 12.5 m,and the minimum width is 91.5
m. The construction of the canal ranks as one of the greatest
engineering works of all time. In history people had interest in a
shorter route from the Atlantic toPacific. This began with the explorers of
Central America early in the 16thcentury. Hernan Cortez was a spanish
conqeror of mexico who suggested a canal across the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec. Other explorers had favored routes through Nicaragua and
Darien. The 1 st for a canal through the Panama was started by Holy
Roman Emperor Charles V, Who in 1523 ordered a survey of the
isthmus. A working plan for the canal was drawn up as early as 1529, but
was shown to the king. In 1534 a spanish offical suggested a canal route
close to that of the present canal. Later more of thecanal plans were
suggested but no action was taken upon any of these plans suggested.
Later on there is more in the canal. The Spanish goverment
abandoned its interest in the canal but in the early 19 th century the
books of the Germam scientist Alexander von Humboldt brang back the
interestin the project of the canal, and in 1819the Spanish goverment
formally athorized the construction of a canal and the creation of a
company to build it. Nothing came of this effort, however, and the revolt
of the spanishcolonies soon took control of possible canal sites out of
spanish hands . The republics of Central America tried to interest groups
in the UnitedStates and Europe in building a canal, and it became a
subject of perennial debate in the congress of the United States. The
discovery of gold in California in 1848 and the rush of would-be miners
started the United States interest in digging the canal. Various surveys
made between 1850 and 1875 indicated that only two routes were
practical, the one across Panama and that across Nicargua. In 1876 an
international company was organized. Two years later it obtained a
consession from the Colombiangoverment. Panama was then part of
Colombia to dig a canal across theisthmus. The United States
involvement was the international company failed,and in 1880 a French
company was organized by Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps, the builder of
the Suez Canal. His company went bankrupt in 1889.United States
interest in a Atlantic-Pacific canal however continued. In 1899 the United
States congress created an Isthmian Canal comission to examine the
possibilities of a Central American canal and to recommenda route. The
commission 1 st decided on the Nicaragua route, but reversed its
decission in 1902 when the reorganization Lesseps company offered its
assets to the United States at the price of $ 40 million. The united States
goverment negotiated with the Colombian goverment to obtain a strip of
land 9.5 km wide across the isthmus, but the Colombian Senate refused
to ratify this consession. In 1903 , however , Panama revolted from
Colombia.That same year the United States and the new state of
Panama signed the Hay - Bunau - Varilla Treaty by which the United
States guaranteed the independance of Panama and secured a perpetual
lease on a 16 - km strip for the canal. Panama was to be compensated
by an initial payment of $ 10 million and an annuity of $ 250 , 000 ,
beginning in 1913 . The figure was later revised upward in 1936 to $ 430
, 000 , and in 1955 to $ 2 millionper year. The construction of the
canal in 1905 the Isthmus Canal Commission decided to build a canal
with locks rather than a sea level channel , and thisplan was approved by
the United States Congress the following year . President Theodore
Roosevelt put the construction work under the directionof the United
States Army Corps of Engineers . Colonel George W . Goethalls was
named to head the project . It was estamated that the canal would
be completed in ten years , however , it was in operation in the summer
of 1914 . The construction involved not only excavating an estamated
143 million cu m of earth , but also sanitizing the entire canal area ,
Which was infested with mosquitos thatspread yellow fever and malaria .
The sanatation was under taken by ClonelWilliam C . Gorgas of the
United States Army Medical Corps , who almost eliminated the dissease .
An unexpected difficulty in the actual constructionwas the prevailence of
slides of earth from the banks of the canal , partially in the Gaillard cut .
REexcavating after these such slides added about 25 % to the estamated
amount of earth moved . The final cost of the canal was $ 336 million .
In 1977 the United States and Panama agreed on two treaties to
replace their 1903 agreement . These treadies provided for Panama's
sovereignty over the canal zone shortly after their ratification and it
control of the canal itself at the beginning of 2000 , but left the United
States the right to defendthe canal even thereafter . The treaties took
affect in 1979 . PANAMACANAL The
canal is joining the atlantic and pacific oceans. It runs fromCristobal on
lemon bay, a part of the Caribbean sea, to Balboa, on the Gulf of
Panama. The canal is slightly more than 64 km long, not includingthe
dredged approach channels at either end. The minimum depth is 12.5
m,and the minimum width is 91.5 m. The construction of the canal ranks
as one of the greatest engineering works of all time. In history
people had interest in a shorter route from the Atlantic toPacific. This
began with the explorers of Central America early in the 16thcentury.
Hernan Cortez was a spanish conqeror of mexico who suggested a canal
across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Other explorers had favored routes
through Nicaragua and Darien. The 1 st for a canal through the Panama
was started by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Who in 1523 ordered a
survey of the isthmus. A working plan for the canal was drawn up as
early as 1529, but was shown to the king. In 1534 a spanish offical
suggested a canal route close to that of the present canal. Later more of
thecanal plans were suggested but no action was taken upon any of
these plans suggested. Later on there is more in the canal. The
Spanish goverment abandoned its interest in the canal but in the early 19
th century the books of the Germam scientist Alexander von Humboldt
brang back the interestin the project of the canal, and in 1819the Spanish
goverment formally athorized the construction of a canal and the creation
of a company to build it. Nothing came of this effort, however, and the
revolt of the spanishcolonies soon took control of possible canal sites out
of spanish hands . The republics of Central America tried to interest
groups in the UnitedStates and Europe in building a canal, and it became
a subject of perennial debate in the congress of the United States. The
discovery of gold in California in 1848 and the rush of would-be miners
started the United States interest in digging the canal. Various surveys
made between 1850 and 1875 indicated that only two routes were
practical, the one across Panama and that across Nicargua. In 1876 an
international company was organized. Two years later it obtained a
consession from the Colombiangoverment. Panama was then part of
Colombia to dig a canal across theisthmus. The United States
involvement was the international company failed,and in 1880 a French
company was organized by Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps, the builder of
the Suez Canal. His company went bankrupt in 1889.United States
interest in a Atlantic-Pacific canal however continued. In 1899 the United
States congress created an Isthmian Canal comission to examine the
possibilities of a Central American canal and to recommenda route. The
commission 1 st decided on the Nicaragua route, but reversed its
decission in 1902 when the reorganization Lesseps company offered its
assets to the United States at the price of $ 40 million. The united States
goverment negotiated with the Colombian goverment to obtain a strip of
land 9.5 km wide across the isthmus, but the Colombian Senate refused
to ratify this consession. In 1903 , however , Panama revolted from
Colombia.That same year the United States and the new state of
Panama signed the Hay - Bunau - Varilla Treaty by which the United
States guaranteed the independance of Panama and secured a perpetual
lease on a 16 - km strip for the canal. Panama was to be compensated
by an initial payment of $ 10 million and an annuity of $ 250 , 000 ,
beginning in 1913 . The figure was later revised upward in 1936 to $ 430
, 000 , and in 1955 to $ 2 millionper year. The construction of the
canal in 1905 the Isthmus Canal Commission decided to build a canal
with locks rather than a sea level channel , and thisplan was approved by
the United States Congress the following year . President Theodore
Roosevelt put the construction work under the directionof the United
States Army Corps of Engineers . Colonel George W . Goethalls was
named to head the project . It was estamated that the canal would
be completed in ten years , however , it was in operation in the summer
of 1914 . The construction involved not only excavating an estamated
143 million cu m of earth , but also sanitizing the entire canal area ,
Which was infested with mosquitos thatspread yellow fever and malaria .
The sanatation was under taken by ClonelWilliam C . Gorgas of the
United States Army Medical Corps , who almost eliminated the dissease .
An unexpected difficulty in the actual constructionwas the prevailence of
slides of earth from the banks of the canal , partially in the Gaillard cut .
REexcavating after these such slides added about 25 % to the estamated
amount of earth moved . The final cost of the canal was $ 336 million .
In 1977 the United States and Panama agreed on two treaties to
replace their 1903 agreement . These treadies provided for Panama's
sovereignty over the canal zone shortly after their ratification and it
control of the canal itself at the beginning of 2000 , but left the United
States the right to defendthe canal even thereafter . The treaties took
affect in 1979 .