Panama Canal History

The history of Panama Canal speaks in volumes about the mammoth efforts that were required for the construction of this canal. It took around 80,000 workers, USD 366,650,000 and 10 years to complete this 48 mile (i.e. 77 km) long canal. Even though the length of Panama Canal is half that of Suez Canal, it took almost the same time and amount of money to complete the two. Before this canal came into existence, the US ships had to go all the way to the southern tip of the continent of South America and come up all the way to come to the Pacific coast of North America. A canal at the Isthmus of Panama shortened the distance and saved a lot of time and money required for this long journey.

Panama Canal: Before 20th Century
Even though the actual work on construction of this canal began in 1904, Panama Canal timeline goes back to the 16th century - when the then King of Spain commissioned a survey to check the feasibility of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, which could make the journey between Spain and Peru a lot easier. In course of time, several other administrations tried to build a canal across this isthmus, but none of these attempts turned out to be successful. These failures were predominantly attributed to the inhospitable conditions prevailing in this region. The construction of Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, in 1860s came as a major boost for the idea of constructing a similar canal at Panama to connect the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. When the French administration attempted to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama in 1880, around 21,900 workers died due to various diseases and natural calamities.

The Green Signal in 20th Century
By beginning of the 20th century, almost the entire world - including the United States of America, had realized the importance of building a canal over the Isthmus of Panama. In fact, this canal was of strategic importance for the United States of America. Eventually, the Isthmian Canal Commission, formed by the US Congress to assess the feasibility of this project, gave a nod for the construction of this Central American canal. The problem, however, surfaced when the South American nation of Colombia rejected the US proposal of constructing this canal. In turn, the US administration supported the Panamanian rebels in their war of independence, and finally Panama became an independent nation - the Republic of Panama in 1903. The new government of Panama signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty with the United States on 18th November, 1903, and gave the United States the control over this part of the country from 23rd February, 1904.

Construction of the Panama Canal
Finally the much anticipated moment of the Panama Canal history arrived on 4th May, 1904, when the actual construction of this canal began after the United States administration acquired the French equipment and excavations for a sum of USD 40 million. An American engineer - John Frank Stevens, was appointed the Chief Engineer for the project from 1905 to 1907. Stevens put forth the argument that this canal had to be a canal built with dams and locks, instead of a sea level canal as attempted previously by the French administration. After getting a nod for this proposal from the then administration under the leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt, Stevens also restarted the Panama railway line and facilitated proper accommodation for the workers employed. This ensured that all the health problems which haunted the previous attempts of canal construction were kept at the bay, and the number of deaths was reduced significantly.

Completion and Opening of the Panama Canal
Gradually, the French equipment was replaced by new equipment which was more efficient and increased the speed of work. In 1907, George Washington Goethals - a US army officer and civil engineer, took over as the Chief Engineer of the project from Stevens. The rest of the work on Panama Canal was done under the supervision of Goethals, and finally the canal was completed in 1914. One of the most interesting Panama Canal facts is that the construction of this canal finished two years prior to the deadline of 1st June, 1916. The most awaited moment finally came on 15th August, 1914, - the day which marked the formal opening of Panama Canal by an American steamship - SS Ancon. The Republic of Panama got the full control of the Panama Canal on 31st December, 1999, as per the stipulations Torrijos-Carter Treaties of September 1977.

It took the US authorities almost a decade and a sum of USD 366,650,000 to complete the construction of this canal. The end result was quite remarkable in itself, and the distance between New York and San Francisco was reduced to 5,900 miles from 14,000 miles around Cape Horn. As of today, this canal is managed by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) which comes under the direct control of the government of Panama. When the Panama Canal expansion project initiated by the ACP gets completed in 2014, the capacity of this canal is expected to become double of what it is now.