A Quick History

The Spanish explorer, Vasco Nunez de Balboa led an expedition from the Atlantic across the Isthmus of Darien in 1513 and discovered ‘another great ocean’.  He named it the ‘Sea of the South’. We know it better as the Pacific Ocean.

In 1671 the famous Welsh pirate Henry Morgan ransacked Panama City. He arrived at  the fort of San Lorenzo (Atlantic side) with around 2000 pirates. Sailed up the Chagres River with 1200 men. Hacked their way through the jungle to reach Panama on the Pacific side. The Spanish were waiting, but the hungry pirates fought and captured the city. It was subsequently destroyed by fire.  Most treasures were buried in the blaze or melted. however, Morgan recouped his money by ransoming the Spanish population back to their loved ones. The destroyed city with its churches and cathedral were never rebuilt and the new Panama sprang up 6 miles to the west.

Between 1698-1700 Scotland tried to establish a colony in the Darien Gap. William Patterson (founder of the Bank of England) was one of the major figures involved. The disaster that unfolded indirectly led to the act of union with England in 1707.

Gold was discovered in California in 1848. The USA did not get a cross-continent railway route till 1869, so other ways to cross East >West were needed. From 1849 large amounts of Prospectors (the old 49’ers) from eastern states used the Isthmus of Panama to access the Pacific coast. They travelled by ship to Colon and trekked by mule, canoe and foot to Panama City for onward travel to San Francisco. 

The sudden surge in need to cross the Isthmus led to a railway (47.5 miles long) being built by American William Aspinwall’s company. Work started in 1850. It was finally finished in 1855, costing between 5000 – 10,000 lives.

From the 1800’s  there were several expeditions/surveys to gauge the best route to bridge the oceans. (American visits being the most thorough).19 different routes were considered. These then were then reduced as the century progressed to three strong candidates.

1. Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico (around 134 miles ocean to ocean)
2. Nicaragua using Lake Nicaragua as part of the route (around 150 miles ocean to ocean)
3. Isthmus of the province of Panama in New Granada (Columbia).around 50 miles ocean to ocean

A Quick History :

• 1875  : Ferdinand De Lesseps (Hero Of Suez Canal creation)  proposes a canal linking Atlantic and Pacific oceans
• 1876 : 1st  French Expedition to Darien. Suggest canal follows the Panama railway including a 9-mile tunnel
• 1877 : 2nd  French Expedition (Reclus/Wyse) undertakes short survey and decides on a Sea Level Canal in Panama
• 1878  : Columbian President signs concession  with Lucien Bonaparte Wyse (the Wyse concession) to build the canal
• 1879 : Congress held in Paris with worldwide delegations to agree route. Panama wins by a majority.
• Universelle du Canal Interocéanique’ is formed to build a canal in Columbia across the isthmus of Panama province. Stock/Share issues raised to fund building the canal. Majority of funding is French individuals and institutions . Charles de Lessup, Ferdinand's son takes a senior role in the company
• 1880 : De Lesseps aged 75, arrives on the Isthmus. Ceremonial first turf dug by his 7-year-old daughter Ferdinande
• 1881 : Work starts with multiple contractors (French/Belgian/Dutch/American) and variety of kit. They buy the railroad

• 1881-84 : Work starts slowly. 1884 a good year, but problems mount. Multiple issues. An earthquake damages the railroad
• 1885-87 :  Chief engineer Dingler resigns in 1885. Only survivor of his family of four. 1885 worst year for disease deaths (Yellow fever/Malaria), average 200 per month. Fire destroys Colon. Panama separatists clash. De Lesseps (aged 80) arrives in 1886 for a 2-week visit.  Experts Estimate canal route only ¼ completed. The project is in trouble

• 1887-88 : Company finally admit sea level canal won’t work. Locks proposed. Gustav Eiffel’s company designs and begins fabrication. More Funds requested by Bond/Lottery offer. Bond subscription fails to meet target
• 1889 : Feb 4th Universelle du Canal Interocéanique company is liquidated
• 1892-93 : Scandal in France of company payments. Charles De Lessups and others jailed
• The Canal building equipment is abandoned and the Jungle starts to reclaim it

Reasons the French effort failed

• Sticking to trying to build a Sea Level canal (similar to Suez), till realising it was never feasible
• The infrastructure and equipment used couldn't cope with the task and the climate
• Deaths (over 20,000) and illness caused by Yellow fever and Malaria could not be controlled
• A private French venture that eventually lost the confidence of investors when more money was needed

The Next Steps

• The liquidator agrees extension of  Napoleon Wyse concession with Columbia till a new company can continue
• 1894 Compagnie Nouvelle du Canal Panama is created. Former canal contractors pushed to assist
• American interests buy the Railroad back
• Workers gone, but most machinery left.
• Project still runs with small workforce on a Care & Maintenance Basis
• Sea Level Canal gone. Plans now contain option to build a dam for the Chagres at Gamboa  and locks at each end
• 1901: The USA is interested in building a canal but their preference is through Nicaragua
• Panama Lobbyists in the form of ex-French chief engineer Philipe Bunau Varilla and prominent US attorney William Nelson Cromwell plan to change minds
• A series of events some connected/some unconnected create a change of mind for the USA

A Quick History :

• A series of events some connected/some unconnected create a change of mind for the USA
• 1898 Tensions in Spanish controlled Cuba lead to the Battleship USS Maine being sent to Havana to protect American interests. Shortly after arriving a huge explosion sinks the ship. with large loss of life The Americans suspect a Spanish Mine. The path to the Spanish-American War for control of Cuba and the Philippines is set.

• To bolster its fleet planning to attack the Spanish Navy in Cuba the US wants to add a Pacific based Battleship the USS Oregon. She steams around South America taking 66 days to complete her voyage. Oregon helps to eventually defeat the Spanish fleet in Cuba at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. America realises a canal through Central America would not only improve its coastal commerce but allow the Navy to operate in the two major Oceans much easier.

• 1901 President William McKinley is assassinated by an anarchist. His deputy Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt becomes President. Teddy is an expansionist and wants America to expand its horizons in the Pacific and Atlantic especially after gaining Cuba and the Philippines following the Spanish-American War.

• 1898-1902. US preference is for a Nicaragua Canal but two Panama Canal lobbyists change minds. Philipe Bunau Varilla a former Chief engineer in the French era and William Nelson Cromwell a New York Lawyer hired to assist in the choice of Panama. They lobby the US Government to choose and purchase the Panama route. One of their arguments is Nicaragua has lots of Volcanic activity which could effect canal build and operation..
• In May 1902 Mount Pelée in Martinique erupts and kills 30000 people. The lobbyists use this disaster as further proof that the Panama route is safer. Before the final vote in the US senate on a final choice Philipe Bunau Varilla sends every senator a letter with a Nicaraguan stamp on showing smouldering volcanoes. The final US vote is in the balance

• 1902 : June : the American senate votes 42/34 for a Panama Canal
• 1903 : The negotiations stall as Columbia wants to re-negotiate the final deal. The Lobbyists and Americans throw a curve ball. Panama separatists now become an alternative path.
• Doctor Manuel Amador Guerrero a Panamanian doctor (The Panama Railroads head physician) is the leader of a Panamanian separatist group looking to declare independence from Columbia and create a Panama republic. The USA/Roosevelt distrust of Columbia hands him a window of opportunity.
• Manuel Amador Guerrero and his followers plan and start a revolution in Panama City.
• Columbia hasn’t the military strength to overturn it
• America sends warships to either side of the Isthmus to deter Columbian interference in the uprising.
• 1903 : November 6th 1903 The former province of Columbia becomes the new independent Republic of Panama
• As part of the new agreement with Panama, America gains the rights to build a canal with 5 mile borders either side. This will come to be known as the 'Canal Zone'.

A Quick History :

The Challenges

• Deal with the Health/Disease problem
• Organisation (The right people and infrastructure)
• A Sea Level Canal or create a lake and join it with Locks
• Have the right Kit to perform the Build
• Have the Funding to do it

Technical Advances that helped build the Canal

• Compressed Air system installed through the Continent divide (Known as the Culebra Cut). Now air driven power tools could dig faster and deeper to plant dynamite

• Railway mounted earth movers that could excavate heavier loads of spoil. Bucyrus shovels did the lions share of the work

• Railway system that could remove rock/spoil quickly to designated areas. Scooped off wagons using Lidgerwood Unloader system. Rock and Spoil also used to create embankments or breakwaters at port entrances. Dirt Spreaders followed to prepare areas for next load

-

• Earthenware dam created (with a concrete spillway) to hold back the Chagres River. Created a huge artificial lake 85 feet above seal level which would be accessed by locks at the Atlantic and Pacific sides

-

• Build locks in pairs at Atlantic (three steps at Gatun) and Pacific (one step at Pedro Miguel and two steps Miraflores) to reach the 'Water Bridge' of Gatun Lake. Locks would be 1000 feet long and 110 feet wide. Large enough for any vessel in worldwide service or proposed at that time.

-

-

The Workers

• Over 40,000 workers were employed during the American Era They were segregated into Gold (predominately American) and Silver (Caribbean and European) classes. Gold workers enjoyed better pay and conditions. It was still a dangerous place to work and over 5000 deaths from disease and accidents were recorded.

The American personalities :

William Crawford Gorgas

Gorgas was appointed Chief Sanitation Officer for the Canal Zone. He has experience with Mosquito borne diseases in Cuba. The missing link between Mosquitos and Yellow Fever/Malaria is now made. Immediately he begins a programme. After a while it starts to improve the issue and cases begin to decline :

• Attack Mosquito breeding grounds
• Fumigate building/houses all over the Canal Zone
• Introduce plumbing in the major cities
• Isolate infected patients (with screens) to avoid mosquitos feeding on infected blood and moving the virus on

The First Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission

John Findlay Wallace💡

• Arrives May 1904
• Background in large Railway projects. Good past record
• Struggles to implement infrastructure changes to kick start the project
• Salvages some of the French kit (esp dredges)
• Struggles with other legacy kit and old railway
• In first year, Health on the Isthmus still not under control
• Favours Bucyrus large  steam shovels and places orders
• 7 man ICC commission team above him create bureaucracy and red tape problems
• Wallace's goal is still a Sea level Canal, but doubts remain that this is achievable
• Bubonic plague case in 1905 causes panic in workforce
• Starts to doubt his choice. Applies for another job in the USA
• June 1905 President Roosevelt accepts his resignation

The Railway Man who got the Canal Build on Track

The Second Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission

John F Stevens💡

• Arrives July 1905. His tenure became known as the Railway Era
• Considered one of the Finest Construction Engineers of his day
• History of  Bridges/Tunnels and Railroads. Dynamic and smart
• Stopped all digging in the Canal. Sort out infrastructure first
• Overhauled the whole railway network. Upgrade to double track and wider gauge
• Improved Houses/Repair yards/reservoirs/sewage systems and much more
• Gave Gorgas unlimited funds for sanitation division
• Bought in trusted workmates to the project
• Heavier plant. More workers. Free housing + medical care
• Analysed costs/consults experts and advises against sea level canal.
• June 1906 US senate votes 36/31 for canal with Locks
• Wins argument to construct Gatun Dam.  Tame the Chagres River
• Gatun Lake will create the Water Bridge for the canal.
• Will be biggest artificial lake  ever created so far, 164 square miles 85 feet above sea level
• Locks will be built at Atlantic and Pacific entrances to raise ships
• The project is going well.
• January 30th 1907. Out of the blue John F Stevens resigns. A shock !

The Third Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission

George Washington Goethals

• February 1907 Roosevelt appoints Goethals.
• A good past track record. A loner in life but earns respect.
• Appointed chairman and chief engineer. Ultimate power
• Earns nickname CZAR OF THE CANAL ZONE
• Brings in more good technical people
• Makes Canal wider, deeper and locks larger than originally planned
• Nurtures canal zone with more benefits and civic buildings for workers
• Workforce grows. Productivity surges
• Organizes Canal Zone construction structure into three divisions
• Pacific (Civilian Eng), Atlantic (Army Eng) and Central (Army Eng)
• Three US Presidents in his tenure  Roosevelt/Taft/Wilson
• Sees the Canal project through till its opening in 1914
• Awarded Civil Governor of the Panama Canal Zone on canal completion

A Quick History :