The+Building+of+the+Panama+Canal


 * The Panama Canal ||
 * Panamanian Revolution- || -The Building of the Panama Canal- || -Effects of the Canal on Panama- || -Effects of the Canal on the World ||

=The Building of the Panama Canal=

[|Ferdinand de Lesseps] began constructing the Panama Canal with the help of french workers in 1881. However, after 9 years of work, the French backed out of the project from fear of [|bankruptcy] ($287 million spent) and the loss of 25,000 workers due to many tropical diseases. [|Theodore Roosevelt] then took charge of the American project to build the Panama Canal in 1904, and the idea of a [|lock canal] was decided on in 1906. American troops were much more successful than the French, as they completed the project losing "only" 5,609 lives. The entire project cost $302 million, surprisingly about $23 million under the American budget. The canal was informally opened on August 3, 1914, six months ahead of schedule. Following the completion, major revisions were made to the canal. A third set of locks were added, a high-level bridge was built to cross the waterway, and the Panama Canal was widened to accomodate wider ships and two way traffic. Currently, only the largest modern merchant and fighting ships cannot pass through the canal. ([|Construction of the canal])