Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is one of civil engineering’s greatest triumphs, and undoubtedly one of the wonders of the modern world. It was completed in 1914 with a vision to provide safe and quick journey to travelling ships, and in the process, connected two of the world’s largest oceans — Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. For ships travelling between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, the 48-mile long canal is a blessing as it saves 8000 miles of journey and a lot of time that would have been spent travelling through the southern tip of South America. The Panama Canal remains active today — even after 99 years of its completion — which is a testament to its visionary architectural design and the skills of all engineers involved in the project.

Where exactly is Panama?

The Republic of Panama connects South and Central America. Before 1903, it was part of Colombia but since independence, it has carved a separate identity for itself. It is present between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and has an estimated population of 3.4 million.

Background

In the 1880s, the French government tried to construct a sea-level canal under the leadership of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal. The project had substantial financing and support of the French government, but was abandoned midway since it proved to be too expensive and risky. Nearly 22,000 workers died due to unforeseen diseases (malaria and yellow fever) in the area, and although the French tried to resurrect the project in the 1894, all efforts failed. The US Government showed interest in completing the project but the Colombian government was against it. Hence, in 1903, the US supported a revolution that led to the creation of Panama, and almost immediately, set into motion the plan to build the canal. French businessman Philippe Bunau-Varilla was instrumental in negotiating a treaty with the United States which is now known as The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty. The treaty allowed the United States to build the Panama Canal which was completed under the direction of Colonel George Washington Goethals in 1914. But it was John Frank Stevens, the first chief engineer of the project, who should be credited with the completion of the project. Not only did he successfully argue the case against the sea-level canal but also convinced the President of United States Theodore Roosevelt to go for the untried and untested lock system, that helped in making the Canal a modern marvel of the world!

The Panama Canal locks

John Frank Stevens believed that by building a large dam and managing a lake system with three double sets of locks, the level of travelling ships could be raised and lowered on either end of the Panama Canal. The total length of the lock structures is over three kilometres, and each lock is built double, so that the traffic can flow in two lanes. The locks also limit the size of ships travelling in Panama Canal, and the maximum size is now known as Panamax.There were many factors that helped Stevens succeed where the French failed. He was instrumental in first getting rid of the dangerous mosquitoes in the area that were killing the French. He also built houses as well as hotels, cafeterias and other infrastructures needed by the workers, so that they could work and reside in reasonable safety and comfort. As a result, the workers stayed back and got the job done, even after Stevens left in 1907. The project took 10 years and nearly 42,000 workers to complete and still provides passage to ships travelling in the largest oceans of the world.

The Canal

The Panama Canal is an important conduit for international maritime trade. Before it was opened in 1914, ships used to take a route through the tip of South America, which was neither safe nor time-saving. After 1914, the route was cut down considerably and traffic increased due to it being a safe passage. There is also a Panama Canal expansion project in the works which is likely to complete by 2015. After the expansion, even larger ships would be able to pass through the canal, increasing the amount of goods that can pass through this wonder of the modern world.