| The Panama Canal took nearly 400 years to | | | | South America, that the Spanish Government |
| build. | | | | finally showed an interest and authorised the |
| | | | construction of a Canal in Panama. It also |
| Having discovered the treasures of South | | | | allowed the creation of a company to carry |
| America and conquered the richest gold | | | | out the project. Once again the project never |
| producing countries there to provide backing | | | | really got going. |
| for wars in the Mediterranean and Europe, the | | | | |
| Spanish discovered it was a long way home. | | | | The 1848 Californian gold-rush led to various |
| | | | surveys being carried out as to the |
| The substantial quantities of gold found and | | | | feasibility of the canal between 1850 and |
| stolen from the native Indians in Peru, | | | | 1875. These showed only two possible routes, |
| Ecuador and Bolivia had a dangerous, time | | | | one across Panama, and the other in |
| consuming and very long journey before it | | | | Nicaragua. The Colombian government allowed |
| could be lodged in the Spanish Treasury. | | | | an international company to dig a canal in |
| Journeys of around 17,000 miles took years | | | | 1876 across their part of the isthmus, but |
| rather than weeks, with the storms of Cape | | | | the company failed. |
| Horn, pirates and sickness decimating many | | | | |
| ships that tried it. | | | | The builder of the Suez canal was then called |
| | | | upon and de Lesseps formed a French company |
| In about 1524 advisors to Charles V suggested | | | | to construct a sea-level canal in Panama. The |
| a shorter and safer route through the isthmus | | | | work was dogged by many serious problems, one |
| of Panama if a suitable cutting could be | | | | of the most fundamental being the tidal range |
| found to justify the enormous work necessary. | | | | in the Pacific of 20 feet whilst that of the |
| The treasures of South America were so | | | | Atlantic side only 1 foot. Other flaws in |
| colossal that a survey of the isthmus was | | | | route and design, as well as the tropical |
| ordered and in 1529 plans in some detail for | | | | weather problems eventually led to the |
| a canal between the Pacific and Atlantic | | | | abandonment of the project causing great |
| Oceans were forwarded to Spain. | | | | financial loss to many in 1899. |
| | | | |
| Spain at the time was too busy with wars in | | | | However the US stepped in and signed a treaty |
| Europe, and the plans were quietly forgotten. | | | | giving independence to Panama and a guarantee |
| However in 1534 another keen Spanish official | | | | that the ten mile 'Canal Zone' be protected. |
| put forward a different route for a Panama | | | | Work resumed in 1904 with a drastically |
| canal which was amazingly close to the route | | | | revised system of locks and in Panama history |
| in use today. Various other plans were made | | | | was made when the Canal was eventually opened |
| but the Spanish Kings ignored them all. | | | | in 1914 after many difficult years, and some |
| | | | 390 years after it was first considered. |
| It was not until 1819, probably as a result | | | | |
| of the work of the scientist Humboldt in | | | | Interested in this subject? |