Panama Canal Research Paper

The Panama Canal is a vital asset to the world. Extending 50 miles across the Panama isthmus to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, it has benefited 160 countries and 1700 ports. Behind the current advantages it offers, there is a rich history and a complex process that have helped bring the canal to life.

Commerce and travel was becoming increasingly important in the 1800’s. The world needed a shorter, cheaper, and more convenient way for ships to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The result was the Panama Canal. Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique, a French company directed by Ferdinand de Lesseps, was awarded a concession to construct the canal by the Colombian government in 1881. The idea appealed to the public

Enthusiasm from President Theodore Roosevelt and Senator Mark Hanna turned the United States in favor of the project. In 1904, the United States had made progress throughout the whole canal route. Workers encountered several problems along the way. For one, workers faced a humid, tropical jungle swelling with unbearable heat and exotic diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. The geography also challenged engineers due to its variation. Some areas were covered by vast marshes, while mountains graced the surfaces of other regions. Landslides, dynamite, and mud slides posed a threat to workers. On top of all of that, the Chagres River, running from the highlands of northeastern Panama to the Atlantic Ocean, would often flood and experience extreme fluctuations in water level. A solution to this issue came with the arrival of Chief Engineer John Frank Stevens. He proposed a lock-style canal that was similar to Lépinay’s original

First, vessel documents must be thoroughly examined and recorded in order for the ship to be approved for transit. The locks, built in pairs to allow boats to travel in both directions at the same time, are controlled by the gravity flow of water from the surrounding lakes and rivers. Electric motors in the lock walls power the gates, which are also monitored from a control tower. Only smaller vessels are permitted to drive through the canal without assistance. Large vessels are guided by electric towing boats on cogtracks that keep ships centered in the lock. Before a ship enters the lock, a fender chain stretched between the walls of the approach needs to be passed. If all is well, the chain is lowered to the bottom of the canal into its groove. In the case that a ship passes through too fast, the chain stretches as the ship runs against it. The chain will then slowly dispense as the vessel slows. All in all, the average time it takes for complete transit is 10