1. Rio Chagres (the river that became the Panama Canal)
was liable to sudden flooding.
The flooding multiplied the river's
flow a hundred times in a few hours.
2. The plan for a sea-level canal was changed into
a canal with locks.
This presented various problems.
The problems were finally
solved by the Americans.
3. A huge dam was to be built on Gamboa.
The dam would hold the water
coming down from the hills.
4. Headquarters were set up at Panama and Colon.
After that the work itself
began.
5. The 40,000 workers on the Canal included the French
painter Gauguin.
He toiled with a shovel
for a few months in 1886.
6. Ferdinand de Lesseps was the main manager
of the work on the Panama Canal.
Philippe Bunau-Varilla,
25, is responsible for finishing the project.
7. de Lesseps was in charge of the project.
Ironically, according to
Bunau-Varilla, de Lesseps "was not an engineer and did not like
engineers."
8. The workers were controlled by a supervisory staff
of 700 Europeans.
Unfortunately, they had
to be frequently replaced.
9. The canal was finally opened in 1915.
The canal is 50 miles long.