The French-Made Panama Canal
The French Contribution to the Panama Canal
Yellow fever, malaria, inadequate equipment, ill-considered techniques and corruption were some of the problems that plagued the French attempt to dig the Panama Canal.
Splitting the Continents
It was the 1880’s when all things seemed possible and there was the small matter of a canal needing to be constructed that would, in effect, split whole continents at the Isthmus of Panama. Ferdinand de Lesseps, famously known as the "hero of Suez" for his role in making the Suez Canal in Egypt, was called on to do the job.
Fresh from his triumph at Suez, de Lesseps promised his French countrymen that, though the job was incredibly difficult for ordinary non- de Lesseps mortals, he could do it --snap -- like that.
De Lesseps formed a company called the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique. Promotional press coverage in French papers screamed of impending success. It was the project that could not or would not fail with de Lesseps faithfully on the job. Stocks in the company were sold. There was a much-ado stir of excitement.
The mastermind de Lesseps proclaimed that he would need 400 million francs to see the project through to the end. His fellow French countrymen stock investors, it seemed, were unworthy of him and only coughed up an initial 30 million, or 8% of the total needed.
Undaunted, de Lesseps and his company began work in 1882. The route chosen was along a train track from 1855.
Mistress Death and Mistress Misfortune Pay a Visit to the Canal Project
Trouble not spelled with a small "t" afflicted the project from the outset. Workers began dropping like flies to yellow fever and malaria. Thousands of man hours were lost while afflicted workers groaned from their hospital beds for weeks on end, while the less fortunate were buried with the customary last rites at an alarming rate.
The rocky ground of the area chosen proved too much for the earth-moving equipment. "Fine," said someone; "let’s see if we can loosen things up with some dynamite. Whoever heard of a problem not being solved with dynamite?"
Philippe Bunau-Varilla now seemed to be the man of the hour. His method for dynamiting the rocks underwater and dredging up the rubble seemed like it would be just the ticket. (In fact, years later, when the Americans would take over where the French left off, it was Philippe Bunau-Varilla who was heavily relied upon as their main dynamite-and-dredging man.)
When Even a Hero Fails to Save the Day
Meanwhile, de Lesseps, who was projected to be the lead hero of the project, proved to be something of a cantankerous, dribbling, stubborn old grouch. De Lesseps insisted on a sea-level canal ("This worked well enough for me at Suez, and what’s good enough for Suez must be good enough for Panama, you ingrates") though the smart money was on a lock canal which would be both cheaper and easier to do, according to studies before the project started.
Things came to a head in 1885. The non-virtues of excavating a sea-level canal had become apparent to even the most cantankerous of old grouches, so the focus now switched to making a temporary lock. Other overdue adjustments were also implemented -- but it was all for naught.
A Once Promising Company Goes Belly Up
All good things and bad things and misguided canal projects must come to an end someday. De Lesseps’ company was liquidated in 1889 and what money there was that could be found was used to pay back the banks and investors who had so faithfully put their trust in de Lesseps and his now discredited crackpot Panama Canal pipe dream.
Nonetheless, the machinery, equipment, maps and value of the land already excavated added up to a pretty and attractive penny, so that a new company, the Compagnie Nouvelle du Canal de Panama, came into play to complete the unfinished Panama root-canal job. The company was short-lived, however, and eventually yielded to a Yankee attempt at building the canal.
De Lesseps Presents His Backside to the Court
Meanwhile, de Lesseps’ backside was hauled into court as well as the backsides of several other cohorts. Though condemned and called one or more unkind names, de Lesseps never did receive any fine or jail term. And only one of the involved ever saw the inside of a cell.
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