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A Canal through Panama

The Panama Canal is a human-made waterway between North and South America. Before the canal was built, ships had to travel around South America to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean. The new waterway through the country of Panama created an easier route for ships. However, building the Panama Canal turned out to be harder than anyone expected.

In the late 1800s, France tried to build a canal through Panama. The country had thick jungles, though. This caused workers to suffer a lot. There were poisonous snakes, insects and spiders in the jungle. Heavy jungle rains also caused many accidents for the workers. Worst of all, mosquito bites caused yellow fever and other illnesses. But nobody knew the mosquitoes were to blame. So, the workers kept getting sick. Because of these hazards, France stopped working on the canal. It wasn’t safe for the workers.

In 1902, the United States decided to try to build the Panama Canal. John Stevens was put in charge of the project. Stevens improved the safety of the workers, so there were fewer accidents. He also improved workers’ housing. The new housing helped protect workers from the dangerous mosquitoes. Dr William Gorgas was also brought to Panama to help with mosquitoes. Gorgas’s team used special sprays to kill the mosquitoes. The team also put mosquito netting around the workers’ houses. After two years, there were almost no cases of mosquito-caused illnesses at the canal site.

Because of the efforts of Stevens and Gorgas, the Panama Canal finally opened in 1914. Since then, hundreds of thousands of ships have passed through the canal. It has helped move people and goods quickly between countries. Even so, the Panama Canal is still remembered as one of the hardest projects in history.