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Article: Panama and Suez.(builder of the Suez Canal fails in his attempt to build a Panama Canal)
- Article from:
- Cobblestone
- Article date:
- April 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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TWO ENGINEERING MARVELS
For Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps, his failure on the Panama Canal could not have been more devastating. The "Great Engineer," as he was called, created the Suez Canal, a miracle of engineering built in the mid-1800s to link the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Surely he could repeat his success with a new canal across the Isthmus of Panama. "I maintain," de Lesseps said, "that Panama will be easier to make, easier to complete, and easier to keep up than Suez."
But eight years after de Lesseps began his canal across Panama, his company was bankrupt, and his dreams shattered. Although Panama and Suez serve similar purposes, ...