Ch. 1 - Anatomy of a failed project: the first Panama Canal project
The first Panama Canal project failed due to numerus reasons, lack of good project and risk management contributed a great deal to the negative outcome. Due to negligible investment in project management aided significantly in the decision to move forward with the project which directly resulted in large project issues leading to its ultimate failure.
An International Congress sponsored by Ferdinand de Lesseps was created to study the practicability of a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Central America. Ideas for construction, including a realistic “lock-and-dam” which is similar to how the canal that was ultimately built but before that Congress voted
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De Lesseps paid little attention to technical problems. De Lesseps supported the thought that need would return in innovation as it had at Suez, and the future would take care of itself.
$60 million US dollars was raised from investors through public offering, however, this is still less than one-third of the initial engineering cost which estimated to more than $200 million US dollars. During the trip De Lesseps made to Panama and New York to build support for the project, he did not engage technical experts as he should have.
Originally the estimates of the volume of excavation required started to rise, to 120 million cubic meters which triples the estimates provided in the original plan. Although the magnitude of the project effort rose, De Lesseps still made no public change to the cost estimates nor to the completion date of the project.
Ch. 2 - Sponsorship and initiation
After De Lesseps fail of the Panama Canal project it became just an, lessons learned but attractive opportunity for future. In 1901 President Theodor Roosevelt decided to make the Panama Canal apart of his legacy as president and he became a project sponsor. Roosevelt was a standard project sponsor unlike De Lesseps, Roosevelt gave management to others and providing engineering was one of the greatest additions to the
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George Goethals took John Stevens role, Goethals was an engineer with prior experience on smaller projects.
Project resources came from people factors as explained in the PERIL database. During John Stevens leadership after learning from the French past experiences Stevens felts that project success needed motivated, healthy, and productive work force. Before leaving Stevens was able to establish food, housing, organized, equipped work force with a plan.
Gorge Goethals agreed with Stevens view on motivation and in addition he wanted commitment to the project. Goethals build morale in the project, created a weekly newspaper calling it the Canal Record, the paper gave up to date progress on the project as well accomplishments and feedback on the project which created health competition as team members worked hard to get the name printed in the paper. Goethals held metal ceremonies for team member who put in 2 years of work, in addition Goethals had an open-door session for questions.
Although Goethals was a great motivator the greatest motivator came when the project sponsor and Sitting President Theodor Roosevelt came to visit. Roosevelt returned to the US and was able to make the people believe in the
At the beginning, may be the intentions were changing through its construction process. But it certainly the canal had the support of workers and opposition on top of this many people. A interesting aspect I could say it is that The Erie cans was financed by the New York Stated and...
Roosevelt presidency is distinguished by his deduction by making America one of the best country in the world. He demonstrates his desire of improving the status of America by making distinguished decision. The Panama Canal is an example. Known as one of the greatest engineering feats in all of history, the Panama Canal is an essential asset for international trade and travel today that President Roosevelt helped expedite the completion by providing tacit approval of the Panama revolution with funds and a naval blockade preventing Colombian troops from landing in Panama (McCullough 364). Although the U.S needed to get permission to build the canal from the country of Colombia, because Panama was part of that country, Roosevelt did not give up on the project since this idea was what many people wanted as an easier way to travel to and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Building the Panama Canal was an incredibly difficult challenge (David). However, there were other country at that time with the money and engineering talent to succeed on such a vast project but didn't have . As an example the French and many previous United State presidents had tried years before to attain this goal, but had ended by giving up since the work included gigantic engineering projects, such as the series of locks that raised the ships from sea level to the level of the canal, and then lowered them back to sea level at the other end (David). This canal portrayed a much greater use than travel and trade, it helped bring two worlds together. This amazing project also converted the Panama Canal Zone into a major area for American military forces, making the United States the dominant military power in Central America ( Miller Center). This action take by Roosevelt influence others, since he was the only president
During the Jacksonian Era, in America, there were many changes happening, one of which was western expansion. During this time, Louis and Clark had already explored the west, but people were dying to be able to trade, and live there. With the grueling journey that would effect anyone trying to reach the west, came a new notion, of a canal that reached from Lake Erie on towards the east. This canal could transport people, as well as goods back and forth from the newly explored territory. Eventually this dream successfully became a reality.
...dered the construction of the Panama Canal which connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Have you ever wondered why both the Panama Canal and the Great Wall of China are such iconic land marks for the countries they are in? It’s because of the magnitude of effort that took to create such massive structures. Hard work, blood, tears, sweat and certainly patience played part in the creation of such marvels. However the purpose behind each structure and the challenges builders faced during their construction is what truly sets them apart.
Over the course of the Spanish-American war , the obvious need for a canal came apparent.The canal would stregthen the navy, and it would make easier defense of the islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The problem of where to build the canal came into play. Congress rejected Nicaragua and Panama was an unwilling part of this project. The course of the building was shifted to Colu...
.... ... middle of paper ... ... By using metaphors and connecting himself with Jesus and as a leader of a greater cause was a much greater religious connection. Roosevelt truly showed that there are more important things in life than just materialistic things, and family and purpose in life are much more valuable.
Building a canal to connect the seas together wasn?t originally Roosevelt?s idea. The idea had been around since Spanish colonial times, but the United States took interest in the subject too as they expanded westward. In 1846 a treaty was signed granting the United States transit rights across the Isthmus of Panama, as long as they guaranteed neutrality in Panama and Columbia. In 1848, Great Britain and the United States had great interest in building the Nicaragua Canal, a route other than across the Isthmus of Panama. The Clayton-Buwler Treaty of 1850, in which Great Britain and the United States promised that any canal in Central America would be politically neutral, ended the rivalry between the two countries. Credit of the idea for building a canal can be given to Cornelius Vanderbilt. H realized he could make quite a profit from the canal. The United States found it imperative that they had control over a canal in Latin America, but did not know whether to build one in Nicaragua or Panama. Later, in 1878, a French company under Ferdinand de Lesseps, who was an ambitious man who built the Suez Canal, was grant...
De Lesseps overrode all opposition to his sea-level canal due to his very popular reputation. He was sold on the idea of a sea-level canal and would not listen to the ideas of others such as French engineer, Adolphe Godin de Lepinary. De Lepinary's idea was to create two large lakes on either side of the mountains. In order to do this they would have to dam the Chagres River on the Atlantic side and the Rio Grande River on the Pacific side (Considine). As time went on, more than just a poor director held back the finalization of the canal.
People in the northern United States during the early nineteenth century wanted to rapidly industrialize and increase the amount of money they were making. The Erie Canal they believed was a great way to reduce the distance and time of shipping goods to the west. They also realized that the canal would probably increase their markets, which would mean a larger profit. The problem with all of this was how people had to destroy parts of nature in order for this to happen. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a prominent writer during the time, described the canal as “too rapid, unthinking advance of progress.” (57) Hawthorne and his supporters were very upset to see how forests and swamps were being destroyed and ruined in order t...
Throughout history, America has had a plethora of leaders. A handful of these leaders have found a place in the heart of many Americans. Franklin D. Roosevelt, commonly referred to as FDR, is without a doubt one of these leaders. FDR made new laws, put forth many ideas, and raised the public’s morale before, during, and after WWII. He affected America in such a way that he brought us out of the slum of Great Depression. Even though Franklin D. Roosevelt put America in debt, his new deal policy gave millions of Americans jobs, stimulated the economy, raised public moral, and introduced new big government tactics. He was truly the people’s president.
The canal was the best thing that ever happened to Panama. The Panama Canal was started under President Roosevelt and completed by his successor, William Howard Taft. The canal was built across an isthmus, a narrow body of land that connects two larger land areas, which connects North and South America. In some places in Panama the isthmus is only 50 miles across. The French started the canal in the late 1800’s. They had just built the then famous Suez Canal with relative ease. The Suez Canal, unlike the Panama Canal, was a straight canal on level ground, in a relatively dry climate. The French had failed in building the Panama Canal because of the tropical climate, in which deadly tropical diseases consumed their workers, and because of the mountain range in which they could not cut through. He had planned to build the canal in the way of the Suez Canal, straight and sea level. You can see the trouble with trying to cut out that much land, through the mountain range, making it at sea level. The Americans tried their hand in the early 1900’s. Three main people helped made the canal a success. Teddy Roosevelt was one of those people; he saw the military importance of a canal. He called for the cruiser, Oregon, to sail around South America from San Francisco to Cuba so it could be present in the battle at Santiago Bay. The entire journey took ten weeks. He was the driving force in getting the permission to build the canal because he realized the importanc...
The first and most challenging problem associated with building the Mackinac Bridge arrived long before the bridge was even designed. Financing such an enormous project was no easy feat. In 1928, the idea of connecting the upper and lower peninsulas was proposed to Congress for the first time (Brown 4). At the time, the suspected bridge project was very much under government scrutiny and control. In fact, the initial boost in interest in pursuing the construction of a bridge came about due to the depression. The Public Works Administration (PWA) had been created under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal economic plan which would fund certain construction projects with th...
The Erie Canal was a man made water way that stretched to be three hundred sixty three miles long. The canal started construction in1817, and took nine years to completely finish the building process. People during this time had many positive, and negative opinions about the fact that this expensive canal was being built. The idea of the Erie Canal originates with Jesse Hawley, the idea was to connect the great lakes to the Atlantic ocean making an easy path to the west from the east without having to pass Niagara Falls. The canal was mostly built by Irish immigrants who were hated, or disliked, by most people. People had ideas and predictions about what would come of this canal. Let's just see which of the predictions were more accurate to
The current size, inherent values, and economic status of the United States owes greatly to the paramount figures and events that took place during the Early National Period of the country. However, while there is no doubt that such events- and the figures behind them- were of great importance and have molded the country into the pristine product that it is today, the various construction projects of that time have gone largely unnoticed. Canals, being one of the most prominent advances in transportation, are prime examples of forgotten catalysts of the American nation. The construction of canals- particularly the Erie Canal- during the 19th century played a key role in the geographic, economic, and cultural development of the country by allowing an easier and faster mode of transport, and contributing greatly to the preservation of the Union during the Civil War.