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Inter Oceanic Canal Commission
This is the year that president Ulysses S. Grant established the Inter-Oceanic Canal Commission (IOCC). Then, sent out an expedition to investigate possible routes for a canal. The idea of the canal was a major priority throughout his presidency. -
Construction
Finally some construction began. With exclusive rights from Columbia, De Lesseps arrived in the Panama region and began construction. The plan included a 40-meter high dam at Gamboa to hold back the Chagres river, and a 24-meter wide path through the Culebra cut. -
The French Attempt
This is the year many people know as the French Attempt with the Panama Canal. It was two years after a french team completed their own survey of Panama, that their government approved Ferdinand de Lesseps' plan for a sea-level canal. The cost was an estimated $240 million. -
Mosquito
Dr. Carlos Finlay identified the mosquito as the carrier of yellow fever. This theory did not catch on until the 20th century. In January the year of 1882 French workers completed surveys and built accommodations and work yards as excavation began. -
Yellow Fever Evacuation
An epidemic of yellow fever panicked the workers. In 1883 an estimated 400 workers died of disease, compared with only 126 the year before. More than 300 french workers asked to return home and were denied. -
Civil War spreads to Panama
Civil war in Columbia spreads to Panama. This overwhelmed many french troops who have been enforcing order in the region. Taking advantage of the confusion a U.S. Navy docks in Colon and enforced order. -
Violent Confrontation
Racial tensions between native and Jamaican lead to a violent confrontation. Panamanian soldiers killed 25 Jamaicans and wounded 20 others. The incident causes scores of Jamaicans to return home, and the canal becomes devoid of its primary source of manual laborers. That summer, only 8 million cubic meters of earth will be excavated, out of the 120 required for the canal. -
A Visit to Panama
De Lesseps and a group from France and the United States took a visit to Panama. De Lesseps predicts that the canal would be finished by July 1889.Two months later, French engineer Armand Rousseau submitted a report to the French government concluding that the canal's completion is possible but a government lottery bill would do much to help fund the project. His report also hints at the infeasibility of a sea-level canal. De Lesseps refused to adopt the idea of a lock-canal plan. -
Report of the Consulting Engineers
Despite considerable progress with excavation, U.S. engineers still have not decided on the best way to build the canal. A report titled Report of the Consulting Engineers for the Panama Canal sways the ICC toward the idea of a lock plan by outlining the excessive time and cost of digging down to sea level. By the end of the year, 22,500 West Indians had been working on the canal. -
Alexandre La Valley
The French crane boat Alexandre La Valley completes the first passage through the Panama Canal. By the spring, tugs and boats will begin passing through the canal regularly, and by June, the Panama Canal will earn $7,000 in tolls. The Germans declare war, shifting media attention from the fanfare at Panama to Europe. The Panama Canal officially opens. The toll to cross is 90 cents per cargo ton.
