france had tried to build a canal prior to the attempt by the united states.
france had tried to build a canal prior to the attempt by the united states.
what nation had tried to build a canal prior to the attempt by the united states?
france
after the panama canal company went bankrupt in 1888 amidst charges of fraud, bunau-varilla was left stranded in panama. he struggled to find a new way to construct the canal. when the new panama canal company sprang up back in his native france, bunau-varilla sailed home, having purchased a large amount of stock. however, as de lesseps' company had before, the new panama canal company soon abandoned efforts to build the canal. it sold the land in panama to the united states, in hopes that the company would not fail entirely. u.s. president grover cleveland, an anti-imperialist, avoided the canal issue. when the more supportive theodore roosevelt became president in 1901, canal planning resumed in the united states. bunau-varilla energetically promoted a canal in panama. with aid from the new panama canal company's new york attorney, william nelson cromwell, he persuaded the government to select panama as the canal site, as opposed to the popular alternative, nicaragua. when opponents voiced their interest in constructing a canal through nicaragua, which was a less politically volatile nation, bunau-varilla actively lobbied in the united states, for example by distributing nicaraguan postage stamps featuring belching volcanos to senators. through lobbying of businessmen, government officials, and the american public, bunau-varilla convinced the u.s. congress to appropriate $40 million to the new panama canal company, under the spooner act of 1902. the funds were contingent on negotiating a treaty with colombia to provide land for the canal in its territory of panama.
philippe bunau-varilla
brussels–scheldt maritime canal









































the brussels–scheldt maritime canal (commonly named in various ways including willebroek canal and brussels-willebroek canal), is a canal in belgium linking brussels with the scheldt river and ultimately the sea. the 28 km long canal has a width of 30 m. and a draught of 2 m., and connects the cities of brussels and willebroek, where it joins the rupel river in the hamlet of klein-willebroek. hence previously the canal was officially known as the brussels-rupel maritime canal prior to the establishment of a direct link with the scheldt in 1997.
brussels–scheldt maritime canal