Suzanne McDonald, age 14, of Brownsville, Tex., for her question:
WHEN WILL PANAMA GET THE PANAMA CANAL?
In 1903 a treaty was signed granting to the United States permanently a lease on the Panama Canal Zone for the purpose of building a canal. However, it wasn't long until Panama wanted a greater share of the revenues from the canal as well as greater sovereignty over the zone.
The Panamanian flag was flown in the zone beside the U.S. flag for the first time in 1960. After riots erupted in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson proposed a new canal agreement.
Debate over a new Panama Canal pact continued on into the 1970s. Finally, at the urging of President Jimmy Carter, the U.S. Congress ratified a new treaty in 1978. Its terms gradually give Panama control of the canal, until full control is reached in 1999.
The idea for a canal across the isthmus of Panama was first suggested by the king of Spain in the early 1500s. The world's leading maritime countries then considered many different plans and canal routes for almost 400 years.
At an international congress held in Paris, France, in 1879, a plan suggested by a French engineer named Ferdinand de Lessees was chosen. He was the successful builder of the Suez Canal.
Digging started in 1881 but the effort failed because of unhealthy conditions and mismanagement of funds. in just eight years, mote than 22,000 canal workers had died, mostly from disease.
A revolution broke out in Panama, and independence from Colombia was declared in 1903. Dealing directly with Panama, the United States acquired permanent use of the Canal Zone in a treaty.
Building of the Panama Canal was one of the greatest engineering achievements in history. Sanitary steps were taken that made the area one of the most healthful places in the tropics. More than 200 million cubic yards of zock and dirt were moved during construction.
The waterway was finally opened on Aug. 15, 1914.
Construction of the Panama Canal was directed mainly by two Americans: John Stevens and George Goethnls.
The Panama Canal reduced the sailing distance from New York City to San Francisco by about 8,000 miles.
The canal itself is almost 51 miles long and at least 300 feet wide in the channels, with a minimum depth of 39 feet. Because of the alignment and structure of the isthmus, the canal was built in a northwest southeast direction. This puts the Caribbean entrance 27 miles farther west than the Pacific entrance.
Canal installations include three sets of twin locks. Each lock is about 110 feet wide and about 1,000 feet long. Ships entering from the Caribbean area are raised 85 feet in three steps at the Gatun Locks. They then cross Getun Lake for 23 miles and pass the Continental Divide in the eight mile Gaillard Cut. They then are lowered 85 feet in three steps to the level of the Pacific Ocean.