e. In this they were seconded by Sir John
Hawkshaw, a man thoroughly familiar with canal problems, and who exposed
the hopelessness of an attempt to make a sea-level ship canal, pointing
out that there would be a cataract of the Chagres River at Matachin of
42 feet, which in periods of floods would be 78 feet high, and a body of
water that would be 36 feet deep, with a width of 1,500 feet.

Opposition to the sea-level project proved of no avail. The facts were
ignored or treated with indifference by the French, who were determined
upon a canal at Panama and at sea level, resting their conclusions upon
the success at Suez, with which enterprise many of those present at the
congress, in addition to De Lesseps, had been connected. But the
problems and conditions to be met on the Isthmus of Panama were
decidedly different from those at Suez, and subsequent experience proved
the serious error of the sea-level plan as finally adopted. The congress
included a large assemblage of non-professional men, and of the French
engineers present only one or two had ever been on the Isthmus. The
final vote was seventy-five in favor of and eight opposed to a sea-level
canal. Rear-admiral Ammen said: "I abstained from voting on the ground
that only able engineers can form an opinion _after careful study_ of
what is actually possible and what is relatively economical in the
construction of a ship canal." Of those in favor of a sea-level canal
not one had made a practical and exhaustive study of the facts. The
project at this stage was in a state of hopeless confusion. In spite of
these obstacles, De Lesseps, with undaunted courage, proceeded to
organize a company for the construction of a sea-level canal.

As soon as possible after the adjournment of the scientific congress of
1879 the Panama Canal Company was organized, with Ferdinand De Lesseps
as president. The company purchased the Wyse concession, and by 1880
sufficient funds had been secured to proceed with the preliminary work.
The next two years were used for scientific investigations, surveys,
etc., and the actual work commenced in 1883. The plan adopted was for a
sea-level canal having a depth of 29.5 feet and a bottom width of 72
feet. This plan in outline and intent was adhered to practically to the
cessation of operations in 1888.

In that year operations on the Isthmus came to an end for want of funds.
The failure of the company proved disastrous to a very large number of
sh