Environment

"There is too much water, the rocks are exceedingly hard, the soil is very hilly and the climate is deadly. The country is literally poisoned."
~ Adolphe Godin de Lépinay

Natural conditions in Panama were extremely dangerous and greatly prevented progress on the Panama Canal. During rainy season, storms would flood construction sites and refill ditches dug with sediment, erasing progress. Storms also caused landslides, killing workers.