Editing George Washington Goethals (section)

===United States takeover===

The United States took control of the French property—after the bankruptcy of the French ''Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interocéanique de Panama'' that started constructions on The Panama Canal under [[Ferdinand de Lesseps]]— on May 4, 1904. The new Panama Canal Zone Control was overseen by the [[Isthmian Canal Commission]] (ICC) during construction.

The US inherited a small workforce and an assortment of buildings, infrastructure and equipment, much of which had been neglected for fifteen years in the humid jungle environment. There were no facilities in place for a large workforce, and the infrastructure was crumbling.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=M6JAAQAAMAAJ&dq=2148+buildings+panama+canal&pg=PA2598 Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers], United States Army, Part 2.</ref>

Although chief engineer [[John Findley Wallace]] was pressured to resume construction, [[red tape]] from Washington stifled his efforts to obtain heavy equipment and caused friction between Wallace and the ICC. He and chief sanitary officer [[William C. Gorgas]] were frustrated by delay, and Wallace resigned in 1905. He was replaced by [[John Frank Stevens]], who arrived on July 26, 1905. Stevens' approach was to press ahead first and obtain approval later. He improved drilling and dirt-removal equipment at the Culebra Cut for greater efficiency, revising the inadequate provisions in place for soil disposal. In November 1906 Roosevelt visited Panama to inspect the canal's progress, the first trip outside the United States by a sitting president.