<P> Ferdinand de Lesseps, who was in charge of the Suez Canal construction, headed the project . His enthusiastic leadership and his reputation as the man who had built the Suez Canal persuaded speculators and ordinary citizens to invest nearly $400 million in the project . </P> <P> However, despite his previous success de Lesseps was not an engineer . The Suez Canal, essentially a ditch dug through a flat, sandy desert, presented few challenges . Although Central America's mountainous spine has a low point in Panama, it is still 110 meters (360.9 ft) above sea level at its lowest crossing point . The sea - level canal proposed by de Lesseps would require a great deal of excavation through a variety of rock, rather than Suez' sand . </P> <P> Less - obvious barriers were the rivers crossing the canal, particularly the Chagres (which flows strongly during the rainy season). Since the water would be a hazard to shipping if it drained into the canal, a sea - level canal would require the river's diversion . </P> <P> The most serious problem was tropical disease, particularly malaria and yellow fever, whose methods of transmission were unknown at the time . The legs of hospital beds were placed in cans of water to keep insects from crawling up them, but the stagnant water was an ideal breeding place for mosquitoes (carriers of the diseases). </P>

Who did america buy the panama canal from