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Special:

Z)he M^tta Stanch

Vol. 15, No. 5 MAY 1965

>^
Robert J. Fleming, Jr., Governor-President

David S. Parker, Lieutenant Governor

Frank A. Baldwin

Panama Canal Information Officer

Official Panama Canal Publication Published quarterly at Balboa Heights, C.Z.

Printed at the Printing Plant, La Boca, C.Z. Review articles may be reprinted in full or part without

further clearance. Credit to the Review will be appreciated. Distributed free of charge to all Panama Canal Employees.

Robert D. Kerr, Press Officer

Publications Editors Richard D. Peacock and Julio E. Briceno

Editorial Assistants Eunice Richard, Tobi Bittel, and

TOMAS A. CUPAS

c4bout Our Cover

THE PASTORAL SCENE on the cover was taken from

the veranda of the main house atop a hill on the ranch

of the Motta brothers. From this vista, the vast ranch spreads out in all directions. As far as one can see, the land is Motta land, and

one can see the distant

dots and clusters of brown

and red and white cattle—

13,000 altogether.

Cattle from the ranch

supply meat to the market

in Panama City, so the next time you cut into a steak or

roast, there is a good possibiUty that it was developed on the Motta Ranch.

Raising cattle is becoming more scientific each

year. It's not simply turn- ing an animal out to graze

and packing him off to ij_ „ j:. __i_i_

market when he's grown. Dinnertime at the Motta Ranch. To stay in business, e.vperienced management is needed.

And in the case of a huge ranch, the complexities are

multiplied. But apparently the Motta brothers have the

right touch, because the big place runs along very

smoothly. And then when problems develop, the experi- ence of many years in ranching is called upon to solve

them.

Later in the year, The Review will carry a story on the

cattle industry in the entire Republic. But for a close look at how a large, modem ranch in Panama operates, turn to page 4.

Index

Twin Pilots 3

The Motta Ranch 4

Easter in Panama 7

Port of Los Angeles 8

The Boquete Orange 10

Shipping Charts 12

Notes on Shipping _^ 12

Journey Into Past 14

All About Cargo Container^ 16

Anniversaries 17

Playwright Recognized 17

The Father Cooper Story 18

Pedro Miguel Slide 19

Shipping Story, Quarterly Graph 20

Canal History 21

Oldest Stamps 22

50th Anniversary Stamps 22

SpiUway, Subdcrlptiond

Those who are not employees of the Panama Canal

organization can now subscribe to the Spillicay.

Though it's still free to all PanCanal employees,

others may receive the weekly publication under a subscription arrangement. The cost is $2.60 a year. This includes mailing—by regular mail—to anywhere

in the world.

Checks for subscriptions should be made to "The

Panama Canal Company" and may be sent by letter to:

Spillway Subscriptions

Box M

Balboa Heights, Canal Zone. Be sure to include the clearly printed name and

address of the person to whom the Spillway is to be sent.

Cash for subscriptions will be accepted during office hours at the desk of the Property and Supply Clerk,

Administrative Services Division, Room 14, in the

basement of the Administration Building at Balboa

Heights.

May 1965
Twin Brothers Have Twin Careers

As Pilots For The Panama Canal

TWO SHIPS with the same pilot aboard

at the same time? You're right. It can't be. He may look like the same pilot in

tvvo diflferent places but there really are two of them—identical twin Panama

Canal Pilots Albert L. Wilder and Arthur

T. Wilder. "I'm the original," explains Capt.

Albert Wilder. "Arthur's the twin kid

brother. He's a half-hour younger."

Occasionally the twin Panama Canal

pilots are on the same ship, and both

are qualified for supersize ships. But

they say there's no confusion. The ship's

captain usually looks only to see if there's a pilot aboard, according to the

Wilders.

Arthur, the half-hour younger brother,

is senior to Albert in Panama Canal

service by about a year. He was skipper on a Farrell Line vessel when he became

interested in a Panama Canal employment application form a passenger was

working on. He borrowed a form and

sent in his application, too. He joined the Panama Canal organization in 1951. Albert followed him to Canal

employment the next year. They were born in Dorchester, Mass., and grew up in Mexico, Texas, and

Massachusetts. They attended the Massachusetts Nautical School, and while on the school ship took pity on their puzzled classmates and were tattooed

"for easier identification." The work was

done at Norfolk, Va., by Artist Coleman,

who is represented in the maritime museum exhibit at Newport News. The

announcement of their tattooing was

greeted with huzzahs by their shipmates

who never knew whether they were

talking to Albert or Arthur. But the

tattooes were of no use for identifiying the twins—Albert and Arthur had identical nautical tattooes on identical arms. The two brothers ser\'ed as able sea- men on the same ship, but their sub- sequent promotions ran close together

and prevented them from later serving

together.

During World War II they were on

different ships in the same convoy.

Arthur's ship was torpedoed one day.

Albert's went down the next. One was

picked up by a rescue ship; the other by a tanker. Both met again in a Russian

camp in the timber town of Archangel.

Since high school days they had enter- tained with guitar, mandolin, and

acrobatic acts. Their instruments were

replaced in Russia, and some of their songs were recorded and later rebroadcast over Moscow stations. Then one day, after several wartime

months and no word from the twins,

they appeared back at their homes in the States, mandolin and guitar in hand,

ready for a day of reminiscent musicmaking together.

They take adventure in their stride. Arthur's wedding date was postponed

by a torpedoing, his wife recalls. He

was due home in March to be married,

but his vessel was hit in the Caribbean

and went down. By one of those strange

quirks of fate, the German submarine

that had torpedoed his vessel picked

him up and put him on a raft, from

which he was rescued a few days later. The wedding took place in April.

The wartime adventures of the twin

brothers enthralled States' magazines.

Look called upon Arthur. Some of Albert's war experiences were related

in a feature in the September 1959 issue of True magazine.

Both worked for the Farrell Lines for

8 \'ears, traveling between New York

and South Africa. Both served 6 years

as captain. Albert was master of the second ship ever to dock in the port of Monrovia, Liberia. Captain Albert and Captain Arthur

Wilder live in Margarita, about 5 minutes' walk from one another. Albert has three daughters and one

son: Alberta, Joanne, Penny, and Tom.

Arthur has two sons, Larry and David.

Albert is active in Masonic work and

is Senior Warden in the Sojourners'

Lodge, Cristobal. He plays golf, and is a do-it-yourself man about the house. He has ingeniously air conditioned his home, building his own plant; he's expert at refinishing, practically remarking pieces of furniture, and the trans- mission of his car holds no mysteries

for him. He also is manager of the Coca

Cola Little League and is owned by a boxer dog named Cali. Arthur is strictly a boat man, and

always seems to be building a new one. He's built four boats since residing on

the Isthmus, and now is putting the

finishing touches on a catamaran,

which is just about ready to be put into the water.

GUESS WHO? TATTOOS ARE NO HELP in identifying identical twin Panama Canal

Pilots Albert L. Wilder and Arthur T. Wilder. Each has the same tattoo in the same place on the same arm. That's Capt. Albert Wilder on the left and Capt. Arthur Wilder, right. Or is it the other way around? This is a photo of the twins when they were in Nautical School.

The Panama Canal Review
RANCHING IS BIG BUSINESS ON

TREMENDOUS MOTTA SPREAD

IN SOUTHEASTERN Chiriqui Province, where the green hills roll gently

toward the Pacific Ocean, the vast Motta Ranch spreads over 22,000 acres

of the best cattle land in the Republic

of Panama.

If it has to do with making good beef,

sou'll find it here. There is a breeding

herd, thousands of fat steers, a national grand champion bull and a champion

yearling, a scientific program of experimental crossbreeding, and none of the "scrub pasture" that manv cattle graze

upon. All the land is planted in cultivat- ed grasses, of several varieties, and over

the landscape there are 13,000 of the

finest cattle in the Republic of Panama.

Owners of the ranch-a $2,500,000

in\estment—are the Motta brothers:

Jorge, Felipe, Roberto, Alberto, and

Arturo. They also have various other

business interests in Panama. They have

owned the ranch for 17 years, constantly improving the land, equipment, buildings and introducing the latest features

of good management.

Running a ranch of this size isn't easy. The movie image of cowbovs and vil- lians, fair maidens in distress, and the hero sitting around the campfire playing a guitar in the evening may be good

entertainment, but on the modem ranch

it's pure fiction. The work force on the Motta spread,

including about 20 cowboys, is headed

by Porfirio Saldaiia, a hardy man of many talents. Saldaiia has a degree in agriculture, administrati\e ability, a knowledge of cattle, and the experience

and know-how that keeps the giant and

far flung ranch running smoothly and

efficiently. He's up early. He may go

to the airport in David, where registered animals purchased from ranches in the United States are delivered by tran- sport plane. Or, he may climb into his jeep at dawn, driving around to give orders for the day's work.

And Saldafia has a lot of territorv to cover on a ranch where you can drive

for half an hour in one direction and

still be on the ranch. The acreage is actually divided into four areas: Antioquia, Rosario, Santa

Lucia, and Tole, Each has a foreman,

who lives with his family at the headquarters house in his section. This way,

the huge operation is broken down into

A vaquero on the Tole section of the Sintta Hanch.

Grand Champion Bull at the Motta Ranch.

May 196.5
'ill:. ^

•

*• '*-

This was an uncooperative bull. He charged about, pulling four men. But he tired, and after a few angry snorts he was penned.

T^*«(l^

!^i^

4 :i.^F.A > -»;

Scenes such as this are common on the rich grassland of the Motta Ranch near Remedios.

areas that can be managed more easily.

A foreman is responsible for the cattle assigned to his area. The Tole area—

so named because it is adjacent to the town of Tole 17 miles from the main

ranch—is about 2,500 acres. About

l,.50O steers graze here. The ranch employs about 60 people

full time, and another 200 for about

8 months of the year. There are mechanics, carpenters, tractor drivers, stable hands, guards, general help, and, of

course, the cowboys. Assistant to Sal- dafia is Behring Centeno, who, as sec- ond in command, finds much to keep

him busy.

There are many things to be checked;

foremen must be seen, records must be

kept, cattle branded, sold, rounded up, fed and accounted for. There is a car- penter shop, and a garage where complete overhaul of machinery and vehicles is done. A headquarters building

has a complete store of animal medicines, vaccines, vitamins, and minerals

that are administered to cattle. The ranch even has its own port—on

the Santa Lucia River 3 miles inland

from the Pacific Ocean—where 500 cattle were shipped to Peru this past winter. And within view of the Inter-American Highway a new building is under

construction. It will be a new headquarters for the cowboys and will also serve as a pickup and delivery station

for the entire ranch.

The ranch grows a few acres of sugar

cane, as feed for cattle in the dry season.

Also, it has about 5,000 coconut trees. These furnish oil, which is sold in Pan- ama City, but on a small scale. And,

mainly for its own use, the ranch keeps

a herd of about 200 horses. The business end of ranching is

in selling cattle. Not all are sold for slaughter. The herd is divided about

evenly between breeding animals and

steers. The ranch sells about 3,000 head

of beef cattle a year, plus about 600 cows that are no longer usable for re- production; and about 100 breeding

bulls are sold to other cattlemen in Pan- ama. Some heifers and breeding bulls (See p. 6)

The Panama Canal Review
Bulls are washed and brushed in preparation for a field day at the ranch

Repairing a truck at the garage on the Motta ranch.

The Motta

Ranch at

Remedios

(Continued from p. 5)

have been sold to cattlemen in Venezuela. The Motta Ranch belongs to the American Brahma Breeders Association. This means that the stock is inspected

annually and approved by the association. Most of the herd is Brahma, with some Santa Gertrudis. Through the artificial insemination program, the ranch is producing some

Charolais and Red Angus. About 500

animals are now involved in this new

program, under the direction of Rolando Miranda, who was trained in the United States especially for this work.

The purpose of the breeding program

is to develop a bigger, heavier animal

of good quality beef, an animal that

will mature to a market weight faster, that takes the climate well and presents a minimum disease problem. The

program is in its first vear and the results, hopefulh', will point the way to an improved breed of cattle for Panama.

Nearly surrounding the town of Remedios, the ranch actually resembles

a small town in its operation. Many

people are dependent upon it for a live- hood, so it is an important economic

factor in the area. Truck loads of Motta

cattle roll into Panama Citv each week,

helping to suppK' the great population

center of the Republic with meat.

.\nd quite aside from its economics,

the ranch is a \ery beautiful place.

The Spanish-style, red-roofed houses

that cluster at the top of the hill near

the main entrance seem right for the

hill and \alle\ countrw The distant hills are tinged with pastel pink and blue

mists in the late afternoon. And rolling

away from every rise are verdant pastures of Indiana. Para, Jiijuca and Pangola grass. From the nearb\' Pacific, a breeze sweeps through the grasses. Cattle graze contentedly.

There is every reason they should. Because today this is the finest home in the Republic for cattle, a ranch matched by few others in its ad\anced operation and aspirations for impro\ement

in the future.

6 May 1965
HOW PANAMA

CELEBRATES

HOLY WEEK

HOLY WEEK, observed in Panama

with deep religious devotion and absti- nence, is also characterized by an ex- odus of the residents of Panama Cit\^

to the towns in the interior. Thus, Holy

Week is interwoven with memories of childhood days since each one heads for the town of his birth. The ceremony of washing of the feet takes place on Maundy Thursday after- noon, when the village priest washes the

feet of 12 poor people in solemn re- enactment of the ceremony when Jesus washed the feet of the 12 Apostles before the Last Supper.

During the night, the Holy Sacrament

remains on an altar that is artistically decorated. This altar is known as the Monument and each town endeavors to have the best one. Special mention

should be made of Penonome, where

the cibary—the place where the consecrated host is kept—is in the form of a large pelican of hammered silver, and

Nata, whose cibary is in the form of a great palm tree of pure silver that dates back to colonial times. The people, during this night, visit the monuments in the churches of the nearby towns. There are many people who seriously believe that those who bathe on Good

Friday will turn into fish. Others stone anyone who ventures to mount a horse. In Pese, Herrera Province, on Good

Friday morning the farm people begin

to arrive from the nearby mountains,

laden with white and purple wild

flowers to adorn the village churches. Humble folk, they contribute the only

gift they have: the wild flowers. At mid-day, in the Church, the priest

gives the Sermon of the Seven Words.

The sermon ends at 3 p.m., the hour

that Jesus died. A solemn procession, at night, known

in some areas as the procession "of the Holy Sepulchre" ( the most famous takes place in the Villa de Los Santos) and

in others as the procession "of Silence" because all participants must maintain

deep silence, is participated in solely

by men, although some women represent those who accompanied Jesus on

the road to Calvary.

Saturday is devoted to paying rever- ence to the Mother of Jesus in her hours

Scenes like this in Panama City can be seen throughout the Republic during Holy Week.

Catholics carry an image of Christ bearing the cross.

Worshippers follow the Sacred Sepulchre during an Easter procession in Anton.

of solitude after the death of her Son. The procession on this day is only for women. All the women of the town participate, leaving the church at 9 p.m. Each woman carries a lighted candle,

and as the procession passes one hears

the sound of house doors being closed by the men so that no one may see them.

The sorrow and abstinence of Hoi)

Week ends at midnight Saturday, when

midnight mass is held and church bells ring happily, announcing the Resurrection of Christ. With the sound of the church bells, dances .start in all the

towns and even in the little farmhouses

scattered in the countryside. This cele- bration continues until dawn Easter Monday when the farm people, tired

after the celebration, start on their homeward trek up the mountain roads to

their farms to resume their agricultural labors for another year. Panama City is practically deserted during Holy Week. The first sign that Holy Week has ended is noted after Easter Sunday noon, when the first cars of an enormous caravan herald the

return from the interior of Panama.

The Panama Canal Review
The new Vincent Thomas Bridge connecting the San Pedro mainland with the Terminal Island District is seen in this airview of a

portion of the Port of Los Angeles' Inner Harbor. The proposed $30 million Los Angeles World Trade Center and the $5 million U.S. Customhouse will be located near the bridge approach. In the center foreground is the new Consolidated Marine Terminal. Woxld Ports

Los Angeles: Big, and Growing!

The port of Los Angeles, serving an

increasingly vital role in world trade,

currently is experiencing the most dv- namic period of growth in its historv. The port has been dredged, molded,

expanded, and reshaped through man's

efforts and bears little resemblance to the area discovered 42.3 \ears ago b\' Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and named

San Pedro Bay. Work at the port of Los

Angeles has added new land area, new

terminals, and wider and deeper water- ways. It has produced for the people

of Los .\ngeles a municipallv o\vned

and operated facility worth nearly

$200 million. For world commerce, it provides a modem and strategic gateway to the vast American market.

A 5-year, $40 million expansion pro- gram was begun b\' the port of Los Angeles in 1960 to keep abreast of the demands of growing world trade. Completed facilities include a $16

million combination passengier-cargo terminal on a .50-acre site on the harbor's main channel, and two clear-span cargo sheds—one in the outer harbor

and the other in the west basin—rep- resenting a total investment of more

than $10 million. West basin dredging opened the

entire water area to oceangoing vessels and allowed commercial development,

and al.so pro\'idcd fill material for 90 acres of new land on the south side

of Terminal Island, which will be the

site of a dozen new shipping terminals. Other dredging in the outer harbor in- creased the depth of the supertanker

fairwa\' from 46 to 51 feet, providing

free and unrestricted movement of these huge vessels to their special off-loading

fadlity.

The Vincent Thomas Bridge, a $22

million State highway department project to which the harbor department

contributed $1 million in cash and

$2,500,000 worth of right-of-way, provides a direct route across the harbor's main channel from the San Pedro mainland to Terminal Island, and easy access to the area for hundreds of dock

and cannery workers. The graceful span opened the way to full-scale

8 May 1965
This S5 million cargo shed is another new addition at the Port of Los

Angeles. Shipping lines using the terminal will link Los Angeles with Japan,

Hong Kong, Northern Europe, Mexico, Central and South America.

development of Terminal Island, the

harbor's "last frontier." Additional impetus has been given

harbor de\elopment by a substantial increase in shipping activity. Already

under\va\" is work on a 3,550-foot-long

wharf near the Vincent Thomas Bridge on the Terminal Island side of the

harbor's main channel. The wharf will serve as a new international shipping

terminal, an $8 million complex of two

clear-span cargo sheds, a warehouse,

and a million feet of paved open area. Major projects to further improve

shipping services at Los Angeles Harbor

include a $4,.500,000 bulk-loading facility, which will handle at least 1 million long tons of iron ore and iron ore

pellets each year, as well as potash,

phosphate, coke, and other dry bulk

cargo; Cabrillo Beach Marina, a 86 million development with about 1,800 slips for small craft; and new Catalina Terminal, a 8600,000 facility which will combine seaplane, water taxi, and

SS Catalina steamship service. An administration building, comprised of two buildings at the site of the

present ferry building on the San Pedro

mainland, represents an investment of 82,900,000 in harbor facilities. Another new facility will be a 32,000-

square-foot freezer-storage building for incoming cargoes of frozen meats. The port of Los Angeles, which one day will be larger b\' 6.50 new acres of

land, \alued at 8250 million and with

an increased cargo-handling capacity of 150 percent is a vibrant business.

Push-botton cargo-handling came to the Port of Los

Angeles with the installation of this container-handling

crane. .\ single operator (above) loads sealed containers, each weighing up to 26 tons, aboard a freighter.

Los Angeles Harbor's new S16 million combination passenger-cargo terminal occupies

a 50-acre site on the harbor's main channel. The combination building (foreground) has cargo facilities on the first floor and passenger accommodations on the second level, reached by ramps, elevators, stairways and escalators. A second major structure (background) is a cargo shed, whose capacity is ,35,000 tons of cargo. Five ships can be worked at once.

The Panama Canal RE\aEW
The Boquete Orange:

How It All Began

THE STORY OF the Bociuctc orange and its journey to Boquete by way of Brazil, Washington, D.C., and California

in tho last years of the 19th century is one of the interesting accounts in the history of Panama. A careful job of research b\' Julius Grigore, Jr., Assistant Chief of the Panama Canal Industrial Division, has turned up

some interesting information on the origin and development

of this delicious fruit.

The first trees were ordered from California by J. R. Thomas,

who liad come to the Boquete area to manage one of the

first coffee plantations, now the Sandberg coffee finca near Boquete. Julia H. Monniche, of Austin, Tex., and foiTnerly a Canal Zone and Boquete resident, relates the story, which

is supported in a joint statement by A. O. Sandberg, Jr., and

Da\icl T. Sasse, both of Boquete.

Although the trees were ordered by Thomas, it was Frank

Tedman who was responsible for their survival. Travel was

difficult in 1896 and delivery of the trees required some time. Thomas threw them out in disgust, for they all appeared to be dead. Tedman, a neighbor, was present and inspected the

trees. He thought two might live, so Thomas told him to take them, Mrs. Monniche relates. Tedman kept them alive, and

from this stock—Mrs. Monniche isn't sure whether one or both

survived—came all the navel oranges in Boquete.

Another account—the 1934 Annual Report of the Canal

Zone Experimental Gardens—says that Tedman brought buddings of the Washington navel orange to Boquete from California. And an obituary of William Joseph "Pop" Wright,

a construction day worker on the Canal, states that he intro- duced the navel orange to Boquete. But Mrs. Frank L. Corey, Mr. Wright's daughter, of San Antonio, Tex., writes that Mr. Wright came to Panama in 1910, worked on the Canal

for 3 years, and went to Boquete in 1914 for his health. These dates preclude the possibility that he first brought the navel orange to Panama.

Mr. Sasse went to Boquete in 1912 on a vacation from the Canal Zone. Tedman told him about his orange tree and

about his inability to graft more trees. Sasse, who had experience in grafting, went to Tedman's farm and saw the only

remaining California navel orange tree. From this full-grown

tree, he successfully grafted several young native orange trees. On his second Boquete visit, Sasse stayed at Pop Wright's

hotel in Boquete, and Wright complained to Sasse that he

had no luck in grafting na\el orange trees from the Tedman

stock. Sasse showed Wright hou to graft and Wright started a grove.

According to A. O. Sandberg, Jr., it was about 1930 when

his father saw that improved transportation and communication made it possible to develop the navel orange on a commercial basis. He then started the first commercial orange

grove in the Boquete area.

But where did the navel orange of California originate?

Probably in Bra/.il, according to Grigore's research. The early

Portuguese navigators introduced the sweet orange to Brazil

The first Washington navel orange tree in California is shown behind

the plaque in the foreground. The site is Riverside, Calif. The plaque

is in honor of Mrs. Eliza Tibbets for introducing the orange to California. The plaque states that this proved "the most valuable

fruit introduction yet made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

.\ \ciiK' ni'ar Bcxiuele. These are newly planted orange groves.

in the late 16th centur)-. But it was not until 1870 that the Bahia navel orange was introduced to the United States. William Saunders, at the time the Botanist and Superintendent

of Horticulture at the U.S. Patent Office, took notice of the Bahia navel orange when a woman missionary worker in Brazil wrote from Bahia, describing a fine, seedless orange

that grew in the area. He wrote to her, and with the help of Rev. F. I. C. Schneider, a Preslivterian minister in Bahia,

Saunders received 12 trees with the Bahia navel orange budded to them.

10 May 196.5
William Saunders, who introduced the Bahia navel orange to the United States. This stiU stands as one of the most

important plant introductions of our era.

Saunders has many accomplishments

to his credit, but the most important is considered to be the introduction of the navel orange to the United States. This orange revolutionized the citrus industry

in California and has generated billions of dollars in revenue to the economy of the United States.

In late 1873, two of the surviving

Brazilian orange trees were sent by

Saunders to his friends, Luther C. and

Eliza Tibbets, of Riverside, Calif. The

fruit from these trees attracted attention

at a private meeting of fruitgrowers in 1877, and in 1879 the fruit was awarded

first prize at a Riverside horticultural

fair, winning over navel oranges from

Australia. So far as can be determined,

the entire population of Washington

navel orange groves in California trace back to the Tibbets trees. This further supports the contention that the trees received by Thomas in Boquete prob- ablv came from original Riverside trees. The fame and use of the orange

spread and it became known as the Tibbets navel orange, then as the Washington-Riverside navel orange. It is said

that Eliza Tibbets was proud that the

trees were sent from Washington, D.C.,

and that Californians were reluctant to credit the town of Riverside with the name of the orange. For these two reasons, the fruit became known as the Washington navel orange. Saunders al- ways believed that the name Bahia

should have been given to the orange. How the Washington navel orange came to be called the Boquete orange

(See p. 21)

*^ ^

First to commercialize on the Boquete orange was A. O. Sandberg, Sr., at right in this 1928

photo. "Pop" Wright has his hand on Mr. Sandberg's shoulder. At left is Mrs. Wright.

The other two men are unidentified in this rare photo taken at Boquete.

Self-made naturalist David T. Sasse, former Canal Zone employee, who in 1912 provided

the skill and knowledge that gave the Boquete navel orange its beginning in that area.

The Panama Canal Review 11
CANAL COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC BY NATIONALITY OF VESSELS
dock in Balboa on a round-South America cruise out of New York.

The 774-foot ultramodern Oceanic

has a normal capacity of 1,650 passengers in two classes and a top speed of 27 knots. Her ecjuipment features stabilizers to minimize rolling, a special

bow and stern designed to reduce pitching, and air conditioning throughout.

She has 18 public rooms, 2 swimming

pools, a chapel, g\mnasiuni, children's and teenagers' areas and a 2-level theater with seating capacity for 450

persons. The new vessel being built for the Swedish American Line to replace the

ship of the same name will accommodate

up to 750 passengers on trans-Atlantic

sailings and 450 while cruising. When

she is delivered to her owners ne.\t vear, the present Kitngsholm, which made her

Krst trip through the Canal in 1954 and

her last in April of this year, will be

transferred to the North German Lloyd

Line and renamed the Bremen.

Research Vessel

OFF-SHORE inspections are old hat with the Canal organization but the\-

hardly come in the same class as those made by the Mobile Oil Co. M. L. Levy,

a 186-foot research vessel that transit- ed the Canal recently after prospecting

for oil off the Mexican eastern shore. The ship was fitted out in Morgan

City, La., with oil exploration equipment capable of creating a small seis- mic shake on the ocean floor. Technicians make special recordings of the earthquake-type shake. These indicate

to the experts just where the likely

spots might be for future oil drilling.

The M. L. Levy, represented by Boyd

Bros., passed south through the Canal

in March and departed for San Pedro,

Calif., via the west coast of Central America.

Giant Ship

Another ship that will be too large to

transit the Panama Canal is the giant tanker now under construction by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan

for Sig. Bergesen of Norway. Believed

to be the world's largest ship, it will be

powered by a 27,600 b. hp. diesel engine, developing a trial speed of 16

knots. Delivery is scheduled for the end of September 1967. With a draft

of 54.1.3 feet, it won't be bothering the normal harbor traffic in world seaports

and with a beam of 158.15, it won't bother the Panama Canal, either.

PRINCIPAL COMMODITIES SHIPPED THROUGH THE CANAL

(All cargo figures in long tons)

Pacific to Atlantic

Commodity

Ores, various Lumber

Petroleum and products (excludes asphalt)

Wheat

Sugar

Canned food products

Nitrate of soda Fishmeal

Bananas--

Metals, various Food products in refrigeration (except fresh

fruit) Pulpwood

Corn

Iron and steel manufactures

Oilseeds and products

.\I1 others

Total

Third quarter, fiscal year1965

1,812,479

1,222,996

.368,871 504,458

411,619

207,011

220,038

457,226

311,.396 299,433

288,598

136,810

112,986

507,925

142,296

1,720,949

1964

1,493,594

1,119,227

521,022

494,618

366,267

220,736

226,483

333,667

.354,126 298,492

269,659

126,818

61 306,667

79..344 1,748,589

8,725,091 1 7,950,370

Average

1951-55

961,032

868,628

249,439

508,144

233,804

304,637

360,514

"~Y92"445

162,399

163,265

48,257

1,778

60,502

26,259

768,239

4,909,342

Atlantic to Pacific

Commodity

Sugar

Sulfur

Metals, various Coal and coke Wheat

Phosphates

Soybeans

Fertilizer, miscellaneous

Iron and steel manufactures Com

Ores, various Metal, scrap Paper and paper products Petroleum and products (excludes asphalt).

Chemicals, unclassified All others

Total 9,810,360 10,336,855

Third quarter, fiscal year—

1965

148,872

104,258

121,444

1,690,666

141,399

671,412

332,433

90,&49

347,808

549,955

265,548

218,893

99,223

3.727,982

176,275

1,123,543

1964

104,543

97,291

137,385

1,704,659

58,245

602,821

504,110

113,436

401,581

769,756

392,704

644,261

115,965

2,850,421

199,618

1,640,059

Average

1951-55 101,508

82,173

31,882

676,946

16,947

195,587

134,079

34,616

420,153

19,077

27,416

16,632

88,306

968,731

41,822

1, 186,296

4,042,171

CANAL TRANSITS - COMMERCIAL AND U.S. GOVERNMENT
cA Ma^ 3 journey. 3nto uhe PaAt

YOU WILL HA\'E to have a snorkel

to see Miraflores now," said Mrs. Grace

Sanders, a resident of the Canal Zone

since construction days, during the

Istlimian Historical Society's reminiscing

trip on the Panama Canal launch has

Criices past former construction days

towns. It was a nostalgic trip for the "Old

Timers" who shared their memories of construction da\s.

Miraflores, she said, was built by the French to house their laborers. When

the United States took over the Canal

construction, Miraflores continued to be

used as a labor camp. When the locks were completed and the Canal went

into operation, this choice "lake-floor" propertv ceased to be attractive as a residence site. Mrs. Sanders and her husband, who

was a male nurse in consti-uction days,

lived in nearly ever\' old townsite. Pedro Miguel and Paraiso also date from French Canal davs. The former

served the U.S. construction venture as

the southern roundhouse and marshalling \ard for the dirt trains which

worked in the Cut. The French had

tluir district headquarters and a machine shop in the latter town. Mrs. Sanders recalled that during construction davs, Paraiso was the only town

along the line where the water, which came from nearby springs, could be

usrd right out of the faucet without

precautionary boiling. During the construction pL'riod, the railroad crossed from the east to the west bank on a

trestle at this point. When the water was let into the Cut, a pontoon bridge was used for the trains until the tracks were relocated on the east bank.

Culebra, the original capital of the

U.S. Canal construction, was a small

\ illage found bv Panama Railroad

surveyors in 18.50. Four years later it enjoyed a brief prosperity as the southern terminal of the railroad, at that stage of its construction. The

French usjd the town when they began

to move dirt out of the Cut, and the United States made it their construction capital until 1909 when most of the buildings were moved to new locations at the Pacific end of the Canal. Bas Obispo, said Mrs. Sanders,

originallv was on the trail from Gorgona

to Panama. The French began construction of locks here in 1887 and the Unitrd States housed 1.744 people here

in 1908 when Bas Obispo was a typical

Canal town. It was here, in December

19C8, that 26 lives were lost and a dozen men were maimed in a premature

d\namite explosion.

Matachin was used by the Chagres

River traffic from verv earlv times, Mrs. Sanders told her listeners. In 1908 there were 2,042 inhabitants here and the United States first planned to locate the principal locomotive repair shops

at Matachin. The Chagres was diverted

from its channel here and when the excavation was finished in this area, the town went into a decline.

iff

•o-^ji:

Culebra is no more, but there wa.s once much life in the old town. This is a weddinR party in 191:1, when the settlement was in its heyday.

14 May 1965
SUADED AREA- SHOWS

APPBOXIMtTE CM4AV- EICCAVATIOM ^^W^.\BAS OblSPO ^

.9'

I

I

.N^ ^^>^ o* ^v^?-J

co^r Pamama

PACIPIC

This map shows the old towns that were the subject of conversation on the Las Cruces trip.

Morris Seelev, who came to the Isth- mus in 1907 as a male nurse and whose

work took him to both sides of the

Isthmus, represented the construction

dav town of Empire. The name is a misinterpretation of the original Spanish name Emperador (Emperor). Before

the opening of the Panama railroad, the pack trail from Corgona to Panama

crossed the line of the present Panama

Canal, passing the headwaters of the Obispo River and through the hills to the Cruces Trail and Panama. The

"49ers" put up at Empire on their way

across the Isthmus to California. Empire

was the site of the largest French construction town, and it was here that the French moved the first earth from Culebra Cut in 1882. The United States used

the French shops here to repair their steamshovels, and Colonel Gaillard and

other officials lived here. A suspension

bridge carrying air hoses, water mains,

and a roadway crossed the Cut at this point. Mrs. Winifred Ewing, a substitute teacher in the construction day town

of Las Cascadas, represented that communitv. She recalled that a 40-foot fall

in the Obispo River existed here, giving

the tov\ II its name. The French used the

site for a labor camp. In 1908, Las Cas- cadas was one of the centers of Canal

life and 2,42.5 people were housed here. The transportation headquarters of the Central Division had facilities for 40 locomotives in this town during

construction days. Mrs. Mary Cecil Lowe represented

the town of Corgona and told of her

life as a young wife there in 1906, and

of the starting of the Woman's Club. The reputation once enjo\ed b\' Cor- gona as the wildest town in the Zone

was probably inherited from its long

service as a river port, a French construction camp, and, under the United

States, the largest machine shop on the (See p. 23)

When Linpire was thriving, in 1910, this was the picture of life at the railroad station.

The P.\nama C.^nal Review 15
The spreader lowered by the ship's gantry crane clamps onto a cargo container which is about tu be- loitded aboard a Grace liner at Balboa. CARGO, THE FAST WAY!

FROZEN PANAMA shrimp on its way

to the New York market; household

goods for a family returning to the United States; general cargo assigned

to an import merchant in Panama or Ecuador—this is the type of merchandise traveling to and through the Canal

these days in cargo containers—those oversized shipping crates used to trans- port freight from door to door via ocean

routes. Containers with the Grace Line trade- mark of Seataincrs have been moving

off and on the Canal Zone piers for some time and, in the near future, a somewhat similar operation will he start- ed here by the Sea Land Service, Inc. The service, started a few years ago by Grace Line between New York and

South America and bv Sea Land on the

intereoastal trade, tailors two conventional methods of cargo transport into

a unified ser\ice bv combining the

flexibility of trucking service with the

efficiency and low cost of waterway

shipping.

The container can be loaded at the shippers loading platform, sealed and

transported b)' trailer to a sea terminal

where it is loaded aboard a container

ship with special high speed shipboard

cranes. At the port of destination, the container is removed and again trucked

to its final destination. Since the metluKl

of shipping is convenient and virtually eliminates pilferage and damage, it has become increasingly popular with shippers. The biggest segment of Grace

Line freight for South America at pres- ent moves in containers and about half

of the containers are being placed by

shippers at their own inland plants and

warehouses.

The container operation at work can

be inspected almost anv weekend at the Balboa piers when Grace Line passenger-cargo ships tie up to load and unload

container-packed cargo. Most of the containers loaded at this time are 40-foot demountable refrigerated trailers specificalK designed for car- riage of frozen shrimp from Panama

to New York aboard the Grace Line

Santa Magdalcna class vessels. Normally this company ships five to six of th(se trailers each Saturday on north- (See p. 23)

16 May 196.5
ANNIVERSARIES

(On the basis of total Federal Service)

ADNUNISTRATrVE SERVICES

DIVISION

George H. Logan

Management Technician SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

Camel W. Campbell

Cash Clerk

Cecil C. Gittens

Service Center Manager

Clifford J. Henry

Sales Section Head

Hugh E. Turner

General Supply Officer ENGINEERING AND

CONSTiUMfTION QiiB^U

Walter C

Motor

Herbert A. Stevedore I Hubert H. Vickers ClerkCIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Allan B. Forte

Junior High School Teacher,

Latin American Schools Edward M. Allison Swimming Pool Operator

MARINE BUREAU

Mariano Escobar Helper Lock Operator

HEALTH BUREAU

Samuel A. Hoyte

Nursing Assistant (Psychiatry)

SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

John F. Williams Guard

William A. Cawl

General Supply Assistant Beresford D. Gittens Meatcutter (Sales) Clarence W. Kilbey

Service Center Superintendent

Cleophas M. Brown

Laborer (Cleaner) Carlton E. McClaren

Truckdriver George E. Shoemaker

Supply Cataloger (General)

MARINE

Robert A. Allan

Pilot King Manoah Josiah Linehandler (Deckhand)

Harry E. Townsend

Chief Foreman Machinist Herbert S. Driscoll General Foreman ( Lee Kariger

Supervisory Administri

Officer

'

ENGINEERING AND

CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Elisha A. Bennett Accounting Clerk Ray Caldwell Foreman (Building and Public Works)

Leslie A. Beauchamp

Leader Refrigeration and

Air Conditioning Mechanic

Ernest E. Berger

Instrument Mechanic (Electrical) Kenneth E. Marcy

L-ead Foreman (Quarters Maintenance)

Jeffrey U. Nation Helper Electronics Mechanic

Herbert St. Louis

Oiler David A. Yerkes

Supervisor^' Architect Robert M. Baum

Master, Towboat

Olen A. Dietz

Supervisory Maintenance Engineer

Gog A. Gray

Maintenanceman (Distribution System)

Album A. King

Toolroom Attendant Frank J. McLeod

Water System Controlman

Edward D. Todd

FAIRS BUREAU

lentary-L.A.

ire mentary-L.A

rland

ieutenant

Schools)

Schools)

COMPTROLLERS OFFICE

Robert L. Coffey Accountant TRANSPORTATION AND

TERMINALS BUREAU

Francisco Delgado

Linehandler Michael A. Shan

Clerk

T. A. Albritton General Foreman (Roundhouse) Casmer E. Todd

Brakeman

Spanish Instructor's Plays Bring Fame

A Panama Canal Spanish instructor has received Latin America-wide rec- ognition as a playwright through a list- ing in the new cat- alog of a famous

U.S. book firm. A volume contain- ing two plays of Carlos M. Garcia

de Paredes, senior Spanish instructor in the Personnel Bu- reau's Employee

Utilization and Development Staff, is listed by Stechert- Hafner, Inc., of New York. The firm is probably the most famous book dealer

in the IJnited States, from a scholarly

point of view. The catalog lists recent Latin American literature by country,

and Mr. Garcia de Paredes' book, "El

C. G. de Paredes

Minotauro," is among 20 entries for Panama.

Both of the book's plays are set in the recent past and reflect aspects of current political and social mores. The

first play, from which the book takes

its title, is patterned on the ancient

Greek Minotaur myth but is a modem

story of a cycle in the lives of a local

political hanger-on and his mistress. A

one-act play, it was written in 1957 and won for its author a second prize in the Ricardo A. Miro national literary contest of Panama. The prize consisted of $500, a gold medal, and a certificate. The play has been staged in Panama

City, in Chitre, and in Mexico.

The second play, "Que Angosta es la Puerta" ( How Narrow the Door )

, writ- ten a few months after the first, also was staged in Panama and Chitre. It

tells the storv of a socialite's visit to a

schoolteacher whom she has selected

for an experiment in love. Too recent to be listed is another play

published in "Estudios," a magazine in book form which appears twice a year, published by the Instituto Nacional.

This play, entided "La Otra Cara del

Sol" (The Other Face of the Sun), is a two-act, six-scene story of the diffi- culties of a man mined in health and

wealth by the "Thousand Days' War,"

the civil conflict that shook the Isthmus

of Panama during the final years of the 19th century.

The author has an unpublished book

of poems which won the third prize in the Ricardo Miro contest in 196.3 and

also an unpublished three-act play

which he is now polishing. In addition

he has been working for some years,

off and on, on a novel which has been

rewritten three times and is still un-

(See p. 23)

The Panama Canal Review 17
His Life Spdnned

A Century of Faithi

FUNERAL SER\'ICES for a man who had dedicated most

of his 102 years to the service of the church were held March 16 in a church which is observing its 100th anniversary

this year. The man uas the late Venerable Archdeacon Edward J. Cooper, who died March 10 in Guatemala. The church is the historical Christ Church By-the-Sea, built in 1864 by the

old Panama Railroad Company and dedicated June 15, 1865.

If he had lived a few weeks longer, it would have been

possible for Father Cooper to celebrate his 103d birthday in conjunction with centennial services planned this year for the church where he served 34 years as rector. He had been

rector emeritus since his retirement in 1941. Both Father Cooper and the church he directed so many

vears had long and distinguished histories. The handsome

church by the sea in Colon is the second oldest non-Roman

church in Central America and was owned by the Mother

Church of the Isthmian Mission established in 1853 under

the jurisdiction of the Church of England.

It escaped being destroyed by a fire which swept Colon

in 1884 and a rebellion in 1885. But it was used for 6 months

in 1885 as a barracks and stable by the Colombian Army.

It was rededicated in December of that year and regular

services have been held there ever since. Father Cooper, a naturalized U.S. citizen and a graduate

of the General Theological Seminary in New York, came to Panama in 1907, the same year that the church and other Episcopal missions here were transferred from the Church

of England to the jurisdiction of the Protestant Episcopal

Church of America.

He was appointed rector and also served as chaplain of the Isthmian Canal Commission, working with General Goethals

and other builders of the Panama Canal. Under his ministry, the church prospered and he was appointed Archdeacon of Colon in the Episcopal Church in 1931. Among the many

tributes to him there is the Father Cooper Memorial Hall or annex to the church built by Dr. and Mrs. Harry Eno, of Colon.

After his retirement in 1941, Father Cooper went to live

in Guatemala but he retained the title of rector emeritus of Christ Church By-the-Sea. One of his successors as rector was

the Rev. Mainert J. Peterson who later became Archdeacon

of Colon and is presently Dean of the Cathedral of St. Luke

in Ancon.

Despite its 100 years, the sturdy stone church building has

remained in surprisingly good condition. Repairs and improve- ments have been made in recent years and rectory was built. The roof was renewed at the cost of $18,000 and the deterio- rated slate replaced by native tile. Care always has been

taken to preserve the old design of the original woodwork

and trusses. Father Cooper also remained in good health up until his

final brief illness. He returned to the Isthmus at regular inter- vals to see old friends and conduct services in his old church. He observed his 100th birthday with communion services there and returned for the dedication of Stevens' Circle in Balboa and the opening of Thatcher Ferry Bridge.

He remarked at one time that he hoped to live forever. He couldn't manage that, but his life span certainly exceeded

the four score and seven alloted most men.

The Venerable Archdeacon Edward J. Cooper, shown with Gov.

Robert J. Fleming, Jr., when he made a courtesy call on the Governor in observance of his 100th birthday. At right is Albert Spaulding, who acted as Father Cooper's secretary and acolyte.

The historical Christ Church-By-Tbe-Sea in Colon, where Father

E. J. Cooper was rector for 34 years and rector emeritus after

his retirement. It was built in 1864 and dedicated June 15, 1865.

18 Mav 1965
'Breaks' Help

To Cut Costs

Of Slide Work

THE PANAMA CANAL'S Engineering

and Construction Bureau took full advantage of several fortunate circumstances that existed because of the lo- cation of the Cartagena slide, just north

of Pedro Miguel locks, and saved the Panama Canal organization several thousands of dollars.

First, the shore pipe connection for the Dredging Division's dredge Mindi

had alreadv been installed nearbv, and

a spoil dump had been prepared to receive dredged material, in connection

with the routine maintenance of Gaillard

Cut. The need for expensive shore

preparations prior to commencement of dredging at the slide was therefore

eliminated. Second, the engineers were able to make full use of the 40,000 cubic yards

excavated by the drag line to construct

dikes for dredge spoil areas in the immediate vicinity. There was thus a double

benefit gained b\' excavation of the

material, and the need to excavate

additional earth for dikes was avoided.

Third, the slide area was easilv accessible by land so there was no need to cut a new road through jungle to reach

the work area. The total cost of this slide correction operation is expected to approach

$100,000. Had a slide of this magnitude

occurred at a more remote location in Gaillard Cut, its removal cost could

easily have been double this amount.

Prior to the start of the work, considerable engineering and surveying

investigations were made of the nature and extent of the slide. The first step was to remove, bv dredging, the under- water portion, or toe, of the slide. The

Mindi was already in the right location

for the project, having been installed

for the dredging of Gaillard Cut right next to the slide area. Fortunately, too, the lock overhaul work at Pedro Miguel

Locks was .scheduled at the same time,

so conflicts between dredge work and

ship traffic were minimized.

The Mindi removed only that portion

of the slide which encroached on the

ship channel. A large quantity of mate-

_ja,

mm

Before work started on removing the underwater portion of the south extension of the Cartagena slide. The shore pipe connection for the dredge Mindi had already been installed and a spoil dump had been prepared previously to receive dredged material during routine maintenance of Gaillard Cut, thus saving many thousands of dollars in slide removal costs.

Ajmost finished: Dotted lines show (No. 1) the area of the south extension of the Cartagena

slide, north of Pedro Miguel locks. Black dotted area in water outlines former underwater

toe of slide. The dredge Mindi worked inward, in direction of arrow, to remove this portion.

The removed material was pumped into the spoil dump (No. 2). Area above the slide (No. 3) was removed by a large dragline.

rial will remain undisturbed in place, unless further movement of the slide necessitates a second operation.

The second step was to grade the upper surface of the slide area itself to promote better drainage and to reduce

the possibility of further movement.

The final step was to cut down and remove an overhanging embankment of

surface material above the slide to pre- vent further sliding and adding weight

to the already failed portion of the slide. Only that part of the upper bank was

removed that could become a new slide. The slide is still in very slow motion.

It is being watched, as all slide areas

are, but at present there is no plan to remove the entire slide.

The Panama Canal Review 19
SH U?l N G

Although he will not be visiting

the Canal as master of the Cunard

liner Queen Mary, Capt. G. T. Marr

hopes that someday he will bring

the famous Queen's smaller successor through the Canal.

The new ship, which Captain

Marr expects to command, is now

being built in Scotland. She has been

designed for cruising as well as the

North Atlantic trade and can transit the Panama Canal.

Captain Marr recently made a call

at Cristobal as master aboard the

Cunard cruise ship Mauretania. He

will assume command of the Queen

Mary within a few months and will succeed Capt. Frederick Watts as commodore of the Cunard fleet.

While the Mauretania was in port,

the British sea captain was presented a Panama Canal 50th anniversary

medallion and a copy of the 50th anniversary' book by Capt. E. B. Rainier, Cristobal Port Captain. Also

present was Capt. Frank V. Kerley,

Cristobal pilot who brought the ship

to dock, and G. Niel McColl, manager of the Pacific Steam Navigation

Co., agents for the Mauretania.

Canal Navigation officials shown on the bridge of the cruise ship Mauretania with Capt. G. T. Marr, second from the right, who is master of the vessel. From left to right are Capt. Frank V. Kerley, Cristobal pilot, Capt. E. B. Rainier, Captain of the Cristobal Port, Captain Marr, and G. Niel McColl, manager of the Pacific Steam Navigation Co.

Captain Marr not only has a long

and distinguished record with the

Cunard Line but served with the

British Royal Navy during World

War II. He was navigation oflBcer

aboard the HMS King George V during the naval battle in the North

Atlantic during which British naval

vessels engaged and sank the German

battleship Bismarck.

TRANSITS BY OCEANGOING VESSELS

IN THIRD QUARTER

FISCAL YEAR 1965

1965 1964 Commercial 2,824 3,089

U.S. Government 62 78

Free 20 23

Total 2,906 3,190

TOLLS*

Commercial $1.5,746,160 $15,823,916

U.S. Government. 381,994 348,790

Total .$16,128,154 $16,172,706

CARGO"

Commercial 18,538,432 18,292,404

U.S. Government. 526,886 226,174 Free 92,914 108,796

Total .... 1 9, 1 58,232 1 8,627 ,374

* Includes tolls on all vessels, oceangoing and

small. **Cargo figures are in long tons.

1965
CAMAl HISTORY

50 yfearj cAg.o

THE FIRST French-flag vessel to use

the Canal was the merchant ship Satnf Andre which transited March 16, 1915, en route from Tahiti to Glasgow with

a cargo of 6,900 tons of ore. The Pan- ama Canal Record, in reporting the

ship's arrival, said that no official rec- ognition was taken just as none was

taken of the first vessels of other for- eign nations using the Canal. But at points along the way individuals gave

indication of their appreciation of the

nation which performed such important

work in building of the Canal.

Official figures printed in the Record

revealed that up to March 1, 1915,

the earnings of tolls on vessels using

the Canal fell short of meeing the expenses of operation and maintenance

by $261,098.

The decorative paintings for the Administration Building at Balboa

Heights were installed in the rotunda

of the building 50 vears ago. The murals were painted bv the well-known

artist, VV. B. Van Ingen, assisted by

C. T. Berrv and Ira Remsen. Four hundred and thirty buildings

in an area covering 22 blocks (about

IQVz acres), or a third of the city of Colon, were completelv destroved by

fire April 30, 1915. Five people were

killed, eight seriously injured, and 7,500

people left homeless. The value of the

propert\' destroved was estimated at $3 million.25 yearJ c4g.o

AN EXECUTIVE order was issued from

Washington, D.C., 25 vears ago establishing a censorship of photographs and

sketches of the Canal Zone and forbid- ding steamship passengers from using cameras while their ships were transiting the Panama Canal. The order re- quired that the masters of all vessels

transiting the Canal collect all cameras

from passengers and retain them until the journey was completed.

The need for strengthening the antiaircraft defenses of Panama, Puerto

Rico, and Alaska was emphasized by

Brig. Gen. George V. Strong, Chief

of the War Department Plans Division,

in testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee.

Following the Nazi invasion of Denmark, it was announced localK' that the masters of Danish ships arriving at the Canal might be approached by British authorities with the suggestion they

proceed to the nearest British port. Norwegian vessels received orders to disregard orders coming from Oslo. The U.S. Senate Appropriations

Committee voted to recommend the appropriation of $15 million which Pres- ident Roosevelt requested to start the work on the third set of locks for the Panama Canal. The citv of Colon was swept by a disastrous fire on April 13, 1940. More

than $4 million in property was destroyed and close to 12,000 persons were made homeless. The fire occurred almost

exactl)' 25 \ears after a similar confla- gration in 1915.

iO yiearJ c^g^o

ANALYSIS AND evaluation of Balboa

and Cristobal High Schools for accreditation by the Middle States Association

of Colleges & Secondary Schools was

completed 10 vears ago. Work on the

accreditation study of the Canal Zone

Junior College was begun by the Middle

States Association.

Bids for the dismantling and removal

of three emergency dams at Miraflores

locks and Pedro Miguel were opened

in April 1955 with John V. Carter and

John V. Carter, Jr., making a high bid

of $53,323. The dams being sold for scrap were three of six erected shortly before the Canal opened in 1914. The civilian population of the Canal

Zone declined from 42,049 in June 1953

to 38,953 in November 1954, a decrease of 3,096, according to census

figures completed in March 195.5 by the Personnel Bureau. These figures includ- ed all residents except the uniformed

personnel of the Armed Forces.

One year c4^o

MORE THAN 20 percent of the highest paying jobs in the Canal Zone now

are being held by Panamanians and this percentage will increase steadily, ac- cording to Harry C. McPherson, Jr., Deputy Under Secretary of the Army,

who was quoted in a dispatch from

Washington, D.C., last year.

The Boquete Orange Story

(Continued from p. 11)

in Panama is not entirely clear. One

theory that has considerable support

from pioneers is that the American fliers in 1920 labeled it and that the name

stuck. These U.S. Army Air Corps

pilots flew into David from Panama,

and often went to Boquete to bin- the

delicious fruit. Mrs. Monniche savs the name "just attached itself," adding that people talked about "Boquete coffee, Boquete strawberries," and other Bo- quete products that were known for superior quality.

It's possible, too, that "Pop" Wright

named the orange "Boquete" because

of his love of the town and because,

as his daughter said, "these oranges were the love of his life." His fame in that region to this duv prompts man\'

people to refer to him as the "Will

Rogers of Central America." In 19.39, he received a gold medal award for his exhibition of a selection of Boquete

oranges at the second annual fair of Chiriqui Province. The Washington navel orange is rated

in H. F. MacMillian's "Tropical Plant- ing and Gardening," 1949, as one of the finest of all oranges. The difference

between its flavor and that of the Boquete orange, no doubt, is due to cli- matic and soil differences. And there

is certainly a difference in price. The

large-size navel orange in California

costs from 3 to 5 times the price of the Boquete variety.

The hardv pioneers who started the navel orange industries in Panama and

California were not really concerned

with commercial production. Neither

the Tedman, Tibbets, or Thomas families, all of whom introduced the navel orange to the area where they lived, ever developed groves or benefited

financially from the orange trees. Though Tedman and Thomas intro- duced the orange in Panama, one cannot escape the conclusion that three

other men deserve much credit for its development: David T. Sasse, the self- made naturalist; "Pop" Wright, the promoter, and A. O. Sandberg, Sr., the

entrepreneur.

All of these men enjoyed accomplishing the unusual and they forged ahead

without an assurance of the result. Their unselfish service has left a thriv- ing industry and earned the gratitude

of those who have developed it.

The Panama Canal Review 21
SCENTS POSTAGE

CANAL ZONE

J ,_/^ /" j-^ /"^ /"-/~N ''> y^y*"^ ^

G. Z. Stamps Oldest In Use Anywhere

THE CANAl, ZONE regular stamp

issue is by far the oldest in use anywhere

today, research bv the Caribbean Stamp

Club shows.

The stamps are officially called the 14th Canal Zone permanent issue. Stamp buffs term these regular issues "definitive" issues. The issue was first recommended in 1928 by Crede Cal- houn, Director of Posts from 1916

to 1947. The stamp values are 1, 3, 10, 15, 20, 30 and .50 cents. The 1-cent green Gorgas was the first of the series. It came out on October 3, 1928, and is believed to be the oldest stamp in the world in terms of continuous use. Others, and the dates of issue: the

.50-cent Blackburn issued in 1929; the

10-cent Hodges, 15-cent Smith, and

20-cent Rousseau, all issued in 1932;

the 3-cent Goethals issued in 1934 and

the 30-cent Williamson, last of the lot, issued in 1940. Stamp catalogs and journals were

scanned for possible rivals to these oldsters, but no close competitors could

be found for the 36-year-old, 1-cent Gorgas, or the 35-year-old, 50-cent Blackburn.

Ethiopia seems to be the closest. Its present issue came out in 1947. Parts

of two regular issues in the United

States have been in use up to 10 years.

50tk Stamp JolderJ Still c4vaUable

THE LATEST Canal Zone stamps—the

.50th anniversary issue of si.\ airmail stamps—is still available in an attractive folder designed especially for collectors. Issued August 15, 1964, on the 50th

anniversary of the opening of the Canal,

the stamps are of 6, 8, 15, 20, 30, and

80 cents values. The folder depicts a map of the Canal on the inside with six mint airmail stamps affixed on the map

and another 8-cent airmal on the outside !)ack fold. The folder also contains

the official 50th anniversary insignia,

and a sliort history of the Panama Canal

and tlie Canal Zone postal service.

The cost is S2, prepaid. To get the

folder, write to Philatelic Agency, Bal- boa Heights, Canal Zone. Requests for mint stamps also may be included in the

order. A money order must be sent to cover costs. Checks and stamps will not be accepted.

The commemorative stamps are rec- tangular. Each has a different color and on each is an aerial view of a scene

along the Panama Canal or nearby.

Tlie printing of the stamp folder was

limited, so it will be available only as long as supplies last. So if you haven't ordered a folder, hurr\!

22 May 1965
Journeying

Into Past

(Continued from p. 15)

Isthmus. The shops covered 3 acres in 1905 and 21 acres in 1913 when they were moved to Balboa and the town

abandoned to rising waters. One of the town legends was that Balboa HUl,

3V2 miles from Gorgona, was the very

hill from which Balboa first saw the

Pacific Ocean. This hill, 1,000 feet high, was a triangulation point for Canal

surveyors in laying out the line of the "Big Ditch." From a tower that once

stood on this hill photographers could

take pictures of both oceans on clear davs. Mrs. Margaret Goulet represented

Old Cristobal and gave a good picture

of the Atlantic side town in Canal

construction days. Karl Curtis, of Gamboa, who was

unable to attend the cruise because of

illness, was a {>ersonal acquaintance of Chief Engineer John F. Stevens and his part of the program would have been

to tell of the building of Stevens' home

at Culebra. This house was later occupied by Col. George W. Goethals

and, moved to its present location at Balboa Heights, has been the home of

all Canal Zone Governors.

Famous Firm

Lists Author

{Continued from p. 17)

finished. No definite title has been

chosen yet. Garcia de Paredes started the Pan- ama Canal Company's Spanish program

7 years ago under the administration

of Gov. William Potter and has taught every Governor since then. He has

taught Spanish at Gorgas Hospital, and

for the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. He is a Panama University

student, where he is working toward

his B.A. in humanities.

CARGO MOVING SPEEDED

BY USE OF CONTAINERS

(Continued from p. ICi) bound ships. Southbound, the refrige- rated containers can be used to carry normal general cargo or such items as apples which require 35 to 40 degrees

of temperature.

Containers have been used for some

unusual cargoes and apparently there are few shipments which cannot be

accommodated in this manner. The Matson Navigation Co. is exper- imenting with livestock containers on

the Pacific and Hawaii service. Created

by Matson's engineers and sales engineers, the containers have the same

measurements as standard units and can house eight cows, are ventilated and

have built-in feed troughs and water

tanks. There are also tank containers for the movement of liquid cargoes designed chiefly for the movement of chemicals, foodstuffs, and certain petroleum

products.

The American Hawaiian Steamship

Co. announced recently tentative plans

for the construction of three 900-foot,

24-knot container ships which would be

placed on the intercoastal trade. They

would be built to carry more than 800

40-foot highway trailer vans and

would be so fast that they would make

the run between New York and San

Francisco in 9 days.

The Sea Land service established its national containership headquarters at Elizabeth, N.J., in 1962. It offers regular service between the New Jersey

seaport and Puerto Rico, gulf and west

coast ports. Recently it added a call at the port of Cristobal with Balboa and

Panama City served by Terminales

Panama trucks.

Despite the many advantages, the economic value of containers and

other forms of bulking cargoes is a question of the balance between the

savings in port time and the loss of cargo capacity.

According to S. G. Sturmey, professor

of economics at the University of Lancaster, the shorter the route, the more

important is port time in relation to sea time and so the more likely it is that containers will be economic.

A refrigerated Grace Line Seatainer carrying frozen Panama shrimp being moved to the

shipside by a forklift truck at right. It will be lifted aboard by the ship's gantry crane.

The Panama Canal Review 23
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