Vol. 8, No. 10

?P °/iHe Panama Canal Museum

BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, MAY 2, 1958 5 cents

ij|l< i irate'
The Panama Canal Honor Roll

CONSTRUCTION DAY

VETERANS ARE NOW

REDUCED TO THREE

A Canal Zone era is coming to an end. Less than 20 years ago there were hun- dreds of construction day veterans on the job in the Canal service. Today, the ranks of those who were at work here when the great waterway was still a deepening ditch are reduced to only three. Every May, since it began publication

in 1950, "The Panama Canal Review"

has carried an Honor Roll the names

of the men and women whose service began during the decade of 1904-1914 which is ordinarily known to Zonians

as the "construction period." The

Honor Roll is published in the anniversary month of the beginning of the Canal construction by the United States Government on May 4, 1904. See what has happened since: In May 1951, the list had decreased

to 69. By May 1952, there were only 53 construction day veterans on the Canal rolls. In May 1953, the number had declined

to 33 men and women. A year later, in May 1954, the Honor

Roll was down to 22. In May 1955, there were only 13 construction day veterans still on the job. The next year, May 1956, there were

12 names on the Honor Roll and, for the

first time, no woman's name appeared. Last year, in May 1957, the list had

dropped to nine, and

As of this month the Honor Roll is down to three: Adrien M. Bouche, who started to work in 1909; William V. Brugge, who

started his Canal career in 1913; and

David W. Ellis, who went to work for the Isthmian Canal Commission in

1913. When the Panama Canal's Honor Roll

first appeared in The Review, 47 of the 106 listed held the Roosevelt Medal for at least two years of construction day

service and 27 had unbroken service with

the Canal organization. Of today's trio, only Mr. Bouche holds

the Roosevelt Medal and none have un- broken service.

If all three of the construction day vet- erans choose to continue on the Canal

rolls until the compulsory retirement age

of 62, the Honor Roll will be unchanged

for another two years. Mr. Bouche and

Mr. Brugge will not have to retire until 1960 and Mr. Ellis, who was a schoolboy when he went to work in 1913, will not be

retired for age until 1964. Since all three of today's Honor Roll men were mere youngsters during the construction period, the jobs they held then were hardly of the policy-making

variety. Mr. Bouche first worked as a messenger in Maj. William L. Sibert's

office at Gatun. Mr. Brugge was a wrapper and checker in the Cristobal Commissary, and Mr. Ellis was a "boy"

in the Mechanical Division. Today, Mr. Bouche is a Control House

Operator at Pedro Miguel Locks, Mr.

Brugge is Assistant Housing Manager at

These three men are the only Americans on the Canal rolls who saw service in the

construction period. From lefi: W. V. Brugge, David Ellis, and Adrien Bouche.

Balboa, and Mr. Ellis is a Floating Crane

Operator for the Dredging Division.

All three are the sons of construction day veterans. Mr. Bouche's father, A. M. Butcher, began his Canal service

in 1907 and was a Lockmaster at Gatun when he retired in 1934. Mr. Brugge's

father, William, was a Master Baker; he

held the title of General Foreman when

he left the Commissary service in 1917. Mr. Ellis' father, Freeman, occupied a

typical construction day post he worked

for the Sanitary Department as a "dis- penser of quinine," until his death in 1907. Diagrams Update Building Employees

On Air-Conditioning Work Schedule

A piece of art by one of the old masters would have created no more attention among employees at the Administration

Building than some color crayon drawings

just placed in the rotunda. The four pieces of art work are the

floor plans of the Administration Building with colored sections indicating the proposed work schedule of Huffman,

Wolfe Southern Corporation, contracting firm for the installation of air conditioning and other modernization

work. These charts are to be kept up

to date during the course of the work and employees can tell at a glance when

work is to be done in their offices. First actual work in connection with

the air conditioning was begun this week

by the construction of a tunnel from the

east wing of the basement to connect with

the big condensers outside the building. Delivery of the principal machinery

has been promised sometime next month,

according to Heyward W. Goodwin, Project Manager for the contractor. It will require a month to six weeks to install this in the basement. Meanwhile, the

installation of the fluorescent lighting and

metal ducts for distribution of the chilled

air will be in progress. The work is to be scheduled to cause a minimum of interference with office work. Such work as the installation of the sheet metal ducts and steel framework for the

lower ceilings will be done outside of office hours. The air conditioning system will be composed of 28 zones or sections and

the contractors will make the installa- tions according to this division, completing one section at a time. The first areas to be fitted for air conditioning

will be in the basement. Since the work

will be done in sections Mr. Goodwin

says that the force will not greatly ex- ceed a maximum of about 50 at any one

time. Mr. Goodwin foresees no difficulty in maintaining or bettering the schedule which has been prepared. Orders have

already been placed for the manufacture

of some 7,000 feet of metal duct which

will be done in Panama, as well as the

steel framework to support the suspended

acoustical ceilings.

It is presently intended to begin the operation of the air conditioning system

in sections as work in them is completed,

primarily for testing purposes so that any

adjustment may be made prior to completion of the contract. While no firm date has been set, Mr. Goodwin fully expects the first water-chilled air to be fed through to one or more zones by next September, unless there are delays in the power conversion work at the Administration Building now planned for July. THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
Canal Zone Civil Defense To Be Tested

Next Tuesday In Nation-wide Exercise

The Canal Zone, together with communities throughout the United States and Canada, will test its Civil Defense

strength and ability to react to disaster sometime next Tuesday in "Operation

Alert 1958." Plans for the local participation by

the Canal Zone's Civil Defense organi- zation were developed last month under

the chairmanship of l.t. Gov. Hugh M.

Arnold with Bureau Directors and the Chief of Civil Defense. Operation Alert

1958 plans were also discussed at a meetof the Joint Civil Defense Committee,

composed of representatives from the Company-Government, the Armed

Services, the U. S. Embassy, and the Government of Panama.

As in previous alert exercises, the "Take

Cover" will be signalled by the public warning system and the end of the attack

period will be made known by the "Alert"

signal. During this period, all except emergency traffic will be halted. Following the alert signal all members of the Company-Government disaster relief or- ganization will report to their designated assembly areas where they will be checked and briefed on the exercise. The Armed

Forces disaster control teams will do the same. There will be no move out to the

disaster area by the rescue forces from

the assembly areas. Special emphasis is being placed this year on the use of the Armed Forces radio network as the principal public information media before, during, and after an

attack in the Canal Zone. The CFN

Emergency Broadcast will go into effect immediately after the first warning by

the Air Defense Command of an imminent attack. Arrangements have been made for CFN to follow its Emergency Broadcasting schedule during Operation

Alert next Tuesday and the general public has been urged to keep their radios tuned to the station, or to one of several

in Panama which is cooperating in this feature of the Civil Defense exercise this year, to receive instructions and an- nouncements.

Every effort is being made to make the

exercise a realistic one, according to P. L. Dade, Civil Defense Chief. Plans have

been developed to provide the Civil Defense organization, including the hundreds of volunteers, a full test of the

ability to react to an atomic attack such

as to be simulated Tuesday. The exercise in the United States, in which Canada will coordinate her exercises, will be three phase: Attack, Federal

Action, and Evaluation, in May, July, and September respectively. The Canal Zone will participate in the attack phase

only. During the Attack Phase, emphasis will be given to: a. Participation on the

basis of target area and support area organization to the maximum extent possible; b. the maximum use and testing of the local disaster relief plans at all levels;

c. maximum play of the operational intel- ligence function to insure collection, eval- uation, and dissemination of correct in- formation for operational decisions as to

Budget Committee Of Board

To Meet Here This Month

Members of the Budget and Fi- nance Committee of the Board of Directors will visit the Zone for three

or four days this month for a preliminary review of budget estimates for the fiscal year 1%0. The Committee

will return in June for a final and more formal review. The three Directors on the Committee, who will arrive May 11, are Ralph H. Cake, Maj. Gen. Glen E. Edgerton, and Robert P. Burroughs. The purpose of the preliminary

review is to confer with Governor

Potter and his staff on the assumptions on which the new budget esti- mates are to be prepared. The Board members will spend much of their time on field trips, inspecting some

of the major facilities scheduled for rehabilitation or replacement and

visiting sites where major capital improvements are planned.

the use of forces and resources; d. consideration of the follo\ ing resource areas: food, communications, transportation, manpower, health and medical supplies and equipment, light, power and fuel, clothing, construction supplies and equip- ment, emergency housing and lodging;

e. operational limitations due to radioactive fallout; and, /. public participa- tion drills. During the past several weeks, the Personnel Bureau has been identifying employees of the Company-Govern- ment for assignment to the Civil Defense Rescue Force. Personnel Starts Move To Ancon

Consolidation of practically all units of the Personnel Bureau in their attractive new headquarters in the former Ancon

Commissary building began this week.

First to be moved were most of those working in the Administration Building—the Wage and Classification Division and those in charge of U. S.-rate position records and personnel files. They

were followed later in the week by all personnel of the Employment and Utili- zation Division, from Building 69 on

Roosevelt Avenue, with the exception of the Central Labor Office Branch. The Central Labor Office Branch will remain at Building 69 until sometime

after the middle of this month when

the second, or rear, building of the Ancon unit is completed. The Office of the Personnel Director and its small staff is remaining in the

Administration Building, and the Training Center on Corozo Street. Although the Personnel Bureau is the

smallest, numerically, of the Canal's Bureaus, it has been scattered more widely than most of the other major administrative units. The present consolidation

will place all of its personnel files, for instance, in one location for the first time

in the Bureau's history. While the exterior of the two former Ancon Commissary buildings has been

little changed, some alterations have been made. A new front entrance has been

installed, a covered passageway built to connect the two buildings and an outside waiting room built near the back of the second building. The interior, however,

has been extensively altered and modernized to make it the brightest and most modern office building in the Canal Zone. As indicated on the accompanying floor

plan, the front building is housing the Wage and Classification and Employment

and Utilization Divisions, and the current personnel files. The rear building will be used for the time being for activities of the Central Labor Office. It is designed for future use as the home of the new Central Employment Office to be established by the

several U. S. Government agencies when

the 1955 Treaty legislation is approved. A waiting room at the rear of this build- ing is connected to a new outside waiting room which is equipped with drinking

fountains and toilet facilities. The new Personnel Bureau office was

designed by the Architectural Branch of the Engineering Division, under the per- sonal supervision of G. A. Doyle, Jr. and

Mrs. Ellen Kurzman was responsible for much of the color used in the decoration.

EMPLOYMENT AND

UTILI Z A TION DI VI SI QN (

WAGE-^-CLAS/FICATIONDIVISION.I
Personal Services

GORGAS: Internationally known; approved

for teaching. Good staff; but obsolete plant; excess capacity. Recommends: Gorgas as primary base hospital with increased out-patient, reduced

in-patient space ; improved or replaced plant.

THE FALK

FOREWORD

IN January 1957, Dr. Isidore Falk, internationally-known hospital consultant and medical

economist, was employed to make a broad study of the Canal Zone's health services and recommend a program, both as to facilities and services, which could be used as a basis for long-range planning. His was the first really overall look at this vital program, by a qualified but disinterested expert in the field, since the Canal construction period. The major recommendations and highlights of Dr. Falk's recently-completed report are presented below. The Canal Zone Health Bureau officials, working independently, had already arrived at many of the conclusions reached by Dr. Falk. Some of the changes

suggested in the report have already been made. Others, requiring Congressional action, are planned for the coming fiscal year. The 264-page report is now being studied by Col. Charles O. Bruce, Health Director, and his staff. When they have completed their analysis, their findings will be submitted

to Governor Potter. Much additional staff work will be required on many phases of Dr.

Falk's recommendations before Congress is asked for necessary funds or authority to institute the changes. Because of the great interest in both personal and public health, the publication of this summary is considered by the Health Bureau officials to be of vital importance to Canal Zone people, regardless of whether Dr. Falk's recommendations are found feasible or are approved by higher governmental authority. Copies of the full report are available in the Canal Zone Library.

COCO SOLO: Excellent building; excess

in-patient, inadequate out-patient space.

Staff good but small, almost ready for ac- creditation. Recommends: Coco Solo as secondary

health center; some layout improvement,

additional out-patient space, larger staff.

COROZAL: Custodial institution with good

but small staff; obsolete plant. High costs, inadequate budget. Recommends: Corozal to become part of Gorgas neuropsychiatric service with limited, urgent plant improvement as temporary measure. n

#**'

CLINICS: Provide preventive services, minor and first-aid care in C. Z. towns. Recommends: Strengthening out-patient care in general and special clinics, developing visiting nurse services.

THE SITUATION

Canal Zone Health authorities are di- rectly responsible for the health of a frequently shifting population of about

82,000. This includes civilian and mili- tary residents of the Canal Zone, Zone

employees living in Panama, and transients such as merchant seamen. The Canal Zone must, essentially, be

self-dependent for health services; its geographical location binds health in the Canal Zone to health in Panama. The Canal Zone is unique in the citi- zenship and racial complexity of its population, the differences between the

civilian and military components, and

the atypical age and sex distributions,

i. e., the preponderance of young and

middle-aged residents and the larger number of men than women.

The Health Bureau must provide community health services which are furnished by public health agencies in the United States and the personal health services done by private practi- tioners and private and public hospitals

in the States. The main causes of death- heart di- sease, cancer, etc.— are substantially the same here as in the United States; causes

peculiar to the tropics have largely been

eliminated, although there is a higher

incidence of pneumonia, the dysenteries and some venereal diseases than in the United States. The relatively low

"crude" death rate reflects the youth of the population; the birth rate is about the same as in the United States. The water

supply, in general, is good. PERSONAL HEALTH

SERVICES

Dr. Falk's highest praise, strongest

criticism and major recommendations ap- pear in the section of the report dealing with the four hospitals, the aid stations and dispensaries. Despite the difficulties of recruiting and

keeping highly qualified professional per- sonnel in the Canal Zone within the avail- able salary ranges, he finds that the staff- ing of these services is "on the whole,

largely adequate quantitatively and highly commendable qualitatively." A large

proportion of the medical staffs are dip- lomates in their specialties or qualified for

certification. Owing to an inadequate

budget, however, there is a "substantial shortage of qualified personnel and ex- tensive general understafting." This sit- uation is aggravated at Gorgas Hospital because of operation in inefficient facilities.In general, he finds, the in-patient facilities at the hospitals are much greater than required and the out-patient facili- ties inadequate for the increasing trend toward out-patient, or clinic, treatment. GORGAS HOSPITAL

Gorgas Hospital, Dr. Falk says, is known throughout the world for its contributions to the construction of the Canal and to the conquest of tropical

diseases, and is greatly respected for the quality and comprehensiveness of

its medical care. But its physical facilities are now ill-adapted to its needs.

It serves 57,000 persons on the Pacific side of the Isthmus in all its services, and

the whole population in some of its specialized services. The use of some of its excess capacity for the care of selected tuberculosis cases from Panama is a sound and desirable practice. The clinical medical staff is too small; there is a deficiency of graduate nurses for intramural service; and its administrative

staffing needs modernization. There have

been no major capital investments in Gorgas Hospital in recent years. The

hospital plant is obsolete and unduly ex- pensive to operate. It needs comprehensive improvement or replacement. He recommends that Gorgas Hospital should be continued as the main

medical center of the Canal Zone, improved by larger and more flexible re- sources, a larger professional and technical and subordinate staff, and a more

efficient plant. He suggests, if architectural study shows this to be practical, that the present OB-GYN building become the nucleus for new construction. The in-patient capacity should

be reduced and the out-patient facili- ties enlarged. COCO SOLO HOSPITAL

While Dr. Falk finds that the Coco Solo

Hospital building is in excellent condition,

its layout needs further adaptation bo perTHE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
REPORT Community Services

mit effective and economical operation. Some capital improvements are needed to change it from a hospital with ancillary out-patient services to a balanced health and hospital center.

Its in-patient facilities are "much more

than needed," but its budget has been

insufficient for adequate staffing. The

equipment, on the whole, is good. He recommends that Coco Solo Hospital become the Canal Zone's secondary health and hospital center, and

that it function as such for the northern district. It should be staffed and

equipped for general medical and dental services and for a minimum range

of special services. It should, however,

refer as much as possible to Gorgas Hospital for highly specialized services. Like Gorgas, it should strengthen its out-patient services and enlarge its

staff. Some minor physical changes

should be made. COROZAL HOSPITAL

This hospital, Dr. Falk says is a custodial institution operating in out-moded

facilities. While substantial improve- ments have been effected in the past two

years, a comprehensive reorganization and modernization are still urgently needed. Its staff of well-trained physicians and nurses is too small. He recommends that Corozal Hospital should become part of the neuropsychiatric service of Gorgas; Gorgas

should concentrate on consultant services; and Corozal Hospital should be used for non-acute, long-term dis- turbed patients not requiring or not

suitable for care at Gorgas. Funds should be provided at once to remedy such deficiencies in layout and

equipment as lack of elevators, inade- quate dining space, etc., whether the

buildings are to be used for a few years or

for a longer period. He also suggests an

independent survey of the mental health program in the Canal Zone. PALO SECO

Dr Falk finds that the Palo Seco Leprosarium provides a necessary service for the Canal Zone and a much-appreciated

service to Panama, and that its facilities, modest in construction, are well maintained. He recommends no major

changes, other than the addition of a sec- ond physician, but suggests that plans for the Leprosarium be reviewed in the next few years. CLINICS

Emphasis, in the Canal Zone's health program, Dr. Falk says, should be on

the prevention of physical and mental

disease and in early care for diseases which are not prevented. Toward this end, he recommends that the services,

i. e., the various clinics, "should be strengthened to reduce the in-patient admissions and the average length of in-patient stay" and to substitute outpatient care. He suggests that a comprehensive visits ing nurse service, graduate and practical, should be developed, and physicians' home visits should be expanded.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

While the bulk of the Falk report is de- voted to the personal health services of the Canal Zone, the consultant also makes

a careful analysis of the various community health services and presents some

recommendations on each of these. SANITATION

Effective maintenance of sanitation on a very high level is vital to the effi- cient operation of the Canal, Dr. Falk

says. By and large, he adds, the en- vironmental sanitation functions are extremely well done; weaknesses reflect deficiencies of legal support, larger or- ganization and more funds. Malaria has been controlled in the Canal Zone

since the early construction days but it has not been eradicated; the civilian and military authorities cannot afford

to relax preventive measures.

Dr. Falk believes that further improve- ments can be made in the sanitation pro- gram with an adequate budget. He suggests establishment of a joint civilian- military committee to "reexamine the

possibility" of consolidating within the Health Bureau all Canal Zone malaria

control activities other than the military domestic and agriculture insect control work. PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND QUARANTINE

This Division, Dr. Falk comments has

a "very small staff" for its broad and di- verse responsibilities, but it accomplishes

a surprisingly large amount of good and

effective work. Quarantine measures, however, are inadequate. He suggests expansion of its staff for general preventive services, the school health program and community health

education. He also suggests strength- ening the international quarantine

services, now assigned to Marine Bureau boarding parties. Dr. Falk recom- mends that these functions be reas- signed to the Health Bureau. If this is not feasible, the Health Bureau should

be provided with funds for an adequate

staff and a special effort should be made

by the Health and Marine Bureaus to insure effective coordination of the Quarantine and other boarding activities.VETERINARY MEDICINE

Dr Falk points out that the prevention and control of animal diseases transmissable to man and the protection of the Canal Zone's food supply are unusually important to public health and unusually complex here. The Division, he says,

carries out both functions effectively with

a small budget and staff and operates a veterinary hospital which compares fa- vorably with modern animal hospitals in the United States. To eliminate duplication of effort by

Canal Zone and military veterinarians he recommends that all veterinary inspection and related activities with respect to Panama establishments which supply food

to the Canal Zone, and the maintenance

SANITATION: Vitalh. important; environ- mental functions well done; malaria controlled but still present. Finances, staff insufficient. Recommends: Strengthening activities, larger budget, consolidation of malaria control in C. Z., inclusive sanitary code.

PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND QUARANTINE: Small staff for diverse responsibilities including school program and community health. Quarantine services are inadequate. Recommends: Expansion of staff, program.

Transfer of quarantine operations to Health

Bureau.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: Important, complex functions. Too small budget and

staff. Recommends: Additional personnel, consolidation of food inspections in Panama for Canal Zone; lengthened rabies quarantine.

May 2,1958 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

VITAL STATISTICS: Provides birth, death

information but no statistical services which

are important to health program. Recommends: Small new Division, to analyze data, coordinate information with Panama, prepare reports.
of lists of approved establishments, be

consolidated in this Division of the Health

Bureau. Rabies quarantine should be extended from the present four to six months. VITAL STATISTICS

In connection with Vital Statistics, Dr. Falk suggests that the present operation, now done by one person, be developed

into a small division. This should be

staffed to build up the vital statistics, analyze hospital and other operating data, develop exchange of statistical information with the Republic of Panama, pre- pare periodic reports for the United

States and international statistical agencies, engage in special studies and provide

statistical aids for the administration. ADMINISTRATION AND

FINANCING

Since the Canal Zone must be virtually self-dependent for its health services, the administration of the Health Bureau must be appropriate to that of an agency

operating substantially complete public medical services. At the present time, nine administrative units, including the various divisions and the four hospitals, report to the Health Director. This tends toward an uneven administration, especially because

the hospitals— with nearly 90 percent of the Bureau's budget—constantly press urgent needs. Dr. Falk suggests a reorganization of the administration, to provide for at

least one or, better, two Assistant Directors. One would be responsible for the community preventive and related

services, and the other for the hospitals and clinics and first aid stations. He

also suggests that, for continuity, the

position of Health Director be a career appointment on a permanent basis.

If his recommendations are adopted,

Dr. Falk says, Canal Zone authorities should expect gross operating costs for the community and personal health service to rise from about $6 million in fiscal year 1957 to, at current prices and wage

levels, about $7.7 million for fiscal year

1960 before levelling off. The program

would require capital outlays of about

$6.75 million, mainly for improvement of

facilities at Gorgas Hospital, which would

be counterbalanced by lowered operation and maintenance costs. The present budget procedure should be replaced by a pattern under which

revenue from all sources would accrue

currently to the hospitals. If this were

done, it would not be necessary to request any appropriation from Congress for the

hospitals, except for capital outlays re- coverable through depreciation costs. As far as individuals are concerned,

Dr. Falk suggests establishment of a system of group payments through routine payroll deductions. This would

abolish individual charges at the time

medical services are received and would make a corrective insurance plan unnecessary. Average deductions of one percent of payroll or slightly less would apparently

cover all categories of cost, out-patient as

well as in-patient, would be lower than

the amount now being paid for limited insurance for in-patient care and would

abolish the need for fee schedules, indi- vidual billings, collections and deductions from pay checks.

FOR YOUR INTEREST AND GUIDANCE IN ACCIDENT PREVENTION

NEW APPROVED METHOD OF ARTIFICIAL

RESPIRATION FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN

With the approach of summer vacation some of us may have the opportunity to demonstrate our first aid knowledge and save a life. However, in the

case of very young children a life may be saved to be lost again when an adult does not realize that his weight and strength can seriously damage the child's chest. For children of 3 or over the modified method of applying pressure only with

the thumbs is sufficient but for babies even the hands are too strong to use in this method and the method shown above

is recommended. The Rickard prone tilting-visceral

shift, as it is called now, was developed by Capt. H. J. Rickard, a U. S. Navy

medical officer. The method was first published in The Journal of the American

Medical Association and modern medicine publications in 1956. It is by far the most efficient, safe and simple method

of artificial respiration yet devised for children under about 2 years of age. The Rickard method's simplicity is per- haps its most attractive feature. Once

you understand it you can use the method

without assistance, material, or equipment

and without a great expenditure of effort. In brief, the procedure involves placing the stricken child astradle your right arm,

its face in your upturned palm. Then by

simply raising and lowering your arm in normal breathing cadence resuscitation is accomplished. The middle finger of your

right hand is placed in the child's mouth

to depress the tongue and provide an

unobstructed air passage. Figure 1 shows the child on the arm;

place your left hand on its back with your

fingers on each side of the neck over the

shoulders to hold it from sliding off your

arm. Figure 2 shows the 45 degrees from

the horizontal up and down motion.

Figure 3 illustrates how the middle finger

is placed in the mouth. Figures 4 and 5 show how the organs move back and forth to create artificial breathing. In order to

lessen fatigue keep the right elbow tight against the body for support. If you prefer you may work in a seated position with the elbow resting on the right knee. Begin artificial respiration immediately

without bothering to remove or loosen the

clothing. Repeat slowly to yourself for correct breathing cadence "Out goes the bad air, in comes the good air." Continue the operation until the child resumes normal breathing. Be prepared to start

all over again if breathing stops. Never

give up because others have lost hope and make sure a doctor is called quickly to decide whether the child is living or dead.

It is usually better to call the nearest fire station first for they can get there quicker with a mechanical resuscitator and take over until a doctor arrives. But never in any case delay a second in getting started. Keep working until somebody shows up whom you can send for a doctor.

Supply & Community Service ' H. Roll) Health (Honor Roll)...

Civil AffairsfHonor Roll) Transportation & Terminals

Engineering & Construction New York Operations Marine

C. Z. Govt. Panama Canal Company

( ) Locks Overhaul Injuries included in total.

'58 '57 '58 '57 1 45 27 1 20 16

4 11 51 57 1 33 34

6 353(304) 63 4(4) 6 517 208 8 42(42) 93

133 220

53

1

1 12(7) 8 22 20

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
©

CIVIL DEFENSE

NEWS

General plans for Operation Alert 1958, the national Civil Defense exercise to be

held this month in the United States and

on the Canal Zone, were outlined last month at a three-day conference in Washington of the National State and Territorial Civil Defense Directors.

Eighteen girls from Cristobal High

School are now learning first aid in the

third session of the High School Nurses

Aid Civil Defense training program. The

instructor for the group is Mrs. Charlotte Kennedy, while the program as a whole

is under the director of Miss Florence Edbrooke, Director of the Nursing Service

at Coco Solo Hospital.

Earlier in the year the girls had started on the first part of the program—a series of lectures. This is almost completed. The third phase, actual training in the

hospitals, is held during the school vacation period in the summer.

The first three places in the first aid competition on Safety Field Day, held at Santa Cruz April 12, were won by three teams from the Canal Zone Civil Defense

Volunteer Corps. The winning teams

were: Paraiso, first; Rainbow City, sec- ond; and Santa Cruz, third. Six civil defense teams participated in the Safety

Field Day events. New Zone Warden for the Margarita- Coco Solo Volunteer Corps is Mrs. Maxine Carpenter, of Margarita. She was

elected at a recent meeting conducted by

Fire Marshal W. G. Dolan, who served as

Civil Defense Training Officer in the ab- sence in Washington of Philip L. Dade.

Other officers of the Corps are: Mrs. Virginia Kleefkens, Assistant Zone Warden;

Mrs. Astrea Brooks, First Aid Warden;

and Mrs. Frances Whitlock, Secretary.

MAY VOLUNTEER CORPS MEETINGS

» Town Place Hour

Margarita-Coco Serv. Center 9:00 a. m.

Solo Margarita

I Santa Cruz Serv. Center 8:00 p. m. Rainbow City School 6:30 p.m.

i Paraiso School 7:30 p- m.

Official Panama Canal Company Publication Published Monthly At Balboa Heights, C.Z.

Printed by the Printing Plant, Mount Hope, Canal Zone W. E. Potter, Governor-President Hugh M. Arnold, Lieutenant-Governor William G. Arey, Jr. Panama Canal Information Officer

J. Rufus Hardy. Editor Eleanor McIlhenny, Assistant Editor Eunice Richard, Editorial Assistant On sale at all Panama Canal Service Centers.

Retail Stores, and The Tivoli Guest House for 10 days after publication date at 5 cents each. Subscriptions, Jl a year; mail and back copies, 10 cents each.

Postal money orders made payable to the Pan- ama Canal Company should be mailed to Editor, The Panama Canal Review, Balboa Heights. C Z.

May 2,1958

Worth Knowing . . .

April 17 was Exam Day in the Canal Zone. That morning a total of 389 young men and women who would like to be sales clerks or hold similar positions in the

retail stores or servire centers assembled at the I'.ir.ii-o .md Rainbow Cit\ high

schools for a one-and-a-half hour examination. Of the total, 235 took the examinations on the Pacific side and 154 at the Rainbow City school. The tests, administered by personnel from the Personnel Bureau assisted by several from the

Sales and Service Branch, included a short written composition, tests in comprehension, association and ability to follow instructions. A register will be established when results of the tests are compiled and from this register men or women will be selected to fill sales and allied vacancies as they occur.

News gets around. And so does The Panama Canal Review. A report on tanker

traffic, carried in the February issue of The Review was quoted in the March 12 issue of The Shipping World and World Shipbuilding, a British publication which

describes itself as "the oldest weekly journal devoted to Shipping, Shipbuilding, Marine Engineering, Ship Repairing, Aviation and Finance." The Review story had reported that low tanker rates were reflected in heavy oil shipments through

the Canal during the first six months of the fiscal year. The bulk of the shipments

were from Venezuela to California and from Lebanon to the United States West Coast. The old La Boca Commissary is leading a new life. Since February the commissary building, which went out of business as a retail store at the end of December

1956, has been used as a warehouse for wholesale housewares for the Supply

Division. Use of the La Boca building frees additional space on the second floor of the Housewares Annex of the Balboa store for furniture and household goods

sales and display. Little change was necessary- for the La Boca building's new

functions; last month, however, the Federal Roofing and Painting Company

began a contract to remove and replace all of the former built-up roofing with

another type of roofing, covered with gravel.

Blood is ready for emergency use at the Pacific Side Blood Bank. A report for the period between March 1 and April 4 showed that as of the closing date for that period, the Company-Government had on hand a surplus of 44 pints of blood. Although the surplus is considered a healthy one, it is somewhat below

the surplus of 68 pints on hand at the close of the previous period. The decrease was due to the fact that during the five- week period covered by the report, 80

pints of blood were furnished to employees or their families while only 61 pints were donated. The remainder was taken from reserve on hand. The largest number of donors and donees was reported for the Engineering and Construction Bureau.

Children do like to read. Or, possibly, they like to be read to. Members of the Canal Zone Library staff report outstanding success this year in the Story Hours

conducted at the Paraiso and Rainbow City for youngsters enjoying their long dry season vacation from school. At Paraiso, where Story Hours were something new this year, the average attendance each Saturday was over 60 boys and girls between 6 and 10 years old. The Paraiso study hours, which grew so rapidly that they had to be moved to the High School building, were conducted by Mrs. Consuelo Baker, branch librarian, and her assistant, Mrs. Hilda Butcher. At Rainbow City, where the average attendance was 20 or over, the story hours were conducted under the direction of Kenneth Griffith, branch librarian. In addition to listening to stories, the youngsters enjoyed films supplied by the U. S. Information Service, and, at Paraiso, enjoyed some of the musical records avail- able there.
Copper ore starts its trip north through the Panama Canal from this Cerro de Pasco smelter on the treeless altiplano of Peru. Nation On The Double March

Business and lending agencies back their judgment that Peru is headed

for economic growth of monumental proportions

(This is the last of two articles on Peru in "The Review" series on trade areas served by the Panama Canal) Peru of today has the appearance of a

nation on the verge of an economic growth

of monumental proportions. The signs are clearly visible to the

casual visitor. Last month a large group

of Panama Canal employees returned from a ten-day vacation trip to the Empire of the Sun. They were impressed as much by the bustle of business activity and evidence of economic growth as by

the beauty of Lima, the Incan ruins at Cusco, or the grandeur of the Andes. Business leaders of international re- known see the potentialities of this great South American Republic with an

area twice the size of Texas. Development capital is flowing into Peru in an

unprecedented volume. Since the first of this year three major American

financial institutions announced the

joining of forces to make $60 million

available for the stabilization of Peru's

credits abroad; the International Bank

for Reconstruction and Development

(World Bank) approved a §15 million loan for the rehabilitation of the rail- way system; and the Export-Import Bank announced a S10 million credit to the Marcona Mining Company for additional expansion of its iron mining

activities. Within recent months expansion or de- velopment programs have been announced by such United States firms as W. K. Grace & Co., Cerro de Pasco Corp., and some of the major oil companies. The most concrete evidence of the nation's industrial and economic growth comes from statistics of shipping through

the Panama Canal through which flows most of Peru's external trade.

( Inly seven years ago, in the fiscal year

1951, cargo through the Canal from Peru

represented only 2.S percent of the total commodity movement from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Peru is a mixture of the old and new. At left, a worker in the Goodyear tire plant in Lima,- right, an Indian woman

and bundled-up baby from Huancayo.

Last year Peruvian shipments aggre- gated 4,851,000 tons, 15.9 percent of the

total commodity movement in this direction. Goods shipped in the other direction, to Peru through the Canal, last year

totaled over 1,000,000 tons, approxi- mately two and a half times the 1951 volume. While Peru's economic boom has been

recently blunted by inflation and other economic ills, it is evident that industrial and financial leaders consider this setback

to be of a temporary nature. As farTHE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
sighted businessmen, they are investing

in Peru's future. More than most nations, Peru's topography has been a deterrent to its economic development. Desert, soar- ing mountains, and jungle have combined to forestall economic change and

social progress for all but a small pro- portion of its inhabitants. A concerted

effort is being made to overcome these

obstacles which have hampered trans- portation and communications, prime

necessities of business everywhere.

Internal communications still present

serious problems in Peru's development

of an integrated economy which will serve

as a basis for any substantial growth in

its external trade. The rugged terrain makes the cost of building railroads prohibitive in many sections. Consequently, an intensified program of highway build- ing was initiated a few years ago to link the principal areas, and open up vast

areas in the highlands and coastal region. Peru is divided longitudinally into three distinct zones: The coastal region along the Pacific; the sierra, or highlands; and the montana, or subtropical eastern

slopes of the Andes which merge with the Amazon River basin. The latter is a vast

region "on the other side of the mountains," recognized as one of great potential wealth from agriculture, minerals, and petroleum. While the Panama Canal provides a water link between the eastern slope of the Andes and Peru's Pacific coast, the trade route is so long the amount of cargo moved is negligible. When this area west

of the Andes is developed, as it will be someday, the Canal's role in linking it with world markets will depend upon the

success of piercing the Andes with a high- way system adequate to provide economical land transportation.

Historically, Peru has been closely linked with the Isthmus of Panama for over four centuries. The narrow neck

of land was the principal trade route

over which moved the untold wealth of

The Grace Line Santa Mercedes had

cleared from Callao in Peru just a few days before she was honored as the Canal's 200,000th commercial transit.

May 2, 1958 9

the Incas after Pizarro's conquest. This was wholly adequate so long as shipments consisted of gold and silver but sailing ships and pack mules could not compete in handling such bulk

cargoes as ores, lumber, and agricultural products. As a result of this factor and Peru's geographic isolation from world markets,

her economy dwindled during the industrial revolution which galvanized the United States and Europe in the 19th Century. Ships were required to make a 10,000-mile trip around the Horn to reach European markets and Peru could not compete in world trade with such a handi- cap even though it was alleviated to some

extent by the advent of the steamship. Thus, when the Panama Canal was

opened to traffic in August 1914, it re- opened for Peru trade potentials dormant

for many decades.

Peru's export trade increased nearly

15 percent the year after the Canal was

opened, with exports exceeding imports by a comfortable margin. During the

first World War Peru's principal export products—cotton, sugar, minerals, and

petroleum—were sorely needed by the

Allies and with the Panama Canal proSugar is one of Peru's leading exports.

This refinery, left, is at Pomalco in Lambayeque near the Pacific coast.

viding an economical route for their delivery, this favorable trade balance continued. These products were caught in the

cyclical downturn of prices during the world wide depression of the 1930's and

in most years since then the nation has imported more than it has sold abroad.

Peru, like most other Latin American

republics, since the close of World War II has adopted a course of advancement by

strengthening and expanding her internal economy and thus lessening its dependency on external sources for many products, including some basic foods. This program, of necessity, is a slow

process. Gradually, results are beginning

to show. In 1956 the country's imports

totaled $365 million in value, while ex- ports were valued at $311.4 million. A

published report early this year showed

that 1957 imports exceeded exports by

$71 million. However, a large amount of imports included capital goods such as machinery for foreign firms and did not mean a loss in foreign exchange. The United States, United Kingdom,

and Germany are Peru's chief trading

partners. Although trade with the United States is by far the most important, that between Europe and Latin America is increasing. An indica- tion of this growth is the fact that the net vessel tonnage of ships moving

through the Panama Canal on the trade route between Europe and South America has doubled since 1951. Fifty percent of Peru's imports, valuewise, come from the United States, mostly

being moved through the Canal from the

east coast and southern ports. European and other imports for Peru passing through the Canal amount to another 30

percent, making a total of 80 percent of the nation's imports passing through the waterway. The following figures show the value, the principal countries of origin, and per- centage of the total of Peruvian exports
Selection last month of a three-span

arch truss type of bridge for the per- manent Canal crossing at Balboa set- tled one of the principal preliminaries

to its construction. An architectural rendering of how

the bridge will look when completed about four and a half years from now

is shown above. This was one of three principal drawings submitted

last month by the Sverdrup & Parcel Engineering Co., of St. Louis, in its preliminary engineering report. Other bridge types submitted were

a single span arch rib bridge, and a

three-span cantilever truss bridge. The designing engineer firm recom- mended selection of the three-span

arch truss bridge on the basis that it would be "the most feasible from the standpoint of design, cost, and ease

of construction." Sverdrup & Parcel expressed the opinion that the bridge

is aesthetically well-proportioned and

particularly suited to the requirements and location. Additionally, the engi- neering firm estimated the construction

costs would be $1 million less than the

cantilever truss type, and $1,800,000

less than the single span arch rib bridge. The recommendation was approved

by the Consulting Board for the bridge

design and construction which held its

first meeting at Balboa Heights last month to receive the preliminary re- port, and later by the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Company

at its quarterly meeting in Washington.The exact alignment of the bridge and its approaches is still under study. While the minor variations in alignfor 1956, almost all of which were shipped through the Canal:

Value (in Permillions) centage United States $181.7 49.6 Germany 32.8 9.7 United Kingdom 32.6 8.9 France 15.4 4.2 Other European countries and Canada _ _ 44.1 12.1 Peru's exports tell a similar story with

the principal customers for her minerals,

agricultural products, and other exports being nations of the North Atlantic. The following tables show estimated

proceeds in 1956 of Peru's exports with

percentages of the principal products: MINERAL PRODUCTS

Value (in Permillions) centage Copper ... $34.3 10.6 Lead 30.7 9.5 Silver . 18.0 5.6 Zinc 15.7 4.9 Iron..- 14.8 4.6 Gold 8.4 1.1 Others 4.8 1.5

Total $121.7 37.8 AGRICULTURE AND FISHING

Value (in Permillions) cenlage Cotton $91.5 28.4 Sugar 33.2 10.3

Fish 15.6 4.8 riod has been at a spectacular rate. Under

Coffee 9.9 2.8 the country's favorable investment policy Wool 8.3 2.6 adopted by the regime of President ManHides and skins 1.3 0.4 uel A. Odria and continued in the present Others 4.4 1.4 administration of President Manuel Prado, the country is attracting investors, Total 163.2 50.7 small and large, from the United States, PETROLEUM AND MISCELLANEOUS EuroPe *«* p?nada

/. The f

ult

, ls a more

, Val (n Per

rapid industrialization, a broadening of million) centage the nation's economic base, and better Petroleum-. $28.5 8.9 markets for Peru s raw products. Miscellaneous . . 8.5 2.6 While the development of the iron ore

. properties in southern Peru by Marcona

Total. $37.0 11.5 Mining Company is one of the most im- ._ portant of recent projects, there are many

Grand Total . $321.8 100.0 others involving tens of millions of dollars

_ ,,, . , ,. , . ... in capital investment. A group of United One of the major retarding factors of the states mini companies headed bv the past in the expansion of Peru s interna Ameri(. an Smelting and Refining Corn- economy has been the low agricultural

ig d in th(, dm, lopment of productivity of more than half of its pop- d its in southmi peru ;,.. ulat.on, almost wholly Indian, living in jng a $200 million investment. An invest- the Sierra The Government recognizes ment of $50 milHon of Swiss and oth(, r the importance of the integration of this

ita] wag recent, y announced for a

big segment into the money economy of majo|. hvdroelectric

- and i rrigation prothe country as evidenced by its five-year Cerro de Pasco Corporation re- $.5 million highway program which will centl rompk, ted the multi-million-dollar open up large areas and by an extensive

hydroelectric proj ect at PaUcartambo.

irrigation program, financed by govern- The Qr<w Company is rapidlv expanding ment and private capital, which will raise

itg far_flung business enterprises, and the the per capita productivity. company's President, J. Peter Grace, is The inflow of private capital to Peru one of the staunchest believers of the from foreign investors in the postwar pe- great future of Latin America.

10 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
menf being considered pose some

important questions with respect to construction costs the temporary post- ponement of a final decision will not delay the proposed project schedule

in the report of Sverdrup & Parcel. Each of the three principal align- ments being considered > provide for two exits from the bridge approaches

on the east side of the Canal, one

connecting with Fourth of July Avenue

at the Limit and one on 28th of November Avenue at the Panama-Zone

boundary. The western end of the

bridge will connect onto Thatcher Highway about two-thirds of a mile west of the Thatcher Ferry. Under a schedule for the bridge

project submitted by the engineering

firm, the preparation of design plans and specifications can begin next July. A contract for this major phase of the

project is in the course of preparation. The schedule calls for the advertising and award of contracts during the second and fourth quarters of the coming fiscal year, with the first actual construction slated to begin in July of next

year. The first work would be on the

substructure and highway connections. A considerable amount of prelimi- nary work remains to be done, much

of which will hinge on the selection of the alignment of the bridge and its approaches. A sizeable drilling pro- gram will be required for the final design of the bridge. Most of this drilling work will be done by Canal

forces and will be initiated at an early date. It is expected that drilling of the under water holes will require about two and a half months for completion.

In addition to these, many millions of dollars are being expended by some of the

biggest oil companies in the exploration

for oil on both sides of the Andes.

It is significant to note that two of the

largest and oldest American firms established in Peru, Cerro de Pasco and Grace Company, are showing their confidence

in the nation's future by materially in- creasing their capital investment. The importance of the Panama Canal

in this vast program of development was

well expressed recently by Robert P. Koenig, Cerro de Pasco's president. He

said, in part: "The Panama Canal has been of the utmost importance to the Cerro de Pasco Corporation ever since the Canal was first opened to traffic, in the deliv- ery to the markets of the world of Cerro

de Pasco's production of nonferrous

metals, which include copper, lead,

zinc, silver, gold, bismuth, and other companion metals. "The avoidance of transshipment of metals produced (necessary before the Canal opened) as well as transshipment

of materials and supplies destined for Peru has been a real and tangible contribution to the development of the Cerro de Pasco enterprise in the past four decades. The same is true of all other mining activities in that nation,

whose steady progress in volume of world trade would not have been possible without the convenience, speed, and efficiency offered by the Panama

Canal." The vital role of the Canal to Peru's economy, so aptly described by Mr.

Koenig, applies also in the field of travel and culture. The Canal has provided an

easy path for thousands of visitors annually for the past 43 years to see the

ruins of the great Inca civilization, to

visit Lima and other Peruvian cities, and

to delight in some of the most magnificent scenery of the entire world. While temporary economic set-backs

are to be expected, Peru's future seems

assured as one of the leading nations of the New World where one of the world's

oldest civilization rubs shoulders with modern enterprise. This prediction was

worded as follows in a report of the National Planning Association, composed of some of the leading economists and busi- nessmen in the United States, which sometime ago made a long and exhaustive case study of the Grace Company in a series of such studies by the Association on

"United States Business Performance

Abroad." Excerpt from that report: "Very real progress is being made in Peru, although it is still laboring under

very pressing problems. The past 20 May 2, 1958 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 11

years have brought many changes in the

general welfare of the people and in in- dustrial development. There is a large governmental construction program

for hospitals, government buildings,

large-scale modern housing and schools. There is also private commercial build- ing and an increasing number of small

industrial plants. Most of these construction projects are in the Lima area, but this has been where the population growth has taken place and it is the

seat of government, industry, and fi- nance. There is genuine expectation that the next surge will encompass

other urban centers on the coast and

in the Sierra. "Certainly, Peru is on the double- march in pursuit of economic develop- ment. "Even though there are signs of gov- ernmental fiscal difficulties, it is fairly certain that any slowing down in the

industrialization efforts will be temporary and in the nature of a short breather before the next forward steps."

It is evident from the millions of dollars being poured into the country by leading

industrial, mining, and banking firms from several parts of the world, and by

lending agencies of the United States Government, that they share the opinion expressed by the National Planning

Association.
SCHOOLS are opening and closing

A year ends

Another eventful school year ends next month for approximately 7,250 boys and

girls who attend the United States schools

in the Canal Zone. Schools will close June 3 for the summer vacation which

will come to an end exactly three months

later on September 3 when classes resume

for another year. During the school year which ends

next month, a number of major changes have been started or accomplished. A special education program for the Canal Zone's handicapped children was begun on a limited scale. Seven of the

teachers in the school system were sent

to the United States for training in special work, while a director arrived on

the Isthmus for the program. Working

with him are a schools psychologist, the

first to be employed here, a speech

therapist and a remedial reading tea- cher, and a special teacher for children who are physically handicapped.

Free school bus and train service was

provided for children living in towns with- out school facilities, and, for the first time, young Zonians were able to enjoy swimming without charge. Working in cooperation with the schools officials, the Health Bureau made a dental survey of 1,900 students in the second, fourth, and

eighth grades, and gave 971 anti-polio

injections. On the physical side, additional play- ground equipment, such as slides, merrygo-rounds, swings, horizontal bars and

concrete benches, was installed in a number of the Canal Zone towns. At the Bal- boa gymnasium a large concrete slab pro- vided additional play space, additional dressing room space was built to take

care of the increased enrollments, and a

six-foot aluminum hood around the lower gymnasium walls kept blowing rain from

sweeping across the gym floor. A covered passageway was built to con- nect the Ancon elementary school and a new gymnasium. Plumbing facilities in various schools and gymnasiums were

replaced. Mount Hope and Balboa stadi- ums were equipped with new safety rails. A number of additions and altera- tions to the school buildings are scheduled for the coming fiscal year. The

Balboa Junior High School will be equipped with a ventilating system. At the Balboa elementary school, two

additional classrooms will be constructed on the third floor and four

first-floor rooms will be altered and

equipped for the use of the physically handicapped children who have met

this year in an unused ward at Gorgas

Hospital. One major addition which will be well under way before school reconvenes in the fall will be a new activities building at Balboa High School. Work may also be

started during the summer on a building

for the ROTC at Balboa High School. As this issue of the Review goes to press, the original plans for the building had

been revised and bids were to be opened May 9. The ROTC building is to contain two classrooms, an audio-visual room

which will be air-conditioned, an office, an

armory, and a supply room.

A year begins

Approximately 3,950 boys and girls in the Canal Zone's Latin American communities, kindergartners through high

school seniors, will start a new school year

next Monday when the schools reopen for

their new year. As they have done for the past several years, the Latin American schools will follow the school year in the Republic

of Panama. This year the Panama

school calendar has been changed to provide for a mid-term vacation in early September and a final closing date just before Christmas. According to pres- ent plans the Latin American school

year will end December 23, with the

1959 school term scheduled to begin March 30. Although the expected enrollment this year reflects no significant change from

the enrollment of 3,974 at the time the

schools closed for the long dry season vacation in February, it represents an appreciable decrease when compared with

the 4,138 students attending the Latin American schools in May 1957. The

decrease is due largely to the abandon- ment of La Boca as a Latin American community. When the schools open there will be

five classrooms in operation at the La

Boca School to accommodate first to sixth graders living in Pedro Miguel. Early in the school year, however, the La Boca

school will be closed and its students

transferred to the Pedro Miguel school, which will then become part of the Latin American school system. Because of the increased enrollment

at the Paraiso Elementary-Junior High

School double shifts will be conducted

in some grades. These double sessions, which mean that two groups of children

will use the same classrooms at different times, will be necessary to maintain

a satisfactory pupil-teacher ratio. Three teachers who have just received degrees at United States universities will return to the school staff this year. They

are: Mrs. Ena Ellis and Miss Carmen

Dawkins, who received their BA degrees from the University of Nebraska, and

Miss Nidia Avila, a graduate of the University of Panama who earned her MA

degree at Clark Universitv in Worcester,

Mass. Mrs. Ellis and Miss Dawkins will teach English and social studies at Paraiso Junior High School and Miss Avila will teach Spanish and social studies at Rain- bow City Junior High School. Although they have not been on leave

of absence, 78 other teachers in the Latin American schools have been doing uni- versity work this year. They have all been taking courses at the summer session

of the University of Panama.

Five new secondary school teachers have been added to the staffs of the Latin American schools. They are Miss Berta Arango, who holds a BA degree from the University of Panama and an MA degree from the University of Chicago, who will teach social studies at Rainbow City High School; Miss Dorothy Piper, a grad- uate of the University of Panama, who

will teach mathematics at Rainbow City

Junior High School; Miss Bertha Hylton,

also a University of Panama graduate, who will teach Spanish at Rainbow City

Junior High School; Miss Yolanda Batista, another University of Panama graduate, who will teach commercial subjects

at Paraiso High School; and Miss Wilma

Butcher, a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, who will teach music and art at Paraiso Junior High School. Special education facilities in the

Latin American schools will be ex- panded in September when six teachers, who are now studying at universities in the States, return to the Isthmus.

Mrs. Adda Velarde, who is doing work

at George Washington University in Washington, D. C, and Mrs. Verona

Campbell, who is studying at Wayne

University in Detroit, Mich., will serve

as speech correctionists. Special work

with mentally retarded children will be handled by Miss Clara Wattley and Miss Maizee Headley, both of whom are taking

courses at San Francisco State College in California, Miss Alva Piper, who is at Syracuse University in New York State, and Miss Mabel McFarquhar, who is studying at Wayne University in Detroit. Classes for mentally retarded children

will be held in special rooms at the Paraiso, Santa Cruz and Rainbow City ele- mentary schools. Speech correctionists

will travel to all schools in the system. COMMENCEMENT SCHEDULE

May 28

Closing day exercises for eighth graders. Balboa: 1:30 p. m., Balboa Theater, 365 students completing junior high school. Cristobal: 5:00 p. m., High School auditorium, 115 students completing junior high school. JUNE 1 —Baccalaureate Sunday

Balboa High School: 2:30 p. m., Diablo Heights Theater. Canal Zone Junior College: 4:30 p. m., Diablo Heights Theater.

Cristobal High School: 5:00 p. m., High School Auditorium. JUNE 2 -Commencement Day

Balboa High School: 8:00 p. m., Balboa Theater, 191 graduates. Canal Zone Junior College: 10:30 a. m., Diablo Heights Theater, 45 graduates.

Cristobal High School: 8:00 p. m., High School Auditorium, 57 graduates.

12 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
PAGES FROM THE

HIST

THIS MONTH

50 Years Ago

A most distinguished visitor spent six days in the Canal Zone 50 years ago this month. He was Secretary of War, later President, William Howard Taft. According to the official report of his visit, he was here "to confer with the Isthmian Canal Commission on various matters connected with the administration and

with the Government of Panama on several questions of international character." He travelled aboard the USS Prairie, and made his headquarters at Culebra. Plans were approved for a breakwater from East La Boca to Naos Island at the Paeifie entrance to the Canal. The breakwater, now known as a causeway, was de- signed to furnish an economical dump for

material from Culebra Cut and ensure a

quiet harbor at the Pacific end of the Canal.

It would also divert crosscurrents which

otherwise would fill up the dredged channel

of the Canal prism. An old slide, believed to date back to French days, began to move on the east bank of Canal excavation near Paraiso. A messhouse was swept away by the slide; other buildings were moved hastily to

safer ground. One of the Canal Zone's most famous old

societies, the Incas, was organized 50 years ago this month. The society came into being at a dinner at the Tivolifor men who

arrived in the Zone in May, June, and

July of 1904. Col. W. C. Gorgas headed

the organizing committee. A three-man commission appointed by

President T. R. Roosevelt arrived on the Isthmus to investigate labor conditions. Meanwhile the New York Herald-Tribune

reported that an attempt to reduce the wages of laborers working in the Canal Zone was "frustrated" in the House of Representatives May 7, 1908. One Congressman said, according to the HeraldTribune: The people of the United States want to see the Canal built and are not

inclined to quibble about the wages paid

to the diggers. A survey by "The Canal Record" dis- closed that of the 6,100 Americans working

in the Canal Zone, 205 were women, almost

all of them the wives or daughters of men on

the construction force. The highest salary paid a woman was $175 per month, to the

sole "chief clerk" in the group; the lowest

salaries, $25 a month, went to two matrons. 25 Years Ago

Gatun Lake level was dangerously low

25 years ago this month. Its 81.54-foot OUR COVER

This is Lima, "City of the Kings," and

capital of Peru. One of the oldest of the

great American cities Lima was found- ed in 1535 it is now one of the fastest- growing. This rooftop scene of the city shows some of the construction work

constantly going on. The structure under construction in the background is an

addition to the Hotel Crillon. Much of the goods produced in Lima or the goods consumed there are shipped to and from

that great city via the Panama Canal.

elevation was the lowest until then in Canal history except for May 1926, when

it dropped to 81.39 feet. Two units of the Miraflores diesel power station were

started, to relieve the load on the Gatun

hydroelectric plant. The Canal Zone Metal Trades Council

presented a report to theGovernor that "prices charged in the Canal Zone Commissaries

insofar as they relate to States products" were too high. The Council recommended

that the Commissaries be operated on a

break-even basis, with no profit except for

sales to steamships. Although Canal traffic for the first 11 months of the fiscal year was almost 25

percent under that of two years earlier, it was taking a slight turn upward. During

May 1933, Canal transits totalled 372 commercial vessels, two more than the previous month and 15 more than for May 1932. One of the month's transits was the world's largest tanker, the "SS C. 0. Still- man," owned by the International Petro- leum Co. She was en route in ballast from

Newport News to Talara, Peru. By modern standards, she was comparatively small. She measured 565 feet and grossed 16,780

tons. Today's "Crinis," largest tanker to use the Canal, is 40,000 deadweight or 24,304 gross tons and is 694 feet overall. 10 Years Ago

Reincorporation for the Panama Rail- road Company, a first step toward the

later formation of the present Panama

Canal Company, was recommended by

the Senate Armed Services Committee in May 1948. The new company would be

incorporated at $25 million. During

hearings on the reincorporation Senators

discussed the possibility of removing all PRR employees from Civil Service status. Several important changes took place among top Canal personnel 10 years ago

this month. Brig. Gen Francis K. Newcomer succeeded Maj. Gen. J. C. Mehaffey

as Governor of the Panama Canal. Col. James H. Stratton, Chief of the Special Engineering Division was recalled to the States to head the Neio England Division for the Corps of Engineers. E. C. Lombard

ivas named Assistant Executive Secretary, succeeding C. M. Lupfer, and John G. Claybourne, longtime Superintendent of the Dredging Division, announced plans to re- tire July 2. Isthmians were caught flatfooted when

they learned that a general tax revision

bill in preparation by the House Ways

and Means Committee proposed the ex- tension of full income taxes to all civilian and military personnel stationed in posessions of the United States. The bill would apply to the Canal Zone as well as

to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and

the Pacific islands. One Year Ago

Labor leaders and officers of the Civic Councils had a surprise for Governor

Potter in May 1957. At luncheons and

in calls at his office they celebrated completion of the Governor's first year in

office. As far as oldtimers could remember, it was a "first."

Pacific Area Domestic

Conversion Begins May 5

Conversion of frequency-sensitive do- mestic electrical equipment—refrigerators, washing machines, etc. is now

scheduled to start in the Pacific Area May 5. The domestic conversion has been delayed for almost two months by

the non-arrival of conversion materials. While there will be some minor

changes in the domestic conversion

schedule, the overall plan will generally

follow the schedule described in the January issue of "The Review." All dates, however, will be two months

later than those announced at that time. Meanwhile, the Consolidated Inter- national Electric Company, contractor

for the Pacific Area conversion, has just

installed a 10,000 KVA. transformer at the Balboa substation. This will enable

the Electrical Division to supply 60-cycle power to the Albrook-PAD area, if re- quired. Consolidated has also been

working on the installation of capstan motors in the Balboa dock area and

meter sockets in the concrete houses in the Balboa Flats area, both necessary

prior to conversion. Other news on the conversion front: The Electrical Division has just energized the first 60-cycle transformer unit

at the Miraflores substation, to serve 60-cycle power to the Paraiso townsite and the Water Branch pump station at

Paraiso. A 60-cycle tie-line has also been energized between the Cocoli

Diesel station and the Miraflores substation. At Madden Dam, one of the

big generators has been rewound and

reassembled. OLDTIMER RETIRES

May 2, 1958 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

People who travel by Panama Line lost a good friend last month when Cecil A. Cole- man, Baggage Clerk for the Terminal Division, retired after more than 46 years of unbroken service. For many years he has been responsible for a small mountain of baggage every time a Panama Liner docked

or sailed. Not long before his retirement he took

part in a Safety Award presentation on the

Cristobal docks. During the ceremony he was given a certificate and a gold key for more than 30 years of service without a

disabling injury. He is shown above receiving the award

from Lt. Gov. H. M. Arnold, in the presence

of W. F. Russon, Safety Representative for the Transportation and Terminals Director.
PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS ANNIVERSARIES

March 75 through April 15

Employees who were promoted or transferred between March 15 and April IS are

listed below. Within-grade promotions are not reported. CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

John F. Martin, Patrolman, Locks Security Branch, to Window Clerk, Postal

Division. Beverly L. Creel, from Air Hoist Operator, Locks Overhaul, to Policeman, Police Division. Mrs. Gladys S. Lee, from Substitute Teacher to Junior High School Teacher. Paul D. Richmond, from Detective to Detective and Photographer, Police Division. OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

Mrs. Elsie N. Smith, from Voucher Ex- aminer to Accounting Assistant, Accounting

Division. Robert F. Roche, from Time, Leave and

Payroll Supervisor, Payroll Branch, to Supervisory Accountant, Agents Accounts

Branch. Harry E. Musselman, from Supervisory Accounting Assistant to Time, Leave and

Payroll Supervisor, Payroll Branch. ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Helen E. Barr, from Typist to Veritypist, Engineering Division. Norton B. Stephenson, from Supervisory Administrative Assistant to Contract Specialist, Engineering Division. Dredging Division Harry B. Friedland, from Supervisory

Clerical Assistant to Cost Accounting Clerk. Elmer E. Stern, from Carpenter Fore- man II to Lead Carpenter Foreman.

Jesse DeW. Tate, from General Navigational Aids Foreman III to General Electrician Foreman. Herman H. Keepers, from Electrical Navigation Aids Maintenance Lead Fore- man to Lead Electrician Foreman. Anthony J. Catanzaro, from Motor Boat Maintenance Mechanic to Marine Machinist Foreman.

Bernard M. Parmentier, from Boiler- maker to Boilermaker Foreman.

Vincent Biava, from Lead Foreman Machinist to General Marine Machinist Fore- man. HEALTH BUREAU

Gorgas Hospital Mrs. Ruthelma T. Zemer, from Clerk- Stenographer to Clerical Assistant. Mrs. Katherine T. Purdy, Mrs. Agnes E. Hannigan, from Clerk-Stenographer to Medical Assistant (Stenography). Grace Belden, from Clerk (Typing) to Medical Assistant (Typing). Mrs. Edith McAllister, from Clerk-Typist

to Clerk. MARINE BUREAU

Edward L. Brady, from Air Hoist Operato to Scaling and Painting Lead Foreman,

Locks Overhaul. Lamar M. Lavender, from Heavy Labor

Lead Foreman to Scaling and Painting Lead

Foreman, Locks Overhaul. Bernard J. Linden, from Rigger, Locks

Overhaul, to Towboat Master, Ferry. Karl T. Nehring, from Towboat Master, Ferry Service, to Pilot-in-Training, Navigation Division. W Frank Fields, Jr., from Doorman,

Motion Picture Unit, to Signalman, Navigation Division. Lester H. Barrows, from Heavy Labor Lead Foreman to Scaling anil Painting Lead

Foreman, Locks Overhaul. Ralph L. Hysong, Ernest C. Divine, Jr., from Air Hoist Operator to Heavy I iboi Lead Foreman, Locks Overhaul.

Leslie R. Loga, from Towboat Master to Senior Towboat Master, Navigation. Mrs. Julia J. Holmes, from Supervisory Clerk (Typist ) . Pacific Locks, to Time and

Leave Supervisor, Locks Overhaul.

Victor H. May, Jr., from Patrolman, Locks Security Branch, to Marine Traffic Controller, Navigation Division. Thomas W. Cove, from Tmvlm.it Master

to Pilot-in-Training, Navigation Division. SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY SERVICE BUREAU Emment T. Harper, from Towing Locomotive Operator, Atlantic Locks, to Commissary Supervisor, Supply Division. TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS BUREAU

L. Leroy Barfield, from Steam Locomotive Crane Engineer, Atlantic Locks, to Yard

and Road Locomotive Engineer, Railroad

Division. Carl H. Schmidt, from Air Hoist Operator, Locks Overhaul, to Guard, Terminals. Motor Transportation Division William T. Hampton, Maurice L. McCullough, from Auto Repair Machinist to Automotive Machinist Foreman.

Wilson H. Waldrow, from Body and Fender Shop Foreman I to Body and Fender Automotive Machinist Foreman.

Fay M. Brown, from Body and Fender

Machinist II to Body and Fender Automotive Mechanic Foreman. Dwight M. Van Evera, from Motor Vehicle Repair Shop Lead Foreman to Automotive Machinist General Foreman. Leo J. Krziza, from Supervisory Administrative Assistant to Supervisory Administrative Service Assistant. OTHER PROMOTIONS

Mrs. Dorothy H. Benny, Clerical Assist- ant, Engineering Division. Rudolph Burda, Robert Hassler, Archie

B. Carroll, Jr., Optical Technician, Supply

Division. Ronald L. Seeley, Personnel Assistant,

Office of Personnel Director. Joseph L. H. Demers, Supervisory Stor- age Specialist, Supply Division. Mrs. Gladys B. Baldwin, Secretary (Ste- nography), Gorgas Hospital. Simon J. Shea, Orthopedic Technician, Gorgas Hospital. Martin S. Sawyer, Marine Traffic Controller, Navigation Division. MAY SAILINGS

FROM CRISTOBAL

Cristobal May 3 Ancon May 10

Cristobal May 21 Ancon May 28 FROM NEW YORK

Ancon May 2 Cristobal May 13 A neon May 20

Cristobal* May 29

^Cristobal sails one day early because of holiday. Southbound ships which leave New York Friday

are in Haiti the following Tuesday. Those which sail from New York Tuesday spend Saturday in Haiti. Northbound, the ships stop in Haiti two days after clearing Cristobal: Monday for those which sail from

Cristobal Saturday, and Friday for those which clear Cristobal Wednesday. RETIREMENTS

Retirement certificates were presented

the end of April to the following employees who are listed alphabetically, together with

their birthplaces, positions, length of Canal

service and future addresses. William D. Goodwin, Iowa; Yardmaster,

Railroad Division; 15 years, 5 months, 4

days; < rowrie, Iowa.

Julia Guenzi, Colorado; Second Grade

Teacher. Balboa Elementary School; 29

years, 11 months, 1 day; Canal Zone for present. John L. Haas, Alabama; Marine Machinist, Industrial Division; 18 years, 11 months, 23 days; St. Petersburg, Fla.

J. Arthur Jones, Minnesota; VVireman,

l.lci trical Division; 31 years, 6 months, 25

d.i\ s; Tin son, Ariz. Spenser C. Lincoln, New York; Wireman

I oreman I. Pacific Locks; 31 years, 1 month, 5 days; California. Christian Simonsen, Georgia; General Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Division; 29 years, 8 months, 11 days; Southern

California. Edward P. Walsh, New Jersey; Filtration Plan! Operator III, Maintenance Division;

I I 5 eai -, 5 mom hs; Sebring, Fla.

42 YEARS

Adrien M. Bouche, whose picture appears on another page of this issue with the two

other construction day veterans, acquired a new distinction last month. With the re- tirement of Charles P. Walsh, Mr. Bouche became the Panama Canal's senior employee

from point of service. The start of his Canal career also predates that of any other of the U. S. employees. He came to the Canal Zone as a small boy. He was only 1 1 when he got a summer vacation job running errands in the Gatun office of Maj. William L. Sibert, Chief of the Atlantic Division. He holds the Roosevelt Medal for two years of service during the

construction period.

All of his service has had to do directly with the waterway itself, a trend which runs

in his family. His father, A. M. Butcher, was a Lockmaster at Gatun; his son, Adrien,

is a Marine Traffic Controller at Balboa; and his daughter, Mrs. R. E. Budreau, works in the office of the Panama Canal's Economist where all statistical data on

shipping is assembled.

Air. Bouche is a Control House Operator

at Pedro Miguel Locks, senior in service to any of the men who man the control towers.

30 YEARS

The one woman and one of the two men

who completed 30 years of Government

service last month have unbroken service with the Panama Canal organization on the Isthmus. The other, whose service was

interrupted by the war, has spent most of

his time aboard Panama Line ships en route

to or from the Isthmus. Taking the lady first: Mrs. Thelma Rand, a Head Nurse at Gorgas Hospital, was Miss Thelma M.

Stone when she joined the staff of what was

then Ancon Hospital 30 years ago last month. Born in Detroit, Mich., she trained

at Lakewood Hospital on Cleveland's West

Side, and nursed there for almost three years

before she came to the Canal Zone. She is now a Head Nurse for the Hospital's Sections A and B. In 1954, she was appointed

to the Panel of the Board of U. S. Civil Service Examiners here and still serves in that capacity. She makes her home in Ancon with her husband, Jacob, of the Rodman

Post Office staff. The second Zonian on the 30-year anni- versary list is C. Roland Jones, Supervisory- General Engineer in the Survey Branch. A

down-easter from Gardiner, Maine, he came

to the Canal Zone in the early summer of 1928, just in time to get right into the middle

of the survey work on what was known then

as Alhajuela Dam, now Madden Dam.

Since then there hasn't been much of the Isthmus he hasn't seen, including a survey

of the Atrato-Truando Canal route near the Colombian border. During the last war he worked on area maps for the military services here and later, during the period of the Isthmian Canal Studies was active in the

field engineering for that work. He and

Mrs. Jones live on Empire Street in Balboa. The off-Isthmian 30-year man is Martin

Bugalski, Second Assistant Engineer on the SS Cristobal. He joined the Panama Line

as an Oiler and Deck Engineer in 1924. His

service was interrupted by the war but he

returned to the Panama Line in June 1946. He has served aboard the Ancon, Cristobal and the former Panama Liner, Panama. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, and now makes his home in New Milford, N. J.

25 YEARS

April was Silver Anniversary month for three men in the Canal organization. None

of the three, however, has continuous Canal

service. Alphabetically they are: Thatcher

A. Clisbee, Capital Program Coordinator on

the Executive Planning Staff —that means

that he knows pretty well what's going to be built here, and when. Born in Gorgona,

he started his Canal career as a "boy," working summer vacations in the old Record

Bureau. He has been in the plans and plan- ning end of things since 1938. Harry D. Raymond, better known by his middle name, David, Supervisory General Claims Examiner in the General Audit

Division. Born in Norfolk, Va., he came

14 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
CPA Legislation For Zone Now Before Budget Bureau

Legislation which, if approved, will en- able Canal Zonians to take examinations

locally to become Certified Public Ac- countants is now before the Bureau of the Budget. From the Bureau it will go to Congress in the form of a proposed amend- ment to the Canal Zone Code. The legislation was prepared by officers of the local chapter of the Federal Government Accountants Association, and

was put into draft form by J. Patrick Conley, who is Assistant to the Comptroller. The bill would enable the Governor

to appoint a Board of Accountancy

which would give the regular American

Institute of Certified Public Accountants examinations in the Canal Zone. The Board would also be empowered to

issue CPA certificates to the successful candidates.

Similar legislation was enacted about two years ago regarding engineers and ar- chitects and was followed by the appoint- ment of a professional Registration Board, but the current proposal is the first to be made here concerning public accountants. At the present time aspirants for CPA

certification must establish residence in the United States and take their examinations in the State where they are living. A. M. Jenkins, of the Comptroller Office, is presently in Tennessee, preparing

to take the CPA examination there, and

another accountant is to go to the United

States in the fall for examination.

here as a youngster. His first job was on

the Pacific Locks keeping time for a car- penter gang during overhaul. He has spent

the past 20 years in accounting work.

Salvatore Rinaldo, a Customs Guard in Balboa. He began here as a watchman with

the old Health Department but has been

with Customs since 1942.

20 YEARS

All but one of the seven men who rounded

out 20 years of Government service last month have an unbroken record of service with the Canal organization. In some cases, however, these anniversary celebrants had

prior Government service to add to their years with the Panama Canal. They are: Spencer M. Anderson, a native of Moline,

111., Electrician on the Dredging Division's

pipeline suction dredge Mindi; Charles H.

Crawford, who comes from Chester, S. C,

Supervisory Personnel Assistant in the Central Labor Branch of the Personnel Bureau; Kenneth C. Heliums, who was born in St. Joseph, Mo., Project Engineer with the Contract and Inspection Division; Bernice

A. Herring, once of Clinton, N. C, Dipper Dredge Master with the Dredging Division; George A. Martin, a native of Calypso, N. C, Sergeant in the Police Division in charge of the Canal Zone Prison at Gatun; and Eldon L. Phelan, of Burns, Oreg., Po- liceman on duty with the Balboa Police

District. Gregory Cartotto, once of Paterson, N. J., has unbroken Government service but his Canal service was interrupted by military

service during World War II. He is a General Claims Examiner in the Claims Branch.

15 YEARS

Thirteen of the 23 men and women who

completed 15 years of Government service

last month have unbroken service with the Canal organization. They are: Richard W. Abell, Lockmaster, Pacific Locks; Rex Beck, Constable, Balboa Magistrate's Court; Ferdinand Berwanger, Machinist Foreman, Pacific Locks; Mrs. Joyce

B. Bevington, Supervisory Clerical Assistant, Commissary Branch; Mrs. Evelyn R. Condon, Accounting Clerk, Terminals Division; Hamner C. Cook, Accounting Clerk, Supply

Division ; David C. Mcllhenny, Supervisory

Hospital Administrative Officer, Coco Solo

Zonian Makes Unusual Job Shift

Leslie Spencer, left, formerly of Cusloms talks with his new bosses, L. L. Jenrich,

Internal Audit Chief, and F. H. Baldwin, head of the General Audit Division.

It isn't often that a Canal employee

with 18 years of service in one outfit decides to switch jobs in mid-career but that

is exactly what Leslie M. Spencer, second

in command of the Cristobal Customs

Office did last month. As of late April he entered a field which was completely different from

anything in his previous experience when he joined the staff of the General Audit Division as an accountant in the

Internal Audit Branch. The job transfer is the direct result of the after-hours and vacation time study which Mr. Spencer has been doing almost

continuously since he joined the Canal

organization in December 1939. His

first after-hours study was in Spanish, and

he followed this up by several courses at Panama University. Three years ago he received a degree from the Canal Zone Junior College; during his Junior College work he was one of three students to make a perfect score in a cost accounting examination. In Jan- uary 1957, he received a Bachelor's degree

in General Studies from Louisiana State

University, the first Panama Canal employee to complete a LSU course. His

Hospital; Mrs. Beatrice J. O'Toole, Timekeeper, Electrical Division; Robert W.

Parker, Cribtender Foreman, Terminals

Division ; Hubert A. Rotenberry, Lead Fore- man Painter, Dredging Division; Robert C. Stanley, Powerhouse Operator- Dispatcher,

Electrical Division ; James W. Watson, Towboat Master, Navigation Division; and

Carl A. Yarbro, Lead Foreman, Scaling and

Painting, Locks Overhaul. Other 15-year employees are: David L. Bishop, Policeman, Balboa Police District; Robert P. Carey, Distribution Clerk, Postal

Division; Ralph Dugan, Jr., Policeman and

Motorcycle Officer, at Gatun; Leon S. Fish- bough, Jr., Machinist II, Atlantic Locks; Theodore W. A. Krzys, Machinist, Induslrial Division; Mrs. Ruth F. Morris, Third Grade

Teacher, South Margarita School (she is presently taking special training at Columbia University) ; Harold R. Rodell, Locomotive Crane Steam Engineer, Pacific Locks; Gust E. Rosene, Marine Machinist, Industrial Division; Milton E. Stone, Supervisory Cargo Clerk, Terminals Division; William W. Spencer, Lead Foreman, Quarters Maintenance, Maintenance Division. May 2, 1958 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 15

diploma was presented by the Governor. Since then he has started work to- ward a degree as Master of Business Administration, taking this course at the Graduate School of Business Administration of Boston University, during

vacation periods. Mr. Spencer began his Canal career as a clerk in the former Municipal Engineering Division, but transferred in less than four months to Customs where he remained until his unusual move last month.

Employees To Get Insurance Data During Current Drive

Efforts are being made to furnish every employee in the Canal organization with

full information on the Group Hospital Insurance plan during the current membership drive which continues until May

15. During this period employees, not

already members, may join on a nonselective basis. The Employee Group Health Insur- ance Board has recently negotiated a number of favorable changes in the plan with the underwriting firm. Mutual Insurance of Omaha. These

changes will be of benefit to both old and new members. The new benefits

will be automatically accorded to those already participating in the plan with- out the requirement of any action on

their part. The changes, as well as the principal features of the group health insurance,

are described in brochures which were

delivered with paychecks to all employees

this week. If employees desire additional information, members of the Insurance Board will be glad to assist them, or they may direct their inquiries to I. J. McCarthy, Mutual of Omaha representative on the Isthmus. Mr. McCarty has made arrangements

to be on the Atlantic side one day every week in the future to assist employees on that side with problems or to answer

questions. He will be on duty every Wednesday in Room 212 of the Administration Building in Cristobal.
Professional Engineers

Observe First Birthday

Presentation of the charter by Dr. Clark Dunn, center, was a highlight of the engineers' year. Seated: L. B. Sartain, then CZSPE president, Col. H. M. Arnold.

One of the newest and fastest growing

groups in the Canal Zone is the Canal Zone Society of Professional Engineers

which, right now, is smack in the middle

of a series of first anniversaries. The Society was organized a year ago

last month. It elected its first officers a year ago this month. And it was accepted

into the National Society of Professional Engineers a year ago next month. The National Society of Professional Engineers, in which the Canal Zone

Society has the same status as, say, the Oklahoma State or Florida State Societies, is to professional engineers what

the American Medical Association is to doctors or the American Bar Association to lawyers. Only licensed profes- sional engineers and certified engineersin-training are eligible for membership. To the nonengineer, there is some confusion between the Canal Zone Society and the Canal Zone Board of Registration

for Architects and Engineers. The

Board, which consists of two architects and three engineers, appointed by the Governor to examine the qualifications of applicants for registration as architects

or professional engineers, was established

several months before the Society. The

Soeisty, a group of registered professional engineers bound together by their professional interests and working to advance

engineering as a profession, sprang, more

or less, into being through establishment

of the Board. When the Canal Zone Code was amended to regulate the practice of engi- neering and architecture in the Canal

Zone, the Governor appointed a Board of Registration. R. J. Rhinehart, President

of the National Society of Professional Engineers, came here to help the Canal Zone board get started. During his stay on the Isthmus, he discussed the possibility of starting a Canal Zone Society, having as a nucleus half a dozen registered engineers who had belonged to the National Society in the States. On April 27, last year, 27 registered

professional engineers met in the Board

Room at Balboa Heights and organized

the Canal Zone Society. While most of them held engineering jobs in the Canal

organization, the Society was Canal

Zone-wide and several of the original members were engineers with the armed

forces here. As more and more men qualified for registration, the Society's membership

began to swell. Last June, when L. B.

Sartain, the Society's first president, went

to Dallas to present the Canal Zone

group's credentials to the National Society, the membership stood at 39. To- day it totals 85, which represents more

than 80 percent of the qualified potential membership in the Canal Zone. Several Panamanian engineers, registered in the Canal Zone, are members of the Society. As a "member State Society" of the National Society of Professional Engineers, whose national membership ex- ceeds 44,000, the Canal Zone Society's objectives are generally and specifically those of the National Society: To protect the public from unqualified, pseudo-engineers; to advance the

professional, social and economic in- terests of the professional engineer and

the engineer-in-training; to promote

high standards of engineering education; to consider legislation affecting the engineering profession; to establish and maintain high ethical standards and practices. The local Society is represented in the National Society by a National Director who attends meetings of the National Board three times each year. Frank H.

Lerchen, Maintenance Engineer for the Panama Canal Company, holds this office. Since administration of the Canal Zone

Society lies in its Board of Directors, which meets frequently, general meetings

are held only about three times a year. Despite its comparative youth, the Canal Zone Society has managed to acquaint the public with its program at two major activities so far this year. The first of these was in January when

Dr. Clark A. Dunn, president-elect of the National Society, made a special trip to the Isthmus to present the charter to the

local group at a dinner meeting at the

Tivoli Guest House. The second came

during the following month when the Canal Zone Society sponsored the activities of Engineering Week. The group has been active in other

fields, also. Through its efforts the Pan- ama Canal Company now requires that

all plans, specifications and engineering

reports bear the seal of a professional engineer registered in the Canal Zone. Talks are now going on regarding further recognition of the registered professional engineer. For prospective members who are qualifying for registration as profes- sional engineers and for members who

wish their qualification to be by examination rather than by the "grandfather clause" which blanketed some

of them in, the Society is now sponsoring a series of refresher courses in vari- ous engineering fields. Approximately

30 engineers are taking these courses. The Society has just installed its second

set of officers. L. B. Sartain, the first president, has been succeeded by A. A. Mittag, who was president-elect last year. This year's president-elect is E. W. Zelnick, who served last year as National

Director. Truman H. Hoenke has suc- ceeded Capt. J. K. Batchellor, USN, as

vice president, and Richard R. Potter, Jr.,

is again secretary-treasurer. National

Director this year is Mr. Lerchen.

Something funny must have been going on at this meeting of the CZSPE officials. 'Fiom left: L. B. Sartain, Jr.. past president; E. W. Zelnick, president-elect; A. A. Mittag,

president; R. R. Potter, Jr., secretary-treasurer; T. N. Hoenke, vice president; and F. H.

Lerchen, National Director. 16 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
SHIPPING

CANAL HEADS TO ANOTHER RECORD YEAR IN TRAFFIC,

TOLLS, D1SPITE RECENT DECREASE IN CARGO TONNAGE

Capt. James A. Flenniken, left, will take over this month as Balboa Porl Captain

with the departure of Capt. A. R. Roessler, right, for his new post in California. CANAL TRANSITS—COMMERCIAL AND U. S. GOVERNMENT

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years

1958 1957 1938

Atlantic

to

Pacific

Pacific

to Atlantic Total Total Total

Commercial vessels: 1,13386

1,12164

2,254

150

2,182 234

1,386 219

Total commercial 1,219 1,185 2,404 2,416 1,605

U. S. Government vessels:** Ocean-going _ .. 33

36

26

54

599085 120

Total commercial and U. S. Govt. 1,288 1,265 2,553 2,621 ______

'Vessels under 300 net tons or 500 displacement tons. **Yessels on which tolls are credited. Prior to July 1, 1951, Government-operated ships transited free. MONTHLY COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC AND TOLLS

Vessels of 300 tons net or over

(Fiscal years)

Month

July August

September.

October November.

DecemberJanuary

February.

_

March

April May

June

Totals for first 9 months

of fiscal year

Totals for fiscal year.

Transits

788

812

771 813

779

774 744

700 810

669

653 646

699 654

751

701 673

808

767 783

775

457

505 444

461 435

439 444

436

506

487

465

445

6.254

8,579 ! 5.524

Tolls

(In thousands of dollars)

1958

$3,668

3,599

3,504 3,680

3,522

3,521 3,376

3.104 3,628

531,602

1957

$3,054 2,888

2.861 3,083

2,876

5.420

3.161 3.033 3,603 3,430

5,551 5,484

S27.9 79

;.444

1938

$2,030

2,195

1,936

1,981 1,893

1,845 1,838

1.787 2,016

1,961 1,887

1,801

$17,521

$23,170 May 2, 1958 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 17

Despite a sharp recent drop in the amount of cargo carried through the Pan- ama Canal, the waterway is headed this

fiscal year for another record in both the number of transits and the amount of tolls. For the first nine months of the present

fiscal year, ocean-going commercial transits alone totalled 6,991 ships, 737 more

than for the first nine months of fiscal year 1957. Ocean-going transits are averaging 25.53 per day, compared with

last year's daily average of 22.80 ships. Tolls so far also stand at an all-time high and statisticians see no reason why

they too will fail to set another record. Since tolls are computed on a ship's cargo

capacity, rather than on the amount of cargo actually carried, the decline in cargo does not affect tolls. During the first nine months of the

present fiscal year, tolls on ocean-going commercial transits alone have totalled over S31, 602,000, compared with $27,- 979,000 for the comparable period in the

previous fiscal year. Both transits and tolls are now on a

"plateau," toward which they have been

rising since about last November. There may be some decline in both for the re- maining three months of the fiscal year which are not covered by the statistics in this section. But even the expected drop

should not prevent the setting of new

records in both transits and tolls this

fiscal year. Cargo, however, has already passed its plateau and has turned down sharply

since last November and December. The

decrease in cargo shipments began the

latter part of November and in early De- cember and is evident in both directions through the Canal, although the decline on the Atlantic-Pacific trade is the more

pronounced. Hugh A. Norris, the Panama Canal Company's Economist, attributes the decrease in cargo to several factors. The

current recession in the United States is one of these. This is evident principally

in the fact that the average cargo per

vessel is dropping; while the number of ships has remained practically constant

since the cargo drop began, most ships are carrying less than a capacity load of cargo through the Panama Canal. Other factors also enter the cargo

picture, Mr. Norris believes. One of the most marked decreases in cargo shipments via the Panama Canal is that in scrap iron. During the first nine months of fiscal year 1957, a total of 1,199,105 tons of scrap iron moved

through the Canal from U. S. Gulf

ports to Japan. During the first nine months of this fiscal year, scrap iron shipments dropped to 500,727 tons. While this is a little more than a 50 per- cent decrease, the comparison is even more marked when taken by months.

In March, 1957, when scrap shipments

were at a peak, the scrap shipped through the Canal totalled 201,719 tons. In March 1958, only 121 tons of scrap
COMMENDED

Venezuelan diver Gabriel Daboin These men helped save the life of Gabriel Daboin, center. Front: Dr. Bruno Eisen,

in the decompression chamber with Capt. H. S. Knerr, Lt. K. T. Shelley, Dr. R. L. Koenig. Standing: R. C. Crump,

William Badders end Dr. R. L. Koenig. R. A. Morales, H. L. Clarke, Jr., William Badders, C. H. Starke, J. J. O'Donnell.

The "sincere personal thanks and commendation" of Governor Potter was sent

last month to each individual who played

a part in saving the life of Gabriel Daboin, Venezuelan diver who is now back in Venezuela after an almost miraculous

recovery from a severe attack of caisson

disease, or the "bends." "This case," the Governor wrote, "reflects great credit not only on the indi- viduals but also on the organization where different units cooperate and work

together on a difficult mission." The Governor's commendation was

placed on each man's file, together with a

letter from Perry Francey, written on

behalf of the Shell Company of Venezuela,

were shipped through the Canal. Much of the scrap metal was used for

steel plate for Japanese shipbuilding. Within the past few months there has been a curtailment in ship construction. Another sharp and recent downward

trend is that of petroleum and petroleum

products. The February issue of The

Review reported that low tanker rates were reflected in large shipments of oil via the Canal, particularly from the South American east coast to California. During the third quarter of this fiscal year,

oil shipments have dropped so sharply

that during March, 1958, not one single ton of oil was shipped on this route, compared with the 62,500 tons shipped in March 1957. The decrease in oil shipments is attrib- uted to excess reserve stocks on the west coast, coupled with the extension of voluntary control on oil imports to the west coast last December. While current figures do not yet reflect these, Mr. Norris foresees sharp

declines in iron ore during the remainder of this fiscal year. The drop in ore shipments is expected because U. S. steel companies which had

been buying on contract to supplement

the output of their own mines no longer need these supplemental shipments while they are operating at only 50 percent of capacity.

by whom the stricken diver was employed.

"It is no exaggeration to say that Daboin owes his life to the almost super- human, and I use this word advisedly,

efforts of those involved," Mr. Francey

wrote.

"It might be said that the Canal officials and personnel involved were only performing their duty, but what was done

for Daboin cannot be measured by any

yardstick of duty. It was an outstanding

case of devotion to their service and call- ing on the part of the men concerned,"

he added.

Principal commodities shipped through the Canal

(All figures in long tons) PACIFIC TO ATLANTIC

Commodity

Ores, various -_ Lumber Wheat

Sugar Bananas Canned food products

Nitrate of soda

Refrigerated food products (except fresh fruit) Metals, various

Barley Petroleum and products (excludes asphalt) Fresh and dried fruits Coffee Wool

Cotton, raw

All others

Total

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years

1958

1,850,407 820,002 522,986

290,212

290,08-1 287,712

271,131 214,954

199,247

171,731 103,590 94,760

87,212

72,075 69,948 965,370

6,31 1,421

1957

1,688,801 696,316

908,144

414.299

246,484 325,614

222,499 240,838

226,993

177,756 257,237

73,427 90,729

116,131 85,847 991,046

6,762,161

1938

542,936

632,901 267,904

299,404

20,076 220,124

530,861 106,820

165,473 62,089 498,282

173,041 53,179

37,915

37,801 664,317

4,313,123 ATLANTIC TO PACIFIC

Third Q uarter, Fiscal Years Commodity

1958 1957 1938

1,079,104 760,806 416,888

305,742

146,507

131,3119 116,633

108,427 106,110 91,310

86,211 86,064

83,866

82,276

81,823

1,216,271

l, loo.ooi 877,516

775,584 377,858

167,259 117,389

100.705 65,265 82.616

104,337

00, (ISO 86,174

79,005 20,057 507,573

1,472,263

236,644

27,867

Iron and steel manufactures 362,008

67,518 493

32,587

7,809

19,405 25,179

56,323 90,274

10,409 76,102 8,510 134,275 864,251

Total 1,899,347 6,200,621 2,049,654

18 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958
Fishing — Panama Canal Lock Style

Chester Alder and Semars Clarke net- ted the fish in the lock chamber . . .

The Panama Canal, every now and

then, provides just about the most magnificent fisherman's-dream-come-true that anyone could imagine. That is, if a fish- erman wants to do his Isaak Waltoning

with a scoop or a net. This fine state of affairs comes about whenever the Canal's lock chambers are emptied—dewatered is the professional term—for overhaul. Fish, large and

small, are trapped in the locks as the waters recede. They flop helplessly about on the lock floor, ripe for the picking. This year is overhaul year and, consequently, a fine year for easy fishing. A good many snapper and snook have

been served up on Zone dinner tables but a good part of this year's castaways

are destined for more scientific purposes. Over 175 specimens collected at Miraflores Locks are already on their way to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a graduate school of the University of California at La Jolla, and more will follow as soon as they are

sorted and packed. The man behind the collection is Paul W. Johnson of San Diego _ who once worked at the Scripps Institution and is now on duty with the Army Signal Corps

here. When scientists at Scripps learned

that a wealth of marine specimens would

be available when the locks were emptied

this year, Mr. Johnson was asked to ar- range for the collection. He was provided

with introductions to representatives of the Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission, which has an office in Panama

City and which supplied him with pres- servatives and collecting equipment He

was also introduced to Canal officials. This led to arrangements under which Roy C. Stockham, Chief of the Locks

Division, assigned two men from the Locks force to work with the collectors. The morning the west chambers at Miraflores Locks were drained, Mr. Johnson and John Simpson, of the Tuna Commission, stationed themselves on the top

of the lock wall. Chester Alden and

Semars Clarke, of the Locks force, took up their posts on the lock floor. Between 9 a. m. and 5 p. m. that day

they netted 175 specimens, ranging from

one and a half inches to two and a half

feet in length. The fish were hauled up

the sides of the locks by bucketfulls to Mr. Johnson and Mr Simpson who split Canal Commercial Traffic by Nationality of Vessels

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years

Nationality 1958 1957 1938 Number of

transits Tons

of cargo Number of

transits Tons

of cargo Number of transits Tons

of cargo

1

1

1 356

1713 50

12

566

7,08566

2,343,966

104,067

100,771 68,238

85,465

British.. _ 302

25

17 60

1,830,804 149,011 118,733 76,729

348

3 1,626,625

10,012 Colombian

2 88 56

10

10

17 209

27

77

1 46

173

249,303

13,283 38,234

87,682 584,898

229,133

72,488

8,558 277,937

1.213,793

84

14

8 20

17235 108

360,014

29,414 30,990

105,395 618,070

323,289

111,772

161,735 Ecuadorean

1 2686

19

10

4,021 138,303 312,330

96,467

3,839 Honduran

39

152 165.926

1,115,768

1277

1

31,762 495,130 Latvian ______

Liberian. 196 1,711,158 168

2 50

11 229

110

104

1,545,708

1,650 244,042

29,892

1,603,271 495,424

50,148

24,032

Mexican _ Netherlands Nicaraguan _ _ 5520 234

104

13

7

1

1 14 63

1 483

255,497

40,194

1,012,442 338,070

56,147

36,272

77 179,917 Norwegian . Panamanian

17444

3

2

848,325

56,087 4,008

Philippine South Korean _ Soviet _ Spanish

7,700 56,736

202,130

10.030 2,533,806

3

1436

1 460

1

10,103 63,564

196,239

1,180 3.117,665

8,642

2 4,375 28 187,191 Swiss. United States. 413

2 2,195,344 7,300

Total.. 2,254 11,210,768 ' 2.182 12,962.422 1,386 6,362,777 May 2, 1958 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 19

. . . while John Simpson, on the wall,

slit them and put them into preservative.

(All pictures by Paul W. Johnson)

them open and put them into preservative. The first day's specimen repre- sented about 30 species. The day the east chambers are Miraflores were emptied, the collection was more spectacular numerically and, possibly, scientifically, although the haul would appear somewhat monotonous

to an amateur. That day Mr. Johnson and Mr. Simpson were concentrating on anchovies, the bait fish for tuna. They were eager to get as many species as possible, and that meant collecting as many specimens as they could. Al- together 500 anchovies were netted. Since only one had turned up in the west chamber haul, the collectors believe that the second day coincided with the anchovy breeding season. While his estimates have to be con- firmed by ichthyologists in the United

States, Mr. Johnson believes that the ap- proximately 675 specimen collected will represent 45 to 50 various species of fish. He does not have facilities here for classi- fying the collection but thinks on first examination that the yield includes five or six species of anchovies and about the same number of species of grouper. He

may well be off in his guess. In 1939 Dr. Samuel F. Hildebrand, senior ichthyologist of the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, col- lected 94 species during a Locks overhaul. The specimens collected this year by

Mr. Johnson and his assistants will be

distributed by the Scripps Institution among a large number of scientists, each

of whom is a specialist in a particular fish. And what will the scientists learn from this year's fish collection? Some

of the specimens may show evidence of passage through the Canal, a possibility which Dr. Hildebrand considered

in his first book to be remote although

he modified his opinion somewhat in

his 1939 publication. The specimens may also show indications that fish from the Atlantic and Pacific are hybridizing and producing new species. There are all kinds of things to be

learned from fishing on a lock floor, but

it may be a long time before any one knows exactly what has been discovered.
A BIG TANKER IS PAINTED AGAINST A TROPICAL NIGHT

BY EXPERIMENTAL LIGHTING SYSTEM IN GAILLARD CUT

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

3 1262 08544 4809 wTRANSITS BY OCEAN-GOING

VESSELS IN MARCH

1957 1958 Commercial 808 810 Government 32 20

Total 840 830 TOLLS*

Commercial $3,608,748 $3,631,137 Government 110,103 90,862

Total $3,718,851 $3,721,999

'Includes tolls on all vessels, ocean-going and small. CARGO (Long tons) Commercial 4,815,226 4,056,853 Government 84,283 109,991

Total 4,899,509 4,166,844

Holiday Changes

Holidays will cause three changes in the

regular sailing schedules for the Panama

Line vessels during the coming vacation months. The first change from the routine sail- ings will occur in May when the SS Cristobal will sail southbound from New York

on Thursday, May 29, one day early, in- stead of on Friday, May 30, which is Decoration Day and a legal holiday. The

ship will arrive in Cristobal June 4 and

will sail for New York the following Sat- urday, the Line's regular sailing day. The second change will occur July 3 and will also involve a change for the SS

Cristobal. The ship will sail from New

York a day early to avoid the Fourth of July holiday. She will arrive in Cristobal July 9 and will sail northbound July 12, on schedule. In September, the Ancon will sail from New York September 3, one day behind

her usual schedule. This change is due

to the Labor Day holiday. The Ancon

will arrive in Cristobal Tuesday, September 9, and will sail the following day on

her return trip northbound. Shipping Souvenir

The house flag of the Luckenbach Line, whose ships have been regular customers

of the Panama Canal since its early davs,

is now part of the shipping exhibit in the Canal Zone Library-Museum. The flag was given to the library re- cently by Jack Pearson, a Gatun Lock

operator, who was one of the guests

aboard the SS Edward Luckenbach when

the ship transited the Panama Canal in December 1956, carrying the billionth ton

of cargo to pass through the waterway. Mr. Pearson was also one of the guests aboard the Panama Liner Ancon when it made its first trip through the Canal on August 15, 1914, the first commercial

transit. At that time he accompanied

his father, Herbert Pearson, who was employed by the Audit Division. Next Year's Tourists The tourist business, it seems, is a never-ending affair. The last dry-season

cruise ship barely clears Isthmian ports before advertisements appear in travel magazines announcing cruises for the coming season. One of the first of next dry season's

cruise ships will be the MS Kungsholm,

which made two visits here this year. She is to sail from New York November

15 on a 16-day cruise which takes her to Trinidad, La Guaira, Curacao, Cristobal, and Havana. The Kungsholm is also scheduled for transit early next year on a South Sea Isle-Far East cruise which

leaves New York January 20. The Gripsholm, another of the Swedish American Line's big cruise ships, includes Cristobal as a port of call on cruises leav- ing New York December 20 and January 7. Oldtimer Leaves

Steamship row in Cristobal lost one of

its most prominent members last month

with the departure of M. V. Gringoire, General Agent for the French Line, who

is retiring from service and will make his home in the northern part of France. A veteran employee of the French Line, Mr. Gringoire came to Cristobal in 1926 and spent several years here as a boarding

officer with the French Line. He re- turned to the Isthmus in 1947 as the French Line's General Agent. Mr. and Mrs. Gringoire left Cristobal

April 19 for New York and will take a

short vacation before sailing for France

on the Liberte. Japanese Emigrants

Several hundred Japanese emigrants

take a trip through the Panama Canal

each month aboard the Osaka Shosen

Kaisha's immigrant ships en route from Japan to Brazil. The last group, of about

500, arrived here April 25 aboard the SS

Santos Maru from Japan. They spent

several hours in Cristobal where the ship docked for several hours before sailing for Brazil Other OSK Line ships passing through

the Canal regular with Japanese who are emigrating to South America are the

Brazil Maru, America Maru, and the Africa Maru. The Brazil Maru, which

has space from 900 or more passengers of

this type, will soon be joined by the Argentine Maru, a new OSK liner now being completed for the same service. The other vessels carry between 500 and 600 passengers on each trip. Most

of them are farmers en route to Brazil where they will make their new homes. Boyd Brothers are agents for the OSK

Line ships here.

TRAFFIC MOVEMENT OVER MAIN TRADE ROUTES

The following table shows the number "I transits <>l large, commercial vessels (300 net tons or over) segregated into eight main trade routes:

United States [ntercoastal East ( !oas1 ol 1 . S. and South America

East Coast of U. S. and Central America

East Coast of (J. S. and Far East

l

, S. C tnada East < 'oast and Australasia Europe and West Coast of U. S. Canada

! I"- and South Amerii a Europe and Australasia

All other routes

I .ii il traffii _ ....

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years

1058

130 574

141 337

42

241 240

108 432

2,254

1057

121 498

127 373

42 236

215

147 423

2,182

1938264

14530

14239

271

13465 296

1.386

20 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 2, 1958