Gift ofthe Panama Canal Museum

-ME.

T?-/-/?3_ (<.-£

Vol. 4, No. 2 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, SEPTEMBER 4, 1953 5 cents

FISCAL YEAR HOUSING PROGRAM TO PROVIDE HOMES

FOR 197 FAMILIES AT COST OF ABOUT $5,000,000

Goethals Memorial

WHITE MARBLE of the shaft is reflected in blue-green water in the pool at the base of the new

Goethals monument. The landscaping had not been completed when this photograph was taken late last month. For a story on preliminary plans for the memorial's dedication see page 3 of this issue of The

Review.

Washington Firm Engaged To Conduct

Compensation Study Asked By Congress

The management consultant firm of Booz, Allen & Hamilton, of Washington,

D. C, has been engaged by the Board of Directors to conduct the study on compensation of Panama Canal employees,

as directed by Congress at its last session. The compensation study is an outgrowth

of Congressional action on the Canal

appropriations for this fiscal year. The study is scheduled to begin this month. Three representatives of the consulting firm arrived here early this week

to begin an on-the-ground survey. Three

full-time staff members of the firm are to be assigned to the project with additional personnel to be used on special assign- ments as required.

Those who arrived this week were Clyde Seney, partner of the firm, Elmer

Van Horn and Raymond Bukaty. Arriving next week will be Edward Leslie. Mr. Seney will be in charge of the study

and will initiate the program here.

An employee of the Canal organization

will be assigned to work with the survey team to facilitate the scheduling of inter- views and collection of data. The Canal

will provide office space (See page IS)

SPECIAL COLLEGE

SUBSCRIPTION

• • • Write eight extra long letters to that boy or girl in college this year send a

subscription to The Panama Canal Review

8 months 50^

OCTOBER through MAY Issues

This offer is good only for college stu- dents. Send subscriptions with cash or money order to the

Editor, The Panama Canal Review

Balboa Heights, C. Z.

Plans for the quarters re- placement program this year

provide for the construction of

197 family units at an approximate cost of $5,000,000.

The new houses will be built in Balboa

Flats, Diablo Heights, on Ridge Road in Balboa Heights, and in Gatun. The extensive quarters construction program will be initiated officially this month by the advertisement of bids for the construction of 66 family units at Diablo Heights.

Many details of this year's building

program are still under consideration but

all of the main features have been ap- proved by Governor Seybold.

Although the amount of money pro- vided for quarters construction this year

is considerably under that of the past

fiscal year, the number of apartments to be provided is slightly higher.

This difference is due largely to the fact that no extensive townsite preparation

work, such as that for the Corozal area,

will be required.

Duplex Apartments

An outstanding feature of this year's plans is the predominance of duplex apart- ments. All of the houses to be built in Diablo Heights will be duplexes and the great majority of those planned for Balboa Flats will be two-family buildings. In all, 98 family units are planned for Balboa Flats this fiscal year, with the building program divided into two parts. Under the first contract 65 units will be

built; 33 more units will be built later under another contract.

All of the 33 buildings at Diablo

Heights, as presently planned, will be the new-type two-family, two story masonry

structures similar to those being built at Corozal. These houses, Type 336, have

three bedrooms on the second floor of each apartment; the ground floor is devoted to

living space. The new Diablo duplexes

will be located on sites from which

12-family apartment houses have been

removed.

Some of the buildings at Gatun will probably be the Type 336's, and the

others masonry cottages. Balboa Heights

No final decision has been made on the types of quarters to be erected on Ridge

Road, where 15 units are planned. All of the houses will be three-bedroom, single

units, some of which may be composite

construction. In addition to the Ridge Road houses, three official quarters are also slated for construction this year at Balboa Heights.

These will be three-bed- (See page IS)
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW September 4, 1953

Clubhouses Begin

Series Of Changes,

Training Program

Establishment by the Clubhouse Division of a snack bar at Gorgas Hospital is

thi' latest in a series of changes planned

to improve service and minimize operating costs, while keeping the convenience

of the customer in mind, according to Wilson Crook, General Manager of the

Division. At the same time a comprehensive

training program for Clubhouse sales per- sonnel and cafeteria attendants has been

undertaken to increase employee effi- ciency and improve customer relations. Under the joint sponsorship of the Clubhouse Division and the Personnel Bureau, groups of employees on both

sides of the Isthmus meet weekly for both

theoretical instruction and practical drill

in various phases of clubhouse retail salesmanship and related activities. The program will run through November under the direction of Brodie

Burnham, acting training director. Employees are paid for the time they spend

in classes. The Gorgas snack bar will replace a

small stand which has been operated for some years at the hospital by the Commissary Division. It will be located in a

large room in the rear section of the hospital under the archway which connects

with Section C. Other proposed changes are: Rearrangement of the Margarita Clubhouse to permit a continuous line operation of the soda fountain, cafeteria,

merchandise and pastry sections; Enlargement of the snack bar in the

Cristobal Shops area, coinciding with the

closing of the Cristobal Shops Cafeteria; Closing of the Red Tank Clubhouse,

tentatively scheduled for October 1, in anticipation of the imminent evacuation

of the town of Red Tank.

Changes Made

During the past few months a number

of changes have been made in clubhouse

operations. These have been necessary because of a recent sharp decline in clubhouse business as a whole Mr. Crook

said. Clubhouse personnel has been reduced

to an absolute minimum; to avoid raising

prices it was necessary to curtail hours and to eliminate all uneconomical dupli- cation of services which are provided by

other, nearby units. Wherever possible residents of the areas affected have been consulted on the changes. The Gamboa Civic Council ap- proved the new hours for their clubhouse

operations: 11:30 a. m. to 1 p. m. and

3:30 to 8:30 p. m. all weekdays except

Thursday when the Clubhouse Luncheonette will be closed all day; 11:30 a. m.

to 1 p. m. and 3:30 to 9:30 p. m. Saturdays; and 2 p. m. to 8:30 p. m. Sundays.

The new hours went into effect August 17. Chagres residents were polled to choose

the new hours for their clubhouse, and

selected the following, which became

effective September 1: 6 to 7:30 a. m. and 4 to 8:30 p. m. daily.

Other recent changes are: Elimination

of the breakfast period at the Balboa

Hotter Than Hot!

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IT WAS HOTTER when it was cool last month than it usually is, by several degrees, and the top temperatures were considerably higher than the usual peaks for August.

People who follow weather statistics and those who just want to know whether they really were hot

will be interested in this chart, prepared by the Meteorological and Hydrographic Branch covering the

first 24 days of August. No new records were set for the month—the all-time August high is 94°—but for the first half of the month the thermometer registered over 90° with uncomfortable frequency. As the chart indicates, the daily average was several points higher than it ordinarily is and the daily minimum was well above the average minimum for August. Major Changes Planned For Two

Of Oldest Panama Canal Units

Major organizational changes affecting the Industrial Bureau and the Dredging

Division, two of the oldest and largest

Panama Canal units, are scheduled to be made next month.

The Industrial Bureau will become a

division and will be a unit of the Marine

Bureau; the Dredging Division will be

transferred from the Marine Bureau to the Engineering and Construction Bureau. No change will be made in the headquarters of either unit. In addition to these changes, Thatcher

Ferry, now under the supervision of the Dredging Division, will be transferred to the Navigation Division in the Marine

Bureau.

Detailed plans of the organizational

changes are still in the course of development and are expected to be announced

within a short time. Internal Change

The reorganization is purely an internal change of the Canal organization for the purpose of consolidating and realigning

certain marine activities. The change

Heights Cafeteria and the Civil Affairs Building Luncheonette, and the following new hours: 9 a. m. to 3 p. m. Civil Affairs Building employees selected the hours for the luncheonette; Closing of the La Boca Clubhouse half an hour earlier at night —the new closing

hour being 10 p. m.;

Elimination of table service at the Balboa Clubhouse soda fountain; Replacement of the Cafeteria at the Mount Hope Luncheonette by a snack

bar; and

Conversion of the Ancon Clubhouse

restaurant to a Cafeteria with limited

table service available. The closing hour

at Ancon was changed from 10 p. m.

to 9 p. m.

will have no appreciable effect on per- sonnel in the two units other than the

transfer of titles or job designations.

The reorganization will be the second

of consequent nature for both the Industrial Bureau and Dredging Division within less than four years. The Dredging

Division, which for years was an inde- pendent operating unit under the direct supervision of the Engineer of Maintenance (Lieutenant Governor), was made

a part of the Marine Bureau in the Canal

reorganization of July 1950. The major

organization change for the Industrial Bureau came in May 1950 when the Balboa shops were closed and the main

offices of the unit were transferred to Cristobal. Both the Dredging Division and the

Industrial Bureau were among the first operating units to be organized when the Isthmian Canal Commission undertook

the construction of the Canal in 1904. French Equipment

Practically speaking, both were units

of the French Canal Company. Both

were performing work essential to the Canal construction and most of their equipment for some time after 1904 was

old French equipment, some of which was

used throughout the construction period.

One of the largest of the repair and

manufacturing shops of the present day

Industrial Bureau was at Bas Matachin;

renamed the Gorgona Shops in 1906, it was transferred by the French in 1904. One of its first major tasks was the reno- vation of French machinery and equipment, including locomotives and excavation equipment.

Most of the dredging equipment used

by the Americans during the early construction days was rehabilitated French

equipment acquired at the time of the Canal transfer. By <&« page is>
September 4, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Employee Conference

Divided Into Labor,

Civic Council Panels

The reorganization of the Governor- Employee Conference—a Panama Canal

institution since June 1950—into two

panels, one representing the Civic Councils and the other representing the Company's organized labor groups, was

announced during the August conference by Acting Governor H. 0. Paxson. Concerning the new arrangements, Colonel Paxson said: "The Civic Councils are organized to improve conditions in their own respective

communities by their own efforts and in cooperation with the Company-Government. By channeling all such interests and activities through these Civic Councils they should be strengthened and

become more effective. "This reorganization of these confer- ences is in line with the recognition by the Company-Government of the proper

functions and responsibilities of these two major categories of employees—labor and civic affairs . . . Duplication and

overlapping of functions between the two

will be eliminated and each organization can concentrate on doing a better job in

its own field."

Effective In September

The splitting up of the body, popularly

known as the "shirtsleeve conference," was made effective beginning with the September meetings. Representatives of the Civic Councils will continue to meet

with the Governor or Acting Governor on

the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Organized labor representatives will hold separate meetings, monthly or when the need arises. Organized labor groups indicated their approval of the change through E. W.

Hatchett, Central Labor Union secretary

who represented CLU president Walter

Wagner at the August meeting, and Rufus

Lovelady, AFGE president.

Independent organized labor groups

will meet with the new Labor Panel. Two

groups, the Lock Employees Association and the U. S. Citizens Association, which

do not logically belong in either of the two new groupings, were asked to present

their community problems through the Civic Council panel, their labor problems

through the labor panel, and special problems to the Governor's office (through such normal Company/Government su- pervisory or staff advisory channels, if and as appropriate).

In announcing the change, Colonel Paxsan pointed out that the great pre- ponderance of subjects which have been

discussed at the shirtsleeve conferences came under the heading of civic or community matters, and little has been

brought up of such strictly labor matters

as wages, hours, or working conditions.

Subjects Varied As usual, during the August conference

representatives covered a wide range of subjects. Unlike some conferences there was no predominant topic.

A general discussion of the mechanics

of conducting the coming treaty renegotiations between Panama (Ses page is)

Bottle Babies

HUNGRY FAWNS are just like small famished animals of any sort; Martha Molther. 7, has her hands quite literally full when Bambi and Perlita decide it's time for their bottles. Four weeks old when this picture was taken, the fawns have lived at the Frank Molther house on Ancon Boulevard since they were 24 hours old. When bedtime comes they head for the bath tub which

they selected as a fine sleeping place, and they don't stir until breakfast time.

India, the Molthers' German shepherd, looks with mere tolerance on the frolicsome baby deer; George, the parrot, is more amused by their scamperings. Three rabbits which also live at Molthers' gave no indication as to how they felt about the new pets. The Molther menagerie changes from time to time, but frequently includes baby ducklings or fluffy chickens until they reach the gawky stage.

Oldtimers Will Get Special Ship Rate To Attend

Goethals Memorial Dedication Early Next Year

An opportunity for oldtimers, who

helped build the Panama Canal, to revisit the scene of their work of 40 years ago or more will be presented sometime

early next year when the recently

completed Goethals Memorial in Balboa

is dedicated. Plans for the dedication ceremony have

not been completed but the Panama

Canal Company's Board of Directors at the July meeting approved a special

round-trip rate of $120 from New York

for employees of the "Goethals Era" and

their wives. The special offer will be good for only one sailing southbound and the return passage must be taken not later than two

sailings after arrival in the Canal Zone. The southbound sailing date and ship on

which the special fare will be available

will be announced as soon as the date for the dedication has been selected. Both the date and program for the

dedication are now under consideration by the Goethals Memorial Commission

and it is expected that full details can be announced in the October issue of The

Canal Review.

Except for the landscaping in the area

the Goethals Memorial which stands at the foot of the Administration Building

steps was completed early last month. Its completion marks the fulfillment of plans

which were first initiated in 1935 when

Congress voted an appropriation of $75,000.

Cristobal Mole

It was first proposed to place the memorial on Cristobal mole and designs were prepared by Dr. Paul Cret, a

Philadelphia architect, at an estimated

cost of $160,000. Later Congress increased

the amount of money for the memorial

to $156,500.

The project was dropped in 1939 be- cause of the impending World War and

it was not until well after the close of the war that the project was actively revived. The monument was designed by Shaw,

Metz & Dolio, Chicago architectural and

engineering firm, with Mendez & Sander,

of Panama, serving as associate architects. Contractor for the erection of the monument was the Panama firm of Constructora Martinz, S. A. The land- scaping work is being done by Flori- cultura Nacional, of which Mrs. Dora

Bennett of Panama City is the head. Symbolic Shaft

The memorial which honors the famous

Canal builder is a marble shaft, 56 feet in height, which rises from a reflecting pool, 65 feet in diameter. The monument is on

the plot of ground at the head of the Prado in Balboa and faces toward Balboa. On either side of the shaft are marble

basins from which water flows into the

reflecting pool below. Symbolic in its concept, the shaft represents the Continental Divide and the basins on either

side represent the Atlantic and Pacific Locks from which the waters of Gatun

Lake pour into the two oceans. The present Goethals Memorial Commission is headed by Ralph Budd, rail- way executive of Chicago. Other members

are Gen. R. E. Wood, Chan Gurney,

R. H. Whitehead, Governor Seybold, and

former Governors Julian L. Schley and

F. K. Newcomer. Three of the Commission members, Mr. Budd, General

Wood, and Mr. Whitehead were employed under General Goethals during

the Canal construction period.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW September 4, 1953

Migrating Moths Nothing New

To Veteran Insect Collector

MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES from a collection made over a 10-year period by C. L. Foiles of Balboa are displayed in this case. They are only a small part of the thousands he has caught and mounted.

The migrating moths—Cydimon fulgens,

if one must be technical—which napped

their purposeless way by the thousands

across the Canal Zone last month are nothing new to Clarence L. Foiles of the Balboa Storehouses. In the 23 years he has lived in the Canal Zone, ten of them as an active and

ardent collector of moths, butterflies and

assorted insects, Mr. Foiles netted many

of the migrants. He has an especially fine specimen of the black and green beauty

in one of the big cases which hang on the

walls of his Gavilan area quarters. Other Cydimon fulgens specimens are in the collection of some 2,500 flying,

creeping, crawling or hopping insects, moths, and butterflies which he turned over to the Canal Zone Junior College

when a serious eye ailment put an end to

his collecting activities in 1941. Less spectacular than some of the

objects in his collection—a rainbowcolored grasshopper with a wingspread of eight and three-quarters inches or a longarmed Peruvian beetle, for instance

Cydimon fulgens is still one of the most

interesting specimens he has collected. Flight To Nowhere

Every year, about this time, it migrates. Why, where from and where to, no one knows. Males and females are

in the flight. Some, but not all, of the females carry eggs. Cydimon fulgens flies day and night, seldom more than 20 feet above the ground and always in the same

general direction. They have been seen, Mr. Foiles says, from southern Mexico

to Argentina.

The densest Cydimon fulgens flight he can remember was in 1932; flights are unusually heavy at four-year intervals. They fly, as do many moths and butterflies, along well-defined paths. A favorite migrant airway is just north of the lumber shed on Diablo Road; another

airpath crosses Frangipani Street near

the Aneon greenhouse.

Born in Illinois, Mr. Foiles started his collection soon after he came to the Canal Zone as a serviceman in 1931. He knew

nothing of either collecting or classifica- tion—and he still refuses to consider

himself more than an amateur on either - but the Cristobal library had books he

could read and the Atlantic side jungles

offered more than enough specimens to keep his spare time well filled. Collector's Paradise

Although he has hunted butterflies, moths, and insects the length of Panama,

he considers the Atlantic side of the Canal Zone a collector's paradise. Many of his best specimens came from there. He found his rainbow-colored grass- hoppers at Madden Dam; they are comparatively rare here, he says, but he understands they are fairly common in Colombia. His cucuyos, small hardshelled insects with pale green or pale

yellow headlights and a bright red taillight, he collected in El Valle. A widely

circling light held by an interested mountain native brought several fine cucuyos swooping into the collector's hands. From Sona came a short-winged grass- hopper; tiny beetles which look exactly

like thorns were found at Anton; a peculiar looking, and still unclassified speci- men with a forked tail, the head of a grasshopper and legs jointed to its body

like an animal's was brought from

Chorrera. His moth specimens include a great

insect whose wings have markings like an

owl's face; another looks like a contour

map. A third is marked with a death's head, and a small moth has a false head

where its tail belongs. In the butterfly cases are a gorgeous "Royal Blue," fairly common around

George Green park on Madden Road;

brilliant, swallowtailed Monarchs; a tiny albino with brilliant blue spots showing

through its almost transparent wings.

One of the first things which Mr.

Foiles learned was that the humid tropics are hard on insect collections and that ravenous ants and cockroaches have no

scruples about eating their dead, if distant, kin. After a long process of trial and error he found that moths and butterflies could be preserved if they were "baked"

and mounted with insect repellent. He

built a small oven and each moth and

butterfly in his collection has spent at

least six months in it, at a constant heat

of 110 degrees. Under the cotton on which they rest in their cases are para- dichlorobenzine crystals to repel insects. The grasshoppers and other insects,

like the scarab and rhinoceros beetles, are mounted with pins on cardboard which

has been impregnated with a mixture of

paraffin and the paradichlorobenzine.

Jungle Search

Sometimes, like the days in the rainy season when he knows that moths and

butterflies are just waiting to be caught, Mr. Foiles thinks wistfully of his collect- ing days. He'd like to have another go

at the jungle, nets over his shoulder, a canteen and empty cigar boxes dangling

from his belt, and jars of cyanide tucked

into convenient places.

He would like to have his collection

classified and was just making an arrange- ment to have this done by the Fields Natural History Museum in Chicago

when bad eyes put an end to his collecting.

He would like to keep in touch with

other collectors, like the Texan who is breeding and banding Monarch butterflies to learn their migratory habits. Although he has changed hobbies and

is now a devoted square dancer, he is still called on, now and then, to advise a new

collector. The first thing, he cautions,

is patience. A collector, he warns, may

catch one out of each 10 moths or butterflies he starts after; of those he catches,

only one out of 10 may be in condition

for mounting. The ratio is even higher

for some of the more fragile specimens; Mr. Foiles recalls that he once netted 100 specimens before he got the perfect

butterfly he sought.

COLOR shows it better, but the shadings in the photograph give some indication why this specimen

above, is known as a "butterfly" grasshopper.
September 4, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

FOR YOUR INTEREST AND

. LJW.

GUIDANCE

ft

IN4 ACCIDENT A< PREVENTION

PRE-PLANNING FOR SAFETY

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Industrial 5

Civil Affairs 3 Engineering and Construction 2 Health 2 Community Services 1 Marine

Railroad and Terminals

Supply and Service

Division Award For NO DISABLING INJURIES

JULY

MAINTENANCE DIVISION

DREDGING DIVISION

ELECTRICAL DIVISION

RAILROAD DIVISION

MOTOR TRANSPORTATION DIVISION

DIVISION OF SANITATION

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Motor Transportation 6 Sanitation 6 Dredging 5 Electrical 4 Grounds Maintenance 4 Hospitalization and Clinics 3 Maintenance 3 Railroad 3 Clubhouses 2 Storehouses 2 Navigation 1 Commissary

Locks

Terminals

We've all heard that the wise men of old could call up the past —good or bad—and

from these visions plot a future which

professed to benefit them greatly. For

some, retrospection is distasteful and seems

a waste of time, so they drowm their past in

pitiful ways and try not to think about

the future. Others, who believe the wise men had

something, take a look at their past experi- ences with a more practical capacity for self analysis and come up with some facts and

figures which they can use to plot a better

future. We would like to think that you

are one of the wise men who can read the

safety records of the past fiscal year, and come up with the desire to remain out of the ranks of the accident statistics.

If you are one in the ranks of the workers,

the least that can be expected of you is that you will set a good example in safety

for yourself and others. If you are a foreman or supervisor you have the added

responsibility of not only avoiding accidents

to yourself but guiding, training, and help- ing your workers to work safely. So give your accident record the once- over and apply what you learn to yourself

and others for a safer future. HONOR ROLL

Bureau Award For BEST RECORD

JULY

ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

WORKING DAZE

"We've installed every known safety

device to keep our employees from

getting caught in our equipment!"

NATIONAL SAfETY COUNCIL

We hope all of you will pause and reflect upon our accident record for the year, taking credit for the good thing that you

did, but at the same time remembering

where a little more safety consciousness or

effort on your part, either as a supervisor

or an employee, could have meant the

difference between safety and unnecessary

danger.

Since you have proved that you no

longer have to take a back seat on the more

serious cases or severity rate, can you think

of one good reason why you can't make

similar progress in the campaign against

all accidents? ,To give you a general idea on the "types

of accidents" causing us the most trouble, we list below in order of frequency, the manner of contact of the injured employee

with an object or substance; or the exposure

or movement of the injured employee which

resulted in injury last fiscal year:

Accident Type— Percent

NEW FISCAL YEAR RECORD

We are more than pleased to announce

that the results of your accident prevention

activities during the last fiscal year really paid dividends in the reduction and elimi- nation of pain and suffering for prospective

accident victims. Sixteen percent fewer employees were

injured and the severity of their injuries was 75 percent less than ever before in the

history of our Safety Program. One fatality, one permanent total, and seven per- manent partial disabilities marred an

otherwise commendable achievement. However, we can take pride in the fact that our

fatality rate is 4y2 times better and our

severity rate 28 percent better than the

national average for occupational deaths and injuries. Such an achievement during the year is not one to be passed over lightly; neither

is it one to chalk up as the ultimate in accomplishment.

Struck by (falling, sliding, moving

objects) 37

Striking against (contact with rough

or sharp objects) 18

Slips, overexertion (strains, sprains, hernias) 13

Falls 12 Caught in or between (equipment,

machines, heavy objects) 11 Exposure to extreme temperatures 4

Electrical shock, poison, disease, misc.. 5

If there is still anyone in a responsible

position who is not convinced that accidents

are caused and therefore can be prevented, then we have failed in our mission —or you

have failed in yours. In which event we

both had better get together or both go home. The Safety Branch is here to help you

in your accident Prevention Program, so

call out if you're not getting your share.

P. S. That frequency rate shown below

is a NEW ALL TIME LOW.

JULY 1953

Disabling Injuries per 1,000,000 Man-Hours Worked

(Frequency Rale)

Engineering and Construction Bureau

Month)

Year)

5

6

8

8

9

11

11

13

13

| &«H

Health Bureau

Marine Bureau sr-1

:::: :::-:-:'':-vl

C. Z. Govt.—Panama Canal Co. (This

Civil Affairs Bureau

Community Services Bureau

Supply and Service Bureau

Industrial Bureau

C. Z. Govt.— Panama Canal Co. (Best

Railroad and Terminals Bureau

:::.:::.;.:.:.|

20 30 50

Number of Disabling Injuries. .20

20 30 40 50

Man-Hours Worked 2,592,281 LEGEND

I I Amount Better Than Canal Zone Government—Panama Canal Company Best Year

I I Amount Worse Than Canal Zone Government—Panama Canal Company Best Year

I-'-'- y- 'A Accumulative Frequency Rate This Year
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW September 4, 1953

Classes Begin Today In Canal Schools For A Record Number Of Students

M \l:ii UMTA'S new elementary school looked like this last month while

the builders were still busily at work. Shown here is one, and part of another, of the five one-story units which arc connected by a series of covered

1 1 issage-ways.

I eatures of the building are: Masonry construction with asphalt tile floors

School busses are on the roads again

and school buildings that were quiet all summer are tilled with a record number

of students who started the new 1 953-

1954 school term this week.

Canal Zone kindergartens, elementary,

junior and senior high schools, in U. S.- rate communities opened yesterday and

regular classes except kindergarten begin

today. Students at the Canal Zone Junior

College also start class work today.

Prior to the opening of schools it was

estimated that the first day enrollment in white elementary and secondary schools would be about 6,400 as compared with

6,047 in the schools last January, which was the record Canal Zone school enroll- ment to that time. Largest increases in enrollment were

expected in grades one through six, in which there were 3,653 students last year. The number of students in those grades

this year is estimated at about 3,990. Margarita School

Greatest change in the schools this year is the opening of the new elementary

school plant at Margarita, the South

Margarita School, which has been under

construction since last March.

The did elementary school at Margarita, which will continue in operation, will be known as the North Margarita School. The new school has 15 classrooms in four parallel units with a fifth unit for administrative use, constructed on a modern type plan new to Canal Zone school

buildings. Students in the new school include first to sixth graders from Margarita, Brazos

Heights, Fort Gulick, Gulick Heights, Fort Randolph, France Field, and Fort Sherman, third to sixth graders from

Fori Davis, and fifth graders from Coco

Solo and Coco Solito. Kindergarten students from those communities and Coco Solo and Coco Solito and first to fifth graders from Coco Solo and Coco Solito are attending the North

Margarita School. Principals Changed

Miss Frances Moomaw, former Princi- pal of the old elementary school at Margarita is principal of the new South

Margarita School. Mrs. Helen Rushing,

formerly Teaching Principal at Gatun, is

now Principal of the North Margarita

School. Miss Ruth Crozier, sixth grade

teacher at Cristobal last year, is Teaching

Principal at Gatun. One other change in school principals

is the transfer of Mrs. Elsie Naughton,

who taught fourth grade at Balboa last year, to the position of Teaching Principal

at Gamboa.

There are 16 new elementary teachers from the United States in the Canal Zone

schools this year and 15 new instructors from the States at Balboa and Cristobal

and insulated concrete roofs; awning-type windows; a center patio, partly paved with walkways; a library with a small stage. Each of the classrooms has storage shelves, a small clothes closet, a "project area" with sink and , cupboards, a workbench and a storage cubicle for each student. The school was built under contract by the E. 0. Hauke Construction Company of Colon.

Junior and Senior High Schools. Kindergarten students start school at 9 o'clock in the morning this year instead

of at 8:30 as before. The morning kinder- garten sessions close at 1 1 o'clock. The schools that opened this week in- clude the elementary schools at Ancon,

Balboa, Diablo Heights, Cocoli, Fort Kobbe, Pedro Miguel, Gamboa, Gatun. North and South Margarita, and Cristobal; junior and senior high schools at Balboa and Cristobal and the Canal Zone

Junior College.

Two Lieutenants Take Over

Duties With Canal Zone ROTC

fc -

V KL

LT. THOMAS B. BLAKE

mkLm LT. WILLIAM J. LOBER, JR.

*

Cadets in the Canal Zone High School ROTC units will have an opportunity

this year to learn more details of the Korean fighting. Two infantry officers, both Korean veterans, were assigned this summer to the ROTC cadre and have

already taken over their duties. Lt. John B. Blake is assistant professor

of military science and tactics at Balboa

High School. He replaces Lt. Ray M.

Golden who has been reassigned to Camp

Polk, La. His counterpart at Cristobal High School is Lt. William J. Lober, Jr., who replaces Capt. John W. Hussey.

Captain Hussey is also being reassigned.

Lieutenant Blake, who was born in Alabama, came to the Isthmus from Fort

Jackson, S. C, where he was adjutant for the 41st Tank Battalion of the Eighth

Infantry Division. He served in Korea

in 1950 and 1951. Lieutenant Lober was also in Korea in 1950 and 1951 as Commanding Officer of Company C of the 15th Infantry. He

comes to the Isthmus from the Indian- town Gap Military Reservation in Pennsylvania. Born in Pennsylvania, he attended Western Reserve University and took

army courses at Fort Benning and the Third Army Food Service School. He

served with the Army in Europe from

1944 to 1948.
September 4, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Official Panama Canal Company Publication

Published Monthly at BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE

Printed by the Printing Plant Mount Hope, Canal Zone

John S. Seybold, Governor-President

H. 0. Paxson, Lieutenant Governor

J. Rufus Hardy, Editor

Eleanor H. McIlhenny

Oleva Hastings

Editorial Assistants

SUBSCRIPTIONS—$1.00 a year

SINGLE COPIES—5 cents each On sale at all Panama Canal Clubhouses,

Commissaries, and Hotels for 10 days after publication date.

SINGLE COPIES BY MAIL-lOcentseach

BACK COPIES—10 cents each On sale when available, from the Vault

Clerk, Third Floor, Administration Building, Balboa Heights.

Postal money orders should be made payable to the Treasurer, Panama Canal Company, and mailed to Editor, The Panama

Canal Review, Balboa Heights, C. Z. Rewarded

PETER N. RILEY, above, Administrative

Assistant in the office of the Balboa Port Captain,

has been awarded a one-step salary increase for superior accomplishment. Mrs. Velma D. Todd,

shorthand reporter in the same office, who worked

with Mr. Riley on some of the changes made, has been commended by letter. Such an award as that made to Mr. Riley is given only for outstanding performance, either in developing new procedures or for exceptionally meritorious work under unusual circumstances. Mr. Riley worked out a plan whereby surplus time clocks were installed at the landings from which

launches are dispatched and developed a time-clock card which replaces two documents previously used

in the handling of launch hire. This resulted in more accurate timing on the launches and neater, more easily handled records. The system has now

bsen extended to the Cristobal launches. Mrs. Todd developed a revised form for computing

miscellaneous charges against vessels transiting or being handled in the harbor. Another improved

efficiency plan was the transfer of local-rate time- keeping duties to the Harbormaster's office.

OF CURRENT INTEREST

Congressional Visitor

U. S. REPRESENTATIVE FRANCIS DORN of New York, a member of the House Merchant

Marine and Fisheries Committee which handles Canal legislation, talks with Canal Zone police officers at a recent picnic in Cristobal. Representative Dorn is in the foreground, profile to the camera. Talking with him are, left to rigki: Capt. Gaddis Wall; Lt. Eugene Shipley; Sgt. Lester Largent; Representative Dorn; and Policeman Cy DeLapp, a radio car officer. Y'oung "Dee" DeLapp holds his father's hand and Jerry Martin, son of Sgt. George Martin, stands at one side listening to the conversation.

Freezing bread is the latest experiment in the Commissary Division. Sales

so far have been limited to steamships

which have been supplied on a trial basis with the frozen loaves. The bread is baked, cooled, wrapped,

and "sharp-frozen" at the Mount

Hope Plant and shipped across the

Isthmus under refrigeration. It is kept

under cold storage until it is used. A few sample loaves have been tried by Commissary customers who have

thawed the bread and used it just like any other loaf. The consensus to date

is that it cannot be told from any other

fresh bread.

sonnel Bureau. He replaces Otto Helmerichs who has been transferred to the Canal Zone

in charge of U. S. recruiting.

furnished

for their

Lt. Col. Avery P. King arrived late last month to take over the duties of urologist at Gorgas Hospital. He comes to the Canal Zone from Fort Bragg, N. C, where he has been stationed at the U. S. Army Hospital. As urologist Colonel King succeed- Lt. Col. Richard W. Satterthwaite who left Gorgas Hospital for the L'nited States last September.

All maintenance work on U. S.- and

local-rate quarters was taken over August 17 by the Engineering and Construction Bureau. All calls for work,

however, continue to be received through the Housing Division. The Housing Division had maintained a small utility force which handled minor repairs not requiring the

services of a craftsman. Ten of the men

in this force have been transferred to the Maintenance Division. The Housing Division will continue

to keep a small force to clean apartments, wash windows and screens and

wash walls which do not require

painting. This force will also serve as a pool of moving personnel for the

delivery service activity.

Identification privilege cards, better known to most people as commissary

authority cards, are obtainable at the Personnel Bureau by both local-rate and U. S.-rate employees.

U. S.-rate employees are the cards, on application,

wives and wholly dependent members

of their families who reside with them.

Children must be at least 12 years of age and not over 21 in order to have

the cards. Local-rate employees obtain their original identification privilege cards from the Local-Rate Records Branch at the Central Labor Office on Roosevelt

Avenue in Balboa or at the Cristobal

Labor Office. Two cards are issued, one

for the employee and the other for his wife or whatever dependent member of

his family keeps house for him.

To make application for his additional cards, the U. S.-rate employee

fills out a mimeographed form, giving the names of the members of his family

living with him and their birth dates. This application is made to the Employment and Utilization Division in the Administration Building at Balboa

Heights or to the Labor Office in Cristobal. Lost and damaged cards are replaced

without charge on application to the

Employment and LItilization Division

for U. S.-rate personnel and the Central

Labor Office for local-rate employees.

U. S.-rate employees can also obtain

replacements from the Cristobal Labor

Office.

Vernal R. Brown, who had many years of service in the Washington office of The

Panama Canal, has returned to the organization after an absence of over two years. He has been with the Office of Price

Stabilization. Effective early last month, he became

representative in Washington of the PerA new State Director for the Selective Service Board for the Canal Zone was

appointed last month. The new Director, Marc Quinn, Chief of the Management

Staff, succeeds A. C. Medinger who retired August 31 from the Canal service. Mr. Quinn had been Deputy Director since the Board was established. Forrest A. Dunsmoor, Administrative

Assistant tn the Governor, will become

Deputy Director in Mr. Quinn's place.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW September 4, 1953

Your Town = Gamboa

TWO MIGHTY CRANES which tower above their surroundings are outstanding landmarks^for Gamboa. They were featured several years ago in a moving picture of the Canal Zone. Built in Ger- many, the two cranes— Ajax and Hercules—were towed across the Atlantic and their superstructures added here in 1914.

Until Gamboa became the headquarters

of the Dredging Division in the fall of 1936, it had, as a town, played no important part in Isthmian history, either during the colonial period or the time of the buccaneers. It was not even a rail- road stop until about 1911. Today it is one of the most attractive communities in the Canal Zone. From its docks, dredges and cranes and barges and

tugs go about their business of keeping

the Canal open for traffic. Its community

buildings are grouped within a fairly small area and its quarters-lined streets run up into hills which during the late dry

season blaze with the brilliant yellow guayacan or the pink and purple of other

flowering trees. There was no Gamboa during the day

of the Spanish colonists. In its approxi- mate location was a small river town

called Santa Cruz which historians believe may have been a place for dis- charging boats during low stages of the

river. Three miles up the Chagres was

Las Cruces where trans-Isthmian travelers of those days changed from boats to burros on their way to Panama City.

When the Panama Railroad was built

in 1855 its route followed the west bank

of the Chagres through Matachin and

Gorgona, nearly opposite present Gamboa, to the river bridge at Barbacoas, 16

miles south of Gatun. No town at the present location of Gamboa was shown

on maps of those days.

French Dam

As a construction point for Canal work

Gamboa (which means a tree of the quince family) first came into prominence

when the French Canal Company began

excavation. French plans for a sea level canal called

for a dam across the Chagres River at Gamboa to retain the Chagres in a large lake while a channel known as the east

diversion, carried its waters to the Atlantic. In 1887 when the French Company

switched to a temporary lock canal, they

continued planning for a Gamboa dam.

This would have supplied water for the

locks which were to be built at Bohio

Soldado about 8 miles south of Gatun on

the Atlantic side and between La Boca and Paraiso on the Pacific side.

Over the Chagres at Gamboa the French built a bridge over which materials were hauled across the river and

to the nearby spillway. The bridge was

about 365 feet long, the north span being

a girder about 58 feet long. In a flood in 1890 this girder was carried away and the

pier on which the channel end of it rested was tipped. When work on the Panama

Railroad relocation bridge at Gamboa

was started in 1907, the pier was righted

and the two truss spans used for construction purposes. Chagres Dammed

Flood control for the Chagres, now pro- vided for by Madden Dam, was an early concern of the American Canal forces when they took over the Canal rights in 1904. A large field party was sent to look

into the possibility of building a dam at Gamboa. The idea of this dam was abandoned when the lock type canal was

decided upon, and plans were made to form Gatun Lake by damming the Chagres at Gatun. With a lock type canal some provision

had to be made to prevent Culebra, now

Gaillard, Cut from flooding from freshets

in the Chagres River. In 1908 an earth dike was built across the northern end of the Cut, approximately opposite the pres- ent location of the penitentiary. During

the 1906 flood, the river had risen to 81.6

feet at Gamboa, but this was before the

dike was built and before the Bas Obispo

(about 10 miles north of Pedro Miguel)

section of the Cut was completed.

Railroad tracks ran across the top of the dike, originally 73 feet above sea level. When Gatun Lake began to fill, in 1912, the top of the dike was raised and

strengthened.

Dike Dynamited

On October 10, 1913, the dike was

blown up and the lake water permitted

to rush into the partly filled Cut. Details

of the dynamiting have been told many

times: How President Woodrow Wilson,

in his White House office, depressed a

lever, relaying electric current over land

telegraph to Galveston and submarine

cable across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to trip a weight attached to the handle of a switch in the Canal Zone. The weight threw the switch and set off the blast. Half an hour or so after the

dike was broken a cayuco made the pas- sage through, followed by three launches. By this time, a few buildings were be- ginning to appear in Gamboa, where

there had been little except the old bridge

and a few houses left by the French which,

presumably, had been occupied by their hydrographic forces and the dam workers. A 1906 report mentions repairs made to a

fluviograph tower and 19 buildings used

as quarters.

Gamboa Townsite

In July, 1911, a Canal Commission

committee recommended that a townsite

of Gamboa be located on the first dump

north of the Gamboa bridge, to house

people in the seven mile stretch between

Tabernilla and Gorgona who would have

to move as the lake waters rose. At this time some 700 people lived in what is now

Gamboa. Of these 203 were "Silver" roll employees, the remainder probably their

families. No Americans are shown on the census of that date. In 1914 Gamboa's population was down to 173. There was a police station, a four-family house which had been

brought from Empire, a two-family house

from Culebra. Bachelors lived in old box

cars and south of the bridge more box

cars housed married and bachelor "Silver" employees from the gravel plant. A married American employee had quarters in an old railroad tower. The commissary was made up of three box cars, according to Emmett Zemer, now of the Community Services Bureau,

who was Gamboa commissary manager—

and the town's fireman—for eight months

DR. ALBERT BLANSHAFT, Gamboa's Doctor MRS. ELSIE NAUGHTON, Schoo Principal
September 4, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

SGT. HERBERT HOLMER, Police Station Commander

C. B. PRESCOTT, Manager, Santa Cruz Clubhouse

P. B. HUTCHINGS, Housing Manager

WILLIAM K. McCUE, Postmaster

in 1916. The commissary's main function was to provide provender for Dredging

Division personnel working in the nearby

section of the Canal. Each day any- where from one to three box cars of cold storage and staples were pulled into the spur to be unloaded before dawn and re- loaded into launches which ferried supplies

to the floating equipment.

Two other Gamboans of those days

were A. C. Medinger, just retired as Railroad and Terminals Director, and

J. A. Frassr, now dredging supervisor for the division. Then young bachelor engineers, they lived in one of the four- family apartments.

Mosquitoes And Malaria

The mosquitoes were terrific. Mr. Zemer had malaria twice in his eight

Gamboa months. Because of the high malaria rate the Chief Health Officer rec- ommended no more building at "Gamboa

Cabin," the section around the railroad

station. Instead, he said, future building should be on the south side of the Chagres. This was the beginning of an argument which lasted many years. Early in 1917 a building sites committee was appointed to look into the advisability of moving what quarters there were in Gamboa across the Chagres River,

to the general vicinity of the gravel plant. Col. Jay J. Morrow, later Governor but

then Engineer of Maintenance, objected

to the change and three months later the committee went along with him. One

objection, they said, was that if the rail- road station were moved south of the bridge at least two coaches of every train would stop on the bridge, jeopardizing passengers who might get on or off. During all this time, Dredging Division headquarters were located at Paraiso. That they were ever moved to Gamboa

was due largely to an accident and to the

persistence of one man, the then Dredging

Division Superintendent, John G. Claytourn. On July 30, 1923, Mr. Claybourn wrote

a memorandum to Governor Morrow,

recommending that the Dredging Division shops be moved from Paraiso to Gamboa for two reasons: "First, as a safeguard in case of obstruction of the Cut by slides, the logical location being

between any possible dredging and the dumps in Gatun Lake; second, increased Canal traffic, as well as the size of ships, introduces a serious menace to our fleet when moored in the comparatively nar- row confines of the Cut at Paraiso." Sunken Submarine

Three months later his first argument

was vividly and tragically emphasized.

On October 28th the S. S. Abangarez and

the submarine 0-5 collided in Cristobal harbor. The submarine sank. Working

against time to save the men imprisoned

in the submarine, salvage men sent out a hurry call for one of the Dredging

Division's big cranes. But just about that time 300,000 cubic yards of rocks from the west bank slid into the Canal prism, leaving a channel

only 120 feet wide through which the bulky crane had to be maneuvered. It did get through and did raise the 0-5 in time to save the lives of the men inside. For almost 13 years, Mr. Claybourn

urged successive governors to consider the

transfer to Gamboa. The north-of-the bridge and south-of-the bridge argument was renewed. In 1928 the outgoing Governor, M. L. Walker, passed the problem

on to Col. Harry Burgess, {See page 10)

LOC;

1

1 40

f>2

1) HUM,

LT. JOHN E. YOUART, Fire Station Commander

J. H. SMALL, Clubhouse Luncheonette

ROBERT J. BYRNE, Commissary Manager

A. L. MORGAN, Santa Cruz School Principal
10 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW September 4, 1953

Operation Jackpot II YOUR TOWN - GAMBOA

A FIRST AID TEAM from Pedro Miguel shows The Review photographer during Operation Jackpot II how they would handle a casualty. Lt. Gov. Harry 0. Paxson, left, watches. The "casualty" is Jim Suddaby, student assistant in the Civil Defense Section. Mrs. James A. Mable. team captain, has her back to the camera while she reaches into her first aid shoulder kit. Mrs. W. J. Hatchett is bending over Jim adjusting a bandage and Mrs. Robert McBride,

in a checked shirt, is ready to help Mrs. Hatchett. Another team member, Mrs. H. E. Colsum, is hid- den behind Mrs. Mable.

Standing in the background are Mrs. Jackson Pearce, Assistant Zone Warden, with a splint in her

hands, and Mrs. Fldon Coffev.

PANAMA CANAL OBSERVERS learn details of Operation Jackpot II in a control post on Miraflores Hill, from Major R. L. Eaves of Fort Davis, a control post commander.

Left to right: Mrs. Dorothy Thornton, Red Cross; M. F. Millard, Engineering and Construction Bureau; Gayle 0. Kellar, Chief of the Safety Branch; Robert T. Ellis, CIO; Walter Wagner, Central Labor Union; E. L. Payne, Personnel Bureau; Bart Elich, Supply and Service Bureau. Ten Years Ago In August

The fierce Cuna Indians of the Bayano

River region of Panama found out there was a war on and declared war on the

Axis. The decision was made at a pow wow between four Indian chiefs, Panamanian officials and United States

representatives of the Chicle Development Company of New York.

The meeting, held on Friday the 13th

in Chepo, was called in an attempt to

reconcile divergent views of the United

States representatives, who wanted rub- ber from the Bayano region and the

Indians, who didn't want any white men

in their territory.

The Indians said they would bring out

the rubber if it were to be brought out and they did, samples that were pro- nounced the best that had been found in Panama. How the Indians dried and

cured the latex, the experts didn't know

and announced for publication that they

didn't care, as long as the rubber kept

coming.

The mooring facilities in Balboa Harbor

were almost doubled with the completion

of a Dredging Division project that had

been in progress for about a year. More

than 1,000,000 cubic yards of earth were removed in the enlargement of the anchorage

near the pier area.

The "new and modern" 12-alley

bowling center at Balboa was opened.

More than 200 people were waiting in

line when the Balboa Commissary opened

August 11. One had waited since 4 a,, m.

to get a chance at the congoleum rugs, the

first there had been in the commissaries for

several months.

(Continued from page 9) soon to succeed

him, saying that the transfer "would be

so expensive that it is futile to consider

it at present— I do not consider it ad\ is- able to include it in next year's estimates

so you will have to wrestle with it later." Several newspaper accounts of the pro- posed change appeared in the next few

years but it was not until April 1933, that Governor J. L. Schley appointed a three- man board to look into the question of a Gamboa townsite. They reported that

the move was feasible and would cost about $2,780,000 spread over a three- year period. That year there were only

251 residents, 10 of them Americans,

living in Gamboa.

The transfer was a terrific project. It meant the building of shops and office buildings, schools, a gas station, fire station, commissary, clubhouses, a garage, a dispensary and all of the other buildings necessary for community living. Streets, sewers, power and telephone lines had to be installed; landscaping had to be done. On January 13, 1936, J. F. Evans, now

manager of Balboa Commissary, took

over Gamboa's one-room commissarypostoffice combined. He opened the new

commissary some months later and was

relieved of his postmaster's duties in April by Gamboa's first feminine post- master, Gladys A. Houx. The first Dredging Division familbs

moved to Gamboa in September 1936. From 280 people in June 1936, the population jumped to 1,419 in a year, and

2,132 in June 1938. Gamboa's peak

population was 3,853, in 1942. With their own hands and their own

money, the people of Gamboa built the Civic Center, now headquarters of the Civic Council and scene of most community activities. It was first a USO to provide recreation for the thousands of soldiers stationed in the hills nearby.

Women of the town worked night after

night, arranging dances and parties,

providing cake or cookies or pies. Another community project, also built with Gamboa labor and money was the Gamboa Golf and Country Club in the Ridge section, overlooking the Chagres.

The women brought picnic lunches or tended barbecues while their men hammered and sawed and poured concrete. The club was opened officially on January 1, 1939. Today Gamboa is somewhat changed.

The combined population of Gamboa and

the local-rate settlement which has been

known since 1948 as Santa Cruz, was

3,353 last June. It now has five churches;

its Yacht Club members tie up their boats along the Chagres River docks. The big clubhouse is closed and Henry Grieser,

famed swimming coach, no longer supervises the human tadpoles at the pool.

But the people of Gamboa still like it. They like the wide streets, named for Canal officials—Morrow and Goethals

Boulevards—or old Dredging Division men—Pratt Parkway, for instance. They

think the Gamboa stars shine brighter at

night; Gamboa breezes blow cooler; Gamboa grass is greener. Confirmed Gamboans agree with their doctor, Albert

Blanshaft: "It's the best town on the Isthmus."

Editor's Note—This is the first of a

series of stories on Canal Zone towns. Others

will appear in future issues of The Panama

Canal Review. They will be illustrated, as is this, with photographs of people who

serve the people of the town.
September 4, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 11

OUR OUT-OF-DOORS

Monstera, one of the few if not the only plant which has natural holes in its leaves, probably gains its name from the Latin for "strange" or "monstrous." A large creeper, it is easily recognized

from its huge scalloped and perforated

leaves. It forms a woody stem which

sends out long, cord-like roots. Many of these never touch the ground, as Monstera usually grows up tree trunks. There are a number of varieties of Monstera in Panama and the Canal Zone.

In the young stages some are confused

with Philodendron since the leaves are small and solid. One variety, sometimes

referred to as "shingle plant," has small overlapping leaves which cling closely to the log or tree on which the plant grows.

In all older Monstera, however, the leaves are large and perforated. Monstera is used extensively for in- terior decoration; it is hardy and thrives

in shaded locations. The most popular

variety for this use is Monstera Deliciosa.

MONSTERA'S flower looks amazingly like the

Jack-in-the-pulpit, an early harbinger of a States

spring.

Under favorable conditions, it produces

a cone-shaped fruit eight to 10 inches

long. The fruit is green in color until it ripens, when it takes on a slight yellow

tinge. The outer rind comes off in bits

if touched. This fruit is considered edible even though it contains bits of calcium oxalate which cause an uncomfortable itching in the throat and consequently render the

fruit hardly worth eating. It is relished by some people and is sold in the markets

of such countries as Java. Monstera is easily propagated by seed

or cuttings. Short sections of the growing

stem, cut to include two or three joints, should be placed in a mixture of sand and

leaf mold until they have rooted; they can then be transferred to pots. Seed of the Deliciosa is rather scarce on plants in this area. Fruit is formed more readily if the plant is required to creep on the ground rather than permitted

to climb. Some fruiting plants, however, have

been seen in the Canal Zone.

Erection of steel framework for the 'per- manent Administration Building began on June 20, 1913.

TIYOLI COMMISSARY patrons were the audience for a display of kitchen equipment last month.

Items in the exhibit, which was arranged by the store's staff, ranged from metal polish to a sparkling

stove. Hercilia Forero inspects the range while Myrtle Pickersgill, also a commissary employee, displays

the refrigerator.

MILK BOTTLE CAPS that will stay on a

bottle until they are supposed to come off have been ordered for the bottles - also new—of fresh milk sold by the Commissaries. The new caps will be aluminum with a paper lining that will really cling to the pouring lip of the new small-necked bottles. The neck of the bottles has a "bumper roll" that will do service as a handle. Commissary bottling equipment is being

adapted to fit the new caps and bottles and

the milk will be sold in the new containers soon after they arrive. Of course, the change in bottles and

caps didn't happen overnight. Commissary

people puzzled and pondered hundreds of samples for several months before they, with

the help of health authorities, decided that

this was the one out of the hundreds that would work the best.

ably the time and handling that takes heavy

toll of the store life of such produce.

Children's parties will be child's play for parents with party kits, new in Packaged the stores. They have all the

Parties makings for a small fry fiesta in one reusable container—table

cover, napkins, cups, plates, candles and

candle holders, balloons, ornaments, a game,

loot bags, nut cups, a gift for each guest and

snappers with hats inside. The reusable container may be used, it is assumed, to pick up the pieces. Packages

for eight little partiers will cost about $3.50;

and for 12, about $4.75.

JOE COLLEGE can impress the co-eds and

the campus at large with good and goodlooking coats that can be bought here at good prices for college in the States. There are many sport coats in handsome

materials, plain colors, patterns, plaids, herringbones ... in sizes 36 to 42. Prices range from $27.25 to $46.25. Overcoats of alpaca and wool, in tan, brown and navy, single and double breasted

styles, cost $79.50. Camel's hair and wool

overcoats, in brown and navy, single breasted,

with raglan or box style shoulders, cost $83.50.

Perishable fresh fruits and vegetables for Pacific side commissaries are be- Handled ing pampered these days. They

With are loaded—with carefully super- Care vised care—directly from the hold

of the ship in which they arrive from the States into refrigerated trucks, taken

to the Pacific side the same night they arrive, and are on sale the following morning,

after spending the night in cold storage

rooms, at the Ancon and Balboa Commissaries. The tender treatment cuts down considerAUSTRALIAN LAMB, a new shipment, at sharply reduced prices is now on sale. Loin

chops, for instance, from the new supply,

dropped 18 cents a pound in price.

Did - you - know- the - Commissaries - have - it department (they do): Picture Commies hooks that fit over the molding in Have the new masonry houses, for in- 'Em stance, with walls that don't take to other type of hangings,- rubber wheeled casters that treat flooring gently, "Signalite," a two-watt bulb thai plugs in a socket to provide a little night

light; skewers, 4 ) 2 and 6 inches long, four on

a card, Car-Plate, that gives a jalopy a

practically painless 20-minute wax job, especially good, Commissary people say, if the car is clean of wax,- also good, a house- wife adds, to protect the enamel finish on

refrigerators; and Carnu, which they say is tops for a thorough car-cleaning and

polishing.

ALL-OVER-TUCKED cotton dress material

is expected in the stores soon. There will be seven plain colors and three light shades

with contrasting white tucks. It will cost about $1 .50 a yard.

Slated to appear in grocery sections during

September: Blueberries, 15- Due in ounce tins, about 29 cents; September lima bean soup, Torino brand,

20 ounces for about 24 cents, and 16-ounce tins of gravy and sliced beef

that will cost about 55 cents. Not new, but reappearing in September

after a short absence: Whole oregano, marjoram, anise seed, and cumin, all McCormick

spices; and creme coated graham cracker

crunch, a seasonal product, cooked up

generally by baking concerns during the fall and winter months. NEW 66-GAUGE 12-denier hose—not

quite the "cobwebbiest" but the next thing

to the new and nearly invisible sheerest 72-gauge 12-denier soon to be available

are coming to the Commissaries in September.

They will cost about $1.45.

Fine cotton jackets or shirts for men, women,

cl- . and boys, similar to the Cuban

style guayaberas, have been

purchased and will be coming

into the stores, probably in small

lots, starting in September. They come

from Veraguas Province of Panama.

From Panama
12 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW September 4, 1953

Preventive Maintenance Teams Start

Quarters Work On Experimental Basis

PROMOTED

Highly satisfactory results are being

obtained in the use of teams to do "pre- ventive maintenance" on Panama Canal

quarters as a means of reducing maintenance costs. The experimental program is now

entering its third month. Two teams

have been organized, one for a group of 122 apartments in Diablo Heights and

one for a group of 128 apartments at Margarita. Each team consists of a U. S.- rate foreman and five local-rate employees.

The principal purpose of the preventive

maintenance teams is to inspect and do

the little repair jobs that are constantly

required around a house before serious damage results from lack of attention. Thus, savings can be effected in two ways:

Elimination of many major repair jobs

and the avoidance of sending two or more

special groups to do jobs of a minor nature. Regular Schedules

Both teams are operating on a regular schedule and it is planned to have them

visit each apartment in their districts at

least once every three months.

Advance notices are given to the occu- pants of the houses as to the approximate

time of an inspection visit, with the re- quest that the householder designate not

only the time and date of the visit but

also prepare a list of minor repair work

needed. By arranging for visits in ad- vance and having a list of repairs needed

the teams save time and keep inter- ruptions to household activities to a minimum.

The teams have a limited scope of work and no major repairs of any nature

are undertaken. When such work is found during inspection of quarters the maintenance team foreman reports it to the Maintenance Division shops.

The teams are permitted to do such minor carpentry, masonry, paint, sheet

metal, and glazing work as is within the

limit and capacity of the crews. No

plumbing or electrical work is done al- though the replacement of simple faucet washers and electrical convenience outlets or switch plates are permitted.

Sticky Doors Among the countless odd repair jobs

which are most common are: Doors that

stick; faulty locks; torn screens; leaky

roofs and spotted ceilings; termite damage; rusty kitchen cabinets; broken window panes; and ant trails into houses. The teams also clean and repaint shower

stalls; do touch-up painting; remove or

correct safety hazards; putty nail holes; and look for vines or shrubbery near

houses which provide ideal highways for

ants. Many of these are overlooked by

the average householder until some seri- ous damage has been done. While no rigid time limit is set for each

apartment, generally the teams are ex- pected to complete their inspection and

repairs within about three hours. Each

team is furnished with tools and a limited but varied amount of repair materials.

All inspections are made by the fore- man of a team and the men working on

the team are at all times under his direct supervision. The teams are composed of men who are experienced in doing the types of work required, such as carpentry

or sheet metal work.

Although the teams are working on a

regular inspection and repair schedule,

residents in the areas may call between

visits for minor repair work which re- quires immediate attention. Such calls should be made to William G. Mummaw,

Diablo Heights foreman, at 2-2351, and

to L. H. Slavin, Margarita foreman,

at 3-2151.

It is planned to use the preventive

maintenance teams on an experimental

basis for a period of one year. If the ex- periment continues to be successful from

an economy standpoint, additional teams

will be organized. Preventive mainte- nance teams for routine inspection and

minor repair work have been used for many years locally for Army and Air Force quarters and their methods were

studied before the plan was adopted for Panama Canal houses.

DAVID J. MAKKl'X, above, has been named

Assistant General Counsel for the Panama Canal Company. The appointment was effective August 16. In his new post Mr. Markun succeeds Paul M.

Runnestrand who has been transferred to the Washington Office as Assistant Secretary of the Canal Company.

Forty Years Ago In August

The Board of Directors of the Panama

Railroad Company concluded unanimously that the operation of a railroad over the Isthmus was both a military and

commercial necessity.

It was also highly advisable, if not

necessary, the Board decided, for the Canal organization to maintain a steamship line either directly, or through the agency of the Panama Railroad Company.

The 13 directors and members of the Panama Railroad Company Board of Directors and the Naval and Military

Board submitted written individual views

on these subjects at a meeting held to consider the future of the railroad and

steamship line. The majority deemed it inadvisable to surrender the charter of the Panama

Railroad Company. It was resolved unanimously to make no change in operation of the railroad and steamship line.

The Gorgona shops, repair and manufacturing center for canal digging machinery

NEW ARRIVAL

DAVID W. MASSINGHAM, of San Rafael,

Calif., arrived here last month to assume his new

post as Assistant Manager of Hotels. He is in direct charge of the Hotel Washington.

Living outside the United States is nothing new

for him; he was born in Australia of American

parents but grew up in California. For the past 15 years he has been in restaurant and

cafeteria work in California, much of the time with such large organizations as the Kaiser plants in Richmond and Permanent*.

since 1883, were transferred to a permanent

site in Balboa in anticipation of the dis- appearance of the town of Gorgona under

the rising waters ofGatun Lake. Known as the Bas Matachin atelier under the French, the shops were enlarged

and reorganized by Chief Engineer Wallace, when he took charge of the A?nerican Canal

effort on July 2, 1904. Since the French plant obviously was

not equal to the service demanded of it, a

decision was made in 1905 to rebuild the shops. The site was expanded to 21 acres, seven times that of 1904, served by seven miles of railroad. Floor space was increased

to 322,370 square feet. In general, the work at the shops consisted of repairs, principally to the rolling stock used in Canal excavation and on the Panama Railroad; and manufacture of

castings for construction of machinery; and

of parts for repairs.

The largest single order for castings was

for 2,924 covers for recesses in the lock

walls. The total weight was 1,643,881

pounds, an average of 596.22 pounds each. The largest measured 13 feet 1 inch by 3 feet and weighed 3,000 pounds. Most of the repair teork was on rolling

stock. Because of the severe service to which they were subjected in the transportation of spoil from steamshovels, all of the 1,800 Lidgerwood flat cars were rebuilt once or more at Gorgona. The cars cost $1,998,000 new and about the same amount was spent on their repairs. There were 726 employees with a monthly

payroll of $41,659 at the shops in 1905. By 1913, the force had climbed to 3,451

with a payroll of $202,956. E. C. Tobey, U. S. N., as head of the Department of Material and Supplies

created by the Isthmian Canal Commission

in August 1904, ivas the first director of the mechanical work for the Canal. H. H. Rousseau, as head of the Second

Division of the Office of Chief Engineer and

Chief of the Departments of Municipal

Engineering, Motive Power, and Machinery

and Building Construction, was the second

to be in charge of the shops.

When the Mechanical Division was

created in October 1909, A. L. Robinson was named Superintendent with offices at

the Gorgona shops.
September 4, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 13

Housing Program To Provide Homes For 197 Families

TWELVE-FAMILY apartments, built at Diablo Heights during the pre-war and wartime boomdays,

are fast disappearing from the landscape. Most of the buildings had been occupied originally by Third Locks forces. All of them have now been sold and are being demolished, as is this quarters building above. New

masonry houses will be erected in place of the old buildings. Thirty-four of the 12-family apartments were constructed in Diablo Heights. One of these was

remodeled several years ago into a three-family apartment building. Plans to vacate all of the 12-family buildings in order to prepare them for demolition were announced

last January.

(Continued from page i) room houses, generally similar to the three-bedroom patio houses built this year on Empire Street

for which many applications were re- ceived for assignment. This is the socalled "mother-in-law" house; one bed- room is secluded across the patio from the main wing of the building.

Although most of the houses in Balboa

Flats will be duplexes, some will be onefamily cottages of masonry or composite

structure. The exact number of masonry

and composite single-family houses to be

built in the Flats has not yet been an- nounced, although it is expected that the masonry construction will predominate.

Four-bedroom Houses

Some of the duplexes to be built in the

Flats will be Type 339, a two-story, four- bedroom apartment. These are similar in type to the two-story masonry duplexes

with three bedrooms. They have almost

identical floor plans, except that four bedrooms are on the second floor of each apartment instead of three. A detailed

floor plan of the Type 339 house appeared

in the January issue of The Review.

The housing replacement program in Balboa will require some street alignment

there. Present plans call for Carr Street and Las Cruces Avenue to become the main entrances to the area, with feeder

streets connecting with these streets. Final plot plans for the Ridge Road

development have not been completed.

More grading will be required in this area than for any other of this year's sites, be- cause of the hilly terrain. However, site plans are being prepared to avoid ex- tensive heavy grading which would spoil the natural beauty of the area. The Ridge Road development will re- quire a realignment of the street, but

heavy grading will be avoided as much as

possible by the use of hillside type houses,

masonry or composite, in some locations. New Publication

Makes C.Z. Debut

A new "free press" has been established in the Canal Zone dedicated to the "moral development, good humor, and

companionship" of the small community

it serves. Editor of the new publication is No.

3038. Special staff assistants on the paper are Nos. 2941, 2990, 3013, and

3080. Senior editorial advisor—who says he does little advising—is Capt. C. O. Baldwin, Deputy Warden of the Canal Zone Penitentiary where the new newssheet, "Rehabilitation," is published.

The July issue, the first, evidenced

proper editorial pride in its own community.

Reporting the recent visit of J. H.

Alco, President of the California Prison Board and a world authority on penal

affairs, the paper notes that he expressed

the belief that the Gamboa Penitentiary

system and rehabilitation program compare favorably with those of any prison

in the world.

The only fault the visitor found,

according to the newssheet, was that

the Canal Zone Penitentiary hasn't enough guards, a criticism the editors found fit to underscore. Circulation Contest The circulation building contest used

in newspaper promotions elsewhere is developed with special local technique

by the prisoner editors. Readers are invited to list the right names for prisoners with these aliases: "Dada, Margarita,

Gandio, Cosa Linda, Muchacho Malo,

and Rabi Blancos." Those who submit correct lists, "Rehabilitation" explains, are entitled to take

part in the raffle of a Coca-Cola and a pack of cigarettes.

Subscriptions and circulation really are not problems. Every prisoner receives a copy free delivered to his cell. "This publication," the first issue explains, "is written and edited by pris- oners treading the hard road to which we made ourselves liable by our own fault. This publication is therefore by us and

for us and everybody is invited to cooperate toward the success of this free press given to us by our Captain."

Contractors Complete

First Empire Street Units

Empire Street, one of the oldest resi- dential areas in Balboa, will soon be

completely reoccupied.

Six of the new houses were transferred

last Monday to the Housing Division and

the others there are scheduled to be completed and ready for occupancy by

the middle of this month. The first six houses to be finished were one-family

buildings. Two were three-bedroom cot- tages and four were two-bedroom patiotype houses.

All but one of the new Empire Street houses are of masonry construction. Two

of the masonry houses are the new type, two-story duplexes with four bedrooms

each. These and a four-bedroom breeze- way house are for large family assign- ments.

Washington Firm Engaged To Conduct Compensation Study Asked By Congress

(Continued from page 1) and working

facilities and will furnish clerical and

stenographic assistance. In the Senate report on the differential question, which was adopted by both

Houses, the Governor and Board of Directors were directed to have an "inde- pendent and comprehensive study" made

of the subject of "the compensation paid

workers in the Canal Zone," and to sub- mit a report and recommendations by the Board of Directors not later than next January 1. The report and recommendations of the Board are to be submitted to the legislative committee of the Congress

and copies are to be sent to the two

Appropriations Committees.

The Congressional directive also stated that the "study should also include all so-called fringe benefits" accorded Canal

employees.

Finished in November

The consulting firm plans to complete

its study by the end of November in time

for the Board of Directors to study the

findings and make its recommendations

to Congress by next January.

The scope of the survey will be limited

to the directive of Congress which relates primarily to the pay differential and

fringe benefits rather than to basic wage

scales. Thus the survey team will consider principally living, social, and eco- nomic conditions in the Canal Zone as they pertain to employment and residence

in this area.

It is expected that the survey team will be primarily concerned with factual data and statistical material, but the consulting firm has indicated that it will depend on personal interviews with

representatives of labor and other employee groups for the development of much information. The extent to which

this is done will be a matter for decision by the consultants on the spot. Second Study for Canal

The compensation study by Booz,

Allen & Hamilton will be the second

special study the firm has done for the Panama Canal Company. It was employed last year to make a survey of the Canal's procurement offices and pro- cedures in the United States. This

resulted in the consolidation of all pro- curement work in the New York Office. The firm is a partnership of management consultants founded in 1914 and is one of the leading companies in this field.
14 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW September 4, 1953

PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS SEPTEMBER SAILINGS

July 15 through August 15

Employees who were promoted or transferred between July 15 and August 15 are

listed below. Regradings and within-grade

promotions are no! listed. CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

George R. Reel, from Fiscal Accountant,

Railroad Division, to Clerical Assistant,

Office of Chief, Postal, Customs, and

Immigration Division. James E. McDaniel, Wade V. Carter, from Guard. Pacific Locks, to Fireman. Wayne H. Robinson, from Guard,

Pacific Locks, to Policeman. Peter J. Bare, from Guard, Atlantic Locks, to Fireman. OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

Elmer J. Nordstrom, from Accountant

to Systems Accountant, Cost Accounts

Branch. Sacramento Castillo, Jr., from Tabulating Machine Operator, Accounting Division, to Tabulating Machine Operation

Supervisor, Payroll Branch. Helen N. Minor, Joan Van Vliet, from

Time, Leave, and Payroll Clerk to Accountant, Payroll Branch. Mrs. Florence E. Mallett, from Accounting Clerk to Time, Leave, and

Payroll Clerk, Payroll Branch. Mrs. Eva M. Grassau, from Cash

Accounting Clerk, Cost Accounts Branch,

to Accountant, Payroll Branch. Harold M. Melvin, from Tabulating

Machine Operator to Tabulating Machine

Operation Supervisor, Payroll Branch. Mrs. Marcie A. Oliver, Berta E. Mendez, Card Punch Operator, from

Tabulating Machine Branch to Payroll Branch. Derwood J. Quade, from Organization

and Methods Examiner to Administrative

Assistant, Management Staff. Hugh A. Noiris, from YVireman, Electrical Division, to Organization and Methods Examiner, Management Staff. Mrs. Isabelle G. Wolford, from ClerkTypist, Internal Audit Staff, to Clerk- Stenographer, Agents Accounts Branch. Mrs. Nellie K. Whitney, from Stenographer to Clerk-Stenographer, Management

Staff. Francis J. Reilly, from Accounting

Clerk, Dredging Division, to Construction Cost Analyst, Plant Inventory and Appraisal Staff. Duane A. Hunter, from Construction

Inspector, Contract and Inspection Division, to Construction Cost Analyst, Plant Inventory and Appraisal Staff. Norbert H. McCauley, from Accountant, Payroll Branch, to Budget Examiner,

Management Staff. Robert F. Roche, from Cash Accounting

Teller, Treasury Branch, to Accountant,

Payroll Branch. John J. Molyneaux, from Heavy

Special Truck Driver and Automobile

Serviceman, Motor Transportation Division, to Storekeeper, Plant Inventory and

Appraisal Staff. ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

George V. Kirkland, from Construction

Inspector, Contract and Inspection Division, to Pumping Plant Operator, Water and

Laboratories Branch. Gabriel J. Bonzoumet, from Lock

Operator Wireman, Atlantic Locks, to YVireman, Electrical Division. Louis Pierobon, from Sheetmetal Worker to Sheetmetal Worker Leader, Maintenance Division. Mrs. Faye C. Minton, from Secretary

to Administrative Assistant, Office of Director. George A. Halloran, from Heavy Labor

Foreman, Maintenance Division, to Pumping Plant Operator, Water and Laboratories Branch. Robert L. Boyer, from Telephone

Installer-Maintainer to Automatic Tele- phone Switchman, Communications Branch. Kenneth L. Humble, from Powerhouse

Operator to Powerhouse Operator- Dis- patcher, Power Branch. John A. Taylor, from Guard, Atlantic Locks, to Plumber, Maintenance Division.

Alfred J. Waldorf, from Tractor Bull- dozer Operator, Maintenance Division, to Pumping Plant Operator, Water and

Laboratories Branch. HEALTH BUREAU

Dr. Michael J. Takos, Medical Officer, from Gorgas Hospital to Pacific Medical

Clinics. MARINE BUREAU

Thomas J. Breheney, from Relief Foreman to Hyacinth Control Foreman,

Dredging Division. Frank P. Marczak, from Storekeeper

to Supervisory Clerical Assistant, Dredging

Division. Waldemar R. Zirkman, from Lock

Operator Wireman to Lock Operator Leader Wireman, Pacific Locks. Emerson W. Cottrell, Albert F. Pate, Arthur G. Baggott, from Lock Operator Leader Wireman to Control House Operator

Atlantic Locks. Allen R. Flinn, Elmer F. Harrison,

Joseph Elliott, from Lock Operator

Wireman to Lock Operator Leader Wire- man, Atlantic Locks. Roy J. Misenheimer, from Diesel Locomotive Machinist, Railroad Division, to Fleet Machinist, Dredging Division. Joseph B. Baker, from Supervisory

Clerical Assistant to Relief Foreman,

Dredging Division. Edwin C. Tompkins, from Machinist,

Industrial Bureau, to Steam Engineer,

Dredging Division. Kyle C. Andress, Shipwright, from

Industrial Bureau to Dredging Division. Russell E. Pierson, from Student

Assistant, Personnel Records Division, to Property and Supply Clerk, Pacific Locks. Mrs. Verna A. Barnett, Clerk-Typist,

from Division of Storehouses to Office of Chief, Locks Division. PERSONNEL BUREAU

Otto W. Helmerichs, from Personnel

Officer, Washington Office, to Placement

Officer, Employment and Utilization Division.RAILROAD AND TERMINALS BUREAU

Lester V. Forsgren, from Construction Equipment Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Division, to Auto Repair Machinist and Gas Motor Craneman, Terminals

Division. Enrique de la Ossa, from Local Agent,

Railroad and Terminals Bureau, to Special

Agent, Railroad Division. Thomas E. Morgan, from Property and

Supply Clerk, Pacific Locks, to Gauger and

Cribtender Foreman, Terminals Division. Arthur B. Rigby, from Road and Yard

Conductor to Road and Yard Locomotive

Engineer.

Merlin B. Yocum, from Supervisory

Storekeeper to Supervisory Traffic Clerk, Terminals Division. Joseph H. Michaud, from Traffic Manager, Terminals Division, to Local Agent, Panama Local Agency.

William R. Graham, from Supply

Clerk, Housing Division, to Fiscal Accountant, Railroad Division.

OFFICE OF SECRETARY,

PANAMA CANAL COMPANY

Paul M. Runnestrand, from Assistant General Counsel, General Counsel's Office, to Assistant Secretary, Panama Canal Company, Washington Office.

SUPPLY AND SERVICE BUREAU

f George R. Hicks, from Laundry Fore- man to Dry Cleaning Superintendent,

Commissary Division. Mrs. Edna R. Furr, from Commissary

Assistant, to Cash Accounting Clerk, Commissary Division. Maurice J. Sterling, from Property and

Supply Clerk to General Storekeeper,

Commissary Division. Joseph H. White, from Storekeeper,

Commissary Division, to Supervisory Store- keeper, Division of Storehouses.

From Cristobal

Cristobal Sept. 4 Ancon Sept. 11 Panama] Sept. 1°

Cristobal Sept. 25 From New York

A neon Sept . 1 Panama* Sept. 10

Cristobal Sept. 15 A neon Sept. 22 Panama Sept. 29

fLeaves Cristobal Saturday. Arrives New York Friday. *Leaves New York Thursday because of Labor Day holiday.

(Northbound, the ships are in Haiti from 7 a. m. to noon Sunday; southbound

the Haiti stop is Saturday from 7 a. m.

to 4 p. m.).

ANNIVERSARIES

Employees who observed important anniversaries during the month of August are

listed alphabetically below. The number

of years includes all Government service with the Canal or other agencies. Those

with continuous service with the Canal arc indicated with (*).

41 YEARS

Patrick S. Coakley, Chief Power Dispatcher, Electrical Division.

35 YEARS

William Badders, Salvage Master and

Master Diver, Industrial Bureau. Stonewall J. Bull, Mechanical Supervisor, Pacific Locks. Ernie L. Payne, Chief, Personnel Records Division, Personnel Bureau. Winchell T. Pennock, Foreman, Repair

Shop, Motor Transportation Division,

Cristobal. George J. Wickens, Lockmaster, Pacific Locks.

30 YEARS

Arthur E. Jamison, Administrative

Assistant, Southern District, Maintenance

Division. Fred A. Newhard, Lockmaster, Atlantic Locks. Edward I. P. Tatelman, Magistrate,

Cristobal District. Frank L. Taylor, Filtration Plant Operator, Maintenance Division.

25 YEARS

Wilbur J. Dockery, Marine Bunkering

Foreman, Terminals Division. *Russell W. Schmidt, Telephone Maintainer, Electrical Division.

20 YEARS

William A. Clark, Public Works Fore- man, Maintenance Division. Robert E. Dawn, Lineman Foreman,

Electrical Division. Bernhard I. Everson, Assistant Director, Railroad and Terminals Bureau. Nita B. Hartman, Clerk-Stenographer,

Maintenance Division. Yane Leves, Cribtender Foreman, Terminals Division. Frank R. Molther, Valuation Engineer,

Comptroller's Office. Cliff Sanders, Carman, Railroad Division.

15 Y'EARS *Clara A. Barber, Accounting Clerk, Colon Hospital.

Mae B. Cross, Clerk, Maintenance

Division, Joseph S. Corrigan, Investigator, Civil

Affairs Bureau. Thomas J. Ebdon, Jr., Assistant to Superintendent, Pacific Locks. *William H. Egger, Automatic Tele- phone Switchman, Electrical Division. George F. Hudson, Pilot, Navigation

Division. Rebecca D. Ishoy, Staff Nurse, Health

Bureau. Frank N. Light, Hoisting and Portable Engineman, Storehouse Division. John F. Manning, Superintendent,
September 4, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 15

Employee Conference Divided

Into Labor, Civic Council Panels

(Continued from page S) and the United

States in Washington followed introduction of the subject by Mrs. Jean Blakely,

representing the Cristobal-Margarita Civic

Council. The main concern of the repre- sentatives on this subject was that concessions might be granted to Panama at the expense of American employees' rights

and privileges. Colonel Paxson pointed out that the negotiations are being carried out at a national level and outlined something of the procedures normally followed in such

bi-lateral discussions. This complete pro- cedure may well take considerable time

before any agreed modifications are ratified by the appropriate final approving

authorities of both countries. Robert Daniel, of the Railway Conductors, suggested that one commissary

on each side of the Isthmus be open Monday and closed some other day of the week, to provide six-day-a-week commissary service. This led into a brief discussion of the night openings of the commissaries and Mrs. Frances Long- more of the Citizens Association suggested that Monday night might be better than

Thursday.

Sam Roe of the Pacific Civic Council

asked that the conference be told the commissary attitude about the night

openings. After reporting favorably for Management, Colonel Paxson asked the

conferees to determine whether the cus- tomers like this service. Mr. Roe agreed

.to do so for his council and Colonel Paxson said he would look into the provision of commissary service at one store per district on Monday in lieu of another

day.

Quarters At Gamboa

Housing came up only briefly when the

RETIREMENTS IN AUGUST

Retirement certificates were presented

the end of August to the following employees who are listed alphabetically, together with their birthplaces, titles, length of service, and future addresses:

Cecil M. Banan, Massachusetts; Master, Floating Crane, Dredging Division; 32

years, 9 months, 18 days; East Derrv, N. H. Richard C. McKeown, Canal Zone; Leader Sheetmetal Worker, Maintenance

Division; 15 years, 2 months, 1 day;

Philadelphia, Pa. George D. Mead, New York; Pilot, Navigation Division; 11 vears, 2 months,

21 days; White Plains, N. Y. Augustus C. Medinger, Washington,

D. C; Director, Railroad and Terminals Bureau; 37 years, 10 months, 1 day; New

York City.

Samuel J. Milliken, Pennsylvania;

Pilot, Navigation Division; 27 years, 1 month, 14 days; Philadelphia, Pa. George D. Poole, Virginia; Assistant Superintendent, Atlantic Locks; 28 years, 9 months, 16 days; Schnectady, N. Y. James H. Weltmer, Missouri, Pumping

Plant Operator, Maintenance Division; 33 years, 7 months, 17 days; Altamonte

Springs, Fla.

Abattoir and Cold Storage Plant, Commissary Division. *Rita C. Pere, Commissary Assistant, Commissary Division. Walter F. Reif, Laundry Superintendent, Commissary Division. Frank J. Russell, Pilot, Navigation

Division. Norton B. Stephenson, Accounting

Clerk, Comptroller's Office.

Rev. Raymond Gray, acting president of the Gamboa council, asked why there were a few vacant quarters at Gamboa

when military families in that area were

unhoused. He was told that a certain number of apartments are held in reserve by the Company/Government as a

"safety valve" to provide housing for periods when an area is being evacuated

elsewhere on the Pacific side and sufficient new construction has not been completed,

and also to provide quarters for newly

arrived employees. The Canal does not

provide housing for military personnel

unless requested by military authorities, Colonel Paxson said, and no such requests

have been made recently.

On the subject of medical facilities, Colonel Paxson confirmed that the La

Boca dispensary is to be reduced to a first aid station with a registered nurse in attendance and that a similar plan is proposed for Pedro Miguel. This is due

not only to a cut in Canal Zone Govern- ment funds but also to the current short- age of doctors. When Mr. Roe said that

closing the La Boca dispensary was

already throwing an undue load on the Ancon medical clinic at Gorgas Hospital, Colonel Paxson said he would take

the matter up with Brig. Gen. Don

Longfellow, Health Director. Panama Line

Service on the Panama Line, with

reports of differing treatment accorded employee and tourist passengers, came in for round-table discussion. Several repre- sentatives protested failure to get deck

chairs, discourtesy on the part of some of the ship crews, inability of employees to get ship space because of the number of

tourists and similar matters. Colonel Paxson promised to discuss these matters

with W. R. Pfizer, the Company's Vice

President in charge of the Panama Line

operations.

Under the heading of old business, Colonel Paxson reported that the administration hopes to have a report within a few weeks from the Canal Zone Credit Union on plans for U. S.-rate hospitalization insurance; that the office of the

Cristobal license examiner will not be removed to Margarita as planned; that incomplete and meager records make impossible the fair allowance, to all affected,

of credit toward housing assignments for service performed on the old "Silver"

rolls by those now in U. S.-rate jobs; that new hours for the Gamboa clubhouses have been worked out satisfactorily be- tween a Gamboa committee and the Clubhouse General Manager; and the marking with white lines of a Gamboa

traffic intersection. Other subjects which arose during the meeting included: The compensation and

fringe benefit study being conducted by

a Washington, D. C, management firm

covered at some length on page 1 of this issue of The Review; commissary pur- chase cards, which will be slightly smaller

in the future and according to instruc- tions issued at the meeting will be encased

in laminated plastic cases with the issue of new cards in December 1953; and a report that the new housing notification and selection policy was to be made

effective September 1. Attending the meeting were: Acting

Governor H. 0. Paxson; E. A. Doolan,

Personnel Director; Norman Johnson,

Labor Relations Counsellor, for the Administration; and for the employees:

Fred Hodges, Railway Engineers;

Retiring

GEORGE D. POOLE, Assistant Superintendent

of Gatun Locks, is leaving the Canal Zone September

11 to make his home in Schenectady, N. Y. Mr.

Poole retired the end of August after almost 29

years service. He came to the Canal Zone in 1920 and was first- employed as an electrical welder with the Mechanical

Division. In 1921 he transferred to the Locks Division and with the exception of several years during

the war all of his service has been with that division. He has served as towing locomotive operator, junior and senior control house operator, construction and

maintenance superintendent, and, since January

1952, as assistant superintendent of Gatun Locks. A reserve officer, he was called to active duty with

the Army during World War II. He served first in the Gatun control tower and later was assigned to the Coast Artillery Command's Harbor Defenses in Cristobal. He was in command of the submarine

mines and various gun batteries. At the time of his return to civilian status in 1946 he was Executive

Officer of the Panama Canal Department's Atlantic

Sector.

Major Changes Planned For Two

Of Oldest Panama Canal Units

(Continued from page 2) late in 1907 Some

American manufactured dredges had been

delivered and the dredging plant of the "Colon Dredging Division" in 1907 listed a 16-inch suction dredge, the sea-going

suction dredge Ancon, one old French

ladder or elevator dredge, and a five- yard dipper dredge. The "La Boca

Dredging Division" then had only an old French ladder dredge and a five-yard

dipper dredge. In addition to this equipment, both

divisions had several French self-propelled

hopper barges, known as "clapets," and

many of these were in active service until after the Canal was opened.

Although most of the French dredges were retired from active excavation work

years ago, two still are being used by the Dredging Division. The hull of a five- yard dipper dredge and the hull of a French ladder dredge now form a part of the breasting-out barge or floating dock

at the Gamboa headquarters used to protect heavily laden scows from the rocky

banks and for tying up scows for minor

repairs.

Chester Luhr, Pacific Locks Employees; Mr. Daniel, Railroad Conductors; Mrs. Longmore, Citizens Association; Mr.

Lovelady, AFGE; for the Central Labor

Union and affiliates, Mr. Hatchett, E. J. Husted, Sam Garriel, and Carl Maedl;

for the Civic Councils, Mrs. Blakely, Mr. Roe, Reverend Gray, and Elmer

Powell; and H. C. Simpson, Marine

Engineers.
16 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW September 4, 1953

Balboa Flats, Drab But Colorful, To Be

Practically Denuded In Next Few Months

THIS EXCEPTIONAL AERIAL VIEW of Balboa Flats shows the areas scheduled to be cleared within the new few months for new houses. Residents

in the area surrounded by the solid white lines were notified several months ago

that their houses are to be demolished. They have until the end of December

to find new quarters.

An additional 20 houses—80 apartments—were added last month to the demolition schedule and the occupants of these have been notified to move by the end

of next February. The additional group is indicated by the broken white lines. The four-family houses in Balboa Flats were built soon after the Canal was

opened in 1914.

Balboa Flats, one of the best known

residential areas in the Canal Zone, will be practically denuded during the next few months.

Fifty-eight of the 74 four-family frame

houses erected there soon after the Canal was opened in 1914 are to be demolished

this fiscal year to make way for new

buildings. Originally it had been planned

to raze only 38 of the buildings this year

but plans were recently revised to include 20 others. The first group of 38 are to be vacated by the end of this year and occu- pants of the others have until the end of next February to find other quarters.

The demolition schedule for this fiscal year is one of the most extensive planned

in the long-range quarters construction program. In addition to the houses in the

Flats to be torn down, the Ridge Road

area is also to be cleared. Residents there were notified last month to vacate by the end of December.

The demolition program is scheduled to coincide with the completion of the ex- tensive quarters construction program at Corozal. A total of 128 family units are nearing completion in Corozal and the opening of these houses for occupancy

will serve to a great extent in relieving the temporary housing shortage which

will prevail for U. S.-rate employees.

The clearing of the Balboa Flats area

will strike a sentimental chord for hundreds of employees and former employees;

a large percentage of Canal employees

who have lived on the Pacific side for any

appreciable time have at some time

resided in the Flats.

If any residential area could be called drab and colorful in the same breath, it

is Balboa Flats.

Its drabness comes from the monotony

of the typography and the frame houses

which are-alike as new pennies in shape,

size, and color. Despite the relatively small area, a stranger seeking a given

house there could become hopelessly lost because of the sameness of every street.

"Balboa Plain"

Much of the color of Balboa Flats derives from its history and its occupants

over a period of almost 40 years. Many

of the top Canal officials of today and a few years back started housekeeping there. The history of Balboa Flats—once

called in official Canal files "Balboa

plain"—dates back to the Canal construction period. The area was once a

part of a mangrove swamp which made

up most of the ground at the foot of Ancon Hill on the Canal Zone side.

It was filled with spoil from the Canal

and at one time long dirt trains loaded

with earth and rock from Gaillard Cut

were shunted on Panama Railroad tracks which skirted the present "Flats" around

the toe of Ancon Hill. Additional fill material was required after the Canal was

opened and before the new houses were

built and much of this material was hauled

in by contract from Diablo Heights.

Beverly Hills, Calif. ? No! Beverly Hills, C. Z.

Although the names will not be found on maps and probably will never appear on a post office sign, five new communities are suddenly being mentioned in the Canal Zone. They are: Beverly

Hills, Dogpatch, Lakeview, Jamaicatown, and Ghost Town.

The names are the inspiration of resi- dents of the just-completed housing

area in the local-rate town of Paraiso. The last three of the new Paraiso quarters were turned over to the Housing

Division in mid-August and all of the

244 new apartments are now occupied.

Beverly Hills, according to people

who live in Paraiso, is the hilly section

of the town, near the water tower. Dogpatch is the small cluster of new houses

at the foot of Beverly Hills. Lakeview

is the area nearest the Canal, and

Jamaicatown the section near the ball diamond. Ghost Town, appropriately,

is adjacent to the old Paraiso cemetery.