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A

AUGUST 1966

ON THE INSIDE:

Doctor in the San Bias

Swimmers of the Canal

1st Isthmian Pipers

El Valle

pit 7

^PBI • *-?_; .2*
Robert J. Fleming, Jr., Governor-President

H. R. Pabfitt, Lieutenant Governor

Fbank A. Baldwin

Panama Canal Information Officer

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

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

further clearance. Credit to the Review will be appreciated.

Distributed free of charge to all Panama Canal Employees.

Subscriptions, $1 a year; airmail $2 a year; mail and back copies (regular mail), 25 cents each.

Robert D. Kerb, Press Officer Publications Editors Mo.igan E. Goodwin and Tomas A. Cupas

Editorial Assistants Eunice Richard, Tobi Bittel, Fannie P. Hernandez, and Jose T. Tunon

cAoout Our Cover

THE COVER photograph shows Panama's unusual

mountain formation La India Dormida—the Sleeping Prin- cess—around which a romantic legend has been woven.

This mountain is located about 76 miles west of Panama

City in a region called El Valle, a beautiful valley that both Panamanians and foreigners alike visit to escape the

heat and jangle of day-to-day living in the city.

Accoj^Mtetp legend, the mountain took the form of Flo? Iffire^an Indian princess who fell in love with

an iWHpJSwner people. The mountain can be seen from El Valle's main road. Here also the motorist can

feast his eyes on miles of splendorous scenery.

There are many aspects of El Valle worth knowing

about. For more detail and photos of this lovely region, turn to page 17. A young physician, Dr. Daniel Gruver, and his work

with the Indians of the San Bias Islands is the topic

of an illustrated three-page article starting on page 3. Dr. Gruver, affiliated with the Baptist Home Mission

Board, says he is in a general practice of the broadest

sort. That means he does everything from delivering

babies to pulling teeth.

Similar to Niagara Falls which has attracted numerous

stunt men who walk tight ropes or go over the falls in barrels, the Panama Canal has received its share of

people who wish to be the first, or the fastest, or the best. These were not daredevils but swimmers who began

transiting part of the waterway before it was opened to ship traffic. On page 6 starts an article on those who have swum

the Canal, including some who were charged tolls for the privilege.

The 1st Isthmian Highlanders, a newly-formed Scottish

bagpipe band that is rapidly gaining popularity throughout Panama, is discussed in words and pictures beginning on page 9. And the Cristobal-Colon Rotary Club, which claims

to be the only Rotary club in this part of the world

flying two flags, is the subject of a two-page feature that

starts on page 11.

M

A modest summer home in beautiful El Valle de Anton nestles between the mountains and an orange grove.

3nd(ex

Doctor in the San Bias Islands 3

Swimmers of the Panama Canal 6

1st Isthmian Highlanders 9

Cristobal-Colon Rotary Club 11

Good Old Summertime 12

Ports of the World 14

Shipping Notes 15

Captain With a Destiny 16

El Valle 17

Anniversaries 20

Canal History 21

Shipping Statistics 22

Shipping Trends 22

2 August 1966
Doctor in the San Bias

HE SUN BROKE out of the Atlantic in a shimmering glow

of copper as the young doctor stepped ashore from the

inter-island boat. He shook hands with the little group of Indians; together they walked the well-worn path toward

the main street of the village, the bare feet of the Indians

plopping softly against the damp morning earth. For

Dr. Daniel Graver it was the beginning of a very long

day, one of many he has spent bringing medical help

to the Indians of San Bias.

He had started from Ailigandi, the San Bias island where he runs the one

hospital in the chain of 365 islands. In making his "rounds" the doctor may

travel 200 miles, by light plane or boat,

so each visit must count. A dav on one of the islands means

seeing 200 or more patients, with a

variety of ailments and diseases rarely

encountered in the city by the general

practice doctor. But Dr. Gruver, who

works for the Baptist Home Mission

Board, wouldn't exchange his practice

for another one anvwhere. He is doing

what he has planned to do for many

years—medical work among the Indians. Daniel Gruver was 12 years old when

he decided on a career. He would be a doctor, and like his parents, he would

be a missionary. His father, now in Puerto Bico as the pastor of a church

and a teacher of ministers, had traveled over the United States. The Gruvers had lived in Alaska, California, Texas,

Washington, D.C., in Kansas City, Mo.,

where Dr. Gruver was born, and in other States. The family spent 4 years

in Costa Bica and in 1960 his father, Harold Gruver, was pastor of the First Baptist Church in Panama City. Dr. Gruver earned a degree in the Bible at the University of Corpus

Christi, in Texas, but had attended a

total of seven colleges. During college

he had been a pastor at small MexicanAmerican churches in Texas that could

not support a regular minister. After graduation from Southwestern Medical

College at Dallas, where he was one of the top five students in his class, he felt that a chance to intern and be a resident

at Gorgas Hospital was a good opportunitv. He spent 4 years at Gorgas,

3 as a resident surgeon. During those 4 vears, he had the opportunity of working with the Indians in the Cricamola

Biver area in Bocas del Toro, the San

Felix area and in the San Bias. He made manv trips to these areas. "Other doctors at Gorgas have made

these trips and still make them," he

(See p. 4)
Removing skin for use as a graft in surgery for skin cancer. Dr. Graver is assisted by two

trainees at the hospital at Ailigandi.

Jre 13 in a general Practice

Of the Very, (Broadest Sort

(Continued from p. 3)

says. And Dr. Gruver expressed his deep appreciation for the fine cooperation of the Panama Government in making these trips possible.

It was during one of these trips that Dr. Gruver, who has two children,

adopted an Indian girl from the Crica- mola region. Now the picture of health, she was very ill at the time. The Gruvers named her Juanita and she is now the

2-year-old playmate of Rachel Melite

Gruver, 6, and Daniel Marcus, 5. All three are spending the summer at Aili- gandi and learning the Cuna language,

while their mother, Mrs. Jane Gruver,

is working for her masters degree at the Universitv of Arizona. Mrs. Gruver

will teach speech at Balboa High School

in the fall. The Gruvers have an apartment in Panama where Dr. Gruver, who

has been in the San Bias since October

1965, spends time with his family on

frequent trips to the city. As administrator, doctor, record keeper, and surgeon, he is constantly busy

at the hospital at Ailigandi. There, he

may see 30 to 50 patients in a day.

He performs surgerv and when equipment and facilities there can't do the job,

patients are sent to Panama City.

The doctor developed an interest in Indian tribes while in high school. This

interest and his desire to be a missionary doctor combined to bring him, at

last, to the San Bias At 33, he looks forward to a long career in missionary

medicine. He speaks Spanish with ease and fluency, and is learning Cuna. "I promised the people in the islands that

I would be able to deliver a sermon in the Cuna language in 1 vear. I have

kept that promise."

His Cuna is sufficient to talk to his patients. And thev come bv the hundreds. Being in a general practice "of the broadest sort," he says, means vou

have to be flexible. He has operated on animals, when the owners insist upon

it, and he has pulled 3,000 teeth in less than a year. Dr. Gruver is comforted

bv the presence of the Panamanian

Government doctor, Dr. Savelvs Ber- manis, who has been practicing at the island settlement of Nargana for 18 years. Dr. Bermanis also does some

traveling. "He is a wonderful doctor,

and well respected and loved bv manv

of the Indians," said Gruver. "Dr. Ber- manis has done a world of good for countless people in the San Bias."

Still, with 42 main settlements and more than 20,000 San Bias Indians, there is a tremendous amount of work

to be done bv both doctors. And now

there is a Peace Corps nurse, Mrs. Susie

Black, who aids Dr. Bermanis. On

Ailigandi, Dr Gruver is assisted at the 15-bed hospital bv Dionisio Bodden, a San Bias Dr. Gruver is training, and Ri- cardo Campillo, a laboratory assistant who was trained at Gorgas Hospital in the Canal Zone. He also counts as a great help the trips made to the area bv

A long day is over, but there's still time to look in on a patient.

various doctors from Panama City and

the Canal Zone This arrangement, he

savs, is under the auspices of the Pan- amanian Government, which has given

full cooperation in efforts to aid the San

Bias. "These doctors contribute much

toward the improvement of general

health in the islands," he said. The hospital was built through the fund raising efforts of the First Baptist

Church in the Canal Zone, which pro- vided some funds and raised others through the Baptist Church organizations in the United States. Volunteer

labor from the Canal Zone, both military and civilian, worked with San Bias Indians in the construction. Most of the equipment was furnished by the Southern Baptist Convention; some from

the World Medical Relief Agency. The

U.S. Army furnished transportation for the equipment. The hospital took shape

as the Armed Forces Wives Club and

other civic organizations and individuals

in this area and in the United States gave of their time and resources. Help

still comes from several of these groups. The hospital has X-ray equipment,

and though it his no electrical generators, it is hoped that these will be pro- vided bv the end of the vear. A drug room is kept, with its stock gradually

building up.

August 1966
Dr. Gruver, his children, and friends. From left, Melite Gruver,

Juanita, whom he adopted in the Cricamola region, Marcus Gruver. At far right and rear are four San Bias boys. His children are spending the summer at Ailigandi while the doctor's wife, Mrs. Jane

Gruver, works for a master's degree at the University of Arizona. They are learning the Cuna language as well as Spanish.

This youngster is not quite happy with the doctor now, but no

doubt she will be when the visit is over.

All in a day's work, and in this particular day's work doctor Gruver

delivered twins at the hospital at Ailigandi.

But patients use much medicine.

During one measles epidemic, Dr. Gruver attended to 100 children in a single dav. His practice is made difficult be- cause of the incidence of tropical dis- eases, many of which are difficult to diagnose and do not vield easily to cure. Congenital defects are fairly common, as

is tuberculosis. Skin cancer is prevalent

because of the Indians' constant exposure to strong sun Dr. Gruver has per- formed much surgery for skin cancer and congenital defects. He has also delivered countless babies. The first one

born in the hospital on Ailigandi was named Daniel Gruver Grimaldo.

Superstition, rooted for centuries in the life of the Indians, poses still an- other problem The doctor comments: "The reign of superstition has not been

broken. I would say that perhaps 80 per- cent of all illness is still treated by witch

doctors in the San Bias. "There are two tvpes of witch doctors. One is the Nele, whose treatment may

involve singing songs or chants, burning

incense and firing up smoke pots to scare awav the disease, or using dolls.

All these methods, and others, are to frighten away the spirit or devil that has made the patient ill. The case may

be a broken leg or an infection, but the Nele will dance and cast spells to effect a cure. And the Nele may make a 'pre- scription' which is to be carried out by

the second tvpe of witch doctor, the Ina Tuledi. The Ina Tuledi soaks in- juries or affected area in juices, or

special preparations. He may smear the wound, or area of pain, in mud."

Dr. Gruver works quietlv to bring

the Indians to the belief that modern

medicine can do more for them than

rituals. But it isn't easv, "as in the case

of a voung man whose jaw was broken

and arm paralvzed because of a break

in his collarbone. After unsuccessful treatment bv the witch doctors, I began

treatment. The man was in great pain

and infection threatened his life. I wired

the jaw and put the arm in a cast and

began drug treatment to fight the infection. He was progressing nicelv when

the witch doctor and other Indians took

him awav, ripping off the cast and wires.

I haven't seen the young man since. The

infection had nearly disappeared and

I expect the jaw and collarbone will mend, though not very straight."

"Often, in the very last stages of a

case," Dr. Gruver said, "when the patient is to be discharged as cured, the witch doctors will talk intensely and

for a long time to the patient to convince

him to come to the witch doctor. A

dance is done and the witch doctor takes

credit for a cure." Nevertheless, says Dr. Gruver, "the important thing is that the patient is cured, and we work against

superstition as much as possible."

More and more, the witch doctors themselves are coming to Dr. Gruver

for treatment And their patients cannot discount this sort of testimony to modern medicine. There is a rent in the fabric of superstition and, hopefully,

it will widen with time. Walking across the mountains from

the Pacific Coast, paddling in cayucos from the islands and settlements, the Indians come. They are responding to the outstretched hand, the generosity of

their fellow men and the dedication of a missionary doctor.

The Panama Canal Review
anama Canal

Stunt Swims

Began Early

SWIMMING THE Panama Canalnot considered a sport by most peoplehas, during the years, attracted a number of amateur and professional

swimmers.

This has been so despite the fact that even during the early days Panama

Canal authorities did not take a wildly

enthusiastic view of granting requests

to swim the big ditch. In recent years, thev have been even more reluctant.

In the first place, ships have priority;

in the second place, there are risks involved. Modern safety men don't like the idea at all. But back before the Canal was opened

to traffic, Canal employees and other Isthmian residents took to swimming the waterway, or those parts which were

open, on their days off. There were no community swimming pools and it seems

that almost anyone would jump into the Canal on a warm day. There were some

complaints, too, about bathing costumes and loud and boisterous behavior. Swimming the Canal as a stunt started

in 1913 when two professional swimmers from New York—a man and a woman—got permission to make a partial transit. The permit required them

to skip Gaillard Cut, then known as Culebra, which still was closed to ships

as well as swimmers.

The man was Capt. Alfred Brown, a lifeguard who described himself as the "champion long-distance swimmer of the world." He made the swim before

the Canal was opened to traffic. The woman swimmer, who to this dav is the onlv woman to swim any

part of the Canal, was Elaine May

Golding. She was billed in the local press as the "champion ladv swimmer

of America."

Miss Golding bypassed the locks and

did not venture into the Cut but she

did most of the rest of the Canal from

Cristobal to Balboa in stages between

December 12 and 16, 1913. Reports of the swim said that she favored the breast stroke which brought

her head under water frequently; that the odor of the water in some parts of the Canal troubled her; that she got

Being measured for Canal transit by Chief Admeasurer Robert E. Medinger is Albert H.

Oshiver, who swam non-stop from Gatun to Gamboa in 1962. The flashing light he used

during the night part of his swim is strapped to his forehead.

badly sunburned but that she was cheerful most of the time. She was accompanied bv a motor launch in which rode

her manager and a motion picture

photographer who made films of the swim. Her feat was not included in the Panama Canal files although it was re- ported in the Star & Herald of that

date. After the swim, she was quoted

as saving she had accomplished other

long-distance swims that had required more endurance.

The first complete ocean-to-ocean swim through the newlv opened Canal was made in 1914 by J. R. Bingaman

and James Wendell Green, two Panama

Canal employees who applied for per- mission from the Secretary of War on

the premise that the "honor" should

belong to a Canal employee.

The permission was granted bv Gov. George W. Goethals, August 18, just 3 davs after the Canal was opened to the commerce of the world. "You have mv permission to swim

through the locks chambers, climbing

up the ladders at the ends at a time

when the locks are not in use and their operation will not be interfered with,"

Colonel Goethals said. "The general use of locks bv swimmers cannot be permitted as this practice would be a detriment to the service and the action in this case does not

establish a precedent."

The two men started their swim on

Sunday, August 22, and, being employees with work to do, swam only on Sun- days or at such time as thev could be

spared from their regular work. Thev

completed the swim on October 18 in a

total of 26 hours, 34 minutes swimming

time. An earlv account of the swim said thev were accompanied by boats and

timekeepers and made the distance from ocean to ocean, including the lock chambers, in less time than it takes many

people to walk Thev used the trudgecrawl stroke, the newspapers said.

(i August 1966
Bingaman left the Isthmus in 1916

but Green remained in the Canal Zone

and later became the Panama Canal's

first Treasurer. He retired from service

in 1952. Perhaps the most famous swim, or the one that received the most publicity

at the time, was made in 1928 bv author- adventurer Richard Halliburton, well- known travel writer of his dav. Written persmission was given by

Gov. M. L Walker who agreed to having a small launch, a cameraman, a newspaper reporter and an expert rifle- man accompany the swimmer through

the Canal. In turn, Halliburton accepted all liabilities of the trip, both to himself and "anv damage he might do

the Canal."

Halliburton completed the swim in about 10 days and set some kind of prec- edent bv being the fust swimmer to be locked through all three sets of locks. His actual swimming time was about

50 hours. Newspaper accounts said "it required

as much mechanical labor to bring Halliburton, the lightest ship in Canal his- tory, through the locks as it did for the 40,000-ton airplane carrier Saratoga,

the heaviest. Charges for the passage were made in accordance with the ton

rate, and Halliburton, weighing 150

pounds, paid just 36 cents." For the next few years, the Canal was free of swimmers—at least officially. In 1936 two U.S. Navy men stationed

at Coco Solo, made an attempt which

received the approval of the Canal

authorities. Marvin Beacham of the Submarine

Base and Regis Parton of the Fleet Air Base, both members of the Southern

Cross Swimming Club, planned to make

the first non-stop swim from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They were to be ac- companied by two U.S. Navy launches

carrying men with rifles. The launches were to have towed a net especially

prepared for the swimmers to "insure

their safety against fish, alligators, suction and other accompanying dangers."

The project was canceled, however,

when the plan was firmlv vetoed by the Commandant of the 15th Naval District

in Balboa. During World War II, the Canal was

a busy place and so were the people

who might have had a ven to swim

the Canal.

It was not until 1950 that a request was received from another aspiring

Canal swimmer. He was Charles

McGinn, a U.S. Military Academy cadet

in the class of 1953 who was coming

to the Canal Zone to spend his leave with his parents in Gatun.

Permission to make the swim while

he was on leave was given with various degrees of enthusiasm and reservations. The Panama Canal Safety Engineer

pointed out the usual dangers and the Health Bureau Director recommended

typhoid booster shots and fresh drink- ing water while the swimmer was en

route. The Navigation Division asked

him to swim only in davlight hours and

(See p. 8)

Explorer-writer Richard Halliburton transits one of the Panama Canal locks during his 1928 swim through the Canal. The rowboat behind

him carries a rifleman in addition to the rowboat operator.

The Panama Canal Review
Canal Tolls Paid

By Swimmers

(Continued from p. 7)

to keep out of the usually traveled lane

of shipping.

Accompanied bv a rowboat manned

by Robert Kariger, McGinn started his swim June 22 from Pier 6 in Cristobal. He made the transit in 6 days with ap- proximately 5 hours spent on each daily

lap. He ended at 3:45 p m. June 28 at the Balboa Yacht Club pier and newspaper accounts sav there were some who suggested that he continue on

to Taboga.

McGinn, however, looked the situation over with a practiced eye and

decided not to make that trip.

Kariger was reported to have lost weight operating the rowboat through

the Canal but McGinn, who stoked up on hot soup and sweetened coffee, weighed about the same as before. His

swimming time of 36 hours was less than the time taken by Halliburton but

10 hours more than the time taken by

the two early Canal employee swimmers Bingaman and Green.

Capt. Robert F. Legge, the 15th Naval District Medical Officer, made

headlines in the local press when he swam the Canal from Gatun to Pedro

Miguel in October 1958. He made a number of practice swims

in Madden Lake and then charting his course like a sailor shoving off for a long cruise, Captain Legge swam the 35-mile stretch in what he claimed was a record time of 21 hours and

54 minutes.

The 52-year-old phvsician climbed

out of the water at Pedro Miguel to the applause of 100 or more Canal Zone

residents lining the east bank of Paraiso Reach. During his swim, he had some

trouble with cramps and a stiff shoulder

but encountered no reptiles except an

iguana which crossed his bow on his way from one side of the Canal to the

other. He was charged 72 cents in tolls, the rate for a 1-ton vessel in ballast. The following May, 1st Sgt. George

W. Harrison, a 32-vear-old Armv ser- geant sponsored by the First Battle Group of the 20th Infantry, swam from

Gatun to Miraflores Locks. Although he

started the swim Mav 12 and completed

it the following day, he took time out

for rest and food and had problems

with currents and passing ships. He did not swim through Pedro Miguel but

walked around.

By the time that Albeit H. Oshiver, 42-vear-old oceanographer from Washington, D.C., arrived on the scene in 1962, the Canal officials were inclined

to take a dim view of any other attempts

to swim the Canal. When he asked for permission from

Washington, he was advised that due

to the increase in ship transits he

could not be given anv encouragement.

Nevertheless he appeared in the Canal

Zone and made a personal appeal to swim through Gatun Lake. He made

several practice swims. After signing a

release he was given permission to swim from south Gatun to Gamboa and

advised to stav outside ship channels. Oshiver set a record by making the 29-hour swim without stopping. He

was accompanied part of the wav by a motor boat operated by W. R. Byrd of the Terminals Division and all of the way by a cayuco attended by Pedro

Torres. At night he wore a flashing red light

strapped to his forehead and Torres had

a battery powered light on his finger

to show the swimmer his course. Spectators observed that Oshiver seemed to pick up speed during his last 6 hours

in the water. He said he had to because

he was cold. He landed at Gamboa at 5 a.m. December 30. Both Oshiver and Captain Legge

were measured bv the Panama Canal

admeasurer for tolls and both paid. They

were presented with the kev to Panama

Canal Locks bv the Governor of the Canal Zone.

The Master Key to the Panama Canal in the grade of Honorary Vessel is presented by

Gov. William Potter to Capt. Robert F. Legge, USN, who swam from Gatun to Pedro Miguel in 21 hours and 54 minutes.

8 Aucust 1966
1st Isthmian Highlanders

PASSENGERS ABOARD A British cruise ship visiting Panama last March

were amazed to hear the skirl of bagpipes being played on shore. They ask- ed when a British regiment had been

posted here. The visitors learned that there was

no British regiment in Panama and that the bagpipes belonged to members of the newlv organized 1st Isthmian Highlanders. The pipers later played aboard

the vessel for the benefit of the tourists. The 1st Isthmian Highlanders formed

their group just last November but are rapidlv growing in both size and scope.

Its members claim it to be the first pipe

band on the Isthmus and the onlv band

of its kind playing below the Rio Grande

in this hemisphere.

Dressed in their colorful Scottish

tartan kilts, the Highlanders are a delight to audiences at fairs and parades

throughout the Isthmus. Both Latins

and North Americans have come to know the Highlanders as an invigorating ingredient to most public functions

at which the Canal Zone is represented.

The first pipe heard on the Isthmus was plaved bv Sp/5 Robert Donald,

U.S. Southern Command, Fort Amador,

who learned to plav the instrument in Oregon, a particularly pipe band-conscious State. While listening to a radio broadcast of a football game, Paul

Clare, of Howard AFB, who had played in pipe bands in the United States, heard Donald performing and sought

him out. Clare, of White Plains, N.Y., had a 5-year playing backround and

plaved at the graveside during the

funeral of President Kennedy.

A little later thev were joined bv

Thomas White, a 6th grade teacher at Howard Air Force Base Elementary

School. White had started to learn to plav at the University of Oregon but

had to give it up when he moved to the Canal Zone. He still had his pipe,

however, and became the third member

of the group.

In November the trio began posting

signs to advertise for recruits; eight per- sons attended the pipers' first official meeting in January. Clare was named

Pipe Major while White and Donald

were appointed Pipe Sergeants.

They had planned to make their debut

at the' 1966 July 4th celebrations but

pushed up their plans and participated

in the annua] carnival festivities last February. Their plaving added to the fun during the counting of votes for the

Bagpipe Band

Adds a Touch

Of Scodand

Canal Zone carnival queen, at her cor- onation, and in the gala carnival parade

in Panama City.

The band grew in number and improved its quality of piping during the period immediately following Carnival.

Its present strength of five dancers, seven pipers and three drummers continues to grow as new enthusiasts begin

instructions and later purchase their uniforms.

Since first appearing in the carnival

festivities, the Highlanders have appear- ed at the Canal Zone St. Patrick's Day

Shamrock Ball and plaved at fairs in Chitre, Lidice, and La Chorrera, the lat- ter three of which were supported bv

the Panama Canal organization.

Membership in the Highlanders in- cludes a cross-section of professional

people, technicians, military, students and other vocational groups. Most can

trace at least part of their family trees to Scotland but this is not a prerequisite

for membership.

Members of the 1st Isthmian Highlanders contend that learning to play

the bagpipe is relatively easy and re- quires only between IV2 and 3 months.

The bagpipes played by the Highlanders have one chanter or flutelike blowpipe with nine notes. Also, there are three drones, reeds that maintain constant tones. The airbag, usually made

of any one of a number of hides and

covered with wool, is held under the arm of the player who must keep a constant pressure on the sack. The difficulty in playing is learning breath control and maintaining pressure on the bag so there is no relation be- tween breathing and the sound level. Music thev plav includes Scottish

military marches, jigs, reels, strathsprey

(Highland fling) and manv pieces more

than 200 years old, written specifically for the bagpipe. Jazz and other conventional music can be played on the bagpipe if it falls within the nine-note

limitation. The 1st Isthmian Highlanders, like any pipe band, have their own colorful and traditional uniforms. With the ex- ception of dress white blouses, uniforms come from Scotland. The blouses are made in Panama. Pipers wear Glengarrv

caps, similar to overseas hats, and drummers, Balmoral tassle-type barrets with

clan crests. Each has a sporran, a horsehair purse, on his waist. The most strik- ing part of the uniform, of course, is the

kilt, made of about eight vards of material and pleated in the rear. Each mem-

(See p. 10)

Pipe Sergeant Bob Donald appears to be all business as he marches and plays his pipe in a parade in downtown Panama City.

The Panama Canal Review
(Continued from p. 9)

ber of the band has his own clan tartan. Sergeants also wear red sashes and

every member has tartan hose to match

the kilt, and red garters called flashes. A dirk, or dagger, is worn by the Pipe

Major as part of his uniform.

Members of the group receive copies

of trade journals for piping, one printed

bv the College of Piping. These Highlanders serve as a link with Panama's

past. In the late 1600's a group of Scots made a vigorous but unsuccessful at- temp to establish a permanent colony

in Caledonia Bay, in Darien.

Contrary to what may be a popular

belief, the Scots were not the originators but the perfectors of bagpipes,

variations of which are played in Spain,

Germany, France, India, the Netherlands, Russia, the Philippines, and many

other lands. Styles of the bagpipes may

vary but basically they are the same

instrument, producing the only windblown music coming from a reservoir of air. Other wind instruments are blown directly.

Though the origin of bagpipes is obscured bv history, it is surely one of the oldest traditional military instru- ments in use today. Records show they

existed in 13th-century Europe and some contend they date back to the era

of Nero, the Roman fiddler. The pipes

have not changed much since the 1700's.

wammsmm mmmm

A lesson in the Highland Fling is given by Michael Pruitt (right), a dancer member of the 1st Isthmian Highlanders. Learning the steps are (left to right) Kathy Lavery and

Mary Kincaid.

Here come the Highlanders as they parade down Central Avenue, Panama City, during the Carnival festivities earlier this year.

10 August 1966
Atlantic Side

Rotary Club

Flies 2 Flags

TWO FLAGS-the flag of the United

States of America and the flag of the Republic of Panama-fly over the Cristobal-Colon Rotary Club. "It's al- ways been so," said one of the officials

of the organization. The Cristobal-Colon

Rotary Club, the only twin city Rotary

Club in this part of the world, has been

flying the flags of the two nations since

it's founding in 1920. Most of the 65

members speak both Spanish and English, and meetings are conducted in the two languages.

Nationalities, occupations and interests in this two-flag Rotary Club are

diverse. There are members who have

their own firms. Some head large cor- porations, steamship companies, banks,

oil companies, or have other positions of responsibility in the Republic of Panama, the Canal Zone, and Central and South America.

Twenty-one of the present members

reside in the Canal Zone and 44 in Colon. They were bom in the United

States, the Republic of Panama, the

British Empire, Netherlands, France,

Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Germany,

Philippines, Uruguay, Spain, Austria,

Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic,

and Puerto Rico.

It was on a November day in 1920

that a number of prominent business- men met in the office of Frank L. Scott and formulated plans for founding the Cristobal-Colon Rotary Club. The pre- vious year the Panama City Rotary Club

had been founded, with Harmodio Arias

as president.

The founding members, who elected Frank L. Scott as first president, in- cluded Gerald D. Bliss, George Guerin,

John Popham, Dr. Surse J. Taylor,

Mose Hunt, Ben Hess, Judge Wade,

Dr. Urwiler, Thomas McDonna, and

John Gill. The Club was not yet in its teens when it made headlines on May 10, 1933, that read: "Cristobal-Colon Rotary

Club Mav Act To End Colombia-Peru

Trouble." In an attempt to bring peace and accord to the hostile nations of Peru and Colombia, a suggestion was made by members that a letter be ad1*1
In the Good Old Summertime

Diane Berger, recreation assistant in the summer recreation program at Los Rios Elementary School, is shown at the far end

of the table with part of the handicrafts class busily engrossed in painting clay models they have made. The class met afternoons, Monday through Friday.

THE CAREFREE DAYS of summer vacation are the

happiest for youngsters if they have plenty of entertaining

things to do. Hundreds of Canal Zone children are finding enjoyment

in the summer recreation program prepared for them by

the Canal Zone U.S. Schools Division. The program which

began in June and continues into August supplies a myriad of activities guaranteed to bring not only pleasure

and amusement to the young ones but also a good measure of body-building exercise. Gymnasiums and play shelters in all the Zone communities are bustling with activities ranging from orga- nized games for the sandbox set to weight training for the

big fellows. More than a thousand children from 5 to 18

are enjoying the sports that include archery, tumbling,

kickball, battleball, basketball, ping-pong, badminton,

newcomb, volleyball, and gymnastics.

Another thousand or so are splashing in the pools at Balboa, Curundu, Margarita, Coco Solo, and Gatun

where swimming classes are offered for all ages from

pre-schoolers. Classes in junior and senior lifesaving are

also given.

For the little ones who prefer diversions in the creative

vein, the summer recreation program offers projects in handicrafts. Some of the more popular are ceramics,

egg-shell picture making, free form clay modeling, crushed

rock picture making, mobile construction, painting, and

making costume jewelry from paper.

Six to nine year-olds at the Balboa Elementary School gym are doing jumping jacks, a limbering up exercise before they perform

the more strenuous gymnastics of tumbling.

With a steady hand and well-elevated elbow this modem female Robin Hood sights her target and draws her bow in the Tri- Archery Meet held at Camboa. Archers from Balboa, Diablo, and

Camboa participated in the archery shoot sponsored by the Summer

Recreation Program.

12 August 1966
The intermediate and swimmer class dives in at the Coco Solo pool. More than 1,000 persons are taking advantage of the swimming

classes offered by the Summer Recreation Program at pools on both sides of the Isthmus.

If you're hit you're out! Boys and girls enjoy battleball, a popular

hall game with pint-sized performers at Diablo gym. The program

also offers basketball, volleyball, baseball, touch football, handball and tennis.

Richard Wainio, center, does a toe-raise in the advanced weight

training class at the Balboa High School while spotters Tom

Bartlett, left, and Raymond Letourneau, right, stand by as a

safety precaution.

The shooting of arrows with a bow, undoubtedly one of the oldest sports in existence, plays an important part in the Summer Recreation Program of the Canal Zone schools. Target archery is being practiced here by students in the field behind the Margarita gym.

The Panama Canal Review 13
Deeper Channel Adds to Bustle

At the Port of Corpus Christi

THE PORT OF Corpus Christi is an

on-the-move installation keeping pace

with the rapidly expanding city which

has grown from a town of 15,000 to a metropolis of 180,000 in just 35 years. Last vear the port handled a total of 7,997,334 net tons of dry cargo, more

than in anv previous year and the combined total commerce of the port was

28,541,969 net tons for another record

high. Much of the growth can be trac- ed to the vast number of services avail- able to shippers doing business here.

Its deep water port, the deepest on

the gulf coast, can accommodate the

largest ships operating in the Gulf of Mexico and it recently completed the dredging to 40-foot depth in the ship

channel and harbor. Two-wav ship traffic is maintained

round the clock on the 400-foot-wide

ship channel leading to the Gulf of Mexico. The Nation's 10th ranking seaport

in the volume of cargo tonnage, Corpus

Christi is a major petroleum shipping

port; a total of 131,420,036 barrels

of crude and refined products moved

through the port last year.

Within 150 miles of Corpus Christi there are some 17,500 producing oil wells with a dailv allowable of about

675,000 barrels. A large variety of petro-chemicals are produced in nearbv

plants. As for drv cargo imports, Corpus

Christi leads other Texas gulf ports in volume, which in 1965 was 5 million net

tons, mostlv bulks ores and metal concentrates It is a leading grain exporting seaport, using two large shipside

grain elevators, and an important cot- ton shipping center, averaging about

400,000 bales of cotton and linters exported annuallv. Modern facilities and plentv of them

are a major selling point of boosters of the port. Thev point to the fact that the port has 10 covered warehouses

with 506,000 square feet of storage

space, all sprinklered, commodious open

docks, cargo handling equipment, ship- side tracks and locomotive power for

rail car shunting. The port's main basin, more than a mile long and 1,000 feet wide, is backed up bv four other basins

in the main harbor to handle specialized shipping needs.

In addition, there are 157 drv cargo

carriers. 68 canal barge operators offer- ing service, and 5,983 lineal feet of wharf frontage in the main basin. Steamship lines offering services to everv continent operate full-time agencies at Corpus Christi. Cargo handling equipment available

for rental are four 30-ton diesel loco- motive cranes, two 25-ton steam loco- motive cranes and one 30-ton diesel crawler crane owned bv the Navigation

District. The District also maintains 10 oil clocks, five of which are situated in the main basin, and others planned. Six privately owned oil docks operate at the port. Private terminal storage facilities adjacent to the various basins and the connecting canal can store some 25 million barrels of oil or other

liquid products.

The city and port are served bv three

railroads and overland freight service is provided bv numerous large common

carrier motor freight lines.

Vast storage facilities for petroleum and other liquid products stand out in this aerial view of the port of Corpus Christi. There are some

17,500 producing oil wells within 150 miles of Corpus Christi where huge quantities of dry cargo also are handled and stored.

14 August 1966
New Hull

SH

Design

IPMNG

A NEW CANAL customer with a

distinctive hull design made her maiden

voyage from the Far East to the U.S.

east coast recently. She is the SS Oriental Queen, newest member of the C. Y. Tung Island Navigation Corporation

Group of Hong Kong and built at the Uraga Heavy Industries shipyard on Tokyo Bay, Japan.

Operated by the Orient Overseas

Line, an affiliate of the Tung Group, the

ship is in service between Malaysian

and other far eastern ports and the

Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United

States. She flies the Liberian flag. The vessel's design was described in a recent article in the "Shipping World

and Shipbuilder" as revolutionary. A

combination of Japanese and Chinese

shipbuilding skills, the ship is a joint

product of Masao Ishii of the Uraga

Heavy Industries yard and Prof. Hajime

Maruo of Yokohama University who

used the original concept developed by

Dr. Pao-Chi Pien, an eminent Chinese

naval architect engaged for a number

of vears in research on hull design

problems in Washington, D.C. The distinctive bulbous bow is designed to produce higher speed with the same power or the same speed with less power by reducing hull wave resistance. Although the Oriental Queen is one

of the first ships to be built on this design, the concept is being used now

by other shipbuilders.

Wilford and McKay act as agents for

this line at the Canal. New Grace Vessel

THE SS SANTA LUCIA, the first of Grace Line's new class of cargo pas- senger vessels, is now passing on a reg- ular schedule through the Canal after making her maiden voyage in May from

Port Newark, N.J., on her first commercial trip to ports along the west coast

of South America.

She is one of six sister ships destined

for service on this trade route. The

21 -knot vessel is able to make the round

trip to Chile and back to New Jersey in from 40 to 46 davs. She has a cargo

capacity of 13,702 tons in addition to being equipped to handle 158 containers measuring 20 by 8 by 8 feet. Her

cargo handling gear includes 10-ton booms for each of her seven hatches,

two 30-ton booms for hatches 3 and 4 and a heavy lift 80-ton boom to serve hatches 4 and 5.

PANAMA CANAL TRAFFIC

STATISTICS FOR FOURTH QUARTER

FISCAL YEAR 1966 TRANSITS (Oceangoing Vessels) 1966 1965 Commercial 3,043 3,005

U.S. Government 140 84 Free 22 22

Total 3,205 3,111

TOLLS'

Commercial $17,820,439 $17,008,938

U.S. Government 800,695 519,820

Total—$18,621,134 $17,528,758

CARGO '

Commercial 20,766,097 20,099,970

U.S. Government 888,829 642,622 Free 122,315 73,598

Total 21,777,241 20,816,190

• Includes tolls on all vessels, oceangoing and

small. ••Cargo figures are in long tons.

Designed by Gibbs and Cox and built by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock

Company of Chester, Pa., the Santa Lucia is equipped with a bow thruster

to aid in maneuvering in restricted channels or confined ports. There are fully

air conditioned passenger accomodations

for 12 passengers. New Cruise Ship

THE FEDER1CO C, an Italian cruise ship owned by the Costa Line and oper- ated this cruise season in the Caribbean

by the Atlantic Cruise Line Inc. from

Miami, will make five calls at Cristobal during the 1966-67 cruise season, it has

been announced by C. B. Fenton, local agents for the line. This will be the first time that this luxury liner has included the Isthmus

in its cruise itinerary. Formerly the

Italian built liner operated on the Argentina to Mediterranean run. The 20,000-ton ship is completely air conditioned, is equipped with Denny

Brown stabilizers, and has a cruising

speed of 21 knots. For the further comfort of the passengers, she has four out- door swimming pools, broad sun and

play decks, a cinema theater, closed cir- cuit TV, ship-to-shore telephone, beauty

parlors, barber shops, and gift shops.

The first cruise of the winter season

will bring the ship to Cristobal, December 29. Other stops here are scheduled

for February 6, February 21, March 20,

and April 3.

Russian Cruise Ship

THE POSSIBILITY that the new Russian cruise liner Aleksandr Pushkin

would visit Cristobal during the coming

winter cruise season was announced

recendy by C. B. Fenton, who are to act as agents for the ship at the Canal. According to present plans, the Soviet

vessel would make a visit here in Jan- uary as part of a Caribbean cruise out

of European ports. She will be operated

by Alfred Wecera, of Munich, and can accommodate 300 to 400 passengers.

1965
New Board of Cristobal-Colon Rotary Club, from left: Abdiel E. Ibanez, manager, Esso, in Colon; David C. Mcllhenny, vice-president, Administrative Officer, Coco Solo Hospital; Norman E. Demers, secretary, Assistant Director, Panama Canal Transportation and Terminals Bureau; Jose R. Van Beverhoudt, president, subscription services, Colon; Harold Salas, secretary, Spanish, cigarette distributor, Colon; Peter E. Alderson, treasurer, agent for Panama Agencies; Ramon B. Mouynes, air conditioning firm; and Alfred A. Nordstrom,

who is with the auto industry.

Twin Flag

Rotarians

Captain With a Destiny

the

(Continued from p. 11)

first Rotary convention. Shortly

after, clubs were organized in Canada,

England, and Ireland.

Rotary grew into a world fellowship

of business and professional men who

accepted the "Ideal of Service" and have

as their mottoes "Service Above Self

and "He Profits Most Who Serves Best." The Cristobal-Colon Rotary Club

installed its 1966 officers at the 46th

annual reception and noted that in

this period it has had 44 presidents.

The late Dr. Harry Eno served two

terms, 1928-29 and 1944-45, while the

record to date was set by the late W. A. Pond, Jr., who was elected president in 1935-36, and headed

the organization in 1940-41 and again

in 1941-42. The third, and youngest Rotary Club

in the Republic of Panama is in David,

and was founded 34 years ago.

IN 1852, THE Fourth Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army received

orders to march toward its new headquarters in California via the Isthmus

of Panama route. The troops embarked at the port

of New York and arrived on the

Caribbean coast of Panama July 16, during the rainy season. The regiment began to cross the

Isthmus in cars of the newly-started

transcontinental railroad and went

all the way to Barbacoas, where the

railroad ended. Then, in barges and

native cayucos they arrived at Gorgona, which at that time was a flour- ishing community but now is cover- ed by the water of Gatun Lake. Gorgona was located near the present

town of Gamboa.

When a cholera epidemic that decimated the Isthmus population

spread to the Fourth Infantry Regiment infecting many soldiers, a camp hospital was set up at Gorgona.

It became the responsibility of a young supply captain to take the

troops across the jungles of the Isth- mus to the Pacific coast and then on

to California The journey from the

town of Cruces, on the banks of the

Chagres River where the road of the same name began, had to be made

on foot because the mule owners

preferred to rent their animals to

civilians who paid higher prices than

the U.S. Army.

Finally, Gorgona Hospital closed. The members of the captain's reg- iment who were still on the Isthmus

traveled to the Pacific coast and

embarked by ship for their final destination, California.

History preserves the name of that young officer: Capt. Ulysses S. Grant,

who later became the 18th President

of the United States of America.

16 August 1966
El ValleEden-Like

Unspoiled

NESTLED DEEP IN the mountains of Code Province, some 76 miles west of Panama City, lies a lovely Eden-like

vallev where the natives still cherish

their legends and are swayed by the enchantment of superstition.

Found here are strange trees with

square trunks and the rare golden color- ed frogs, much sought after by universities and scientific institutes. According to archaelogists, this beautiful valley was the hunting ground

and haven of Indians in pre-Columbian

times. Mvsterious inscriptions, which

to this dav have not been deciphered,

are found on huge boulders throughout

the area, remaining muted testimony

of the earlv inhabitants. Thermal

springs, unseen bv most visitors to the

vallev, produce waters of near boiling

temperatures.

El Valle de Anton, approximately

4 miles long and 3V2 miles wide, is com-

&%ggg:

Hurrying to market. EI Valle farmer urges his of time to sell

pletely surrounded by mountains, lead- ing some to believe this valley might

have been the crater of a large volcano. Both Panamanians and Americans

have built homes here. Lovely flower gardens and swimming pools complement the residences which range from

modest weekend retreats to luxurious countrv estates. It is not uncommon

A mountain dweller displays baskets he has made and eggs wrapped in corn husks—the

El Valle fashion of egg packing.

horse along so he can get to market in plenty

his produce.

for El Valle to become the summer

capital for a long weekend. The Pres- ident of the Republic and his entire cabinet, plus other government officials, go there to enjoy a respite from the heat of the capital during the dry season. From the main road of the town and

facing northwest, one can see a sil- houetted mountain known as La India

Dormida, the Sleeping Princess, which

has inspired one of the most beautiful legends of Panama.

Flor de Aire, as the Indian princess was called, was the daughter of Urraca,

the most fierce of chieftains who fought

against the Spanish conquistadores on

the Isthmus. Flor de Aire fell in love with one of the handsome conquista- dores who was trying to conquer her

people and because of this impossible

dilemma, rejected the love of Yaravi, the bravest warrior of her tribe.

In his despair, Yaravi leaped to his death from the top of the mountain

before the eves of the horrified maiden.

Flor de Aire, not wanting to betray her

tribe, never saw the Spaniard again.

She wandered aimlessly through the mountains and valleys crying her mis- fortune until she died on the beach,

looking toward the beloved mountains

where she was born. The mountains,

to perpetuate this sad love story, copied her image. The legend was embellished bv the great Panamanian author,

Julio B. Sosa. The "Cholos," as the inhabitants of the mountains surrounding El Valle de

Anton are called, are descendents of the (See p. 18)

The Panama Canal Review 17
A panoramic view of El Valle de Anton, an Eden-like valley where there are square trees, golden frogs and the natives cherish legends.

fi ism »

1 *A

P

»A ". 1

1

^

Indian warriors or hunters of long ago may have made these inscriptions on large boulders found in El Valle de Anton. They remain undeciphered.

(Continued from p. 17)

Indians who escaped enslavement and

sought, in the mountains, the freedom

thev no longer could enjoy in the flat- lands. Todav, they are Christians, and

most of them can read and write, thanks

to the efforts of the government in providing schools for them.

Despite mixing with other races, the Cholos still maintain the characteristics

of their race. They are of average height, robust of build, with angular faces, well- formed noses, expressive eyes and thick,

black, straight hair. Thev are shv and submissive as a

result of their first encounter with the white man On Sundays they come down the mountains to sell their products at the market and to attend mass

at the church a few steps from the marketplace.

In 1928, Panamanians who had

discoverd the peace and beautv of the hidden paradise in the Code mountains

built a road making the vallev accessible to the outside world. Road builders followed the natural contours of the mountainside and courses of rivers and

streams. There are no bridges on the 18 miles of winding blacktop road

going from sea level up to 3,000 feet where the vallev is found. Twisting

through the mountains, the drive

offers breathtaking scenery not easily

forgotten.

18 August 19fifi
The rich soil rewards the efforts of the farmers with abundant vields. Sugar

cane, vucca, yams, tomatoes, oranges, lemons and manv other products may

be found at the open market on Sunday

mornings.

When the land cannot be worked

because of heavv rains, the mountain

dwellers weave baskets of varied colors and shapes. Or. they mav carve wooden

articles, such as "bateas" (wooden trays)

and stools with primitive Indian designs. These they sell to tourists and

churchgoers who stroll to the market

after mass. Thev also make molds

of brown sugar called "panela" which

is used bv people in the interior of Panama.

On the El Valle River's course, which

meanders through dense forests west of town, there is a picturesque waterfall known as the Maiden's Waterfall. This

is a favorite picknicking place for visitors from the capital. Natives from the mountains say with all sincerity:

"There, on a clear day when the sun comes up, Flor de Aire comes down

from the mountain peaks to the edge

of the river . . . there, with other Indian

maidens, she tells the crystal waters of her eternal grief. One can hear her

mournful weeping as she tells her tale of woe. Remembering her two lovers, she weeps sorrowfully before returning

to her sleeping position high up on the mountain that bears her name."

A lovely summer home in El Valle de Anton. Many residents of the capital spend their weekends and summer vacations in this cool valley 3,000 feet above sea level.

El Chorro de las Mozas, Maiden Falls, one of the beautiful attractions found in El Valle de Anton.

The Panama Canal Review 19
ANNIVERSARIES

(On the basis of total Federal Service)

SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

Charles E. Gerald

Clerk

MARINE BUREAU

Archon Archbold Leader Seaman

TRANSPORTATION AND

TERMINALS BUREAU

Joseph A. Williams Cargo Checker

HEALTH BUREAU

Nathaniel E. Cole

Nursing Assistant

OFFICE OF THE

GOVERNOR-PRESIDENT

David J. Markun

General Counsel SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

Alpheus A. Shan

Laborer (Cleaner)

Estle H. Davison

Leader Enginema^

Portable) Robert A. DuVall

Supervisory General St Vernon F. Farley Meat Cutter

P. W. McBarnette

Supervisory Cler! Herman N. Watson

Clerk Claude A. Weeks

Sales Clerk Egbert W. Best Lead Foreman (Grounds)

Hilton Goodridge

Lead Foreman Laborer (Cleaner)

The Kungsholm, sleek new liner under Swedish registry, largest passenger vessel in Scandinavia, will make an inaugural cruise around South America in the late fall. She

is scheduled to transit the Panama Canal in October.

MARINE BUREAU

Reyes Escalona Motor Launch Captain

Alton J. Hayward

Machinist (Maintenance) Rufus C. O'Neal

Supervisory Marine Traffic Controller Harold E. Reid

Launch Operator

Alman J. Jones

rine Handler (Deckhand)

Roy L. Rinehart RlgW\

Paul Badonsky

Supervisory General Engineer

Eulus C. demons

Lock Operator (Iron Worker-Welder)

Osborne R. Flemmings

Supply Clerk

Irving Spector

Master, Towboat

ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

Frank D. Lashley

Telephone Operator

McKenzie T. O'Neil Seaman

Carol E. Sanchez

Clerk (Water Meter)

Gordon A. Updyke

Shift Foreman (Operations-Mechanical)

Nick M. Elich General Foreman (Quarry Operations)

Leonard S. Grant

Painter Carl E. Hall General Foreman (Public Works)

Frank Borsellino Guard

Ruth E. Clement

Accounts Maintenance Clerk

Philip N. Malcolm

Painter (Sign)

TRANSPORTATION AND

TERMINALS BUREAU

Robert C. Daniel Yardmaster

Irl R. Sanders, Jr. General Foreman (Dock Maintenance) Lorenzo Garay

Lead Foreman (Dock Stevedoring)

Fred H. Lee Window Clerk Robert L. Ridge

Lead Foreman (Fuel Operations) Eladio Severiano Stevedore CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Robert W. Blades

Police Private HEALTH BUREAU

Fred A. Dube

Orthotist (Braces) Roy J. Raveneau

Clerk

C. C. Brathwaite

File Clerk

20 August 1966
CANAL HISTORY

50 y[earJ c4ao

THERE WERE 137 transits by ocean- going ships during May 1916, the first month following the re-opening of the Panama Canal which had been closed

for several months by slide damage in Gaillard Cut. This figure was higher

than during any one of the Canal's first 7 months of operation. In late May, the "Panama Canal

Record" noted that a new ice plant at Balboa was undergoing a 2-week test before being placed into regular service. The bulk of ice production was to be

transferred to Balboa from the Cristobal

plant, which had been working above

capacity for months. The new iceplant was rated to have a capacity of 100 tons

in 24 hours. Scheduled as the site of the July 4th swimming and diving contest, the new

Balboa Swimming Pool was completed

in late June. It contained salt water,

which was supplied in connection with

the condensing system of the new refrig- eration plant at Balboa. The water was originally pumped from an intake 20 feet below low tide level at the head

of the slip between Pier 18 and the quay wall in the inner harbor.

First use of the new 1,000-foot

drydock at Balboa was made in June

with the docking of the ladder dredge

Corozal on the 27th. The vessel was

brought at high tide through the gap

in the earth cofferdam which had pro- tected the drydock and its approach

basin during construction. Pumping out

of the drydock began June 28. The new

dock was to be able to accommodate

any ship then afloat when removal of the cofferdam across its entrance was

completed.

25 yearA cAao

WITH CONSTRUCTION work underway on the Panama Canal third locks

project, designs and specifications were

approved in early May 1941 for buildings at the new third locks town on the west bank. Construction of a large Supply Department building and a gasoline

filling station was planned for Cocoli at a cost of $45,000.

In an important development in the progress of commercial aviation on the Isthmus, a commercial air terminal was

under construction at Albrook Field, to be open for service July 1. It was to be the most elaborate, if not the largest terminal for handling commercial

air traffic in Central and South America. Plans called for the expenditure

of $2 million.

Evidences of the war were plain in the summer of 1941; in early May,

the U.S. Army freight transport Liberty

arrived in the Canal Zone with two

guns mounted. Similar to action taken

by the U.S. Coast Guard in all U.S. harbors after the fall of France, the French-flag freighters Indiana and Nemours, which had been in Zone waters

since the middle of summer 1940, were

taken into protective custody by the U.S. Government. Army-Navy guards

from the Canal Zone were placed on

board on orders from Washington, D.C.

In the first week of July, a sudden

tightening of rules and regulations for protection of the Panama Canal was put

into operation by the Canal Zone mili- tary authorities. Cristobal harbor was

closed to shipping from dusk to dawn,

and many small boaters and fishermen were taken into custody on the Pacific side for having trespassed in restricted waters.

10 yearJ cAao

IN LATE MAY 1956, Maj. Gen.

William E. Potter became the 12th Governor of the Canal Zone and the 3d

President of the Panama Canal organization, succeeding Maj. Gen. John S. Seybold. Governor Potter arrived with

his wife and two daughters on June 20

to begin his residence in the Canal Zone.

In July, Canal Zone residents wit- nessed a spectacular gathering of Presidents of the American republics,

including U.S. President Dwight D.

Eisenhower, at a meeting of the Organization of American States to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the First Congress of American Republics called by Simon Bolivar, the great South

American liberator. A majority of the Presidents of the 21 republics attended

the meeting at the invitation of Pres- ident Ricardo Arias E., of Panama.

President Eisenhower was the fourth President of the United States to visit the Isthmus while in office. He and Mrs. Eisenhower were former Isthmians, having lived from January 1922 until September 1924 at Camp Gaillard on the west side of the Canal. Eisenhower's

visit in 1956 was the first in 16 years by a President of the United States. Operations of the Panama Canal were

the subject of long discussions between

incoming and outgoing Marine Directors

of the Canal organization in the month

of June. Capt. Frank A. Munroe, Jr., was succeeded by Capt. Warner Scott Rodimon, who came to the Isthmus

from command of Destroyer Squadron 8

of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. One y[ear cAao

NAMED TO SUCCEED Col. David S. Parker as Lieutenant Governor of the Canal Zone, Col. Harold R. Parfitt came

to the Isthmus with his wife and two

daughters in May 1965. Due to the critical housing situation, a nine-story apartment building near the Panama Hilton Hotel was made avail- able by the Canal organization for rental

to its employees in June.

Closed off by massive slides. Gaillard Cut slides delayed the original Canal project and

later closed the Canal to traffic five times, the greatest being the East and West Culebra

slides. In 1915, when this photo was taken, the channel was completely blocked by earth masses from either side. Mud and rock debris was piled 65 feet high above the water level across the waterway and 7 months were required to clear it for the resumption of traffic.

The Panama Canal Review 21
PRINCIPAL COMMODITIES SHIPPED THROUGH THE CANAL

(All cargo figures in long tons) Pacific to Atlantic

Commodity

Ores, various Lumber

Petroleum and products (excludes asphalt) __ Wheat

Sugar

Canned food products

Nitrate of soda Fishmeal Bananas

Metals, various Food products in refrigeration (except fresh

fruit) Fresh and dried fruits Corn

Iron and steel manufactures Pulpwood

All others

Total

.

Fourth quarter, fiscal year1966

1,721,905

1,265,269

210,833

154,533

565,499

149,293

197,320

335,453

339,168

306,739

263,053

149,160

140,455

992,518

157,982

1,908,994

8,858,174

1965

1,875,715

1,310,946

226,027

271,034

520,633

178,569

208,739

418,016

337,329

316,429

248,233

117,459

70,306

758,710

143,112

1,703,154

8,704,411

5-Yr. Avg. 1951-55

999,938

1,014,773

229,177

437,251

351,696

269,073

319,896

"~2~d0,684

191,913

142,423

95,284

"59,091 56,464

755,977

5,123,640

Atlantic to Pacific

Commodity

Petroleum and products (excludes asphalt) Coal and coke

Phosphates

Soybeans

Iron and steel manufactures Corn

Bauxite Metal (scrap) Machinery

Chemicals, unclassified Wheat

Sugar

Sulphur

Paper and paper products

Automobiles and accessories

All others

Total ..

Fourth quarter, fiscal year1966

3,970,186

1,669,584

804,044

461,513

477,852

694,977

268,459

427,549

110,007

230,397

180,746

208,058

154,414

138,145

116,982

1,989,493

11,902,406

1965

3,414,744

1,928,300

899,486

433,453

421,324

569,868

207,051

427,028

126,776

189,439

151,245

179.970

164,006

150,963

104,620

2,022,947

11,391,220

5-Yr. Avg. 1951-55

1,075,363

703,397

180,384

119,263

461,804

25,146

38,838

12,985

66,780

51,553

35.034

190,966

106,086

107,964

75,503

1,141,519

4,392,585

CANAL TRANSITS - COMMERCIAL AND U.S. GOVERNMENT
Most of these big ships are tankers which now have trouble rinding harbors deep enough to enter let alone transit the present lock-type Panama Canal. Nevertheless the trend is of interest in shipping circles where it is felt that the big bulk carrier may mark a change in merchant ship design for all maritime

nations and is as important as the recent trend toward construction of the trailer or container tvpe ships for the inter- coastal transatlantic trade. Although Japan leads in the production of these large ships, the survey shows that there are several countries

that have either built or are engaged

in their construction. Great Britain recentlv delivered the British Admiral,

her first 100,000 tonner, and several more are on order or under construction

in Denmark, France, West Germany,

the Netherlands and Sweden.

The biggest ship built in U.S. shipyards so far is the tanker Manhattan

which has a draft of 50 feet and a deadweight tonnage of 108,400 tons. Two other tankers, the Lake Palourde

and the Torrey Canyon were built in the United States as 65,000 tonners and later were brought through the Canal to be jumboized with their deadweight capacity increased to more than 117,000 tons.

'

The construction of huge tankers too

large to transit the Panama Canal may

not affect the movement of oil through

the waterway at present since most oil companies probably will keep smaller

ships on the intercoastal run as long as the operation is economically feasible. But their size may increase in the future

to the maximum that is allowed by

the Canal. Another move that might affect Canal

traffic slightly is the recent agreement

by 60 of the world's maritime nations

to raise the Plimsoll marks on ships by

10 to 20 percent on bulk carriers and

about 10 percent on dtveargo vessels

fitted with watertight hatch covers. The Plimsoll lines indicate the max- imum legal depth to which merchant

ships can be loaded for safest operation

in various seasons, on fresh and salt water, when engaged in international

trade. Raising of the marks will permit

ships to carry more cargo and load deeper than before and subsequently

have deeper drafts. With the present limitation on Pan- ama Canal draft, it is possible that an

operator of a supership would find it more profitable to load to the maximum

draft and take the ship on a longer

voyage through the Strait of Magellan

to its destination thus avoiding the Canal.

SAL COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC BY NATIONALITY OF VESSELS




Date Due
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