79-/- 336- (d- 3)

Gift ofthe Panama Canal Museum JS3L

Vol. 6, No. 6 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, JANUARY 6, 1956 5 cents FIRST USE OF 60-CYCLE CURRENT SCHEDULED

IN ATLANTIC SIDE HOMES WITHIN FEW MONTHS

Senatorial Interview

SENATOR Spessard L. Holland, Dem., Fla., was among the members of Congress who visited the Canal Zone last month. He is shown here at the

Tivoli Guesthouse talking to representatives of the

local pres3 and the wire services. Governor Seybold

is seated second from the right. Senator Holland, a

member of the Appropriations Committee, told the newsmen that Congress will move "very speedily" next session on appropriations to replace in the Canal Zone those facilities now on properties which are going to be transferred to Panama as a result of provisions of the new treaty.

Unification Of Canal Payroll System

Will Be Fully Effective January 29

Unification of the payroll system of the Company-Government, recently announced by Governor Seybold, will be made

fully effective with the biweekly pay period beginning January 29. The first pay- checks under the new system will be delivered in the week beginning Monday,

February 20. The change will mean new paydays for the majority of employees with checks being delivered over a four-day period. However, paychecks for all employees of any given division will be delivered on

the same day. The present pay period of U. S.-rate employees will be used as the basic pay

period for all employees. This will require a change for local-rate employees with the exception of dock workers, who were re- cently changed to a biweekly pay period conforming to that of U. S.-rate employees. To avoid undue hardship in making the change for local-rate employees, a one- week intervening pay period will be established, January 22 to 2S. Checks for this period will be delivered on the regular paydays of February 7 and 8. Deductions for this period will be made for one week only. The following schedule of paydays for the various units has been announced by

the Office of the Comptroller: MONDAY : Office of the Governor-President ; Personnel Bureau;

all units of the Office of the Comptroller; Offices of the Supply and

Civil Affairs Directors; Schools. Customs, Storehouses, Motor

Transportation, and Dredging Divisions; General Counsel; Safety Branch; Administrative Branch;

Printing Plant and Duplicating Unit

Internal Security Branch; Magistrate Courts; and the Contraband

Control, Library, and License Sections. TUESDAY : Engineering and

Construction Bureau units; and

the Industrial, (Set page 15)

The Panama Canal Company's power conversion proj- ect has moved into high gear and 1956 will see rapid strides toward the day, about four years from now, when 25-cycle

electrical equipment will be but

a matter of Canal Zone history.

Within another few weeks the first 60- cycle electrical current generated and

used by converted equipment will be an

actuality. This will occur on the Atlantic

side where conversion of frequency-sensitive equipment for homes and shops will begin soon under a contract for which

bids were opened late last month.

This major step toward completion of the $25,000,000 project, including the

locks conversion and purchase of new

towing locomotives, will be but one of many to be taken during the next few months. Contracts for most of the major

phases of the project, with the exception

of the conversion of the Pacific area south

of Pedro Miguel, will be advertised for bids or awarded during this fiscal year. Bids for the Atlantic area conversion, one of the key contracts of the program, were opened last month with the Sachse

Electrical Company of Lake Charles, La., entering the low of four bids received with an offer of $1,243,397.96. The bids

for this project were being analysed at the end of December and it was expected

that the notice of the award of the contract would be given early this month.

Following this, notice to proceed will be

issued to the contractor after compliance

with certain formalities by the contractor and approval of the contract by Governor Seybold. Before beginning work on the new contract, the contracting firm will be re- quired to submit a conversion schedule

subject to approval of Col. Hugh M.

Arnold, the Canal's contracting officer. This schedule is of major importance in the successful prosecution of the program

because of the complicated time schedule

required for the variety of work involved. This work schedule will also be of inter- est to Atlantic side residents of the Zone

communities since the townsite of Margarita will be one of the first areas avail- able to the contractor for conversion.

Initial conversion will make use of 60- cycle energy generated by the frequency changer at Agua Clara Diesel Station. This machine will be placed in regular operation on January 3 and used until power from the generators at Gatun is available. The contract covering (See page is)
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW January 6, 1956 Crowds Of Skating Enthusiasts

Patronize Balboa Rollerdrome

PART of the crowd of young people who turned out last month for the official opening of the new Bal- boa skating rink are shown here. Later an older group of boys and girls took over the shining floor.

Skaters of all sizes, ages, and shapes jammed the new Balboa Rollerdrome on

opening night, December 10, and they have been cramming into it ever since. At the end of the month, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Marti, who are guiding lights in local skating circles, say several hundred boys and girls from 4 to 64 had tried their ankles in a whirl around the Rollerdrome's

plastic-coated hardwood floor. The rink, largest and newest of those

in the Canal Zone, is located in a remodeled warehouse in the so-called "300"

area between Gaillard Highway and Diablo Road. It is owned by the Panama

Canal Company but is licensed to the Canal Zone Roller Skating Club just as the Little Theater in Ancon and the American Legion Club at Fort Amador

are licensed to their respective groups.

Until last spring, the Canal Zone Skating Club members did their jumps and

swirls and pirouettes and fancy figures at the gymnasium at Pedro Miguel. When the townsite was abandoned the gymnasium was closed and they found

themselves homeless. Mr. and Mrs. Marti, who were leaders

in the club at Pedro Miguel, went to work

to find a replacement rink. Eventually, through Governor Seybold's cooperation, the former warehouse was offered to the Club through the Service Center

Division. Building Renovated The southerly portion of the building had to be refloored so that it would pro- vide a proper skating surface and the posts which support the roof had to be padded to prevent the skaters from hurting themselves—just in case a fast spin went out of control. Then a painting and

final refurbishing was in order but finally on December 10, the new Rollerdrome was ready. The first skaters on the floor were the younger youngsters who had an hour to whirl and twirl or, in same cases, simply

try the hazardous process of putting one

foot in front of the other and making it stay there. An hour floor show, given by skating

club members, followed. The performers

included Becky Abell and Chuck Marx,

Marie Powell, Lynne Jones, Jo Ann

Marti, Bill Black, Bill Hatchett, and

Donald Lee. Following the floor show, the officers and members of the board of the Skating Club rolled onto the floor and were intro- duced to the gallery full of guests by Mr.

Marti. Speaking in their behalf, he ex- pressed his thanks to Governor Seybold, Wilson Crook, Community Services Director, and others who had made the new

rink possible. The Skating Club has about 100 members, although an increase in membership

is expected because of the new rink. Its

officers are: Mr. Marti, president; George

Lochner, vice president; Temple Plow- man, secretary; and Mrs. Marti, treasurer. Hours Of Operation The Rollerdrome is open four nights a week—Monday, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturday— from 6 to 10 p. m. There is also a matinee on Saturdays, from 2 to 4 in the

afternoon. Children up to 13 can skate during the matinees and from 6 to 7 p. m.

After 7:30 the rink is restricted to the

older crowd. Only rink skates with wooden or plastic wheels are allowed on the floor. Close to 100 pairs are owned by the Club and are rented at a nominal fee to skaters who

do not have their own equipment. Another

100 pairs of skates will be available about

the end of this month.

Mrs. Marti, who insists on good be- haviour in any group with which she is associated, has specified that girls must

wear skirts, dresses or skating costumes. There will be no blue jeans or slacks allowed in the Rollerdrome. The boys

also come under the proper clothing ban. They must wear dress trousers, and shirts with collars. The object of this specified garb is to eliminate rough-housing of any kind. Music for skating is provided by a record player, housed in a booth at the

side of the skating floor, and relayed through loud speakers. Members of the Skating Club pay an

initiation fee, monthly dues, and 25 cents

to skate. Dance skating and figure skat- ing lessons are free for members. For

others the fees are: Children under 13 years

of age, who skate between 6 and 7 p. m., pay

Motor Transportation

Garages Begin Check

Of Private Vehicles

Between 5,000 and 6,000 motor vehicles owned by employees of the CompanyGovernment and licensed in the Canal Zone for 1956, are slated for inspection

at the Motor Transportation Division before the end of February this year. The

inspection, required by the new traffic regulations which became effective last July 1, is the first of the sort for private

vehicles in the Canal Zone. The private vehicle inspection began

last Tuesday at the Motor Transportation Division's garages at Ancon and

Cristobal. Inspectors are working there

daily between noon and 8 p. m. Monday

through Friday and from 7 a. m. to 4

p. m. on Saturday. A fee of 50 cents is charged for the inspection, payable at the

inspection point. No vehicles which qualify for base

passes at military reservations are being examined or inspected by the Motor

Transportation Division nor are cars li- censed in the Republic of Panama. The

Army, Air Force, and Navy are inspect- ing cars owned by their personnel. When cars satisfactorily pass the in- spection, circular stickers are affixed on

a lower corner of the windshield and the

vehicle registration card is stamped "In- spected." If the vehicle does not pass

inspection, the owner may have the defect fixed at a garage of his choice and

then return the vehicle for a second in- spection; as a general thing, no charge

will be made for the repeat inspection. Vehicles which fail to pass inspection will not be permitted on Zone highways after February 29.What Is Inspected

Vehicles are being inspected as to the adequacy and condition of the. following equipment: Lights; lamp or turn-indicators (these are required only on vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1956, or on vehicles where hand signals are not

easily visible); brakes; steering mechanism; wheel alignment; horns and warning

devices; rear-view mirrors; windshield

wipers; safety glass for windshields and

doors; and mufflers. About 10 minutes

is the average inspection time for a vehicle. Although inspection of vehicles licensed

for commercial use has been required in the Canal Zone for a number of years, the inspection of private vehicles is new. The provision was included in the traffic regulations as a safety measure for the motoring public and the Canal Zone population in general.

10 cents as an admission charge and an

additional 10 cents if they rent skates; for

this group the admission fee at the mati- nee is 20 cents plus a 15-cent skate rental. Children between 13 and 15 skate with

the adult group and pay the 25-cent ad- mission charge, plus 15 cents for rental

of skates. Those 15 years of age and up

pay a 50-cent admission charge and rent skates for 25 cents, for each afternoon and evening session.
January 6, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Solutions Of Problems

Here Are Urgent, Says

Committee Chairman

A hopeful attitude toward the solution

of the many problems which the Panama

Canal administration and its employees now face or will face in the immediate

future has been expressed by U. S. Representative Edward A. Garmatz, Chair- man of the House Subcommittee which

held hearings here last month.

In a special message to Canal employees through The Panama Canal Review, Chairman Garmatz said that the very importance of the Panama Canal dictates the necessity of a solution to the problems. "There is no easy answer to a reconciliation of the aims of the Canal users, employees, and the Company-Government,"

he declared, "but the vital necessity of maintaining the Canal as both a defense weapon and a commercial asset dictates that a solution can and should be

reached." "Most Favorably Impressed" The Chairman who presided at the three-day hearings and spent 10 days

here early last month in collecting first- hand information on Canal operations

said all members of the Committee were "most favorably impressed" with the operation and pride in the Canal evidenced by employees in all categories. "The Subcommittee left the Zone with

a feeling of having achieved progress toward a solution of some of the prob- lems that beset the Company-Govern- ment and residents of the Canal Zone," Mr. Garmatz said. "For what was probably the first time, each of the organizations representing

different segments and interests presented

its ideas at a single set of hearings and

thus gave the Subcommittee the opportunity of seeing the various viewpoints

in relation to each other. "As for the problem of the Panama

Railroad, the Subcommittee now has a

better understanding of the situation and

is hopeful that a proper answer can be

found. "Every member was most favorably impressed with the efficiency of operation and pride in the Canal evidenced by

everyone from the clerks in the Commissaries to the Governor. In turn, the Sub- committee hopes that the residents believe that they have the best interests of the Zone at heart and will do their utmost

to protect and preserve the Panama Canal

as a national heritage."

First Such Hearings

In light of other public statements

issued by other members of the Subcommittee, Governor Seybold, representatives

of employee organizations who testified at the hearings, and the rank and file of Canal employees, the statement by Congressman Garmatz to The Canal Re- view well expresses the feelings of all concerning the public hearings and the

results which may be expected as a result

of them. The hearings were the first of such a general nature ever held by the House

Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee which handles Panama Canal legisla- tion. All sessions were attended by ca- pacity audiences in the {See page IS)

THE CONGRESSIONAL Subcommittee: Reps. T. James Tumulty, James A. Byrne, Chairman Edward

ward A. Garmatz, John J. Allen, Jr., Francis E. Dorn, William S. Maillard, and William K. Van Pelt.

THE AUDIENCE: Zonians crowded the Board Room during the hearings. Center foreground, profile to camera and wearing a light suit, is rtenotypist Leo Harrington whose work won Congressional praise.

LATER, COMMITTEE members inspacted the Commissaries. Above, at Balboa are: J. F. Evans, Manager, with Representatives Maillard, Garmatz, and Allen, Supply Director F. R. Johnson, and

Bernard Zincke, Committee Counsel.

AT TIYOLI Commissary, the Congressmen looked over the fresh vegetables. Left to right: Mr. Johnson,

Representatives Byrne and Garmatz, with W. D. Marquard, Commissary Manager.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW Januaiy 6, 1956

DRAWING the jury panel for the Canal Zone is serious business but the three Commissioners could not resist laughing at a photographer's quip. They are, in the usual order, H. L. Anderson, G. C. Lockridge, and G. N. Engelke.

Jury Commissioners Chose 800 Zonians

As Potential Jurors For Coming Year

Executive Order providing that in all capital cases the accused had the right

of jury trial. This was not mandatory,

but before the trial the defendant was

required to indicate, in writing, whether

he preferred trial by judge or jury. This meant, of course, that there would

have to be a jury panel and a commission

to select it. The first local commission was made up of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, the District Judge (whose functions were not comparable to those of the

District Judge of today), and the Collector of Internal Revenue in the district in which the crime had occurred. Their duty was to select 60 men, be- tween the ages of 21 and 65, "in good

standing and in full possession of their ordinary faculties." The prospective juror must have lived in the Canal Zone for at least three months and be literate in English. Just as they are today, attor- neys, physicians, ministers, and members

of the military, naval, and police forces were exempted from jury duty. Also ex- empt were officers of the Isthmian Canal Commission who ranked as resident engi- neers or higher. There was no specifica- tion as to citizenship in the original order. First Jury In 1908 The first jury trial in the Canal Zone

was held in Cristobal on March 19 and

20, 1908. The defendant, charged with

the death of the second officer of the SS

Colon during an altercation on the Cris- tobal docks, was acquitted. This jury system remained in effect until the enactment of the Panama Canal Act on August 24, 1912. The act, among

other things, reorganized the judicial sys- tem and left it entirely up to the District Court to provide for the selection of jurors, the sole restriction being that they must be United States citizens. Ten years

later Congressional action specified that a

juror might serve only in the district from

which he was drawn. From time to time there were attempts

to change the jury system. During construction days, there was some feeling that jurors were being delayed too long by court hearings which kept them away

from their work and as Commissioner

Joseph Blackburn wrote in 1908, "the purpose of the United States upon this Isthmus is for the purpose of building

the canal." In 1914, Judge William H.

Jackson suggested that juries be reduced

to six members, except for capital offenses. Others held that juries were not likely to be impartial and questioned the advisability of having Panama Railroad employees, for instance, sit on juries in cases involving the railroad. Women On Juries One long drawn-out problem was that

of women on juries. Twenty years ago Frank EL Wang, then Counsel for The Panama Canal, advocated women as jurors. He pointed out that the State of California, whose codes formed the basis

for the Canal Zone Code, had had women

jurors since 1917. A few years later the Balboa Civic Council sponsored a ballot

in which residents voted overwhelmingly

in favor of the women. But it was not

until PWO that the names of women living

in the Canal Zone were included in the

jury panels. The first (See page 16)

One day last month three men sat in the airy, panelled courtroom of the United States District Court at Ancon.

There they chose the 800 sober, intelli- gent, discreet, impartial, literate, English- speaking adult United States citizens liv- ing in the Canal Zone from among whom

Canal Zone juries will be selected for the next year. The three men, who constitute the Canal Zone Jury Commission, were H. L. Anderson, Chief of the General Services Section of the Administrative Branch; George N. Engelke, Assistant General Manager of the Commissary Division; and G. C. Lockridge, who heads the physical education and athletics program of the Canal Zone schools. It was Mr. Engelke's last meeting with the group. He

will retire from the Canal service and

leave the Isthmus within a few months. The commissioners were appointed by

District Judge Guthrie F. Crowe, and the

rules which they followed in selecting the

potential jurors were prescribed by him. He also specified who was to be exempted

from jury service. By his directive the names of no practicing attorneys, physicians, dentists, undertakers, ministers of established religions, members of the military, naval, or air forces, policemen and

firemen, teachers in the Canal Zone

schools or officials and employees of the court are included in the selected 800. Chosen From 10,000 The names of the prospective and potential jurors were selected from the more

than 111,000 adult United States citizens

living in the Canal Zone. Those who sat on juries last year were exempted. Four hundred of the 800 names the commissioners chose were those of Atlantic siders, and the remaining 400 live on

the Pacific side of the Canal Zone. Each

set of names was put in a mahogany box and the boxes locked. The keys were

ssaled into envelopes and across each flap the commissioners signed their names. When all of this was done, the commissioners called C. T. McCormick, Clerk of the Court, and handed the locked boxes

and sealed keys to him. They would not

again be touched until a jury was needed.

All of this means that a Zonian's chance

of being drawn for jury duty is not too

great. There is only one chance in 12 that

his name will be among the 800 and once

in the boxes there is no great possibility that it will ever be drawn for the jury panel from which the actual juries are drawn. On the other hand, like lightning, jury service does sometimes strike twice and a Zonian may be called for more than

one jury panel during the year his name

remains in the box. No Early Juries A jury system for the Canal Zone is several years younger than the Zone it- s?lf. Originally, a capital case (that is one in which a death sentence may be imposed) was tried before a judge and

two "triers in fact" who were not necessarily members of the judiciary. Old

Canal files do not show what disposition was made of non-capital cases. This was the system in effect in Jan- uary 1907, when Adolphus Coulson, a West Indian laborer, was convicted of the murder of his wife. Coulson appealed to the Canal Zone Supreme Court on the grounds that he was not tried by a jury, but his appeal was denied. As it happened, two United States Congressmen were visiting the Isthmus

at that time. They became interested in the case and engaged a Boston lawyer to apply to the United States Supreme

Court for a writ of error. In effect, the appeal was a test to see whether the right

of trial by jury, as guaranteed under the United States Constitution, extended to the Canal Zone. On November 9, 1908, the Supreme Court dismissed Coulson's

appeal. He was hanged March 12, 1909, at Culebra, the second of the six men

who have been executed by Canal Zone

civil authorities. Presidential Ortler But in the meantime, the case had

attracted considerable attention in the United States. On February 6, 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt issued an
January 6, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

PELICANS AND OTHEB feathered fishermen swarm over Balboa Harbor during one of the "runs"

of sardines. Many think the sardine (or anchovy) runs are only made during seasons of cold water in the bay but this is not true. The above picture was taken near the Sailfish Club in July.

Upwelling Brings Cold Water Annually

In Natural Phenomenon Of Panama Bay

One of the major natural phenomena

of this area -the decided drop in sea temperatures of Panama Bay— is scheduled

for its annual appearance within the next few weeks. While the appearance of cold water in the bay is of casual interest to most resi- dents of the Isthmus, it is of special inter- est to at least three well-defined groups- swimmers, fishermen, and scientists. And

naturally it is of far greater interest to the fish and other inhabitants of the bay below and above the surface. For the swimmers it means an invig- orating swim or a chilly dip into the

water, depending upon the temperature. For fishermen it means a zestful sport

for amateurs or money in the bank for those who fish for a livelihood. For scientists it is a many-faceted puzzle of nature to be solved. And, for the fish and the birds who

patrol the bay for food, it is a life-and- death proposition. Dry Season Phenomenon

The appearance of cold water, 72° or below, in the bay is confined to the dry sea- son. Its earliest appearance over a 40-year

record kept by the Meteorological and Hydrographic Branch at Balboa Heights was

January 7 in 1917, but the average date

for the sea temperature to drop is Jan- uary 28. The duration of the cold water

also has a wide range from year to year, from nine to as many as 110 days, with

the average being 64 days or slightly over two months.

Just as the dates of its appearance and

disappearance vary widely, the sea temperatures themselves have a wide variation. The lowest daily mean recorded was

63° in 1910 and 1916, while the highest mean of 75° was recorded in 1928 and

again in 1941. While there are many causes and effects of the cold water still to be determined by scientific study, the immediate cause

is known to be an upswelling in Panama

Bay. The popular theory that the Humboldt, or Peruvian, Current sweeps into the bay on seasonal extensions northward

has long since been disproved. Oceanographers now know that this major Pacific current turns westward near the Equator, more than 800 miles south of Panama,

and only those completely ignorant of the

facts now advance the theory that the Humboldt influences the sea temperatures this far north or has any direct

effects on Panama Bay. Humboldt Not Cause

In this connection it is an odd fact that

the Humboldt Current turns westward much farther south during the winter months (January through March) when Panama Bay waters are coldest, than in other months of the year. On its journey

north it meets that warm Equatorial

countercurrent, known as El Nino, and

their merging results in various meteorological and oceanic phenomena along the coast of great scientific interest. Among

these are the wholesale killing of fish by

the infusion of hydrogen sulphide, and

abnormal weather conditions resulting in great floods or periods of extreme aridity. The upwelling of deep, cold water in Panama Bay is not a phenomenon peculiar

to this area, but occurs along much of the

Pacific coast. Available sea temperature

records over the part of the Pacific adja- cent to Panama indicate a maximum upwelling near the edge of the continental

shelf just south of the entrance of the Gulf of Panama. The coldest water sur- face is found in this area with water temperatures averaging 5° below those in Balboa Harbor. Tradewinds Cause Upwelling

While the upwelling of water causes the

sea temperatures to drop during the dry

season, the cause for the upwelling is believed to be the trade winds. In the

Pacific coast the prevailing winds blow

off shore which tend to carry the warm

and light surface water away from the

coast to be replaced by the cold water drawn from moderate depths. These facts are supported by observations of the Meteorological and HydroA LIVE CARPET of sardines was caught in this remarkable photograph. The dark section at the upper right is water comparatively free of the fish jam

graphic Branch over the past 46 years which show that the mean sea level at Balboa is much lower during the cold- water period. According to a report made

by L. T. Chapel, formerly Assistant Chief Hydrographer, on sea temperatures of Pan- ama Bay, the mean sea level is sometimes

one foot or more lower during the season of cold water than at other times of the year. This condition, he concluded, as have

others who have studied the subject, indicates a close connection with both winds and oceanic circulation. A continuous record of sea temperatures in Balboa Harbor has been kept

since 1909. The temperatures are re- corded by a water thermograph submerged

three feet to show the temperature of the

surface layer. Values are recorded every two hours with both daily and monthly means being tabulated. The monthly average sea and air temperatures at Balboa over the 40-year per- iod wr hich Mr. Chapel's report covered, showed the following variation by months

during the first half year when sea temperatures vary the greatest: Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

Sea 79 75 74 77 82 83

Air 80 80 82 82 81 80 During the last six months of the year

the sea temperature averaged 81 to 83

degrees, and air temperatures averaged

79 or 80 degrees. An odd fact is that in the 40 years of record the average sea and

air temperatures are the same over a one- year period, both being 80 degrees despite

variations in the sea temperatures. The advent of cold water in Panama

Bay brings shivers to the average swim- mer who haunts the beaches on a year- around basis. Generally, most swimmers

continue their sport throughout most of the dry season since the water temperature rarely drops below 70 degrees. When

the temperature is below 70 degrees, however, only the hardiest brave the chill water even on the clear, (See page 12)
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW January 6, 1 956

FOR YOUR INTEREST AND GUIDANCE IN ACCIDENT PREVENTION

THINKING IN THE FUTURE

The New Year always brings out its crop of seers with their predictions and

claims for looking into our future. However, some professors and writers say we

live mostly in the past. Possibly that may

be true but there is one thing sure: Our

minds are not always conscious of the

present, otherwise nature would not have

equipped us to react involuntarily in times of danger. We live mostly in the

future and our minds are occupied with what we are going to do next. It may be narrowed down to the next minute at

times, but usually we are thinking about

a more distant future such as what we

are going to eat for dinner, or what we

are going to do after work.

Isn't a daydream just a pleasant pic- ture of yourself as a hero of the future?

Isn't that why we are so taken by surprise when sudden events bring us back

to the existing moment? Our minds don't seem to be able to grasp events happen- HONOR ROLL

Bureau Award For BEST RECORD

NOVEMBER

SUPPLY BUREAU HEALTH BUREAU

CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Community Services 6 Engineering and Construction 4 Health 4 Supply 4

Civil Affairs 3 Transportation and Terminals 1 Marine

Division Award For NO DISABLING INJURIES NOVEMBER

COMMISSARY DIVISION LOCKS DIVISION HOSPITALIZATION AND CLINICS INDUSTRIAL DIVISION ELECTRICAL DIVISION GROUNDS MAINTENANCE DIVISION MOTOR TRANSPORTATION DIVISION RAILROAD DIVISION STOREHOUSES DIVISION HOUSING DIVISION AIDS TO NAVIGATION

SANITATION DIVISION AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Aids to Navigation. 10 Housing 10 Sanitation 10 Electrical 8 Grounds Maintenance 8 Industrial , 8 Maintenance 8 Motor Transportation 8 Service Center 7 Storehouses 7 Railroad 6 Dredging 5 Commissary 4 Hospitalization and Clinics 4 Locks 2 Terminals 1 Navigation -- 1

ing to us at the existing present moment.

Thus, we often tell two or more versions

of the same event, and no two eye wit- nesses ever agree on the same details. This future thinking becomes very

important to our immediate safety. As

an example, suppose you are driving a

car. If you are paying attention to the road and traffic ahead of you and are not daydreaming, you see the approaching

car and keep checking to see that he

stays on his side of the road. You see the

car ahead going your way and judge the speed with which you are overtaking it, so you can decide whether to pass it before you reach the next curve, or pass it after the approaching car has passed, or slow down to await a safer opportunity

for passing.

If it is in open country (like Texas) your future thinking is away out front.

If it is in a crowded city your future thinking is nearer, maybe by seconds, to the existing moment and necessity for immediate evasive action. A skilled driver does not have to think about the mechanics of driving because he has

trained his muscles to operate with a

small part of his brain, leaving the most

important part to look ahead and keep him out of danger. An unskilled driver, or learner, has to

give all his attention to the mechanics of driving. Thus he doesn't see others clear- ly or, if he does, his car stalls, gets on the wrong side of the road, or runs into something before he realizes his danger. Our ability to extend our thinking well ahead of the existing present moment and

back again determines our skill in keeping us out of trouble and sudden death. This future thinking should also take

place in your mind while at work. Your

skill will depend upon how well you can

look ahead and plan your work safely. Don't be like the drill press operator who

was so intent on getting his machine

started that he forgot to remove the chuck wrench which he was holding before he pressed the starter button, and

lost a finger. Or the lathe operator who

was so busy securing the piece of steel safely in the lathe he forgot to remove

the gloves from his hands. The lathe did

it for him. Another accident victim was so intent on holding a wire sling in place that he

failed to remove his hand from between

the wire cable and the box when the winch operator started to lift the box. Now his hand is crippled. Don't think

like the grass cutter who failed to put a handle on that file for sharpening his machete, then had it stick him in the back when he slipped down a slope. The worst

thinking of all is the person who says "I have been doing it that way for twenty

years and I haven't had an accident yet." He is the person the writers are talking about when they say "we live in the past"

for it is apparent that his future is very

uncertain.

It is evident that our continued exist- ence depends just as much upon our abil- ity to think about what we are preparing

to do as to what we are doing at the moment. Prepare your work ahead to pre- vent accidents. Then make sure that

while you are doing it you are also paying strict attention to your safety as the work is being done. In this way you will always stand a better chance of being

able to enjoy the future predicted by the

crystal-ball gazers.

NOVEMBER 1955

Supply Bureau

Health Bureau

Civil Affairs Bureau

Marine Bureau

C. Z. Govt. -Panama Canal Co. (This Month)

Community Services Bureau

Transportation and Terminals Bureau

Engineering and Construction Bureau

C. Z. Govl.-Panama Canal Co. I Last 3-Year Av.)

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

( Frequency Rale)

Number of Disabling Injuries 9 Man-Hours Worked 2,125,359 LEGEND

Amount Better Than Canal Zone Government—Panama Canal Company Last 3-Year Average

J Amount Worse Than Canal Zone Government—Panama Canal Company Last 3-Year Average

Accumulative Frequency Rate This Year
January 6, 1956 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. W. Schull, Jr. Lieutenant Governor William G. Arey, Jr. Public Information Officer

J. Rufus Hardy, Editor Eleanor H. McIlhenny

Assistant Editor

SUBSCRIPTION—$1.00 a year SINGLE COPIES—5 cents each On sale at all Panama Canal Service Centers, Commissaries, and Hotels for 10 days

after publication date. SINGLE COPIES BYMAIL-10 cents each 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. MEDAL HOLDER RETIRES

THE LAST woman in the Canal service to hold a medal for construction day service retired last month when Mrs. Lea K. Dugan, above, did her

last bit of clerical work in the Dietary Department

of Gorgas Hospital. Born in Norway and brought up

in North Dakota, she came to the Canal Zone in 190S. From 1911 until her marriage in 1916, she worked in various commissaries. She returned to the Canal

service in 1942 and since that time has been with the Health Bureau. Last August she was decorated by Norway for her volunteer work with Gorgas Hospital patients who speak only the Scandinavian lang- uages. She will remain here until spring and after several months of travel will live near Springfield, 111.

OF CURRENT INTEREST

Candidates For Training

ONE OF THESE six will be nominated by Governor Seybold as the Canal's representative at the Civil Service Intern Training Program which begins in Washington at the end of this month.

Six of the 17 employees from the Company-Government named by their Bureau Directors as candi- dates qualified in the national test. The six, shown above, left to right, are: Carl M. Pajak, Systems Accountant in the Office of the Comptroller; Bennett G. Tipton, Supervisory Administrative Assistant

in the Cristobal Port Captain's Office; Mr. H. W. Osborn; John R. Hammond, Jr., Mechanical Engineer

in the Engineering Division; Donald R. Brayton, Panama Railroad Yardmaster; and William A. Wich- mann, Auditor wath the Internal Audit Staff. The six candidates were interviewed by the Administrative Intern Selection Committee late last month.

Thirty-five years of active service with

the United States Army have ended for Governor J. S. Seybold; he is now Major

General Seybold, USA, Ret. The first local public announcement of the Governor's new status was made during the Congressional hearings last month when the Governor, appearing before the committee, identified himself as a retired major general. His retirement was an- nounced elsewhere in the semi-official Army, Navy, and Air Force Journal of December io. Several Governors have held the rank of Major General during their tour of duty

here, but Governor Seybold is the only one

to be given a major general's two stars upon his retirement from the Army by

special Congressional action.

are invited to attend. In addition, members

are being encouraged to bring prospective members as their guests to this general meeting so that they may receive first-hand information as to the activities of the American Automobile Association prior to joining the local Club. A buffet supper will be served and officers

will be elected for the coming year.

In November, representatives of the Suez Canal Company visited the Canal Zone. January will bring representatives of another waterway—the St. Lawrence Seaway. According to a report published in Washington,

last month United States and Canadian members of the tolls committee of the sea- way, which is scheduled to open in 1959,

will visit the Canal Zone to study the handling of cargo ships and the collection of tolls. The St. Lawrence Seaway group is due

in the Canal Zone about January 17. As

of late last month, Canal authorities had

not been notified as to how many members

would be in the two-nation party.

The late President Woodrow Wilson, who as President was closely connected with

the latter part of the construction period

for the Panama Canal, will be honored here

this year, the hundredth anniversary of his birth. A proclamation issued by Governor

Seybold last month designated the entire year as "Woodrow Wilson Centennial Year."

In the proclamation, Governor Seybold

called on "all residents of the Canal Zone

to join in this observance with the full reali- zation of the great contribution to our

nation and our ideals made by Woodrow

Wilson." He also called on public and private or- ganizations in the Canal Zone to sponsor programs in commemoration of the twentyeighth president of the United States.

The annual meeting of the Panama and

Canal Zone Automobile Club will be held

at 7 p. m., January 16, in the ballroom of the Tivoli Guesthouse.

For the first time in its history the Club

will show a moving picture at a meeting. This is to be a sound film on the history

of the development and use of the automobile. The Club plans to acquire several

safety films in the near future. These will be shown to various groups in an effort to continue the "S. D." —or Safety Day

campaign during the entire year.

All members of the Club and their wives

Meyer S. Slotkin, new Chief of the newlycrsated Specifications and Estimates Branch

of the Engineering Division, arrived on the Isthmus during December from Huntington, W. Va., where he held a similar job with the Huntington District Corps of Engineers. The new Engineering Branch, of which Mr. Slotkin is the head, is composed of six members of the Engineering Division. They are E. M. McGinnis, Otis C. Myers,

Daniel M. Eggleston, Ocus S. Kleinfelder, John E. Davis, and L. M. Warren.

In addition to the preparation of specifi- cations and estimates, the new Branch

takes care of the preparation of contract modifications and supporting papers; the processing of the technical aspects of claims; and the programming of funds and

work.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW January 6, 1956 Tireless Chinese Gardeners Provide

Fresh Vegetables For People Of Zone

Few local color slide or black-and-white photograph collections are without one of the Canal Zone's most typical pictures

a Chinese gardener plodding between rows

of beans or carrots or heading cabbage,

his sprinkling cans hung from a shoulder

yoke.

It is not difficult to get such a picture. Except during a heavy rain, there is almost no hour between sunrise and sunset when a photographer cannot find at

least one coolie-hatted Chinese watering

his bright green vegetables in one of the 14 truck gardens in the Canal Zone. And

during the dry season, the sprinkling is repeated five or six times a day. Growing of garden truck by the indefatigible Chinese gardeners in what is now the Canal Zone dates back much

further than any living Isthmian can

probably remember. For information as

to who these present day gardeners are and how they work, The Panama Canal Review turned to Harry Chan, a retired Canal employee now operating the restaurant at the Balboa YMCA-USO.

From South China

Mr. Chan, who ran a general store in Culebra during construction days and

later worked for the Canal organization

for many years, is one of the unofficial sponsors, interpreters and trouble shooters for the Chinese gardeners. Hawaiianborn, he speaks five or six of the Chinese

languages and can understand—and make

them understand him—most of the local truck farmers. Scarcely a month goes by that some of the gardeners do not come to him with

their problems, personal or professional. Frequently he makes the rounds of the gardens with one of the sanitary inspectors, who see to it that all health regulations are being complied with. Mr. Chan

then translates into Chinese any instruc- tions or criticisms the inspector may

make. Most of the Canal Zone truck gardeners, Mr. Chan says, come from Kwang

WATERING POTS on a shoulder yoke are standard equipment for the Chinese truck gardeners. Tung Province in south China. Kwang

Tung, whose capital is Canton, is one of the most fertile and highly cultivated provinces of China, or was before the Bamboo curtain shut China off from the

rest of the world. In addition to their heritage of farming

skill, the people from Kwang Tung

province have inherited a wanderlust; they used to travel abroad much more

than any other single group of Chinese. Few Are Married

Sang Lee, who runs one of the gardens

near Corozal, is a typical Cantonese. He

has been in the Canal Zone at least a

quarter of a century; he set up his first garden near Diablo Heights. When

Diablo Heights began to expand, his license there was canceled and he was

assigned to a new plot of ground just off Gaillard Highway. Some years ago he saved enough

IN RAISED BEDS, carefully fertilized and watered sometimes half a dozen times a day, grow the and lettuce and radishes of the Chinese gardens.parsley

money to send for a wife, Mr. Chan says. They now have several children. Like most of the gardeners, he speaks very

little English and not much more Spanish—"just enough to sell," Mr. Chan

explains. Only a few of the truck gardeners are married. Most of them, like Tom Kong Yu who holds the license for the truck garden near the Limits in Balboa, live in a sort of bachelor establishment with

their employees, taking turns gardening and housekeeping. At the Limits garden, Tom Kong Yu

and his four workers, three of whom were

born in Panama, live on the larger of the two plots he holds. This one-and-a-half

hectare plot is licensed as an agricultural and dwelling area. The smaller plot

gives him space for his sales store. Incidentally, Tom Kong Yu is one of

the few Chinese gardeners who may

properly be called "Tom," although that has been the name by which Canal Zone

housewives have addressed the purveyors

of their green goods for many years. Commissary Priority Like the other truck gardeners, Sang

Lee and Tom Kong Yu agreed, when

their licenses were issued, to abide by

sanitary and other regulations of the Canal Zone. They may not use manure

to fertilize their gardens; they must wash

all vegetables in running water before they can be sold, and they must keep

their premises in accordance with sanitary

regulations. The basic rules have even

been translated into Chinese for their

benefit. All of the truck gardeners also agree, when their plots are licensed, to give the Commissary Division first call on their produce. Arthur S. Miller, buyer for the commissaries, makes regular rounds of the gardens, ordering vegetables for delivery the following day. The surplus from the gardens may then

be offered to individual purchasers, although the gardeners must give priority on sales to residents of the Canal Zone

or to Zone employees and members of the armed forces who may live in Panama. None of the gardeners raise all the produce they sell from their little stands. Some of the fruit for which they do not have space or proper land, like pineapples and oranges, is bought from the market

in wholesale lots and resold at retail. Even here, they are restricted. The sani- tary inspectors ask them to buy any such

items from shipments coming 'nto Pan- ama City from El Valle, the Volcan or Boquete, all highland regions. Pre-Dates Canal

Truck gardening by Chinese gardeners

in the Canal Zone area is much older than

the Canal Zone. Early Canal files mention the $6 a year rate charged by the French Canal Company for a hectare of land used for agricultural purposes. Early Canal Zone officials considered this rate much too high and reduced it to $3

a year. In 1906, the Isthmian Canal Commission received a letter from the Wah Me

Hing Company of Baltimore, Washington and Hong Kong, asking permission
January 6, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

to establish 10 or 15 truck gardens in the Canal Zone. "The primary purpose of these gar- dens," the company wrote, "would be the maintenance and health of the coolie

laborers, but the sale of vegetables and

produce would add to the health and

comfort of any workers." The first of this chain of garden-stores was to be located at Empire, the second between Mindi and Cristobal, and the

third near Panama. The Government

of Panama gave its official blessing to the

project, provided the Chinese did not

reside in the Republic but the old files give no indication as to whether the plan was

ever carried out. However the gardens were established, there was truck farming by Chinese in the Canal Zone during the very early part

of the construction period. Oldtimers

recall that the gardeners not only

planted the seeds, fertilized and watered

the plants, weeded the rows and har- vested the crops, but also peddled their vegetables from door to door in baskets hung from the same kind of shoulder yokes as they use to carry their watering

cans today. By 1908, the old records show, there were 42 Canal Zone land leases for gar- dens in the names of Chinese. (It is impossible to resist reporting here that one gardener, not Chinese, was named

Samuel Parsly.) Stimulated By Wars

About the time of World War I, the Supply Department operated what was known as the "Cattle Industry." This

included a number of truck gardens. Mr. Chan remembers two large gardens of

this sort, one at Summit where about 15 Chinese grew vegetables and fruit, and

another not far from Frijoles. Frijoles papayas are still about the best on the Isthmus; the trees on which they grow may be holdovers from this old garden. The gardeners operated on a share- cropper basis; the bulk of their produce went to the commissaries but they could

retain one-third for private sale. World War II, with its supply problems

gave another impetus to truck gardening

in the Canal Zone. At this time, the gardeners increased both their output

Another Familiar Face Disappears

As "Texas" Ends Tivoli Service

Maybe the Canal builder from Texas was homesick and maybe his waiter at the Empire "hotel" reminded him of someone from home. However it happened, he nicknamed Edward Robinson

"Texas." The nickname has accompanied the slight, 120-pounder ever since. In fact, some of his bosses at the Tivoli Guest House did not know his proper name until just before Edward Robinson wound up his Canal service recently. He was only a "lad of 15 years and 2 weeks" when he came to the Canal Zone

in 1909 from Manchester Parish, Jamaica,

at the suggestion of a cousin who was a helper in one of the Canal's machine shops. Within a few days he had a job as messenger at the Tavernilla Hotel and it was only a few months later that he had

learned enough of the trade from some

of the older men to become a waiter. Breakfast For Goethals

All of his Canal career has had to do

with the business of feeding people. Like most of the oldtimers, he has worked all over the place—Tavernilla, Balboa, Pedro

Miguel, Gorgona, Ancon, and, for the

last 34 years, at the Tivoli as a waiter,

floor captain, and occasionally as headwaiter. For three months in 1913, he was

assigned to the Goethals house in Cule- bra as a waiter. That meant getting up

and also added to the variety of the

fruits and vegetables they grew. Today's truck gardens range in size from a half-hectare plot at Cocoli to a

two-and-a-half hectare piece of land at Summit. All but two of them are on the

Pacific side of the Isthmus. There are four gardens at Corozal, more than in any other community and

all of them close to Gaillard Highway.

Balboa, Miraflores, Margarita, and Mount

Hope have one garden each; Cocoli, Paraiso and Summit have two apiece. The two gardens at Cocoli are licensed

to the same man, Chan Wei. Several of the other gardeners are related and in many cases the licensee has relatives working for him.

"TEXAS" is what everyone calls Edward Robinson

LITTLE STORES like this one are the retail sales o

saries have first call on the produce

jtli-ts t.ir nmst i.t tin- Liumi-:.*; the Canal commisand a buyer shops them regularly.

early to serve "The Colonel" a breakfast

of melon, toast, poached eggs, bacon, and

coffee before Colonel Goethals took off at 6:30 a. m. for his daily trips "along the

line." The Colonel was seldom home for lunch, "Texas" says, but was generally back in time for dinner at 7 o'clock. Another period when "Texas" was on

loan from the Canal organization proper was during the 1920's when he was

assigned to the home of the United States

Minister, Dr. John G. South, as waiter. That assignment lasted a full year. "Texas" can't remember all of the famous people he has served during his many

years as the man behind the white napkin. Three he does remember are the

Prince of Wales, now the Duke of Windsor, and the Duke and Duchess of Yorkall "fine people." Sir Claude Mallett,-

British Minister to Panama, and Lady

Mallett were his frequent customers, as were R. K. Morris, once the Canal's Chief Quartermaster, and Mrs. Morris. Fathers And Sons He remembers, with considerable affec- tion, the small boys and girls he served many years ago when they were brought

to the Tivoli for what was obviously their

first meal away from home. He served at the high school proms and wedding receptions of some of them later and, still later, served their children when the youngsters were old enough to be taken into a hotel dining room.

In all his years of being a waiter, he

can hardly help having become a shrewd

judge of human nature. Once in a while he encountered difficult customers but most of the people he has served have

been easy to get along with. He observes

regretfully, however, that today's Zonians are not quite as polite and nowhere

nearly as formal as people were 30 years

ago.Since his retirement, he has been living at his home in the San Miguel section of Panama City. He is married and to a good cook, too; his wife cooked for Maj.

Gen. Preston Brown and later for Dr. Herbert Clark for many years. He is undecided whether he will stay in Pan- ama or go back to Jamaica where he still has two brothers and two sisters. Whatever he does, the best wishes of his friends and former customers will go with him.
10 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW January 6, 1956 Zone's Junior College Is Fulfilling

Expressed Aims, Evaluators Report

(Following is the last in a series of tour

articles reviewing reports on Balboa and

Cristobal High Schools and the Canal Zone

Junior College. The reports were prepared by Visiting Committees representing the Middle States Association of Colleges and

Secondary Schools. The Committee was

here last February and March to evaluate

the three schools for accreditation.) "Although statistical evidence is not

available, it is quite clear to the Committee that the Junior College is fulfilling its expressed aim of providing opportunity

for young American citizens to enjoy the advantages of the first two years of a

traditional American college program, even though far removed from the mainland of their homeland. "The quality of instruction is good. The rapport between students and faculty

is good. Though limited, the course offer- ings are adequate for a small college." With the above statement, the Evaluating Committee which studied the Canal Zone Junior College, in March of last year summarized its impressions of the college,

its personnel, and its curriculum. To the above, the evaluators added, toward the end of their 14-page, single-spaced report: "By now it should be apparent that

the members of the Committee were impressed by what they observed, what they

read, what they heard." The Committee on Evaluation was

comprised of Charles A. Seidle, Director

of Admissions, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., and Paul D. Shafer, President

of Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, N. Y. Both studied the "self-evalu- tion" report of the Canal Zone Junior

College, met with student and faculty groups, visited classes, interviewed the

dean, and examined the College records during their three-day visit. Each evalu- ator was responsible for certain segments

of the report, but they conferred constantly on their observations and dis- cussed and agreed on their opinions and

recommendations. By subjects, their comments and rec- ommendations are summarized as follows: Organization: The members of the Committee were impressed by the interest, enthusiasm, and spirit of the administrative officers, faculty, and students. The simple organization and financing appear to be adequate. Personnel services and activities provided for the students

are entirely satisfactory. The committee recommended that standing committees be organized among

the faculty in such areas as curriculum development and standing of students. Other organizational recommendations

included suggestions for keeping and filing student records; some rearrangement of space to provide the Dean with a private

office; provision for exchange professor- ships with colleges in the United States, and arrangements to bring, every second

or third year, a visiting professor to the Canal Zone for a two or three-week stay

to conduct a "teachers' institute." Program : The course offerings in commercial subjects, English, physical and

biological science, and social science are

strong. Those in mathematics and engineering are average. The chief weakness

in balance is displayed in the offerings in the Humanities. The library is being used effectively, and in both biology and geology constant

use is being made of the outdoor world

in both the Canal Zone and Panama,

with frequent field trips. The program

of physical education is satisfactory, and

the athletic activities are as extensive as

possible. In this field the committee made the

following recommendations: Build up the Foreign Language Department; consider

A FULL HOUSE of Deans appears here. At the far right is Roger C. Hackett, Dean of the Canal Zone

Junior College, at his right Dr. Dorothy Moody, Dean of Women, and James A. Lyons, Dean of Men.

additional courses in the Humanities:

Philosophy, logic, ethics, religion, history

of art; consider adding child psychology and other work in this area; have a pro- gram which capitalizes to a still greater extent upon the favorable aspects of the

College's location; and place every part

of the program, including physical education and athletics, directly under the Dean. Resources: The library, which serves both Balboa High School and the Junior

College, has large, pleasant and well- lighted quarters, and the librarian has a

fine professional background of preparation and experience. The collection is adequate for a small junior college and

the science material is unusually good. Students receive excellent training in the use of the library. Recommendations in this field include suggestions that: Separate statistical rec- ords of the use of the library should be kept for high school and college students;

a browsing corner might be included in the library; a library committee of three

college faculty members and the librarian

is recommended; the librarian should have

the status of a college faculty member;

the fiction collection should be increased; and some structural changes, to prevent

glare from the windows, should be studied. In any plans for rebuilding, or re- modeling, two needs of the library should be kept in mind: A separate conference room, and a library work room.

Building, Grounds, and Equipment:

The college is housed in an attractive,

well-built, reinforced concrete structure, adjacent to and connected with the high

school building. The buildings and

grounds are well kept up. Most college needs are well-met by facilities provided.

Science equipment is fine; classrooms are

satisfactory in size and lighting; the commerce department has good equipment. Recommendations are: Physical separ- ation of the Balboa High School from the Canal Zone Junior College; an audi- torium should be provided; the Dean

should have a private office; there should be a rest room or infirmary for girl students; a faculty lounge should be provided; equipment which should be acquired in- cludes a sound-motion-picture machine,

a recorder for speech and dramatics, a record player, a silent record player for the library, new maps for history courses, higher tables for typewriters; fire-proof dormitories, and a fire-proof vault for per- manent records. Finances: The financial accounts are well-managed; the administration of the

college should make certain that the needs

of the college are recognized at all times. Recommendations include the provision of $6,000 in the next budget to pro- vide for 10 scholarships. In other phases of the evaluation, the committee considered that the catalogue was well-designed, well-edited, and well- printed, and that the college influence on

the community had not been properly

assessed. They urged that an effort be made to follow the achievement of Junior College students in the four-year colleges

to which they transfer and suggested that the college administer national tests to compare the achievement of its students

with national norms.
January 6, 1 956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 11 The Review's Review Of The Year

Looking backward, the calendar year 1955 was eventful for the Canal Zone. The year began with shock and grief over the death of Panama's President Jose A. Remon. A new treaty between the United States and Panama, which would have

far-reaching effects on both sides of the border, was signed and ratified. The venerable Panama Railroad celebrated its centennial. Canal traffic and tolls reached an all-time high in the fiscal year which ended June 30. Purchases in Panama for the same period topped all previous figures by

almost $250,000. A total of 8,348 Salk polio inoculations were given Zone children and expectant mothers. Plans were announced for a unified payroll. The year's visitors included the Vice President of the United States, several Cabinet members, and a number of Congressmen. Conversion of the power system to

(ill cycles proceeded apace and the work of cutting back Contractors Hill to remove

a potential menace to shipping was completed. The Panama Canal Company faced a $25,000,000 suit brought by a shipping combine seeking to collect "excess tolls" and, during the last month of the year, Zonians

followed closely developments of a Congressional sub-committee hearing on Canal

affairs. JANUARY

Flags were half-staffed for the death of Panama's president. The Canal Company

Board of Directors met at Balboa Heights,

restored reduced rates on the Panama Line, condemned the hazard of low-flying planes over Balboa, dealt with other Company

matters. The Companv submitted to Congress an $89,305,000 budget for Fiscal Year

1956. The new treaty was signed in Panama. A seven percent rent discount appeared on January paychecks. Two large contracts were awarded in the power conversion project and Col. E. B. Jennings was placed in charge of the program. January rainfall rec- ords fell at most weather stations. The

Prison for Women and Juveniles was transferred from Pedro Miguel to Gatun. Christ- mas tree burnings wound up the holidays. The Panama Railroad celebrated its hundredth birthday. There were special postage stamps and railroad passes, a commemorative crossing of the Isthmus, public

displays, and the dedication of "Old 299"

as the railroad monument. FEBRUARY

Vice President and Mrs. Richard M.

Nixon visited the Canal Zone. While the Vice President inspected Locks and Cut, Mrs. Nixon visited schools and hospitals. Later both took a "whistle stop" ride on

the Panama Railroad. Ground was broken for the new Mount

Hope Substation, the first construction in the power conversion project. The assign- ment of the last group of houses in Balboa

Flats ended the five-year quarters replace- ment program. Representatives of the Middle States Association of Colleges and

Secondary Schools began evaluation of the high schools and junior college. Some 500 Zonians made a partial Canal transit on the ferryboat "Presidente Porras."

Lt. Gov. H. O. Paxson was reassigned

to Washington and Col. H. W. Schull, Jr., was appointed to succeed him. Philip

S. Thornton was appointed General Manager of the Service Center Division, Jack

Randall, Chief of the Housing Division. William Jump, Industrial Division timekeeper, completed 50 years of service, all with the same division. MARCH

Census results showed the Canal Zone

civilian population as 38,953, the first time

in 15 years it was under 40,000. Pedro Miguel was closed as a townsite. Commercial traffic through the Canal ex- ceeded 700 in one month for the first time.

In Washington, Gov. J. S. Seybold briefed the full Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee on the Panama Canal and its operations and, later in the month, conferred

here with national labor leaders. The annual Red Cross drive began; final collections totaled $24,462. The month's

visitors included the Secretaries of Agricul- ture and the Navy, the Prime Minister of N'orthern Ireland, and movie star Ginger

Rogers and her husband. APRIL

Vacation began for the over 3,900 stud- ents in the Latin American schools. Plans

to transfer La Boca High School to Paraiso

early in 1956 were announced by the Governor. New regulations governing home

leave travel became effective.

Lt. Gov. Harry O. Paxson left for his

new post in Washington; for the fourth time in Canal history a Marine Superinintendent was Acting Governor. Joseph M.

Cooke, of Charleston, W. Va., was appointed Designing Engineer to succeed F. H. Irwin, soon to retire. The first children received Salk polio vaccinations. A major painting and refurbishing of the Canal Zone was under way.

Contracts during the month included one

for the equipment and conversion of the Gatun Hydroelectric plant to 60-cycle. MAY

A contract was awarded for the removal

of three emergency dams at Miraflores and

Pedro Miguel Locks and the railway bridge over the old French Canal.

Col. Charles O. Bruce was appointed to succeed Brig. Gen. Don Longfellow as Health Director. Dr. Walter G. Nelson,

Chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine and Quarantine, died suddenly. The Cancer Fund drive resulted in a new

record of $17,717.65 in donations, and a Savings Bond Drive got under way in the Canal organization. Salk vaccine inoculations for first and

second graders were suspended pending advice from the L'nited States Health Bureau. Balboa and Cristobal High School seniors and Junior College students made a trip through the Cut. Another partial transit

that of an amphibious jeep —was a Canal

"first." Harold I. Perantie, Chief of the Administrative Branch, won the only Outstanding Rating. JUNE

A pay increase for classified workers,

retroactive to March 13, was welcomed by

approximately 1,600 Canal employees. A

special committee of the Canal Company's

Board met at Balboa Heights to review budget estimates. Employees and their families scurried for shelter as the Zone took part in a nation- wide Civil Defense test. The United States schools closed for vacation, turning some

6,700 students loose for three months.

Col. H. W. Schull, Jr., arrived to become

Lieutenant Governor. Neil H. Wilson was

promoted to Director of Admeasurement. JULY

Opening day enrollment for the Latin American schools was 3,934, slightly under

that of last year. All grades are converted

this year to Spanish language instruction. Transits —727 large commercial ships

and tolls—$3,398,885—exceeded all pre- vious records for one month. Commercial

transits for the fiscal year just ended were

reported at an all-time high of 7,997 vessels. New vehicular and pedestrian traffic regulations became effective. Employees were

told that a revision of the Medical Tariff would be made October 1. The Health

Offices in Panama City and Colon were

closed and the annual registration and anri- rabies inoculation of Zone dogs began.

Lindsley H. Noble, Comptroller, resigned

to accept a newly-created job in I". S. Post

Office Department. Dr. Eric R. Osterberg was appointed Chief of the Division of Pre- ventive Medicine and Quarantine. Capt. Anthony Roesseler was named Port Captain

at Balboa. Panama's Order of Yasco Nunez

de Balboa was presented to retiring Police Capt. John M. Fahnestock, of Cristobal. Medical teams began inoculating first and

second graders with Salk vaccine. AUGUST

Ratifications of the new United States- Panama Treaty were exchanged in Washington, concluding almost two years of negotiations. Some provisions were effective at once, others had specific dates, and some

were contingent on legislation. The Panama Canal celebrated its fortyfirst birthday on August 15 without fanfare. Close to 250,000 ships had transited the waterway since its opening in 1914. A ban on the sale and use of fireworks

in the Canal Zone, except by authorized groups became effective August 30. The

Employment and Utilization Division of the Personnel Bureau moved to Building 69 on

Roosevelt Avenue.

Police Capt. Rodger Griffith was promoted

to Major and succeeded Maj. George Her- man as Police Chief. Other police promotions followed. Policemen and firemen, as

the result of Congressional action, were

given pay raises. SEPTEMBER

Governor Seybold asked and received Federal funds for free imunization with

Salk vaccine of all Zone children between

the ages of 3 and 12. Later in the month

the program was extended to younger and

older groups and expectant mothers. United

States schools reopened after vacation with

a record enrollment of 6,527; principalships

of several schools were combined and the

physical education program expanded.

Hurricanes, a New York waterfront strike, and boiler trouble upset the schedule of all three Panama Line ships. Canal boarding

parties began around-the-clock service. The $3,370,000 job on Contractors Hill was accepted. During the work, which had

taken a little over a year, 2,475,000 cubic yards of material were removed. An Eye,

Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic was opened

at Coco Solo Hospital. Zone school children wrote President Eisenhower their wishes for his fast recovery. The Department of Justice agreed to represent the Canal Company

in the $27,000,000 suit brought by shipping companies. Paul M. Runnestrand, Assist- ant Secretary of the Company, was assigned

to the Canal Zone as special assistant to the Governor. OCTOBER

The Panama Canal Company announced

that it had budgeted over seven million dollars for replacement of the Locks towing

locomotives. Meanwhile, preparatory work

began on the overhaul of Gatun Locks to start in January. At ceremonies dedicating the new Paraiso

Civic Center, Governor Seybold announced

plans for a unified payroll, to be effective soon after the first of the year, and tcld his audience that the treaty required no mass

evacuation from the Canal Zone.

Bids were opened for the construction of the Paraiso High School, for purchase of the 250-ton floating crane "Ajax," and for the transfer cf Maintenance Division equip- ment to the Industrial Division area in Balboa. A pre-bidding conference on the Atlantic area power conversion, first of the

sort ever held here, took place at Balboa

Heights. The Canal Company agreed to rent surplus quarters in Pedro Miguel and Gamboa to the Air Force and the Army.

John E. Deming of Omaha was sworn in as Magistrate at Balboa. NOVEMBER

In a simple ceremony at Balboa Heights, attended by the President of Panama and members of a French Mission which in- cluded Count Pierre de Lesseps, the Suez Canal Company presented to the Panama

Canal Company a bust of Count Ferdinand

de Lesseps. Governor Seybold announced plans to discontinue bottling of soft drinks at Mount

Hope. The Health Bureau and the Red

Cross planned to establish a blood bank for volunteer donors. Bids were (See page 12)
12 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW January 6, 1956

Upwelling Brings Cold Water Annually

In Natural Phenomenon Of Panama Bay Policeman Doubles As Auctioneer

(Continued from page 5) of the dry season. sunshiny days Game And Food Fish The appearance of cold water in the bay brings another kind of thrill for the fisherman—whether fishing is a sport or

a livelihood. It is during this season that many game and food fishes flood into the bay. Among these are the corbina, pompano, snook, grouper, and snapper. The upwelling of cold water appears to bring a much larger proportion of microscopic sea organisms which contain most

of the food for these species of fish which

also can thrive in the colder water. While the cold water brings food for many fish, it also brings death to millions

in years when extremely low temperatures occur. This occurs only rarely in Balboa Harbor; the Fort Amador Beach,

however, was closed for a brief period two

years ago when it was littered by thou- sands of fish which were washed onto the beach during the season of extreme cold water. Studies Of Panama Bay

Extensive studies of the temperatures,

fish, and sea content of Panama Bay are presently being made by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, of which

Dr. Milner D. Schaefer is Director. At

the annual meeting of the Commission

held here last July, Dr. Schaefer reported

that the great productivity of Panama

waters may be attributed in great part

to the upwelling of water. The Commission is devoting much

study to the sardines, or anchovies, in Panama Bay which supply food for tuna and other larger fish. Just as the cold water in Panama Bay

still presents many problems for scientific study, so do the sardines. Among these

is the occasional "run" of sardines by the

millions into Balboa Harbor. Some associate these periodic runs with the cold water but there is apparently no connection. The pictures appearing with this story were taken in July 1949.

Scientists and icthyologists have failed to solve the reason for this phenomenon

in the fish world. The pictures of the massing of the sardines in 1949 were taken

just two years after the sardines had

practically disappeared in Panama Bay

supposedly as a result of the so-called "red tide'"' of 1947.

Employees Gave Over Half

Of Community Chest Total

Over half of the contributions to the Community Chest Drive for 1955-56 came from present or past employees of the Company-Government organization, according to figures just released by the Community Chest Board of Directors. At the end of last month the total Community Chest contributions stood at $27,152.02 in cash and pledges through

payroll deductions. Of this, $8,529.20 came from U. S.-rate employees of the Company-Government in cash or pledges; $4,955.63 was given in cash or pledged through payroll deduction by employees

on the local-rate rolls; and $179.50 came

COMPLETELY surrounded by an enthralled crowd, Richard Chesson (who appears at right in his daily working garb) tries to extract the highest bid at a Storehouse auction. He is in the center of the crowd,

in a light shirt and with paper in hand.

Most of the time Richard W. Chesson

is a Canal Zone policeman, but some times he is an auctioneer—-and a good one, too!

The Review's Review Of The Year

(Continued from page 11) advertised for soundproofing Diablo Heights school. The

Canal Zone Library opened a branch at Rainbow City High School. Deputy Comptroller Philip L. Steers, Jr., was promoted to Comptroller. DECEMBER

The last month of 1955 brought the big- gest news story of the year in many respects —hearings by the Panama Canal Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and

Fisheries Committe. The hearings, held

in the Board Room of the Administration

Building, were attended by capacity audi- ences. Senator Spessard L. Holland, of Florida, and Senator Clifford F. Case, of New Jersey, were among the Congressional

visitors. Christmas was uppermost in the minds of most employees and their families

all month and a rushing business was re- ported by stores and Zone post offices. A new skating rink was opened in Balboa, and

it was announced that the Canal Zone blood bank is assured. The power-conversion

project moved a step nearer to completion

with the opening of bids for the Atlantic Area conversion, and the first TV sets were

placed on display in the Balboa and Cristo- bal Commissaries.

from retired employees. Donations from both U. S.- and local- rate employees were somewhat below the record set during the campaign last year. However, there were 121 fewer U. S.-rate and 613 fewer local-rate employees in the Canal organization this year than during

the time of last year's drive. Contributions from the armed forces were somewhat larger than last year, the Chest report shows. These were: Army,

$6,961.72; Air Force, $2,198.04; and Navy, $1,261.36. Special gifts to the Community Chest drive during the campaign amounted to $1,979.24, and $1,027.33 was given by children attending the Canal Zone schools.

People on the Canal Zone who have

attended recent auctions run by the Pan- ama Canal Storehouse Division have seen Mr. Chesson in action and have recog- nized the fact that he is no rank amateur

in the auctioneering field. What most of them probably don't know, however, is that he literally grew up with the chant

of the North Carolina tobacco auctioneers

ringing in his ears. As a boy in Oak City, N. C, he used

to accompany his father to nearby Tarboro tobacco auctions and .in time became so adept at imitating the auctioneers' patter that he not only amused his friends and members of his family but

once thought seriously of taking up auctioneering as a profession. Instead, he went to Norfolk, Va., and

got a job with the Interstate Bus Company and later became a member of the Norfolk Police force. His talent as an auctioneer brought him

a number of private auctioneering jobs and for a while he operated, on a partnership basis, an auction lot in Norfolk. Mr. Chesson has been on the Isthmus

since 1952 when he left the Police Force

in Norfolk to become a member of the Canal Zone's finest. He likes his job here as a police officer and is a firm believer in courtesy—even when it means escorting a reluctant law- breaker to the local court. Auctioneering to him is still one of the most fascinating hobbies in the world

and, as many of the people who have

heard him at work can testify, he may

not succeed in selling the proverbial re- frigerator to an Eskimo, he manages to keep the crowd interested and enthusiastic until the last lot of miscellaneous sur- plus cargo is sold from the Storehouse

Division's Section "I".
January 6, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 13

Blood Bank To Open

Gorgas Branch Feb. 1

The Canal Zone free blood bank is scheduled to open its first branch at Gorgas Hospital February 1. First announcement of plans for the establishment of the Canal Zone blood bank for both Gorgas and Coco Solo hospitals was made in the November issue

of The Canal Review. Since that time approximately 1,400 have volunteered to donate blood. This number is exclusive

of those who have volunteered through

the various Armed Forces agencies. Tentative plans to inaugurate the bank

at Gorgas on February 1 were announced

late last month by Col. Charles 0. Bruce, Health Director, after the successful drive by the Canal Zone Chapter of the Red

Cross for volunteers. The blood bank is the result of the cooperative efforts of the Health Bureau and the Red Cross. Preparations are being made for the blood bank at Coco Solo Hospital where

alterations are being made and equipment

is being installed for a laboratory. An

announcement on its opening will be made

later. Presently, a charge of $25 is made for

a pint of blood required by patients at the Zone hospitals. This charge will be

eliminated for Canal Zone residents when

the bank is established. High praise for the work of the volunteers in organizing and handling the blood bank campaign has been expressed by

Carl 0. Browne, President of the Canal Zone Chapter. Volunteers on both sides

of the Isthmus aided greatly in receiving and processing donor cards as well as other work required.

Solutions Of Problems Here Are Urgent, Says Subcommittee Chaiiman

FIRST USE OF 60-CYCLE CURRENT SCHEDULED

(Con'inuei from page S) Board Room of the Administration Building. Other members of the House Committee attending were: Representatives James

A. Byrne, of Pennsylvania; T. James

Tumulty, of New Jersey; John J. Allen,

Jr., of California; Francis E. Dorn, of New York; William K. Van Pelt, of Wisconsin; and William S. Mailliard, of California. Staff members of the Committee accompanying the Subcommittee were Bernard

Zincke, Counsel, and Miss Frances Still, Clerk. Following the Panama Canal Subcommittee hearings early in December, a

visit to the Isthmus was paid later in the month by Senator Spessard L. Holland,

of Florida, for a personal investigation of the many Canal problems which will be

before Congress at its session this year. Senator Holland is Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee which will pass on much of the legislation affecting the Canal and Canal employees. As a result of these visits and the many

legislative matters relating to the Canal

pending in Congress, the present session

will be one of the most important in many

respects of any in recent years insofar as employees of the Company-Government

are concerned. And, as a result of the

public hearings, the average employee has

the feeling that his views have been amply- expressed to those on whose shoulders the

decisions now rest.

THE OPEXIXG of bids late last month for the Atlantic Area conversion work attracted both spectators and bidders. Seated at the long conference table at the Board Room of the Administration Building

are representatives of the bidding firms and Canal representative. At the far end of the table is Col. Hugh M. Arnold, Engineering and Construction Director who is the Canal's contracting officer. To his right, in order, are Harold H. Feeney, Chief of the Contracts and

Inspection Division; L. R. Somer; Donald M. Parr, of the Comptroller's Office; E.G.Bromilow, of Inter- national General Electric; A. J. Alfaro, of Electric Service Co.; and (back to camera) L. B. Sartain, Chief

of the Electrical and Mechanical Branch.

Seated back of them are G. V. Balbirnie. of U. S. Navy, left, and Herbert R. Knapp, Panama Contractor. Seated at Colonel Arnold's left, reading clockwise, are: E. M. Browder. Assistant Engineering and

Construction Director; G. C. Dunlop. Panama Canal Company; J. Crane; Asa P. Dartez, representative

of Sachse Electrical Company which has been awarded the contract; Donald R. Kimzey, A. H. Cooke, and R. E. L. Brown, Panama Canal Company; and M. D. Horton, General Electric representative.

(Continued from page 1) the Atlantic area conversion includes 1,405 separate items, the largest number ever included in any

single contract by the Panama Canal.

Specifications cover the conversion of all frequency-sensitive equipment on the Atlantic side with the exception of that at Gatun Locks and the Mount Hope Fil- tration and Pumping Plants which will be converted under separate contracts. All owners of frequency-sensitive

equipment have been reminded to report promptly any changes since equipment

not listed at least 90 days before the conversion date of the area concerned can

not be converted. A conversion schedule

will be announced as soon as it is established. Conversion Prices The prices bid by the low bidder ranged from $7.46 for converting bedroom or kitchen clocks to $63,223 for changing

the Industrial Division's secondary electrical distribution system to 440 volts. Of special interest to householders were

bids for the conversion of various types

of domestic equipment. Bid prices by

Sachse for the conversion of some of the most commonly-used domestic equipment

are:Wringer-type washing machine, $45.50; Westinghouse "Laundromat" automatic washing machine, $53; Bendix automatic- washing machine, $70.50; sealed-unit re- frigerators, $108.07; open-unit refrigerators, $34.65; mantle clock, $18.82; bed- room or kitchen clock, $7.46; record player, $14.60; 10-inch fan, $12.27; 12-inch

fan, $16.80; 16-inch fan, $25.43; hobbyshop equipment with T 4-h.p. motor, $24.- 45; V3-h.p. motor, $33.35; and '2-h.p. motor, $40.40. In most cases electric clocks will be re- placed and one of the specifications of the contract provides that the contractor have available a stock of clocks from

which householders may make selections.

Generally, the same will be true of electric fans since the cost of conversion will approximate the cost of a new fan. Contracts Scheduled The following briefly summarizes some

of the other major contracts of the power

conversion program scheduled for 1956. In most instances dates are still tentative: Bids will be opened January 18 for the construction of a substation at Agua

Clara Diesel Station, and to increase the capacity of the transmission line between Madden Hydroelectric Station and Miraflores. Bids will be advertised this month for rewinding or replacing the three generators at Madden Dam.

Bids will be advertised this month for the Central Area conversion. This will include all Government and domestic fre- quency-sensitive equipment in Gamboa,

Summit, and Paraiso, and will also in- clude the Gamboa substation. The Atlantic Locks conversion will be advertised for bids in February. This

includes conversion of all frequency-sensitive equipment with the exception of towing locomotives. Bids for Madden Hydroelectric Station

conversion, including installation of new

transformers and switchboard, will be

advertised in April. On March 27, bids will be opened for the purchase of 57 towing locomotives to replace those now in use. The Canal was

asked for additional time by a prospective bidder on this contract. The Pacific Locks conversion bids will be advertised in July. This will be

identical to the one to be done at Gatun. The last of the three big conversion

areas will be the Pacific side, including everything south of Paraiso. This project

is scheduled to be advertised next October. Its completion, scheduled for June

1959, will mark the end of the Power

Conversion Project.
14 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW January 6, 1956 PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS RETIREMENTS

November 15 through December 15

Employees who were promoted or transferred between November 15 and December

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

Mrs. Patricia T. Palmer, from Substitute Teacher to Elementary- School Teacher,

Division of Schools. Donald V. Howerth, from Police Sergeant

to Police Lieutenant, Police Division. Mrs. Margaret B. Zeimetz, from Clerk- Stenographer, Police Division, to Clerical Assistant, Office of the Director. OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

Philip L. Steers, Jr., from Deputy Comptroller to Comptroller. Harry E. Musselman, from Tabulation

Planner to Time, Leave, and Payroll Clerk,

Payroll Branch. Mrs. Shirley K. Finlason, from ClerkTypist, Central Typing and Clerical Unit,

to Clerk-Stenographer, Claims Branch. Warren Pitman, from Chief, Rates Branch

to Chief, Budget and Rates Division. Russel J. Jones, from Rates Analyst, to Chief, Rates and Analysis Branch. ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Charles McG. Brandl, from Project Engineer, Contractors Hill, to Civil Engineer

(General), Engineering Division. Vernon C. Douglas, from Filtration Plant Operator, Water and Laboratories Branch,

to Paving and Heavy Labor Lead Foreman,

Maintenance Division. Fred Yaeger, from Pumping Plant Operator to Filtration Plant Operator, Water

and Laboratories Branch, Maintenance Division. John E. Ridge, from Paving and Heavy

Labor Lead Foreman, to Pumping Plant

Operator, Water and Laboratories Branch, Maintenance Division. John R. Campbell, from Chief Towboat

Engineer to Chief Senior Towboat Engineer, Dredging Division.

Electrical Division John A. Barbour, from Wire Chief, Bal- boa, to Lead Foreman Telephone Electri- cian, Balboa.

Carl R. Newhard, from General Tele- phone Foreman, Northern District, to Lead

Foreman, Communications.

Harold M. Fraser, from Wire Chief (Cristobal) to Lead Foreman Telephone Electri- cian (Cristoball. Wayne W. Hatting, from Powerhouse

Operator to Senior Powerhouse Operator. Gabriel J. Bonzoumet, William J. Stev- enson, Robert C. Micek, Charles R. Progler, Lawrence J. Ryan, from Wireman to Frequency Changer Operator. HEALTH BUREAU

Wilbur C. Dunscombe, from Supervisory Chemist to Chief, Chemistry Section, Board

of Health Laboratory. MARINE BUREAU

Kenneth E. Marcy, from Lead Foreman,

Quarters Maintenance, Maintenance Division, to Lock Operator Carpenter, Pacific Locks.

Russell A. Weade, from Towing Locomotive Operator, Locks Division, to Signalman

Navigation Division. Henry C. Poole, from Customs Inspector, Navigation Division, to Lead Heavy Labor Foreman, Atlantic Locks Overhaul. Henri E. Moehrke, from Cost Analyst, Plant Inventory and Appraisal Staff, to Supervisory Storekeeper, Atlantic Locks

Overhaul. Mrs. Narcisuss T. Porter, from Clerk- Typist, to Time, Leave, and Payroll Clerk, Atlantic Locks Overhaul.

Industrial Division As a result of a wage and classification survey, a number of changes have been made in the Industrial Division. Some are promotions, some reclassifications, and some

changes of title. They include: Cyrus W. Field, from Shipfitter Master

to Chief Shipfitter Foreman; Wallace T. Melanson, from Shipwright Master and Dockmaster to Chief Foreman, Shipwright

and Dockmaster; Kenneth D. Slowick, from Master Machinist to Chief Machinist Fore- man; Harry E. Townsend, from Instrument Shop Foreman to Instrument Shop Lead

Foreman; Fred H. Olsen, from Plant Maintenance Supervisor to Lead Foreman, Plant Maintenance.

Christopher C. Bennett, Alexander Rienks

from Machinist and Elevator and Locomotive Crane Inspector, to Elevators and

Cranes Inspector; Richard H. Jenks, from Wireman Leader to Industrial Plant Electrician; Genaro Hernandez, from Labor Leadingman to Heavy Labor Lead Fore- man; Robert E. Seavey, from Gas Plant Operator Leadingman to Lead Foreman, Gas Plant; Albert McKeown, from Boiler- maker Leadingman, to Boilermaker Lead

Foreman.

Bernard F. Pahren, from Boilermaker and

Boilermaker Special to Boilermaker; Porter M. McHan, from Combination Welder Leadingman to Lead Foreman Combination Marine Welder; Ralph E. Robinson, from Heavy Forge Blacksmith and Heavy Fire Leader Blacksmith to Fore Shop Foreman; Roy F. Armistead, from Leader Molder and

Plant Equipment Maintenance Mechanic

to Foreman Molder; Ernest A. Angermuller, fiom Riveter and Tank Tester to Tank

Tester. John R. Bruland, Jr., from Boilermaker and Tank Tester to Boilermaker; Vincent D. Ridge, from Special Leadingman Ship- wright and Assistant Dockmaster to Lead Foreman Shipwright and Assistant Dockmaster; Leonard H. Scranton, from Special Rigger and Crane Operator Lea lingman to Crane Operation and Rigging Lead Fore- man; OIlin P. Strickland, from Planing Mill Hand Leader to Planing Mill Lead Fore- man; John W. Forrest, from Machinist Leader to Lead Foreman Machinist. PERSONNEL BUREAU

Leonird M. Brockman, from Assistant Personnel Director to Coordinator, Personnel Programs Staff. Archibald L. Wright, from Chief, Central Labor Office, to Assistant to Chief, Employ- ment and I'tilization Division. Richard M. Conover, from Supervisory- Freight Traffic Clerk, Terminals Division,

to Position Classifier, Wage and Classifica- tion Division.SUPPLY BUREAU

Walter Bossard, from Fireman, Fire Division, to Stockman Foreman, Commissary

Division. Leigh C. Paulson, from Commissary Supervisor, to Assistant Supply Officer, Commissary Division. Robert L. Rankin, from Assistant Supply

Officer to Commissary Supervisor, Commissary Division. TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS BUREAU

William R. Byrd, from Claims Investigator, Panama Local Agency, to Supervisory

Freight Traffic Clerk, Terminals Division.

JANUARY SAILINGS

From Cristobal Panama*

-January 1 Cristobal January 7 Ancon.- January 14 Panama January -'I

< ristobal January 28 From New York

A mini . January 5 Panama January 12 Cristobal - .January 19 A neon January 26 *Because of holiday. Panama leaves Cris- tobal on Sunday, arriving in Port-au-Prince Tuesday and New York Saturday. The

-.hips an- in Port an Prime, Haiti, on MoriRetirement certificates were presented the end of December to the following employees who are listed alphabetically, together with

their birthplaces, titles, length of Canal

service, and future address: Mrs. M. Frances Barr, Montana; Cash

Accounting Clerk (Teller), Commissary Division; 20 years. 9 months, 2 days; Canal Zone for present. Mrs. Lea K. Dugan, Norway; ClerkTypist, Health Bureau; 18 years, 1 month,

2 days; Canal Zone for present. Robnett B. Elliff, Missouri; Steam Engineer. Marine Bunkering Section, Terminals

Division; 16 years, 1 month. 5 days; Goodman, Mo.

Earl M. Seagrave, Massachusetts; Supervisor, Generation and Transmission, Power

Branch, Electrical Division; 16 years, 10 months, 18 days; Florida. Bird W. Stephenson, Tennessee; Electrician, Motor Transportation Division; 21

vears, 3 months, 27 days; St. Petersburg,

Fla. ANNIVERSARIES

Some statistician might have a lot of fun some day—statisticians being the kind of people who enjoy doing things like that

figuring just how many thousands of cubic yards of rock and earth Arthur Morgan has

lifted out of the bottom of the Panama

Canal since he has been operating the 15- cubic yard bucket on the dipper dredge

Cascadas. As he has been a dredge operator

since 1923, the total figure should be astro- nomical. Mr. Morgan, who was born in Franklin,

Ind., has the second longest continuous sen - ice of any American still in the Canal organization. He came here in 1912 to visit his brother and within a few months had a job

of his own on a dredge working out of Balboa. In his 43 years of service, he has never worked for any other Canal unit except the Dredging Division. Other than hauling that big scoop around

on the end of its long arm, he leads a rather

quiet life. At his home in Bella Vista, be

enjoys reading —especially "whodunits"—

and listening to the radio. Occasionally he

likes to tinker with watches and no one in his family should ever be at a loss for the

correct time. There were no 40th, 35th, or 30th anniversaries among Canal employees in December, so, from Mr. Morgan's 43 years THE

Review jumps to

25 YEARS And the Silver Anniversaries of four of the Canal's employees. They come from

various parts of the United States, work for different organizations, and all have broken Canal service. Taking them alphabetically, they are: Roger W. Collinge, Assistant Superintendent of the Canal Zone Schools. Born in Fall River, Wis., he came to the Canal Zone in 1927 as a high school teachei. He resigned

in 1933 and left the Isthmus, returning here

three years later. He was made a Special

Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools

in 1941, Director of Elementary Education

in 1948, and to this latest posl added that

of Assistant Superintendent two years ago. Edward J. Husted, a guard with the Locks Security Branch at the Pacific Locks, comes from Gloucester, N. J. He has held

a number of positions in the Canal organization: Seaman with rhe Dredging Division,

clerk with the old Municipal Engineering

Division, and chauffeur with the Motoi

Transportation Division. He has been with

the locks since 1952. Donald D. Jacques, a machinist with the

Industrial Division, was born in Huntsville, Ala , but came here as a boy. He worked

during school vacations with the Commissary Division, later served his apprenticeship here. He has been with the Mechanical

Division, now I he Industrial Division, since

1931. William M. Jensen, once of Carroll, III.,
January 6, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 15

is now a postal clerk at Balboa Post Office. In addition to the Canal Zone postal service he has worked in post offices in Savannah,

111., and Antioch, Calif.

All but one of December's 20-year employees have continuous Canal service, although in some cases the majority of their government service has been with other

Mary L. Clark, a native of Forsyth, Ga., now a nurse at Gorgas Hospital; Edgar F. Daggett, who was born in Greene, Me., a Special Automatic Equipment Operator lor the Motor Transportation Division. Thomas F. Gibson, Lock Operator Carpenter at Gatun and a native of Philadelphia; Lillian L. Pratt, another Gorgas Hospital Nurse

site was born in Greenfield, Tenn. and for a time nursed at Fitzsimons General Hospital

in Denver; and Alexander Watt, a native Scotsman, who is a Dipper Dredge Engineer

with the Dredging Division. The remaining 20-year anniversary employee is John E. Erikson, once of Pasagoula, Miss., a Dock Foreman with the Navigation Division.

15 YEARS

Of the 20 employees who completed 15 vears of government service in December,

13 have unbroken service with the Canal. They are, beginning from the first of the alphabet

Preston J. Barker, Lead Foreman, Water

System, Maintenance Division's Northern

District; William H. Billerman, Wireman,

Electrical Division; John M. Brown, Shoe

Supplv Officer in the Commissary Division; Albert B. Cooper, Police and Motorcycle

Sergeant in the Cristobal District; Frank A.

Hall, Plumber, Maintenance Division; Willard W. Huffman, Cablesplicer, Electrical Division; Oscar Johnson, Locks Operator Machinist Leader, Pacific Locks; Margaret E. Murphy, Chief, U. S.-Rate

Classification Section, Personnel Bureau; Thomas N. Page, Steam Locomotive Crane

Engineer, Industrial Division; Earl H. Turner, a Machinist, also with the Industrial Division; Earl W. Sears, Accounting Assist- ant, Housing Division; Leo A. Walsh, Senior Towboat Master, Ferry Service; John W. Whipple, Dock Foreman, Navigation

Division. Those whose Canal service is not contin- uous are: Minnie C. Crooks, Clerk-Stenographer, Maintenance Division; Ruth A. Fishbough, Medical Record Librarian, Gorgas Hospital; Joseph M. Kenway, Quarantine Inspector, Navigation Division; Will- iam Labrance, First Assistant Marine Engineer, USS Taboga; Walter E. Marek, Plant Engineer, Maintenance Division; Harry M.

Savage, Stockman Foreman, Commissary

Division; and Edward L. Spinney, Machinist, Maintenance Division.

Jury Commissioners Chose 800 Zonians As Potential Jurors For Coming Year

TV SETS ARE DISPLAYED AT COMMISSARIES

(Continued from page 4) woman drawn for jury service here was Mrs. Ruth Byrne. At first only employees of the Panama

Canal and Panama Railroad were eligible for jury service, but for the past several years any United States citizen resident

of the Canal Zone may be called. Pilots we.

-e also at one time exempted as were

o fibers and officials of the Canal or rail- road but these exemptions are no longer

effective. A number of well-known Zonians have

served as jury commissioners. They are appointed by the District Judge and cus- tomarily have served until retirement or

until they left the Isthmus or asked to be

relieved. Among them are Frank T. Hamlin, B. C. Poole, E. M. Goolsbv,

R. G. Taylor, E. C. Lombard, E. S. MacSparran, Ernie L. Payne, and W. R.

Rounsaville. Of these, Mr. Lombard had

the longest continuous service. He was

appointed in 1936 and served until 1948 when he asked to be relieved because of the pressure of other business.

A COMMISSARY CUSTOMER, Mrs. Edward B. Webster of Cocoli, inspects one of the two television sets on display at Balboa. Three RCA models were placed on display shortly before Christmas. Orders

are being taken for the sets which will be installed by the local distributor. The TV sets can operate on 25- or 60-cycle current and will not require conversion.

Unification Of Canal Payroll System

Will Be Fully Effective January 29

{Continuedfrom page i) Terminals, and

Postal Divisions. WEDNESDAY: Panama Rail- road; Community Services Bureau

units; and the Commissary, Police, and Fire Divisions. THURSDAY: Health Bureau

units; Offices of the Marine Director, Balboa Port Captain and Cris- tobal Port Captain ; Locks Division

and Aids to Navigation Section. No change will be made in present pro- cedures with respect to the delivery of paychecks when paydays fall on legal holidays. The checks will be delivered the day following the holiday, but the occurrence of a holiday within a payweek

will not require a deferment in the schedules for the delivery of other checks.

Effective with the beginning of the unified payroll system, the processing of final pay to terminating employees will be re- vised. Under the plan to be adopted,

final paychecks will be delivered on scheduled paydays. However, an employee

leaving the Isthmus before receiving his

last paycheck may obtain a 60 percent advance on commuted leave before leav- ing providing the employee has no substantial amount of unpaid bills. Written

requests for such advances must be made

in writing, in duplicate, to the Payroll Branch and should indicate the mailing

address for final pay. Former Zonian Corrects

Recent Post Office Story

The Review stands corrected, and by

an expert. In the November Review we said that

the closing of the Pedro Miguel post office the previous month had marked the end

of the last of the construction-day post

offices. With considerable reason Carl J. Clapp, who worked for the Canal Zone Postal

X-Ray Exams For Employees,

Families Move To Gold Coast

The extensive chest X-ray program

which has been carried out free of charge among U. S.-rate and local-rate employees and their dependents on the Pacific side since January 1954, is now nearing

completion.

All school children, U. S.-rate employees, and their dependents, and local-rate employees have now been procedded, and

local-rate dependent residents are cur- rently being examined. The survey on

the Atlantic side was started in November and is following the same order as the examination which was carried out on the

Pacific side. Arrangements ha\e now

been made to extend the survey to U. S. civilian employees of the Armed Forces

early in January.

In addition to the chest X-ray, a

simple screening of vision and hearing

ability has been included as part of the examination of employees. As announced by Governor Seybold in a recent conference with representatives

of the Local-Rate Civic Councils, the tu- berculosis incidence among local-rate employees has been found to be very low. Incidence rate among the U. S.-rate employees also was reported as extremely low as compared to that in the United

States. The chest X-ray program is being carried out on a continuing basis. As soon

as all employee groups are processed, those first receiving the examination in 1954 will be called up again for survey.

All persons now being notified of the

result of their examination and those with

suspicious X-rays are being followed in the Chest Clinic for further evaluation.

Service from 1905 to 1911 and who lives now in Charleston, S. C, asked: "Why

Cristobal, Gatun, and Ancon are not considered as 'construction-day' offices?" He's quite right. And The Review isn't
16 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW January 6, 1956 SHIPS and SHIPPING

REPRESENTATIVES OF prospective bidding firms for the replacement of the Canal's toning locomotives make a personal inspection of one of the "electric mules" and learn what makes them tick. The visit to Miraflores Locks came late last month during a three-day pre-bidding conference. The

opening of bids will take place in March. This will be the largest single replacement program for equip- ment in the history of the Canal. Above looking at one of the towing locomotives are: John R. Hammond, Jr., of the Engineering

Division; Truman H. Hoenke, Superintendent of the Pacific Locks; Roy C. Stockham, Chief of the Locks

Division; Berkeley A. Brunsdon, of R. G. LeTourneau, Inc.; and J. W. Brauns, D. E. LaPatra, and M. D. Horton, all of General Electric.

Transits by Ocean-Going Vessels service. Thev will also permit the center In November wall culvert \Q be overhauled with both

. , „?2 Jit chambers in operation. Commercial 627 63b

U. S. Government.- 26 21 This is expected to be a banner year

~77Z rrz for tourists on the Isthmus and January

lotal bo3 o57 wni be a banner month of the year in Tolls * that respect. Several large luxury liners Commercial... ... $2,709,897 $2,636,790 are scheduled to visit Canal waters this U. S. Government - 106,658 98,591 month. $2,816,555 $2,735,381 , Reservations have already been made

for special trains for passengers aboard

Includes tolls on all vessels, ocean-going and small. the f Howmg big snips this montn: SS

... ., ,, _, , T , ,

, Homeric, January 11; SS Maasdam, JanVisits to the Canal Locks by tourists uary ]3 gg Patnci Jan 1? gg

will be confined to Miraflores Locks dur- 0dofjurd and gg Fkn(j JaQ 2?

ing the next few months while the oyer- gg E g of ^^ Jan ^ , md

hau of Gatun Locks is in progress, \isi- gg m de fm J& 31

• tors areas are provided at both Gatun A„ ia] trains wi] , ,eaye from Crig_ and Miraflores Locks and both are . . , f . . -i*il LUUtil pit I fa. crowded on many occasions during the

tourist season. LEAVING ISTHMUS

The Locks areas are closed to all but

persons on official business during over- haul periods. Several hundred workers will toe the mark this weekend ready to start the big job of overhauling Gatun Locks, a job done every five years. One-way traffic through Gatun Locks

starts next Monday and unwatering the

east chambers will begin soon after midnight Sunday night. Thereafter, until about May 15 when the work is scheduled

to be finished, the Atlantic Locks will be operated on a 24-hour schedule. During

the overhaul period the Pacific Locks will be operated from 7 o'clock in the morning until midnight. The operation of Gatun Locks during

,,. r

, , • , .,, ., L. M. HKhl'.l !„ \iiiniran Bureau of Shipping Sur- this overhaul period will provide a test vevorin thf, (

. anal Zone since m:% has

' r,,v,v,d a of the recent modifications under actual new assignment which will take him to Seville, Spain, working conditions. The modifications, He has been assigned by the Bureau to oversee the described in previous issues of The Re- construction in Seville of two new ships to be built to „__ -li _-i. j ui i American Bureau >f .shipping standards for the Hota VIEW, will permit double culvert opera- Mereante Gran C^,J,L Mr. Breeco expecta to tion when one set of chambers is out of leave for his new post within a few weeks.

Canal Company Board

To Meet Here Jan. 19

Members of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Company will hold

their next quarterly meeting January 19

in the Board Room of the Administration

Building at Balboa Heights. This will be the fifth time that the Board has held its first meeting of the calendar year in the Canal Zone, the

practice having been approved in a reso- lution of the Board. Other quarterly meetings are generally held in Washington. The meeting this month is to be at- tended by George H. Roderick, Assistant Secretary of the Army and Chairman of the Board, who will preside. The attention of the Board will be

directed chiefly on fiscal matters. Principal among these will be the assumptions upon which the 1958 Company budget

will be based. Most of the members of the Board

attending are expected to spend some

additional time on the Isthmus for first- hand observation of various Canal operations and facilities. In addition to the Chairman, other members of the Board are Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker, Stockholder; Governor Seybold, President of the Company; T. Coleman Andrews, of Richmond, Va.; John H. Blaffer, of Houston, Tex.; Robert H. Burroughs, of Manchester, N. H.; Ralph H. Cake, of Portland, Ore.; Gen. Glen E. Edgerton, of Washington, D. C; Theodore H. Maenner, of Omaha, Neb.; John W. Martyn,

of Washington; Howard C. Petersen, of Philadelphia, Pa.; Charles S. Reed, of Oamaha; and Gen. Julian L. Schley, of Washington.

Year's Beginning Brings

Reminder On Income Tax

Employees who pay their income tax on a quarterly basis have been reminded

that January 15 is the due date for the

final payment of the 1955 estimated

taxes. The last date for filing final returns

will again be April 15, this change having

been made last year. This is also the date for the filing of estimated tax decla- rations for 1956. Employees will have to prepare their own tax returns this year. This is not a

local policy but one which is being put

into effect throughout the United States. Income tax forms are being made avail- able at all Canal Zone post offices and

branch banks.

Since Wendell L. Lindsey is the only employee of the Internal Revenue Service now stationed in the Canal Zone, the

Cristobal office will be opened on Mondays from 9 to 12 o'clock in the mornings and from 1 to 4 o'clock in the afternoons. The Internal Revenue Office in Balboa

will be opened Tuesdays through Fridays

with hours of 8:30 to 12 o'clock in the mornings and from 1 to 5 o'clock in the

afternoons.