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W. P. Leber, Governor-President

H. R. Parfitt, Lieutenant Governor

Frank A. Baldwin

Panama Canal Information Officer

Morgan E. Goodwin, Press Officer Tomas A. Cupas, Publications Editor

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

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

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

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

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

Postal money orders made payable to the Panama Canal Company should be mailed to Box M, Balboa Heights, C.Z

Editorial Offices are located in the Administration Building, Balboa Heights, C.Z.

c4bout Our Cover

THE COLOR photo on our cover shows picturesque

Goofy Lake in Cerro Azul, about 25 miles east of Pan- ama City. The highest point in Cerro Azul is 3,700 feet while the lake itself is 2,150 feet above sea level, altitudes

that provide an invigorating, cooling change from Pan- ama City. From the paved road that winds its way up,

the motorist is treated to sweeping views of the rolling

green mountains and of the lake.

Cerro Azul is but one of several areas of natural

beauty near Panama City worth the effort of driving.

There are others which, without the benefit of ballyhoo,

await the visitor. A few of these locales are discussed in an article beginning on page 10.

Veteran sea captains who command huge tankers are

learning more about their profession at a small, man- made lake in the foothills of the French Alps. It may

sound a bit farfetched at first but in reality is a cleverly

engineered operation that sharpens the skills of the

captains selected for the program. The story of the

school for skippers is an intriguing one and begins on

the opposite page. The hobbyist who collects objects—whether they be

stamps, coins or whatever—builds a vast knowledge of geography, history, and other matters through his collections. So it is with the collectors of bottles, who dig the

bottles from the soil, retrieve them from the ocean floor, and occasionally even uncover them at dumps. An account on the active Isthmian bottle collectors begins on page 6. Computers have been put to work to solve some of the

problems concerning slides in the Panama Canal. Start- ing on page 16 is a report on how the Canal's Civil

Engineering Branch is using these ultramodern machines

to answer questions that have plagued engineers since

construction days.

Cockfighting is the topic of an illustrated article that

begins on page 21. This pastime flourishes today in Latin

America, though it is banned in many nations of the

world. The fans in Panama are perhaps as avid as lovers of cockfighting anywhere; there are cockrings in almost

every town and city in the Republic.

Sndex

School for Skippers 3

Bottle Buffs 6

Views of Panama 10

Shipping Notes 12

Anniversaries 14

Canal History 15

Computers Solve Slide Problems 16

Shipping Story 18

Shipping Statistics 18

Cockfighting 21

hi **

James P. MacLaren displays several of his old bottles in a bamboo

bottle tree. Bottles on the table include case bottles, patent medicine,

food, gin, whisky, bitters, French mustard, Scotland beer, and other

relics. MacLaren became a bottle collector by chance when he was lost while reconnoitering for pieces-of-eight on the Las Cruces

trail. He found an early handblown bottle and was hooked!

May 1968
Esso tanker captains maneuver their precisely scaled models during lake exercises at Grenoble. The models represent ships of 38,000,

80,000, and 191,000 deadweight tons, which the student-skippers leam to command.

Photo by Standard Oil Co. (N.J.)

Set In the Jrench c4lp5

School for Ship Captains

(The following article appeared in a recent issue of The Lamp, Standard Oil Company (New Jersey) publication, which granted permission for

this reprinting in The Panama Canal

Review. ) By Robert K. Bruce "NEVER THOUGHT I'd be going back

to school on a ruddy little inland lake," said the British sea captain with a laugh. For the past 6 years he had been a

pilot for Esso at the Libyan oil port of Marsa el Brega on the Mediterranean,

guiding tankers to their moorings in all weather. But at the moment he was

taking part in a 2-week course in shiphandling at the Esso Marine Research

and Training Center, a unique institu- tion located 35 miles northwest of Grenoble, France. On arriving at the center, he and his seven classmates, all of them tanker

captains, displayed a certain skepticism

toward the program that awaited them.

After all, their seagoing experience

ranged from 14 to 30 years, and each

had established his competence beyond

question. Why, at this advanced stage

of their careers, had they been asked

to this secluded spot in the foothhills of the Alps to pilot model ships on a man-made lake? The answer lies in the dramatic

growth in the size of tankers being built

in recent years and Jersey Standard's

recognition of the need to develop

training techniques to help its captains

and harbor pilots make the transition from smaller ships to the supertankers

coming into service. In the past, tankers

in the Jersey fleet grew in relatively small increments, and it was possible

for captains and pilots to predict maneuvering and navigating characteristics

of each bigger ship on the basis of ex- perience with the next smaller class. At

191,000 deadweight tons, however, the recently completed Esso Malaysia is 100,000 deadweight bigger than the

largest Jersey tanker before her and is the first of six ships of this class. The

current building program also includes

13, 240,000-deadweight-ton vessels, with the first one due to enter service in 1969. There are few guides for handling such vessels, and thus it is imperative to give shipmasters as much

knowledge as possible about proper

handling before they ever set foot on

the actual ships.

"Before the first group got here, we

knew what the initial reaction of the men would be," acknowledged Capt.

Alf Lindh, one of the center's three

instructors and himself a veteran ship-

(See p. 4)

The Panama Canal Review
Ship Models

Perform Like

Big Vessels

(Continued from p. 3)

master and pilot. "They have every

right to question our methods and our

ability to teach them something they

don't already know about shiphandling.

I think we would be disappointed if they didn't." Capt. Joe Johnston, who played a major role in developing the training

program and who now teaches at the

center, goes a step further. "The skepticism these men bring with them is actually an advantage. It makes all the more meaningful the moment when

they discover for themselves the remarkable similarity between handling a model on the lake and a full-sized tanker at sea." There are four models. The largest

is the Esso Brittany, a 1 foot to 25 foot

scale copy of the 191,000 deadweight

Esso Malaysia. It is 42.5 feet long, has

a beam of 6.5 feet, draws slightly less than 2.5 feet, weighs nearly 14 tons, and will hold three men. Another 1 foot

to 25 foot model is the 38,000-deadweight Esso Berlin. It is 26 feet long

and holds two men. The Esso Grenoble

is also a model of the Esso Malaysia

class but on a scale of 1 foot to 40 foot.

It is 25 feet long and, like its larger

sister, holds three. The Esso Pembrokeshire, a 1-foot to 40-foot model of its 80,000-deadweight namesake, is 20.5

feet long, and holds two people.

The models are not intended as exact miniatures in every detail of their full- sized counterparts. There are none of the pipes, walkways, ladders, and

hatches that clutter a real tanker deck. The normally flat deck is broken by

places for the helmsman and—in the two 191,000-deadweight models—the "deckhand" to sit. But meticulous care has been taken

to make the models perform exactly

like the big ships. For example, the electric drive motors produce the precise

scale equivalent power as the big ships'

engines. It takes a while to reverse the engine of a ship or to increase or decrease its speed. Electrical relays simulate this time lag in the models. SimilarAs the Brittany eases toward a model of the Esso mooring tower at Marsa el Brega, its deckhand gages the remaining distances. Photo by Standard Oil Co. (N.J.)

ly, a series of relays times the movement

of a model's rudder to correspond with

that of the real ship. In all the models, the captain sits with his eyes at the level they would be

if he were standing on the bridge of a

full-sized ship. If the bow of his model

blocks the view of a buoy, he'll know

that the big ship will restrict his vision

in exactly the same manner. So detailed

is the simulation of performance that the model's anchor chains will break

under a strain equivalent in scale to that which could snap a full-sized chain. A visitor to Esso REM (For Recherche et d'Essais pour la Marine) can

detect none of this realism as he watches the models maneuvering on their 9-

acre sea. But he can sense it in the animated conversations of the captains

during the classroom sessions and at the

excellent family-style lunches served in the weathered farmhouse that is headquarters for Esso REM. And, seeing the

fatigue on the men's faces at the end

of a day of lake practice, he can well understand Captain Johnston's remark

that 2 weeks at the center provide the captains with years of additional shiphandling experience. But even these impressions in no way prepare the visitor for the astonishing illusion that sailing

in one of these models creates. Occupants of the helmsman's and

deckhand's positions in all but the largest model half recline in their seats, their

May 1968
eyes at approximately the same level

as those of a man standing on the deck

of a full-sized tanker. Seen from this position, the water stretches away for great distances, the now remote shorelines blurred by heat waves rising from

the surface. The lake's 9 acres suddenly

become the 30 square miles of ocean

they represent in scale with the model.

From his forward seat in a 191,000-

deadweight model, the visitor can look back along the broad main deck and

appreciate fully the tremendous size of the 1,062-foot giant after which it is patterned. He experiences the same

feeling, watching the gray hull of another model glide past, that he would

meeting a ship at sea. Added to his visual impressions are

the dimensions of motion and sound. The model's speed and the way it re- luctantly begins a turn, then swings with

increasing speed as the rudder over- comes the vessel's forward momentum,

have the feel of a real tanker. The motion produced by a wave-making machine evokes vivid memories of tankers churning through heavy seas. The electric motor's high-pitched whine, which

has no place in the steadily building

illusion, is soon forgotten. Another

sound replaces it, the half-heard, half- beat of the propeller. Each model is equipped with a radio system that per- mits conversations between crew positions on the model, with other boats on

the lake, and widi the instructors, who

oversee the exercises from outboardpowered launches. Conversations are

crisp and professional. Listening to them, one might easily be picking up

messages from the waters around a busy

tanker terminal. Participants in the program must pay

unceasing attention to the operation of

their ships. An Italian captain summed

it up at the conclusion of an exercise. "You can't relax a minute. You have to concentrate all the way."

The lake, shaped like a dented oval,

is about 900 feet at its longest point and

600 at the widest. It was built by Trappist monks in the 17th century to raise

fish for the tables of French monarchs, was redesigned and enlarged for Esso REM. After the lake had been drained,

its bottom was carefully shaped to form

shoals, bays, channels, and deep-water

areas, all in 1 foot to 25 foot scale. A 400-

foot-long replica of an actual bend in the Suez Canal was carved out of the western bank. Scale hydrographic

charts, used throughout the training program, show depths ranging from

250 feet in the center to 40 feet near

the northern entrance of "Suez." In

actual fact, these represent water depths

of 10 feet and 1.6 feet. These latter figures are not likely to be heard at the

the center, however, for a reason that was explained to a visitor by Joe Johnston during an early morning walk from

the office to the boathouse. The route passes a small dam built to help keep

the lake at a constant level. This summer, however, the problem was one of too little water, rather than too much.

Unusually dry weather had reduced the

inflow to a trickle. "The lake is really low today," Captain Johnston commented. "It's down

about 7 feet." When his companion

mentioned that it looked to be only

about 2 inches below the spillway, the

captain smiled and said, "We don't like to talk in inches or centimeters here. As long as we can keep the captains

thinking in terms of feet, those are

real ships they're in and the training

will work."

Equipment on the lake includes a

replica of the unique Esso-designed

(See p. 13)

•r

KSBWKnMW

The 42.5-foot Esso Brittany negotiates a difficult turn at a bend in the channel.

Photo by Standard Oil Co. (N.J.)

The Panama Canal Review
Elizabeth Robinson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Robinson, holds a beautiful black glass specimen from the collection of magnificent

case bottles found in Robinson's collection. Robinson began collecting bottles in 1950 and his parents were collectors. THE CLINK of a spade striking glass

is music to the ear of the bottle buff digging in hard ground. Carefully, di- ligently, and expeotantly, he digs away

not to break or mar the object which

may be a rare specimen—or just another piece of broken glass. Searching for bottles which are no longer

in use can be great fun and working

toward a collection, an absorbing and

satisfying hobby.

More than a dozen bottle enthusiasts

in the Canal Zone pursue this fascinat- ing activity. They are unsung historians who, by piecing together bits of in- formation on botdes, are digging out

facts about different areas and eras of

culture. They experience the thrill of finding something that once served and

lay buried and untouched, perhaps for many years. They have the fun of buying and selling or swapping their loot which may have come from the dump!

Bottle collecting is becoming more

and more popular on the historically colorful Isthmus where Spanish, English and French pirates trod the trail from the Chagres River to Panama City. Years later, the 49'ers used the same

route to go from New York to the gold

fields of California. Many tossed their empties of whisky

Bottle Buffs

Read History

In Old Glass

in the brush after quenching a tropical

thirst. Later still, thousands of construction workers on the Canal added

their depleted bottles of bitters, whisky and patent medicines to the debris on the Isthmus. Much of this accumulation of botdes which was not broken

or pulverized, plus bottles which once

contained food, cosmetics, and household liquids, now lie half buried in the

jungle, in the sea, in old dumps, and

anywhere that man paused to feed

himself and administer to his ailments. Collectors rummaging for these early

day bottles on the Las Cruces trail have

found hand blown bottles dating back

to the 1860's, and flaws and color of

several finds indicate much older bottles. Very often they pick up pieces,

necks and bottoms with blob seals. Finding one of these often gets a person hooked on bottles. More fortunate col- lectors have found valuable coins without too much effort. Bottle collecting on the Isthmus does

not involve a great deal of back-breaking digging. On weekends, collectors may be found scavenging old dumps,

uncovering jungle growths, and even donning scuba diving gear to search in the ocean. Remains of the original 25

Canal construction townsites are the most fertile grounds and have exposed

many rare old bottles. Areas such as Gorgona, Culebra, Matachin, San Pablo, Las Cascadas, Lion Hill, Nombre de

Dios, and many other Canal construction sites once inhabited by workers

have left a legacy of beautiful black

glass, clay, stoneware, aquamarine, and

other crudely made bottles. They have

been found under sidewalks, beneath

fallen tree trunks, in the water and in old bottle dumps. A collector knows

that pieces of broken glass glistening

in the distance may be the key to an

old dump and a depression near an old building may have been a garbage

dump and yield rare old bottles.

6 May 1968
Taboga Island with its historic past, has rewarded collectors with perhaps

the most valuable specimens in terms

of years. As far back as the 16th Century Taboga and its surrounding islands supplied provisions for Panama City. Galleons for the conquest of Peru were

built here and these same ships, laden

with gold treasures, stopped here where

the riches were unloaded for an over- land trip to the Atlantic coast of the

Isthmus, and from there on to Spain

aboard ship. Later Taboga harbor was a hive of

activities offering snug mooring, fresh water and supplies for vessels plying

the Pacific. Ships from many nations stopped at the Pacific Mail Steamship

Company coal houses and machine shop

and took on or deposited Welsh coal and bottles of medicine potions (some

made by a Scotchwoman there). Canal

Zone bottle collectors diving in Taboga

Bay bring up these bottles of medicine

potions, compounds of castor oil, soda water and whisky.

The soda water bottles, called tear drops by collectors, were often used as ballast in ships from England and Scotland. Several of these, filled with dirt, marine life and bearing barnacles are now in the possession of Canal Zone

collectors. Some of the oldest Taboga

bottles have been found by scuba diver

collector Sgt. Dion Daugherty. One of the finest specimens has been found

by shell-collector Elizabeth Ballerini (wife of a Gorgas Hospital doctor) on Kobbe Beach across from Taboga.

On the Atlantic side, botde collectors Luke Palumbo and Jim Collins search

for old botdes out toward Fort Sherman

and San Lorenzo. Palumbo's collection contains several handblown bottles, black glass square bottles, inkwells and

a variety of medicine containers. Bottle

collecting is a family project with the

Collins family which includes 5 children

—all avid collectors. Their collection of approximately 300 specimens includes

bottles and inkwells from many parts

of the world. Of particular interest are

several one gallon moonshine jugs from

Jamaica, France, and the United States and medicine bottles which are embossed with porcelain. Several bottles date prior to 1849, probably 1830's and

early 40's and some botdes Collins dug

in a village, which according to maps,

dated back to 1763. One of the first Canal Zone collectors was Adrien Bouche, member of a well- known Canal Zone family, who began

digging about 20 years ago when bottle collecting was little known on the Isth- mus. His collection, relatively small in number, is compensated by the high

H*i

Scuba diver-collector Sgt. Dion Daugherty holds a French ink and a Taboga bottle from

his collection of antique bottles. His are some of the oldest found near Taboga.

quality of his selections. Bouche believes that the most valuable bottles come from deep in the ground and

that is where most of his come from

—the old townsite dumps at Gorgona,

La Pita, the Las Cruces trail and the

sites of towns in existence before Canal

construction days.

A Chinese rice vinegar jug and two

lovely Chinese botdes which look like vases, and probably contained wine, are outstanding in the collection. These bottles may be an indication that Chinese

had once established themselves as merchants in food in these areas. Several old beer bottles he found in La Pita (a signal

station on the Cut), and labeled Drew's Doppell Kronenbier, are the only ones

of this type to be found in the Isthmus. Perhaps a La Pita resident had a particular fondness for that German brew

and imported it for his exclusive drinking pleasure.

A handblown botde he picked up in Boquete showing the whittle marks of a wooden mold is truly a collector's treasure. Two dog-botdes (having pic- tures of dogs) Bouche picked up in a drainage ditch excavation in Bocas del Toro, marked JJW Peters, one with a dog's head and the other plain, are more than 100 years old. In digging up these relics Bouche has

exposed such articles as old wood and

coal burning stoves, grates, coins, iron beds, springs, high-button shoes, spit- oons, clay pipes and many other objects

of a bygone era. Some of the bottles found in the entanglement of these articles have a film over the glass caused

by the action of water seepage on the

(See p. 8)

The Panama Canal Review
Broken concrete slabs near a large tree root at Gorgona have been lifted to reveal these

clay bottles which were used as a base under the concrete. Usually the bottles were placed neck down, side by side to make a firmer base. They were used also to outline graves.

MottleA Veil MiAtory,

Of 3dtitmud ana World

(Continued from p. 7) old imperfect glass. The glazed clay

botdes he has found buried deep in the earth have an etching caused by alkaline substances which has worked on

the glass over the many years.

It is apparent that a large number of clay bottles (some made by Doulton)

reached the Isthmus from England and

Scotland. They are the most common

bottles found in the Canal Zone collections. These hardy empties were used

(upside down) to outline graves and

gardens. Their ruggedness is responsible

for their surviving the ravages of time. Frank Robinson, who is with the Hydrology Section of the Interoceanic

Canal Studies, and his brother John,

who began collecting in 1950, are among the early Canal Zone bottle buffs. Their parents also were Canal Zone bottle collectors before them. Frank Robinson's collection includes a variety of magnificent case bottles, the very dark

bottles whose square shape allowed 12

bottles to be packed in a case. The

elegant large bottles contained gin from

Holland. Among his outstanding and

beautiful case bottles is one picked up

by a friend at an old abandoned tin mine in Australia. James Fulton, a newcomer among

the bottle collectors, has amassed a col- lection of approximately 1,500 speci- mens in about 1 year of bottle hunting.

His most recent acquisition is a lovely

demijohn found in the Interior of Pan- ama which could be 150 years old. His

large collection consists of every varie- ty of bottle on the Isthmus. There are clay beers, rum, whisky, gins, dogbottles, taper gins, bitters, cosmetics,

Paraiso Springs Coca-Cola, wines, blackglass, blue medicine, inks and manv

others. His favorite is the square Aro- matic Schnapps bottle from Holland. Fulton has found most of his bottles along the Canal and not more than 2

inches below the ground.

J. P. MacLaren, Chief of the Sanitation Division, an enthusiastic collector,

is currently displaying a bottle collec- tion at the Canal Zone Library-Museum.

His remarkable collection of approximately 500 qualitv bottles includes beverages, household and patent medicine

bottles from manv parts of the world

—the U.S., the Caribbean, manv European countries and from as far off as India. He points out Canal Zone bottles which are collectors' items simply be- cause they are bottles of this area' One

of the oldest is a Niagara bottle embossed with the names J. E. Duncombe,

Canal Zone, R.P. and I. L. Maduro, I Canal Zone, which contained soda

water, lemonade and other sweetened

carbonated beverages, and has a marble in its pinched top to let out a jigger

at a time. The same bottle has been

found embossed "Isthmanian Aerated

Water Factor)', Colon" showing the wide usage of all bottles for different beverages.

Medicine bottles in the MacLaren

collection bear such names as Pink Pills for Pale People, Lvdia Pinkham's Blood

Purifier, Benjamin's Lung Balsm, Davis

Vegetable Pain Killer, Chamberlain's

Colic, Cholera and Diarrhea Remedv.

and Morses Indian Root Pills.

It is interesting to note that the patent

medicine habit was a serious and dangerous one in the United States at the

turn of the century. A mother who gave

her child a dose of Mrs. Winslow's

Soothing Syrup was actually doping

the child to sleep with opium! When

our grandmothers nipped a bottle of Ayer's Cherry Pectoral for their colds, they were drinking a mixture of 34

percent heroin! A large number of these products found their wav to the Canal Zone.

Bottle collectors usually classify their bottles according to the contents thev once contained. Bottles for beverages

probably have the most extensive as- sortment with bitters bottles taking the

lead. When a stiff tax on the sale of gin and the number of pubs went into

effect in England, a surprising number

of apothacary shops came into existence

selling medicinal gin to help cure the ailments of the dav. The practice carried

across the Adantic to the United States and a new product, bitters, was born

and became very popular. More than 400 kinds of bitters were put on the market to relieve the aches, pains and

thirst of our ancestors who enjoyed their liquor under the guise of cure-alls. Many of these are found in the Canal

Zone bottle collections. Dating a bottle and getting the facts - of a find may involve considerable re- search such as writing to companies,

researching lists of businesses which

have been inactive for many years, and

contacting other bottle collectors. The actual value of a bottle is not

necessarily determined by age. A col- lector mav be interested in embossed

bottles, bottles of a certain age, color.

S May 1968
shape or height, bottles of a particular

method of manufacture, or other categories according to his whims. Collectors know that bottles made from earliest times to about 1860 were free blown, made by a glassblower who

dipped the end of his blowpipe into a pot of molten glass and the size and

shape of the botde was determined by

blowing and reheating the bubble at the end of the blowpipe. The worker

cut the glass from the blowpipe leaving a rough scar referred to as a pontil

mark. This mark is the surest sign of a valuable collectable botde. Free blown

bottles were never alike. They were

often lopsided, had uneven walls and

crudely applied lips, as the lip was applied after the bottle was shaped. Another sure sign of a very old botde is

a "sheared lip" (before 1840). The lip was formed by simply cutting the glass

free of the blowpipe with a pair of

shears, leaving the lip with a stovepipe

look. After 1840, bottle makers applied

a ring of glass around the sheared lip. Wooden molds were used from about

1800 to 1860. These molds were whittled from apple or maple wood and the

bottles cast in these carved molds have

the telltale whittle marks which collectors look for. The molds were in two,

three, four or five pieces. The glassblower blew a few puffs lowering a

glass lump into the hollow mold and

then continued blowing into the tube

until the glass was forced against the

sides of the mold. Raised letters were

whittled in the molds and the molten

glass took the shape of the container. Ninety percent of the botdes made

before 1904 were not embossed. Before

the Civil War, instructions for taking a medicine or the name of a firm was

written on a piece of paper and tied to the neck of the bottle. Molds were replaced by semi-automatic machines and then in 1903 an

automatic botde-making machine came

into existence. But it was 10 years before machinery replaced hand blown

mass production of botdes. The fascination of searching for these

bottles that reveal what our Isthmian

forefathers drank, ate, and used to cure

their ailments, has captured the fancy

of several other Canal Zone collectors such as, Alwyn Sprague, Carl Glass,

Kenneth Manthorne, A] Chandler,

Robert Stewart, Edward McFarland,

Charles Rheberg, Gustave Bliss, Karl Longley, Lois Harrison, and Judy

Williams.

Bliss, who is with the 352d, U.S. Army

Aviation Detachment at Fort Clayton, has found the subject of glass recovered on the Isthmus so intriguing that he

is writing a historical narrative with

pictorial views of the botdes found in the Canal Zone and vicinity. Bliss'

efforts are sure to be invaluable to future collectors and historians.

Pati and Doree MacLaren hold an early French wine bottle found underground along the Las Cruces trail. The assortment of bottles in

front includes "tear drops," round bottom sodas, French champagnes, laboga dark glass, food, beverages, and medicine bottles.

The Panama Canal Review 9
Vistas Abound

/nPanama s

Countryside

UNSUSPECTED NATURAL beauties

lie within easy distance off Panama's main highway.

Picturesque towns and sights abound,

to be sure, along the Inter-American

Highway from the boundary with Costa

Rica to Chepo, 37 miles east of Panama

City. But for the motorist willing to exert a little effort, the reward can be

an unforgettable sight or spot. A dirt, gravel or macadam road

branching off the pavement usually

leads to such a reward.

Goofy Lake in Cerro Azul, El Chorro

in La Chorrera, and La Angostura in Penonome are three examples of spectacularly beautiful places off the beaten

path. Cerro Azul is 25 miles east of Panama

City, an hour's drive. The turn-off is roughly midway on the road between

Tocumen Airport and Pacora. The development started in 1943

when Juan Euribiades Jimenez, a prominent Panama City businessman, pur- chased a 3,000-hectare (7,500 acres)

tract. He became interested in the place

when he was told by a visiting German

urbanization expert that an area with

Alpine climate lay close to the capital

city and would provide an ideal de- velopment area. Later a road was built from the Pacora Highway to Cerro

Azul. The name, incidentally, was

inspired by the Blue Ridge Mountains

in Virginia.

When Jimenez purchased the land, there was no lake. About 3 years after he acquired the property, he was on

a hunting trip with a guide from the area and they came onto a marshv

valley. The guide told him the area

flooded during the rainy season, be- coming a lagoon. He said he was

sure if a retaining wall were built, the waters would be trapped and a year-round lake would be formed.

That's how Goofy Lake was conceived. Jimenez decided to tackle the project.

A Panamanian engineering firm drew

La Angostura, a miniature Grand Canyon, is approximately 100 miles from Panama City on the road between Penonome and La Pintada, in Cocle Province. It is one of the most

scenic spots in Panama's interior but is known by few Americans.

the plans and carried out the construction of the dam, which is a terraced dirt structure with a rock reinforcement in the middle.

Friends called Jimenez "gufy" (a

phonetic Spanish adaptation of "goofy"), he recalls now, "so I decided that

if I was goofy, then it should be called Goofy Lake."

The project was begun in 1945 and

the lake was ready in 1950. "The wall is still there," Jimenez

says with a smile.

Goofy Lake covers 25 hectares (62.5

acres) and its average depth is 33 feet.

It is 2,150 feet high (the highest point

in Cerro Azul is 3,700 feet). Shortly after the lake was ready,

Jimenez had it stocked with 200 bigmouth bass which he imported from the United States by air. To feed the bass, he later put in bluegill which he obtained locally. Anglers who visit Goofy

Lake now catch the descendants of the

original 200 big-mouth bass. Today, scores of families have per-

%^^

.

•'•-' -

Beautiful homes have been built in Cerro Azul, from where residents commute the 25 miles

to their places of work in Panama City.

10 May 1968
Scenery Charms Motorists

inanent or weekend homes in Cerro

Azul. The possibilities for the future are promising. Two large coffee plantations are flourishing in Cerro Azul. One,

owned by Agro, S.A., a firm established with U.S. capital, has 128,000 coffee

trees growing and is planting 100,000 more in May. Pastures already are being developed for cattle raising.

Five thousand acres are still to be

developed.

The time will come, Jimenez is

confident, when the long-planned road

connecting Cerro Azul and Mandinga,

on the San Bias Indian Reservation on

the Atlantic mainland, will be a reality.

When that happens, he says, Cerro Azul

will be the ideal place for a first-class

tourist resort. Already there is a project

for a motel atop Cerro Jefe, the highest

point in the area.

In the opposite direction-west of Panama City-is La Chorrera, a thriving

town only 25 miles from the capital.

The route to El Chorro (literally The

Gush) traverses the central part of the town, on the outskirts of which it be- comes a hard-packed dirt road leading

directly to the edge of the falls, about

15 minutes by car.

At this spot, the Caimito River falls 33 feet into a natural pool 130 by 195

feet and 14 feet deep. At their widest

point, the falls measure approximately

65 feet. Some of the natural charm of the spot has been marred by the intrusion of progress-a small power generating

plant that combines hydroelectric and

thermic installations. But it still is a

natural beauty worth seeing.

La Angostura (literally The Narrowness) is different from El Chorro in a breath-taking way. It can be likened to

a miniature Grand Canyon.

The spot is approximately 100 miles southwest from the capital on the road

between Penonome and La Pintada,

two of the most attractive towns in Panama's interior. La Pintada, incidentally, is famous for its hand-woven

"montuno" hats. The mile-long detour to La Angostura

requires very slow driving (in the dry

season, a grader usually levels the dirt road). Or you can walk in. Whichever

way is used, the trouble is well worth it. The Panama Canal Review asked

one of Penonome's outstanding citizens,

Sr. Simeon Conte, who is well known

as a writer, for a description of the

place. This is what he wrote: "The Zarati River springs from the Isthmian Andes, north of Penonome, in the Trinity Mountain in Capira district. At Penonome, where it turns into a gi- gantic horizontal 'S,' the river rushes southward into the strangling walls of La Angostura.

"La Angostura is a rocky canyon

about 1 mile long that narrows at the bottom from 10 feet to 3 feet. It is_a scant 3 miles from Penonome, on the

left from the road linking Penonome

and La Pintada.

"According to 'The Ancient Civiliza- tions of the New World,' written by

North American archaeologist A. Hyatt

Veryll around 1924, the Guacamaya

Mountain, which towers over the south- em of horizon of Penonome and La Pintada, was an active volcano about 4,000

years ago. The author is of the opinion

that the Guacamaya's eruptions account

for the present topographic features of certain areas in Code Province. "Be that as it may, La Angostura is one of the most scenic spots in the interior of the country. The Zarati River

flows between huge rocks marked by

projections so precise in their geometric

profiles that they strike the viewer as having been chiseled by man himself. On sunny afternoons, the falling water and its curtain of mist glisten with the polichromy of the rainbow.

"The place is romantic and evocative. 'Penonomenos' of all times have made

it a favorite spot and by the banks of the foamy torrent many maids have

murmured 'yes' to the suitors who

became their husbands.

"At sunset, the panorama in La Angostura becomes extraordinarily beautiful. The sun, dipping behind the Guacamaya peak, throws its dying rays

into the torrent itself, piercing the length

of the canyon and casting about

tonalities of incredible beauty.

"One lives a moment of poetn' in the brief twilight.

"At the peak of the dr, season, in April, the charm of La Angostura is at

its best. The river, running low, hurls

itself into a hole carved in the rock over

the centuries and gushes out from a lower opening in the rock.

"That is La Angostura—a song of water flowing from an impressive rocky- throat."

Chorrera Falls has been a favorite swimming hole for generations of Panamanians. Here,

the Caimito River plunges 33 feet into a natural pool.

The Panama Canal Review 11
New Maersk

SH

Freighter

THE MAERSK Line's newest cargo

ship, the Cornelia Maersk, a blue-hulled

addition to the Maersk fleet, is arriving

in Balboa the first part of June on her second visit to the Canal after making

her maiden voyage to the Far East via New York and the east coast of the United States. The 11,000 deadweight

ton ship is the second in a seven-vessel

series of new Maersk line ships, three

of which are being built in Bergen,

Norway, and two others in Sweden.

Very highly automated, the Cornelia

Maersk can sail with an unmanned en- gineroom while the main engine is controlled from the bridge. All instru- ments and controls are centralized in an

insulated, air-conditioned control room

on the third deck.

C. B. Fenton and Company, which

handles the Maersk Line at the Canal,

announced that the Cornelia would join the Maersk Line services between east- em Canada, U.S. ports on the Atlantic and Pacific, the Far East and Southeast Asia. These services are being

maintained by 16 to 18 vessels at the present time. New Lykes Liner

THE NEW $12 million SS Letitia

Ltjkes, a highly automated Gulf Clip- per added recently to the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company fleet, passed

through the Canal in February on her

maiden voyage from the U.S. gulf to

U?ING

ports in Japan, Korea, Okinawa, For- mosa and Hong Kong. She is the 32d new ship to join the Lykes Line fleet

in the company's fleet replacement pro- gram which will ultimately cost an

estimated half billion dollars. The Letitia replaces a new ship of the same name which was battered and sunk by

hurricane Betsy in 1965 while outfitting

in New Orleans. According to an article in Brandon's

(See p. 14)

Capt. R. J. Wesley, President of the Canal Zone Pilots' Association, right, presents Commodore George Campbell of the Shaw

Savill Line, an honorary membership in the Canal Zone Pilots' Association. The

Commodore, who will retire when the SS

Gothic returns to England, also received a Panama Canal Honorary Marine License from Capt. A. L. Gallin, Panama Canal Navigation Director, left. The framed copy

of the license is held by Mrs. Campbell.

The ceremony took place on the bridge of the Gothic as it passed through the Pan- ama Canal recently. Commodore Campbell

joined the Shaw Savill Line in 1927. His

first command was the Samsylvan.

^966
Skippers Shun Klaxon Sound

(Continued from p. 5)

bow-mooring tower at Marsa el Brega.

A mooring buoy, held in place by an- chors buried in the lake bottom, floats a short distance away. Such devices, located in deep water several miles from

shore, are becoming more and more common as tanker size increases. Ships

are held by mooring lines led out from

the bow and are free to swing 360 degrees to allow for wind and current variations. Tankers using bow moorings

generally load or discharge their cargoes through floating hoses connected to submarine pipelines.

A floating pier, held by one anchor

to permit it to swing with the wind, is used to simulate ship-to-ship berthing.

The need for ships to tie up alongside one another in open water is rare but

occasionally occurs when a very large tanker must pump part of its cargo into a smaller ship before the former can

enter a relatively shallow harbor. A similar pier, this one immobile,

provides experience in putting a ship

alongside a dock. Traffic lights at each

end are wired to shock-measuring devices on the fendering system of the

pier. If a captain brings his model alongside as he should, the lights stay off. If he gives the dock a gentle nudge, the green light goes on. A harder jolt results

in a yellow light and tells him that a

full-sized pier would have been damaged. When the red light goes—accompanied by a nerve-shattering klaxonhe can be thankful strength of the dock

isn't in scale to that of an actual one. The

red light means he probably would

have demolished the dock under nor- mal circumstances. The klaxon seldom

sounds, incidentally.

Also on the lake are two conventional

sea berths. These consist of three buoys

arranged in a semicircle. To moor, a ship must drop both anchors, then back

toward the buoys, paying out anchor

chain as it goes, until mooring wires can be carried from the ship's stern to the

buoys. The mooring wires at the stern and anchors at the bow hold the ship

in a fixed position during the transfer

of cargo. The experience of two members of a recent training group at one of the

sea berths helps illustrate the accuracy

with which the models simulate actual

conditions. One captain, a Frenchman,

commands a 697-foot tanker of conventional design. The ship's bridge is loc- ated atop a midships house, roughly

halfway between bow and stern. The

other captain is an American who is master of an "ail-aft" tanker. In this design, which has grown in popularity

during the last 5 years, there is no midships house. The bridge sits atop the "afterhouse" on the ship's stern, which

has been heightened by two decks to hold the accommodations formerly loc- ated amidships. Although the American's tanker is only 100 feet longer than

that of his French colleague, he looks down from the bridge on 600 feet of

The lily-pond stillness of this lake may not look much like an ocean but the captains being

trained here are impressed with how much they learn in the lake about ship handling.

Photo by Standard Oil Co. (N.J.)

main deck. The French captain sees

less than half as much.

During their work at the sea berth,

in a model of the ail-aft Esso Malaysia,

the French master consistently went too

far into the berth before dropping his anchors. The American, accustomed to gaging distances from a point far back

from his ship's bow, had little diffi- culty, even though he had never seen

a full-sized sea berth and the real Esso Malaysia is 265 feet longer than

his own ship.

The story—and the fact the French- man mastered the maneuver before

his 2-week stay ended—also demonstrates the primary reason whv Esso REM exists. The construction and maintenance of the training center and its facilities were entrusted to Sogreah, a worldrenowned hydraulic research companv

which has its base in Grenoble. Sogreah

(an acronym for Societe Grenobloise

d'Etudes et d'AppIications Hvdrauliques) is no stranger to the Jersey organization, nor, indeed, is the concept of using scaled-down tankers to simulate

actual operating conditions. In 1959 the companv was contemplating construction of its first 80,000-

deadweight tankers. Since the vessels represented, at the time, a significant increase in size over existing tankers, there was a question regarding their

ability to negotiate such restricted waterways as the Suez Canal. To deter- mine how manageable the new ships

would be, Jersey contracted with So- greah to construct a scale-model bend

of the Suez and a self-propelled model

of the proposed tankers. A specially trained Sogreah engineer, his eyes where those of the ship's captain would

be, piloted the model tanker through

the model canal again and again.

Wind direction and speed, water depth,

current, all were in exact proportion. Test results showed the new design

to be a fine-handling ship. The tankers were built and, on subsequent vovages through the Suez, confirmed

the remarkable accuracy with which

their handling characteristics had been

reproduced at Grenoble.

Although no one knew at the time, the existence of the world's most unusual marine training center had been

assured and, with it, the continued

safetv and efficiency that have alwavs

characterized the operation of Jersey's tanker fleet.

The Panama Canal Review 13
ANNIVERSARIES

(On the basis of total Federal Service)

CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Clarence W. Marshall Detention Guard

MARINE BUREAU

Kenneth L. Jamieson Truck Driver

ENGIN TION

Carlol Machine

C. C. Critc Motor Launch Operator John A. Everson

General Foreman Electrician

HEALTH BUREAU

Percival L. McDonald

Hospital Attendant

(Continued from p. 12)

Shipper and Forwarder, the Letitia Lykes and her sister ships are the largest cargo vessels ever built in New Orleans,

as well as the largest and fastest ships ever to join the Lykes fleet. They have

a deadweight of 14,000 tons, a cargo

capacity of 750,000 cubic feet and a speed in excess of 20 knots. The cargo

transports are completely air-conditioned, have accomodations for four pas- sengers and are equipped with the

latest and finest cargo handling and

stowing quipment available.

P & O. Cruises

TWO OF the largest of the P & O

passenger ships arrived at the Canal

during April from the west coast of the United States on 3-month cruises, one

called Springtime, the other Jolly Swagman. They were the superliner Oriana

and the 45,000-ton Canberra with more

than 1,800 passengers each. The Oriana

arrived April 6 and the Canberra April

27. Both docked in Balboa and Cristobal and left for Europe including England, France, Spain and Portugal. On

the homeward voyage around the Cape

of Good Hope and across the Indian

Ocean to Australia, the Orianas springtime itinerary includes calls at Sydney,

Auckland, Suva, and Honolulu. The

Canberra is following a similar schedule

but the passengers are being offered

optional tours to South Africa and to the Australian Outback. Norton Lilly

represent the line at the Canal.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

DIVISION

Ralph F. L. Blades Photocopying-Equipment Operator

Arnold W. Marshall Clerk-Photography

MARINE BUREAU

Aston T. Greene

Oiler-Floating Plant

Ernest B. Rainier Captain of the Port

Richard T. Baltozer Leader Lock Operator-Machinist

Richard C. Sergeant

Captain of the Port Rudolph Young

Asphalt or Cement Worker

COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE

Daile D. Keigley

Supervisory Staff Accountant

ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

Glenn H. Burdick

Administrative Officer Adan Castillo Lead Foreman-Paver

Dproteo Hernandez

Paver German C. Lambridge

Maintenanceman-Distri Norman S. Lewis

Boilermaker Frank G. Layne

Helper Electrician

Aston S. Smith

Electrician— Lineman

Richard A. Armstrong

Helper Central Office Repairman

Arthur W. Davis

Carpenter

Miguel De la Rosa Seaman

Ira M. Payne

Construction Inspector—General

Luis Sam

Electrician—Lineman

Arthur B. Butcher

Boiler Tender-High Pressure Enrique Charles Oiler— Floating Plant

Joseph M. Evelyn

Helper Machinist—Maintenance

Cleofas Gomez O. Winchman

SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

John E. Hogan

Supervisory Supply Clerk Arthur Hilton Leader Milk Plant Worker

Arthur W. Smith

Supervisory General Supply Specialist

L. M. Elliott Laborer Ephraim R. Innis Guard

F. D. Stewart Lead Foreman Laborer-Cleaner

TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS

BUREAU

Benjamin S. Shoy

Cargo Checker

Herman J. Feurtado Time and Leave Supervisor

Juan R. Griffin Bus Service Inspector

juries

AFFAIRS BUREAU

Lillian R. Gibson

Teacher—Elementary L.A. Schools

Hamilton H. Lavalas

Junior High Teacher. L.A. Schools

Clyde E. Thomas

Detention Guard

Alfred A. Douglas

Clerk George A. Martin

Police Captain

Howard J. Toland

Police Sergeant

Erell C. Alexis Detention Guard

HEALTH BUREAU

Pedro Vasquez

Leader Exterminator

Iris A. Crichlow

Nursing Assistant— Medicine and

Surgery

Eric A. Edwards

Diet Cook

14 May 1968
CANAL HISTORY

50 yearJ c4go

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES in the Canal

Zone 50 years ago were geared to the war effort and the Committee for the War Fund of the American Red Cross sponsored its first entertainment trip

through the Canal April 28, from Cris- tobal to Balboa. Lady Mallet, wife of the British Minister in Panama and

founder of the Panama Red Cross,

made an urgent call for books and magazines for wounded New Zealand sol- diers who were to transit the Canal

aboard a hospital ship.

An item in the local press said that due to increased requirements of the

U.S. Government, prices of tobacco

and cigarettes went "sky high" in the commissaries and clubhouses and no more of a popular chewing tobacco,

would be shipped to the Isthmus for the remainder of the war. According

to the Panama Canal Record, wheadess

Mondays established March 18 in the Canal Zone, produced a 31 percent re- duction in the consumption of flour in

1 month.

A news item in the Star and Herald,

May 7, stated 21 members of The Incas, the oldest society in the Canal Zone,

composed of "oldtimers" who came to work for the Canal within 3 months

after the purchase of the French Canal

properties, celebrated their 14th annual

banquet at the Century Club. The menu

included such delicacies as canape of caviar Romanoff, broiled spring chicken,

and other gourmet delights. •

According to the Panama Canal Record, the construction of the nurses' home, Colon Beach, was completed

during the month of May by the Construction Division and turned over to the Health Department. • The Colon correspondent reported

that residents of Gatun were scared by

a queer looking object on horseback

which turned out to be a policeman

wearing a blue veil as a protection

against the hordes of mosquitos that come out at the beginning of rainy

season.

25 tyeari c4go

THE CANAL ZONE traffic laws and

regulations were amended April 1, 1943, making effective on April 15 a change from left-hand to right-hand

driving on Canal Zone streets and high- ways. The change was made simultane- ous with that in the Republic of Pan- ama. The accepted explanation of the

origin of left-hand driving on the Isth- mus is that it was established by Brit- ish West Indian carnage drivers who

Two motorists stop for a chat on Gaillard Highway on the approach to Pedro Miguel

in 1917. Notice that the road was much narrower then but traffic was lighter and the pace

of the motorist, perhaps life in general, was more leisurely.

came to the Isthmus in early construction days. •

Coincident with the establishment of right-hand driving in the Canal Zone

and Panama, the Trans-Isthmian Highway linking the two terminal areas of the Canal was officially opened to the

public April 15, 1943.

A messenger at the Balboa Heights

Administration Building, Hopeton

Simms, claimed to be the first cyclist to cross the Isthmus on the new Trans- Isthmian Highway. He made it in 2 hours and 45 minutes, according to an item which appeared in the

local press. • More than $1 million was invested

in War Bonds by Canal Zone buyers

during April and total sales reached

$12 million as of May 11, 1943.

10 yearJ c4ao

A THREE-SPAN arch truss type bridge

design submitted by Sverdrup & Parcel Engineering Co. of St. Louis, was se- lected for the permanent Canal crossing

after preliminary designs for the bridge were reviewed by the Board of Consultants here April 10, 1958.

An emergency repair job on approx- imatey 8,000 sq. ft. of floor slab in the

east chamber of Pedro Miguel Locks

curtailed transit operations for the first time in 44 years of Canal operations

10 years ago. •

Domestic conversion to 60-cycle cur- rent began on the Pacific side and the Central Labor Office Branch of the Personnel Bureau moved from Building

69 to Ancon.

One year cAao

APRIL 1967 was another record month

for Panama Canal traffic with a daily average of 39.6 ships passing from

ocean-to-ocean.

A May 1 report on the Cut widening

project which had been underway for a litde over 3 months showed that ap- proximately 400,000 cubic yards of Zone 1 (above elevation 95) material had been removed by the Foster Construction Company.

The Panama Canal Review 15
Computers Give Answers

To Canal Slide Problems

ONE OF man's newest technical tools —the computer—is now being used to solve one of the oldest problems of the Panama Canal—slides. The results are greater safety and economy for the Canal. Landslides have long been one of the most vexing of engineering problems.

The Panama Canal made world headlines because of the disastrous slides which delayed construction at a cost of millions of dollars and even closed the Canal after it was opened to traffic. Stability of the channel slopes still requires the constant attention of engineers

and geologists.

Laymen may justifiably wonder why

engineers have been unsuccessful so often in designing excavation slopes or building embankments safe against

sliding. The collapse of a building or

a bridge is a rare occurrence compared

with the frequency of landslides. The

basic reasons are simple.

The designer of a steel bridge knows

a great deal about his construction material. He knows how strong the steel

is and how much it will bend or stretch under the weight it must bear. Also, the

properties of steel are constant because

it is man-made; its manufacture is closely controlled and the final product,

in the form of beams or girders, is inspected and tested before the structure

is built. But the engineer who designs a structure of soil or rock, such as a dam

or a railroad embankment, is dealing

with raw materials as provided capriciously by nature. He may grade the rock and compact the soil, but the final properties of these materials—no matter

how closely construction is controlledusually vary from point to point and

can be only approximately determined.

Also, whereas concrete and steel have one kind of strength called "cohesion,"

soil and rock have two distinctive types, cohesion and friction. These act to- gether in an extremely complex way,

and, in addition, are gready affected by ground water.

In the design of excavation slopes,

such as in the widening of the Panama

Canal, the engineer's challenge is even

greater than when building the dam

or railroad embankment. For here he

does not build the slopes but only shapes

the materials already constructed bv

nature so that the slope will hold up

safely, without requiring unnecessary

quantities of costly excavation. For help, the engineer turns to the

This rock slide at Culebra (GaiUard) Cut during construction days smashed and partially buried a steam shovel. At left, a crane moves in to remove the debris from the slide, which occurred on the south end of Gold Hill in 1913. Slides were common in those days.

16 May 1968
geologist who examines the surrounding terrain, drills holes, samples and

tests the sub-surface materials and de- termines changing levels of ground

water and patterns of seepage. He also

plots the joints, faults and bedding

planes that criss-cross the earth's crust. However, the geologic program, no

matter how extensive, gives the en- gineer only an approximate picture of the actual strength, elasticity, porosity

and other rock or soil characteristics upon which his design must depend.

From this incomplete data, the engineer has to define conditions, make

analyses and calculations. He focuses

his attention on two basic characteristics: the stresses in the ground caused

by the forces of gravity which tend to

flatten the slope; and the strength of the

soil and rocks that will sustain the slope

against these forces. Both of these

properties are highly complex.

Further difficulties arise because these

stresses are not evenly distributed. As

to the forces of resistance, the engineer concerns himself primarily with what is known as shearing strength-the strength

which materials possess to prevent one

portion of a mass from sliding along an adjacent portion. This is the type

of material failure that occurs in

landslides. Shearing and other types of

strength, plus the effects of water and

its movements all must be taken into consideration by the engineer.

When the Panama Canal was built, very little progress had been made in

solving these problems and the planning

of excavation slopes was largely a matter of intuition and experience. Catastropic slides were the result. They not only played havoc with cost estimates and construction schedules but they

also added greatly to the final cost of digging the Canal because when the

slopes failed the natural rock structure was destroyed and the resulting fina'

slopes had to be excavated much flatter than if thev had been properly designed

in the first place.

Since then, slope stability has been

subject to intensive studv and a highly specialized field of engineering.

known as soils mechanics, has been

developed to attack this problem.

Judgement must still be exercised but new methods and theories have resulted

in tremendous progress. Slopes and

embankments are far safer and great

excavation economies are being realized. During the past decade, computers

have contributed dramatically to progress in soils mechanics and slope stability. Now even the most complex en- gineering calculations can be performed

in a fraction of the time formerly reTYPE AN ESTIMATE OF THE FACTOR OF SAFETY.

1.1

1.
CANAL COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC BY
November 1967 said two more tankers

of 240,000 and 130,000 tons are under

construction in Italian shipyards. The

larger of the two will be the biggest

ship ever built in Italy. Like the other

ships of her class, the largest single screw ships ever constructed, she will be highly automated and will feature the bulbous bow designed by Esso engineers to improve speed and economy

of fuel consumption. She will be 1,100

feet long and have a beam of 170 feet and draft of 48 feet, with a service sped of 17 knots. She is scheduled for completion in 1969. The same magazine said the world's

largest tanker is under construction at

the Ishikawajima Harima shipyards in Yokohama. Of 276,000 deadweight tons, she is the first of six to be used by Gulf

Oil's Bantry Bay operation. She is owned

by National Bulk Carriers and chartered

to Gulf. But bigger tankers are still to come.

Mitsui Zosen, one of Japan's leading

shipbuilding companies, recently dis- closed the basic design specifications of

a mammoth 400,000 deadweight-ton

tanker it is offering to ship operators.

A company spokesman said manv

problems, such as hull vibration and

the relationship between main engine

output and ship's speed, still had to be solved. And the location of the bridge

would have to be decided by the owners. The end is still not in sight. Daniel D. Stohmeier, vice president of Beth- lehem Steel Corp., in charge of shipbuilding, said in an interview appearing

in the American Bureau of Shipping

Surveyer that to say ships will stop

getting bigger after a certain point is reached is like talking about limits to track records. "When Bethlehem built a class of 28,000 deadweight-ton tankers in 1948. they were heralded as 'supertankers' by

the press. When we brought out the World Glory in 1954, we were told that a ship of 45,500 deadweight was

too big for any practical use. Then we

built the Manhattan, more than twice

as big. There is no practical limit to the size of ships."

Correction

Some of the transit figures for the second quarter of fiscal vear 1968 ap- pearing in the February issue of The

Panama Canal Beveew were incorrect. Total figures should have been:

commercial vessels, oceangoing, 3,189;

small, 116; total commercial, 3,305; U.S. Government vessels, oceangoing,

350; small, 30; and total commercial

and U.S. Government, 3,685.

PRINCIPAL COMMODITIES SHIPPED THROUGH THE CANAL

(All cargo figures in long tons) Pacific to Atlantic

Commodity

Ores, various Boards and planks

Metals, various Sugar

Fishmeal

Iron and steel plates, sheets, coils . Food in refrigeration

(excluding bananas) Bananas Lumber, miscellaneous

Iron and steel manufactures,

miscellaneous Wheat

Petroleum and petroleum products.

Pulpwood

Plywood

Canned food products

All others

Total 8,932,472

Third quarter, fiscal year—

1968

1,271,059

646,072

629,669

502,219

495,547

459,150

435,017

353,780

351,331

322,394

251,555

247,476

239,348

177,403

153,752

2,396,700

1967

1,164,642 N.A.

311,820

432,293

310,136 N.A.

341,895

364,031 N.A.

N.A.

54,112

268,076

203,589 N.A.

200,181

4,729,843

8,380,618

5-Yr. Avg. 1961-65

1,669,063 N.A.

304,018

467,720

N.A.

N.A.

264,520

293,481 N.A.

N.A.

467,292

410,399

126,688 N.A.

222,514

3,585,694

7,811,389

Atlantic to Pacific

Commodity

Third quarter, fiscal vearCoal and coke V"i~"\ Petroleum and products ( excluding asphalt

Phosphate Corn

Soybeans

Ores, various Metal, scrap Sorghum

Wheat

Metal, iron Rice Sugar

Paper and paper products

Cotton, raw

Chemicals, miscellaneous

All others

Total

1968

3,680,929

3,630,113

1,077,614

947,100

600,673

463,560

422,687

289,662

248,258

233,026

218,441

191,045

173,867

170,380

145,171

2,502,656

14,995,182

1967

2,838,219

4,041,140

917,366

636,400

447,225

412,173

719,540

97,862

111,972

55,761

155,463

153,016

137,876

157,909

253,997

2,335,043

13,470,962

5-Yr. Avg. 1961-65

1,505,514

2,867,923

537,037

496,187

381,430

75,586

466,944

N.A.

82,552

45,571

34,651

174,394

87,202

118,155

159,238

1,955,621

8,988,005

CANAL TRANSITS - COMMERCIAL AND U.S. GOVERNMENT
Inspecting computer output results is Gary Guazzo, right, soils engineer of the Civil Engineering Branch, while Tony Mann, chief of the branch,

studies the problem plans. Mrs. Naomi Wright, computer programmer with the IBM Company, is seated at the computer control console.

Computer^ (Boost Canal Efficiency,

(Continued from p. 17)

Engineering Division, which is responsible for slope stability problems on the Canal, is applying the latest development in computer methods of analysis.

On the Canal widening project now

underway, the highest soft rock slopes on the entire Canal are being excavated

at Las Cascadas Hill. Improper design

of these slopes could cause failures dwarfing even the worst slides of construction days.

After lengthy geologic investigation

of this problem, it became evident that the complex conditions existing in this

hill could be adequately analyzed only

by computer methods.

Assistance was obtained from slope

stability experts at Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology in adapting computer programs for applications to the problems. Several methods of analysis

were run on the IBM 7094 computer

at MIT to evaluate specific factors and

to determine conditions which should be

defined for the design analysis.

When these basic problems had been

resolved, the actual slope design was

undertaken by the Civil Engineering

Branch, with successive design problems

run on computers at the McDonnell

Automation Center at St. Louis. Tony Mann, chief of the Civil Engineering Branch, ran several of the problems at MIT and coordinated the

project with university experts. Mann,

who provided the information for this

article, did much of the computer work

at St. Louis, also. Major slope changes resulted from

this study and excavation is now underway in the field with far greater confi- dence in the safety of the new Canal

slopes.

Meanwhile, the Civil Engineering

Branch proceeds with the development

and application of computer methods

on the continuing slope problems of the Canal widening project, the analysis of old and new slides in the Canal and

the evaluation of excavation cost and

methods on other Canal improvements

as well. Many computer solutions now are being handled entirely in the Canal

Zone by use of the IBM 1130 machine

operated by the Schools Division. This

machine is proving capable of handling

a wide variety of analytical methods and expanded magnetic storage will soon increase the range of problems

which can be processed. At the same

time, new computer programs constantly are being obtained, evaluated and

adapted for use on Canal problems.

The use of computer is part of the continuous, overall task of upgrading

the effciencv of the Panama Canal.

20 May 1968
Panamanians

Avid Fans of

Cockfighting

THE SMALL winged gladiators charge

each other furiously and viciously. With

each flurry of wings, wicked daggerlike spurs flash as beaks clamp tightly on skin or feathers for a hold. Shouting

themselves hoarse, spectators lay wagers

as they follow the combat in the pit

with eyes wide from the excitement.

The combatants display incredible courage. Biting, beating their wings

and stabbing, they are intent only on killing.

Suddenly, one falls mortally wounded.

Even in the throes of death, spur-heeled

legs beat wildly, seeking out the foe.

The scene might well be from the days of the Roman Empire. Or from

ancient China, long before the Christian era. But no. It's from today, as it has been over the centuries and it re- mains a spectacle not recommended

for the squeamish.

Cockfighting dates back to the 5th century before Christ, when it was in- troduced by Themistocles into Greece,

whence it spread throughout the Roman

Empire. It originated in the Orient.

Today, cockfighting or cocking is popular throughout Latin America,

where the sport was brought by the Spaniards. For years it was widespread

in England, Ireland, Belgium, India,

and Asia and flourished in parts of the United States. Now though, it is illegal

in England, the United States, and some

other countries.

Practically every city or town in Panama has cockfights on Sundays or

holidays. In the capital city, the main

cockpit is at the Club Gallistico, located on Via Espana opposite the National

Guard booth at the entrance to the Old

Panama road. The gamecock, which is a distinct variety, closely resembles the wild jungle fowl of India. Instinctively pugnaCockfights are fast and furious. The gamecocks use beaks, wings, and spurs.

(See p. 22) Referee is custodian of bets between owners of gamecocks. His decisions on fights are final.

The Panama Canal Review 21
Gamecocks

Are Trained

For Battle

(Continued from p. 21)

cious and courageous to the point of exaggeration, the gamecock has been

bred for thousands of years but for one purpose—to fight to the death.

Of the more than 100 recognized

gamecock breeds, the small Spanish

fighting cock is favored in Panama be- cause of breed, aggressiveness and, of course, heritage. Its weight fluctuates between 2 pounds 15 ounces and 3

pounds 12 ounces, in contrast with the

giant Belgian gamecocks of 12 pounds

or more.

After the gamecock, the principal

figures in cocking are the breeder and

the pitter or handler. The former devotes time and money—for sport rather than for money—to the breeding of the

fowl. The latter trains them for combat.

Generally, the breeder keeps the chick

for 12 months or until the spur is Si- inch long; then the pitter takes over. The pitter removes the comb, shaves and feeds and trains the bird. After 6 to 8 weeks, the gamecock goes through

"exercise No. 8," which is the decisive

test. The pitter passes the gamecock

around and between his legs, describing

a figure eight, again and again. If bv

the 1.50th turn, the cock has not opened

its beak, it is ready for the pit.

Weight is the decisive factor in a match, for the combatants must have

identical weight. This is determined on

the scales in the cockling. The match

includes the amount of the wager be- tween the owners, which is held by the

referee. Should one of the gamecocks

fail to appear in the pit, its owner loses half the wager.

In Panama City, cockfighting is governed by municipal ordnance.

When a contest is about to start, only

the owners are allowed in the pit. They

set the gamecocks to bite each other on the head, as an incitement to combat. After a few seconds, the cocks are released and the owners leave the pit. From then on, no one is allowed inside,

except when the referee—who is the supreme authority—calls for a "careo"

Weight is the main factor in matching gamecocks. Weigh-in takes place on scales at cockring.

or confrontation. This occurs if both

gamecocks cease fighting for 1 minute

or if they draw apart 1 meter without

attacking each other. When a "careo"

is ordered, the handlers come into the

pit, pick up their animals and are given 2 minutes to revive them, each according to his method. Only if both gamecocks have been deprived of sight in combat are the pitters allowed to stim- ulate them by hand when the contest

is resumed.

The referee also acts in cases where

the combat does not end in death. He

may award the fight to the gamecock

which has beaten down its foe and the

latter offers no opposition for 1 minute,

or he may call a draw if neither bird can keep on fighting either because of exhaustion or because of the extent of

its wounds.

In combat, the fighting cock uses the wings to beat down its foe, the beak

to hold on, and the spur to stab. Gamecocks in Panama are heeled with natural spurs, in contrast with other places

where steel gaffs are used. The gamecocks are pitted shaved and combless. The former may be compared with the

attire prizefighters wear in the ring; the

latter is due to the fact that the comb

would provide a very vulnerable target. A cockfight lasts from a few seconds

to as long as 15 minutes.

~ t

Handlers incite their birds to fight before releasing them in arena.

22 May 1968
Spectators sit or stand on tiers around

the circular pit, which measures be- tween 18 and 20 feet in diameter and

has a lJj-foot barrier. Wagers are made

throughout the course of the contest and

the bettor can "cover up," as the fight progresses, bv betting on the cock having the advantage if his original choice is doing badly. Of course, at that stage. he must offer odds. Among cockfight bettors, it is a matter of personal honor to pay of! without argument. In Panama, incidentally, bets still are laid in silver "pesos" worth 50 cents each. In the case of inter-province or international tournaments, bets usually run into the thousands of dollars.

Cocking is surprisingly widespread

in Panama. Until relatively recently, it was a sport for the wealthy because

gamecocks were imported and the price

of the birds ran high. But as restrictions increased over the importation of fowl,

gamecock breeding became more and more popular. An idea of how^ widespread the sport is, is provided by the

fact that in the Club Gallistico alone some 80 matches are fought weekly on

Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays during the season which lasts from January

through April. This means that weekly

there are 160 gamecocks available for fighting, of which approximately half are new birds. If it is remembered that there are other cockrings in the city

and that cockfights are held in many

other places in the country, one can get

an idea of how deeply the sport runs. Very' distinguished names in Pan- amanian society have been linked with

cockfighting.

From a pastime for nobility, cockfighting has grown into a sport in which

the rich can envy the humble for the

possession of a fighting cock, whose

crowing in the pit is a clarion of victory.

Gamecock on sign marks site of Club Gallistico on Via Espana, in Panama City.

Spectators sit or stand on tiers around circular cockling. Man pointing is shouting out his wager to any taker.

The Panama Canal Review 23
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