UNIVERSITY

OF FLORIDA

LIBRARIES
Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries

http://www.archive.org/details/panamacanalrevie136pana



PANAMA r(M?Hl CANAL

' "111

SL

/£

IN THIS ISSUE

Oceans at Same Level?

Dry Season Pattern New Rigging (or Pilots

Bridge Maintenance

ff k\\- *».

SC»tNc^

jji ; ^Jri.- i t

' »?> Vf

- •

./*

Vol. 1 3, No. 6
Robert J. Fleming, Jr., Governor-President

W. P. Leber, Lieutenant Governor

Frank A. Baldwin

Acting Panama Canal Information Officer

^PANAMA W§g},C^ NAJ_ g

Official Panama Canal Publication

Published monthly at Balboa Heights, C.Z.

Printed at the Printing Plant, Mount Hope, CZ.

Joseph Connor, Acting Press Officer

Publications Editors Robert D. Kerr and Julio E. Briceno

Editorial Assistants Eunice Richard, Tobi Bittel, and Tomas A. Cupas

On aale at all Panama Canal Service Centers. Retail Stores, and the Tivoli Guest House for 10 days after publication date at 5 cents each. Subscriptions, $1 a year; mall and back copies, 10 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.

8oth Anniversary

A Proclamation

WHEREAS January 16, 1963, marks the eightieth anniversary

of the signing of the Civil Service Act of 1883; and

WHEREAS the Civil Service Act has stood the tests of time

in providing the excellence in civil service which is required for successful execution of Federal programs and policies which have

deep significance to all Americans and all citizens of the free world; and

WHEREAS the Act of 1883 has been strengthened by subsequent laws, interpretations, and executive actions to create an even more effective and highly qualified Federal work force; and

WHEREAS the life of every American is touched directly or

indirectly every day by the services which Federal public servants perform; and

WHEREAS public esteem for career civil servants is a prerequisite for attracting well-qualified citizens to compete for Government service, a fact which requires greater public awareness of the value of the merit system, the achievements of

Government workers, and the career opportunities offered in

Federal service: NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOHN F. KENNEDY, President of

the United States of America, do hereby call upon the people

of the United States to participate in the observance of the

eightieth anniversary of the Civil Service Act during the month

of January 1963.

I also call upon the heads of Federal departments and agencies,

as well as leaders of industry and labor and members of all publicspirited groups, to arrange appropriate ceremonies in honor of the

public services performed by our able and devoted Federal civil servants throughout the country.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and

caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed. DONE at the City of Washington this twenty-eighth day of

September in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and

[seal] sixty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-seventh.

By the President:

Acting Secretary of State.

JSpaw cr. Cffennedu.

Index

Oceans At Same Level? No! 3

Bench Marks Vital, Little Known 5

Dry Season Partem Varied 6

New Information Officer 7 New "Rigging" for Pilots 8

Navigation Division Chiefs Changed 10

Bridge Maintenance 11 Executive Secretary's Work Broadened 12

Anniversaries 13

Promotions and Transfers 14

Canal History 15

Shipping 16

nOT BSflUTY ALOn€

PICTURESQUE beauty of the Panama City

waterfront, to many, obscures the practicality of the scene. On our front cover, aground at low

tide and waiting for the next high tide to put

them afloat again, are three coastal trade craft in the foreground.

Silhouetted against the horizon are a few of

the scores of shrimp boats which help make

Panama a prime supply source of these succulent

edibles.

Shrimp exports from Panama in 1961 amounted

to more than 9% million pounds, valued at more

than $5.8 million. Peak export year, dollarwise, was 1957, when the total was near $6.2 million.

Panama's shrimping industry employs more

than 2,200 persons, about 800 aboard more than

160 fishing craft and 1,400 in plants where the

shrimp are beheaded, cleaned, and packed.

Forty-two different concerns operate 3 or more

vessels and 44 operate 1 or 2.

o4n Sanitation

A CORDIAL INVITATION has been extended

to Canal Zone Gov. Robert J. Fleming, Jr., and

Mrs. Fleming, and all Canal Zone residents, to attend the agricultural and industrial Fat of San Sebastian in the picturesque town of Ocu

January 19-21. A contest on use of draft animals in agricul- ture will be the climax of the program on

Sunday, January 20.

January 4, 1963
OCEANS LEVEL? . . . Not Along

Isthmus Coasts

NO, THE ATLANTIC and Pacific oceans are NOT level with each other. Not along the coasts of the Isthmus.

In fact, it's possible that the level of the Pacific could be nearly 12 feet above

the level of the Adantic at the same

time. The difference in level averages only

9.2 inches, however, records of Panama

Canal Chief Hydrographer W. H.

Esslinger show.

Many Isthmians find it important to keep track of the tides. Bathers want to know whether they'll find good swimming or mudflats at a certain point

Fishermen say they affect the catch. Where marine ways are not available

for hauling out small craft, the practice

is to beach them at high tide, then work

fast to slap on a coat of paint or make

repairs before they're seaborne again on the next high tide. Balboa has a regular tide with two

highs and two lows every lunar day,

with an average range from high to low

tide of 12.758 feet and a maximum

range of 22.7 feet.

Cristobal has an irregular tide varying

from two highs and two lows to one high

and one low each lunar day—with all possible intermediate variations. But the average range from high to low tide is only .858 feet and the maximum range

is 3.05 feet. Why big tides on the Pacific and

small tides on the Adantic?

The two entrances to the Panama

Canal, by air, are only 40 miles apart. And aren't the tides caused by forces

of the sun and moon?

Here are the reasons—oversimplified —as given by Hydrographer T. C. Henter: A look at tides in general is needed

to understand their local peculiarities.

At times of new and full moon, tidal forces of the moon and sun pull the

seas in the same direction. At first and

last quarters, they are approximately at right angles to each other. When moon

and sun unite their forces, the tidal range is large. When they are at right

angles, the tidal range is small. The mass of the sun is far greater

than the mass of the moon. But the sun

is many times farther from the earth than the moon. Hence its tidal effect

is less than half that of the moon.

Relative movement of the earth, moon and sun, together with the daily

rotation of the earth, cause two primary

classes of tide-producing forces: (1) Those with a period of about

half a day, called semi-daily forces; (2) Those having a period of a day,

called daily forces. The semi-daily

forces are the larger, and, consequently,

at most places there are two high and

two low waters each day. But rise and fall of the actual tide

at any locality, and the times of high

and low water, depend on conformation

of the ocean shore and depth of the

water, as well as on the tide-producing

forces. The rise and fall of the actual tide is divided into three types of tides known

as semi-daily, daily, and mixed. The

semi-daily has two high and two low

waters each day, with littie difference (See p. 4)

When the tide goes out along Panama City's La Marina, drydocks aren't needed to get underneath even sizeable craft. They can be brought close inshore at high tide and

there's easy access at low tide.

Lloyd A. Blenman checks tide gage located

in shed at top of ramp to the Taboga

launch landing at Pier 18, Balboa. Note how loops on gage match loops shown

in Fig. 2 on next page.

The Panama Canal Review
+10

+5

-5

+10 Midnight

September 7-

Noon Midnight

-MIXED TIDE

+ 10

n

-5

+10

+5

Midnight Noon Midnight

September 11-DAILY TIDE

+10 Midnight Noon Midnight

September 15-SEMI-DAILY TIDE

CRISTOBAL TIDES, ATLANTIC ENTRANCE Fig. 1

in morning and afternoon tides. The

daily type has but one high and one low

water in a day and the mixed type has two high and two low waters in the same period with considerable differ- ence between morning and afternoon

tides. The mixed tide results from a combination of daily and semi-daily tides. At Cristobal, the daily tide-producing

force is predominant. The afternoon tide

is considerably larger than the morning

tide, as shown in Figure 1. The daily tide-producing force has

little effect on the actual rise and fall of tides at Balboa. As shown in Figure 2, there is very little difference in morning

and afternoon tides. Their rhythm is characteristic of the semi-daily tidal forces. Here a look at the "stationary wave

theory" of the tide is in order. In a rectangular tank of water, a wave may be started by raising and then

immediately lowering one end of the

tank. This wave will not be in the form

of an ordinary wave with crest and

trough. Instead, it is an oscillation, or apparent swashing back and forth (but

with little water movement except up

and down) . This type of wave is known

as a stationary wave. The stationary wave theory is that the dominant tides in the seven seas are stationary wave oscillations set up

by the tidal forces of the sun and moon

in parts of the oceans having periods

of oscillations approximately the same

as the period of the tide-producing

forces. According to H. A. Manner, of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, a number

TIDES

MIXED—Combination of daily and

semi-daily tides. SPRING-When forces of sun and moon act in same direction (large

ranges).

DAILY—One high and one low

water per day.

SEMI-DALLY-Usual two high and

two low waters each day.

NEAP—Small range—when forces of sun and moon act in right angle

directions. MEDIAN—Mean between spring

and neap tides.

BALBOA TIDES, PACIFIC ENTRANCE Fig. 2

September 8-NEAP TIDE

Midnight Noon Midnight

September 12-MEDIAN TIDE

Midnight Noon Midnight

September 16-SPRING TIDE

Midnight Noon Midnight

+ 10 +10 +10

+ 10 +10

Januaby 4, 1963
of puzzling tidal features can be ex- plained by the stationary wave theory. At Panama, the Atlantic end of the Canal opens into the Caribbean Sea, which is cut off from the open Atlantic by the girdle of Antillean islands that mark the limits of the Caribbean. Too,

the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean are

of such length and depth as to have a period of oscillation of approximately

24 hours. Hence, in this area the daily

tide-producing force is predominant.

The basin comprising the Gulf and

Caribbean is much smaller and much

shallower than the basins of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Therefore the

actual tides are smaller. The Pacific side of the Canal is situated at the end of an oscillating

system of semi-daily tides and at a considerable distance from the center of the

oscillation. Thus the range of the semidaily tide at Balboa is much greater than

the daily tide at Cristobal. Despite the possible 12-foot differ- ence in level of the oceans at the same

time, there is no prospect that one would drain into the other if the Canal were a sea-level waterway.

In fact, maximum tidal flow current even at the greatest difference in levels would be only about 4.5 knots, it is estimated. Enough to cause transiting

problems for ships in parts of the channel, but not enough to reduce the water supply of either ocean. There are two main reasons for this. One is the restrictive effect of channel

entrances and channel capacity itself. The other is that there are tide "rever- sals"—particularly with non-standard

tides on either side—as soon as highs

or lows are reached. Thus tidal flow volume and direction, or both, would

be changing almost constantly if the Canal were a sea-level canal. Levels of the oceans also vary from

month to month due to effects of wind, ocean currents, and the cyclic variations of the heavenly bodies. Normal dry season prevailing winds

are north to northwest on the Pacific side and north to northeast on the

Atlantic side. Wind effect on tides is influenced by land masses and the number of miles air flow has to "push" on open water surfaces. To further complicate thingsThere has been an apparent steady

but slight rise in the levels of both

oceans in the last several years. The

"apparent" is stressed because there is

still inconclusive debate in scientific circles as to whether the ocean levels are rising or the land masses shrinking

slightly, or a combination of both.

Orlando L. Flye, Jr., supervisor of generation and transmission at the Balboa

£electric sub-station, takes a look at the bench mark near the sub-station. Bench Marks Keep "Trim"

"PBM-45 IS 83 FEET from the west end of the Electrical Substation, Balboa. Elevation on pipe cap is 20.440 feet." That is a sample description of a bench mark. The letters PBM stand for "Permanent Bench Mark," the number

45 is its serial number and the elevation

is the height, in feet, above the Precise Level Datum.

There are more than 250 of these

little-known elevation points distributed throughout the Canal Zone, according

to the Survey Branch of the Engineering

and Construction Bureau. They are used in all types of construction and engineering studies; to lay out new townsites; to set house fundations at the same elevation; to assure adequate fall for sewer lines; to establish the elevation and grade points of new roads and railroad track and to check track elevation after reballasting

or other work.

They are used to set pads for big

pieces of machinery and to establish the elevation of bridge piers. The allow- able tolerance on the top elevation of the Thatcher Ferry Bridge piers was

only 1/64 of an inch—roughly the

thickness of a photographic postal card. The standard precise bench marks

used in the Canal Zone are 18 by 18 by

6-inch concrete slabs with a copper or

brass bolt set in the center forming the

point used for elevation determinations.

The slab is buried about 3 feet in the ground, with a 4-inch pipe centered

above the bolt and projecting about

18 inches above the ground.

Topping the pipe is a cast-brass cap

with a projection rising from the center. The difference in elevation between the top of the bolt and this projection is measured and the elevation determination for ordinary work is referred to this projection. For precise work the cap is removed and measurements are made

from the bolt at the bottom of the pipe.

Other bench marks may be bolts or

rivets in lock or spillway walls, culvert headwalls, abutments, or other "solid"

structures. They may be found at the tops and bottoms of dams, along locks, roads and trails, and on bridges, and

culverts. The first bench marks in the Zone were established across the Isthmus by

mid- 1908 and all were checked in 1924-25 and 1938. Checks sometimes

reveal earth slippages or settlement of concrete work. Some are removed for construction work, at which times others are established nearby.

Some have been lost, through removal

of reference points from which they

could have been located. In recent

years, however, officials in charge of roadwork and buildings replacement

have regularly notified the Surveys

Branch of removal of signs or structure changes so that the bench marks can be cared for properly.

Some of the bench marks are replace- ments for ones established during

French construction days, with which

the original Panama Canal bench marks were tied in to establish correct elevations above sea level clear across the Isthmus.

The Panama Canal Review
THE DRY SEASON

Pattern

Shows Wide

Variations

WHILE THERE'S a well-known and

well-established pattern to the dry

season, its beginning and ending aren't as uniform as faulty memories might

lead some to believe. Dry seasons have started as early as mid-November, in 1926, and as late as the first of February, in 1956. Average

duration, on the basis of 49 years' records: 4Vz months.

The season also has had exceptional

ending dates, as early as before midApril in 1919 and 1960, and as late as past mid-June in 1948. And then there were those dry years 1957 and 1959

when there were hardly any rainy seasons at all. Exact starting and ending dates sometimes are far from solid, even though

almost exact dates are indicated in the

chart in the adjoining column. Hydrographic Office personnel concede that

it's hard to pinpoint one day as starting or ending day, as there often is a 2- or 3-week period during which the dry

season start is "hanging fire." The formula for establishing the date

is not too well defined. For many years

the dates of the beginning and ending

of the periods when Canal requirements

exceeded the inflow of the Gatun Lake

drainage basin were used, but that was

discarded when the demand for lockage water and hydroelectric power increased

to the point where it was no longer a

suitable criterion. Then there is the "10-day drouth"

method, whereby if there is no 24-hour

rain of 1 inch or more for 10 days at any place in the watershed the dry

season is determined to have started at the beginning of the 10-day period.

Actually, all elements are now considered: wind direction and velocity,

both at surface and upper air levels; humidity variation; decline in watershed

runoff; and, of course, the amount, and

distribution of rainfall. The purpose of establishing the date

is to determine when diesel plants

should be started and when the power

of Gatun hydro station should be

(See p. 7)

Duration

SEASON

Average IIOV. D€C. JAI1. f€B. fTlflR. APR. fTlflY June

Dates
New Information Officer

LONG AND widely-known on the Isthmus, Frank A. Baldwin this month

succeeds Will Arey as Panama Canal

Information Officer. Mr. Baldwin, Protocol Officer since

last March, has been with the Canal

organization since 1941, when he took

a position as an accountant. His father, Floyd H. Baldwin, who retired several years ago as General Auditor of the Panama Canal, earlier had served as an

Assistant Comptroller of Panama.

Mr. Arey resigned after 9 years of service as Information Officer to take a U.S. Government position in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Louise, and

their sons, John and William, returned

to the States last month. William, a

senior in Balboa High School, will return to the Zone to complete his high

school work. Mrs. Arev is the former

Louise Turner Craft of Hartwell, Ga. Mr. Baldwin was Chief of Plant Accounting in the Comptroller's Office

prior to being named Protocol Officer. He attended grade schools in the Canal

Zone and the Canal Zone Junior College.

He is a graduate of Castle Heights Mili- tary Academy, Lebanon, Tenn., and the University of Kentucky, where he re- ceived his Bachelor of Science degree

in Commerce.

Mr. Baldwin, 42, was born on the Isthmus. His wife is the former Laura

Garcia de Paredes of Panama. They

have five children: four boys and a girl. Mr. Baldwin is a major in the Active

Reserve, having enlisted as a private

and been commissioned at the Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga., during

World War II.

Indicative of the high regard in which

Mr. Arey was held were numerous

expressions of regret and best wishes

via both Spanish and English news

media. One noted particularly his attitude toward the working press, appreciation of their problems and the

"large reservoir of respect and esteem" he had earned among newspapermen

in Panama.

In accepting Mr. Arey's resignation,

Governor Fleming said he did so "with

regret." Mr. Arey served 2Y2 years as Public

Affairs Officer with the U.S. Embassy

in Bogota, Colombia, prior to coming

to Panama as Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy in July 1951. Born in Shelby, N.C., Mr. Arey is a graduate of the University of North

Carolina. He was President and General

Manager of the Cleveland Times Publishing Co., commercial printing plant

and publisher of the Cleveland Times in Shelby, from 1941 to 1948, when he was appointed to the U.S. Foreign

Service of the Department of State. He had served as president of the Public Relations Society of Panama,

vice president of the Panama Rotary

Club and was a charter member of the Panama-North American Association. Other affiliations in both Panama and

the Canal Zone included the Panama

Carnival Junta, the Board of Management of the Balboa YMCA, Board of Directors of the Canal Zone Tuberculosis Association, and Christian Board

of Education of Balboa Union Church. As Information Officer, Mr. Baldwin

takes charge of all Panama Canal public

relations activities, including providing

The Areys, with son William, standing; son John, seated, foreground, and a disinterested dog, Pepe.

Frank A. Baldwin and family.

counsel in this field in conduct of the Canal's overall operations.

As directed by the Governor, the information officer prepares reports

analyzing public opinion relating to the Canal and Zone. He directs issuance of news releases and informational materials. These include The Panama

Canal Review and the weekly Spillway, published in both Spanish and

English.

Operation of the Canal Zone Guide

Service and the Las Cruces tour vessel

also are under his direction.

The Dry Season

(Continued from p. 6)

curtailed to conserve water for lockages.

In 1959-60, it appeared that the dry

season already had started, late in December, but heavy rainfall New

Year's Day, which even caused flood conditions in the Chagres River, made

it necessary to change the starting date

to January 3. The mid-May ending date for the 1958-59 dry season verges on pure

speculation, for both rainfall and runoff were below normal until October 1959

—the 20th consecutive month of such

sub-par conditions. And this was in the wake of a long 1956-57 dry season, with

the entire year 1957 one of the driest on record.

/ 111" - \

Coming in off the Caribbean ahead of a rain squall, the Oswego

Defender and another ship seemed small craft in the wide locks area and approaches.

But rain overtook the 745-foot tanker, above as its 30,486-gross-ton bulk and 101-foot beam were maneuvered into the chamber

with little space to spare.

New Rig Helps Qn "Stemwinders

//

WHEN A CANAL PILOT says he's "got a stemwinder," he means he is going aboard one of those really big, broad, newer

tankers and ore ships which has its bridge way aft. Nobody along the waterfront recalls how the low-riding behemoths came to be called "stemwinders," but there's a suspicion the name was coined by some harassed pilot who

found that when he was standing on the bridge he was too

far astem to see how the bow was entering the Locks. Some 5 or 6 years ago, when the first big stemwinders began

looming up over the Atlantic and Pacific horizons, nobody had

foreseen the problems of putting them through the Canal. The waterway had handled many longer and some wider

ships than, for example, the Oswego Defender. But the bigger

vessels were passenger liners or warships provided with crow'snests or other points of vantage from which assistant pilots could observe and give signals. Not only can the senior pilots stationed on a stemwinder's

bridge get only a general view of what is going on up front, an assistant pilot peering over its stumpy bow cannot see

either side of its hull. And if he looks over the side, he might

not be able to judge the exact course on which the ship

is aimed. The problem was solved by the design of twin conningstation or lookout-post rigs placed aft the bow on port and

starboard. Usually they are constructed of short lengths of aluminum pipe screwed together. Each rig has a platform on which an assistant pilot may walk back and forth, plus a canvas cover to give him a little protection from rain or sun. When the Oswego Defender snowed up in Cristobal Harbor,

her two "temporary bridges" already were in place. Marine

Traffic Controllers were expecting her. As the stemwinder had transited before, Canal officials knew

she was 745 feet long, had a beam of 101 feet, and a gross

of 30,486 tons. The Liberian flag vessel belongs to Oswego Ore Carriers,

Ltd., of Monrovia. Her local agents are Wilford & McKay, Inc. She is operated by Marine Transport Lines, Inc., and had put

in at Las Piedras, Venezuela, for her load of 35,361 tons of crude and diesel oil. She carried a crew of 46, all Spaniards, including Capt. C. Moragues, who was making his first transit as master. Five pilots were put aboard under command of Capt. Rudolph W. Rubelli, who was to retire and take his last ship through a few weeks later after 18 years on the reaches. Rain started as she entered the first chamber. Two assistant

pilots wrapped in raincoats paced the lookout-post rigs some

waterfronters have been wont to call "those birdcages." At one

point, because of the ship's broad beam, she fit so closely

into the 110-foot space between lock walls that pilot and mule

operator could have passed a copy of The Review across. The Oswego Defender made a smooth transit in 9 hours 23 minutes. Only 17 days later she delivered her cargo in Yokohama, Japan. A fast trip, her agent said. New stemwinders being built today are likely to come out

of the shipyard equipped with deck pipe on which lookoutposts can be fitted. Their designers often ask Canal engineers

to approve such details, including placement of chocks and

bitts, before the craft leave the drawing boards.

This lookout-post rig may resemble the sta|for a steward at racetrack, but it's a necessary adjunct for Canal pilots' uattn many tankers and ore ships.

The huge tanker headed for Catun Lake was

lifted level with lock walls,

fitting so snugly that ship and locks appeared

as a single surface.

Alvin H. Hassock,

right, clerk

to the Operations

Supervisor, and

Clifford B. Bellamy,

far right, teletype operator, keep track of everything on the

locks, before and after it happens.

Presiding over the manifold details of lifting the Oswego Defender was Locks Engineer Richard J. Danielsen, Acting Locks

Superintendent.

When she arrived in Cristobal, Watch Supervisor Marine Traffic Controller Martin Sawyer, right, assigned the tanker as No. 9

transit, notified Gatun she was laden with oil, would require 12 mules. . . . Control House Operator Joseph Elliott turned the handles that closed the gates, let in the water.
Navigation Division

Has New

Skipper

CAPT. ELI D. RING, USN, became

Chief of the Navigation Division, Captain of the Port of Balboa and Chairman

of the Board of Local Inspectors last month when Capt. Claude S. Farmer,

USN, ended a 3-year tour of dutv with

the Panama Canal. Capt. Ernest B. Rainier, previously

senior assistant port captain, was ap- pointed temporary Port Captain, Cristobal, and member of the Board of Local Inspectors.

Captain Farmer has returned to the

States, reporting to the Commandant

of the 6th Naval District, Charleston,

S.C., for reassignment with the Navy.

Captain Ring came aboard as Port Captain, Cristobal, and member of the Board of Local Inspectors in January

1962. A Navy officer since 1941, he is a veteran of World War II service in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters

of Operation. He came to the Zone from

duty with the Atlantic fleet, where he

had been Commander of Destroyer

Division 162.

Captain Ring calls Noble, 111., his home town and attended Illinois State Normal University. He joined the Navy

in 1940, completed officer training the following year at Northwestern University, and after receiving his commission was stationed in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. By his own definition, he

likes to play "at" golf.

Captain Rainier, who was a Panama

Canal pilot for 15 years, was promoted

to Assistant Port Captain, Cristobal,

in 1955. A native of Mathews County, Va., he went to sea soon after graduation

Capt. Claude S. Fanner

Capt. Ernest B. Rainier

from high school and won advancement through the ranks to master in 12 years, all in service with the Colombian Steamship Co.

After that company was sold in 1938,

he was employed by the Panama Line

and sailed as second officer of the SS Cristobal, later becoming chief offi- cer and master before entering Canal

service and joining the PanCanal pilot force in August 1939. He holds the rank

of commander in the Naval Reserve,

of which he has been a member

since 1931. The Colombian ship on which he was

master was a new passenger ship and

he says he was always lucky to be

Capt. Eli D. Ring

master of passenger ships. He went to two maritime schools and three technical schools between 1926 and 1930

relative to maritime activities and

navigation.

Captain Rainier has been interested

in baseball since his youth and was

president of the Colon Baseball Club

of the former Canal Zone Baseball League in 1947. He's gone overboard

twice on rescues, once for an injured seaman and once for the master of a merchant ship who had fallen overboard

in Cristobal harbor.

Before his departure, Captain Farmer

was presented the award of the Army

Commendation Medal by Governor

Fleming, in recognition of his outstand- ing performance. The accompanying

citation noted his success in handling

the all-time high volume of ship traffic with the lowest accident rate in the

Canal's history.

Captain Farmer, born in Chatta- nooga, Tenn., was graduated from

the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis

in 1938. During World War II he was com- mander of a submarine chaser out of Trinidad and Curacao and on destroyer

escort duty in both the Atlantic and

Pacific, including a Pearl Harbor tour. He attended the Navy's General Line

School, Newport, R.I., after the war

and later was executive officer at the Mine Warfare School, Yorktown, Va. He came to the Canal Zone in 1959

from Charleston, S.C., where he was commander of Mine Sauadron 8.

10 January 4, 1963
*c!

Gleam in early morning sun isn't everlasting.

MAINTENANCE

NEXT BRIDGE TO CROSS

PUTTING UP the Thatcher Ferry

Bridge cost $20 million. Keeping it up may cost around

$200,000 a year. The maintenance cost figure isn't solid yet, because there's been no final decision on several points, but the experimental crew of 13 men on full- time maintenance work is thought to be a minimum.

Paint alone will be a substantial cost item. The first complete paint job for the new bridge linking the Americas

required 15,000 gallons of primer and

final coat paint. Another 3,000 gallons

is on hand for touch-up work.

Still undecided is whether to schedule

continuous painting or patch painting,

with a big crew put on for a complete

paint job every several years, depending

on need.

Painting needs estimates are available on such major bridges only in other

climates, so the guide on what require- ments will be for the new bridge across the Canal will have to be established by regular inspections to determine how

much heat, humidity, and salt air here

will cause variance. The inspection schedule for the new

bridge is still in development stage. The initial experimental crew of 13 on full-time maintenance work will be

made up of a lead foreman in charge of 4 maintenance painters, 4 structural ironworkers, and 4 helpers. Additions

may be necessary later. It is believed

unlikely it would be possible to reduce

this force.

Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, it's off to work we go

Safety Factor:

Big Margin

For Big Blows

DESIGNED strength of Thatcher Ferry

Bridge puts its sturdiness in high winds

far above any known velocities ever recorded here. And its type of construction, combination cantilever-tied arch, is such that there are no appreciable "sway" problems, such as exist with suspension type

bridges.

The bridge here has built-in strength

to survive winds of up to 70 m.p.h.

The highest gust (short duration)

velocity ever recorded on this side of the Isthmus was 56 m.p.h. during a storm in 1943. Suspension bridges such as San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge sway as much as several feet in high winds. The

Golden Gate Bridge has the world's

longest single span: 4,200 feet.

No matter where, or how high, painting for protection must continue regularly.
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Paul M. Runnestrand

A MARKED CHANGE has been made

during recent months in the administrative structure of the Office of the Executive Secretary. Its activities, under the

administration of Governor Fleming,

have gained wider scope. At the head of this nerve center in the administrative structure of the Pan- ama Canal is a Minnesota attorney who

has been with the Canal more than

20 years: Paul M. Runnestrand.

Mr. Runnestrand was a legal editor

of the West Publishing Co. of St. Paul,

Minn., before joining the Canal organization in 1941. He was bom in Litchfield, Minn., and received his law degree

from the University of Minnesota in 1938. He is a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota, the United States District Court

in the Canal Zone, and the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, New

Orleans.

Associate Attorney in the Office of the General Counsel of the Canal until 1948, Mr. Runnestrand then was pro- moted to Assistant General Counsel. In 1953 he was transferred to the Washington, D.C., office of the Canal organActivities of Office

Have Broader Scope

ization as Attorney and Assistant to the Secretary of the Panama Canal. He returned to the Isthmus in October 1955 as Special Assistant to Canal

Zone Gov. J. S. Seybold. He became

Executive Secretary of the Canal Zone

and Executive Assistant to the President

of the Panama Canal March 1, 1956. The Executive Secretary is the principal adviser, liaison officer, and official representative of the Office of the Governor-President on policy matters concerning the Government of the Republic of Panama, the U.S. Embassy,

other diplomatic and consular missions,

and commercial and non-commercial

interests in the Republic and the Canal

Zone. These may include religious, welfare, charitable, educational, recreational, scientific, fraternal, and social organizations.

The Executive Secretary also supervises policies and regulations con- cerning eligibility of individuals and

organizations to engage in business

activities in the Canal Zone, to make

purchases in the Zone, or to reside or remain here. He also represents the Office of the Governor in policy matters concerning

laws which govern foreign corporations,

including insurance companies, and the

securities sales law.

In addition to his other functions, the Executive Secretary performs consular and related duties prescribed by law or regulations, including issuance of immigration visas; and he is custodian of the Seal of the Canal Zone Government.

He provides, in addition, administrative supervision of the Magistrates Courts of Balboa and Cristobal. As Executive Assistant to the Presi- dent of the Panama Canal, Mr. Runnestrand performs special duties

assigned him by the President. As required by particular cases, he

takes direct action; serves as staff adviser and participates in the formulation of policies, or acts as liaison officer

or staff representative in the coordination or supervision of administrative or policy matters. By direction of the President, he

initiates, coordinates and reviews pro- grams, reports, correspondence and

other assignments involving the presentation of information to committees or members of Congress, the Board of Directors and others in matters that require the attention of the Office of the President.

Offices of the Executive Secretary

are on the second floor of the Administration Building, Balboa Heights. Per- sonnel in these offices provide an Executive Secretariat for the Office of the Governor.

Responsibilities include supervision

of administrative procedures between

the Office of the Governor and other

offices and units as well as general

supervision of the Administrative

Branch and assuring compliance within

the organization with all regulations

and directives relating to administrative

practices. In performing and supervising per- formance of these varied duties, Mr. Runnestrand is aided by the Administrative Assistant, F. G. Dunsmoor, who

is Administrative Assistant to the Governor and also serves as Deputy Executive Secretary. He is authorized, among

other functions, to perform the duties

of "Consular Officer," as well as attest such acts, as representative of the Executive Secretary, as are required to be performed under the Seal of the Canal Zone Government.

Other members of the staff of the

Office of the Executive Secretary, added

in recent months to handle the new and

additional responsibilities which Governor Fleming has assigned the office, are:

J. Patrick Conley, Assistant Executive Secretary; Robert S. Jeffrey, Staff Assistant; Sylvester D. Callender, Coordinator of relations with Latin American

communities; and Walter M. Mikulich,

Special Services Officer.

12 January 4, 1963
ANNIVERSARIES

(On the basis of total Federal Service)

CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

ENGINEERING AND

Louis Cox

Leaderl Tran

Earl O. Dl Supervisory

Engineer

Adriano Botello Seaman

Pedro Fenij

Work

PERSi

Nathan Fleckner

Administrative Assistant

MARINE BUREAU

Howard L. Sampsell

^oreman, Locks House

ard patcher

D COMMUNITY

E BUREAU

CrVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Karl D. Glass

Police Technician

Lyle B. Morau

Police Sergeant

Fred E. Mounts

Police Private Ethlin L. Fawcett Elementary Teacher, Latin American Schools

Elouise Games

Elementary Teacher, Latin American Schools Luke C. Palumbo

Elementary and Secondary

School Teacher

Mary B. TurbyfiU

Elementary and Secondary

School Teacher

ENGINEERING AND

CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Angel Franco

Fireman, Floating Plant Allan L. Bodden

Oiler Nicolas Ortiz

Boiler Tender

Leonard E. Case Marine Machinist Ricardo Rodriguez

Seaman

Gladstone S. Fowles

Clerk Typist Marco T. Molinares Leader Heavy Laborer

Teofilo Urriola Debris Control Winchman

Maximo Cabezas

Surveying Aid

Emilio Mayorga

Carpenter Juan Aguilar

Heavy Laborer HEALTH BUREAU

Louis Fink

Veterinarian, Public Health Mildred R. Largent

Staff Nurse, Medicine and

Surgery

Ruth R. Beck

Clerk Herbert W. Dena

Hospital Attendant Mauricio Rivas Messenger

Manuel de J. Cortes Cook

Martin Reyes

Laundry Checker

Jorge Martinez

Exterminator

Emigdio Carvajal

Nursing Assistant, Medicine

and Surgery

Angel Lino

Stockman

Roland J. Jarvis Nursing Assistant, Medicine

and Surgery

Alfonso A. Moore

Nursing Assistant, Operating

Room

MARINE BUREAU

Juan B. Cianca

Deckhand

Clarence Cadogan

Chauffeur

Joseph A. Janko Guard Supervisor James H. Hagan

General Fore and Undaflcing

avagi Icha

ne,

. ve ado I Cement? Thomas A\

ienter} R. CostS Towing Locomotive

Operator

Antonio Vallejo

Helper Lock Operator Herbert V. Hutchison

Deckhand Boatswain

John E. Hotz Guard Supervisor

Manuel Fuentes Maintenanceman (Rope and

Wire Cable)

Cyril Holt Seaman

Clifford O. Blake Maintenanceman

Antonio Jimenez

Helper Lock Operator

OFFICE

OF THE COMPTROLLER

Juan A. Cedeno

Bookkeeping Machine

Operation Supervisor

SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

Cordelia E. Smart

Sales Section Head

Rupert Hylton

Cook

Middle M Morrison Laborer Cleaner

Jose J. Nino

Ice Cream Maker

W. J. Sinclair Baker Cayetano Hernandez

Laborer Cleaner

Lolita Wade

Clerk Typist Amilia J. Pinder

Sales Checker, Food Service

Clifford E. Thomas

Crane Hookman

Josephine Charles

Sales Section Head

Alejandro Martinez

Cemetery Worker

Marcos Avila Leader Laborer Cleaner

Jose D. Altamar Garbage Collector Bertene E. Smith

Grocery Worker

Luisa B. Seyrus

Retail Store Sales Checker

Victoria C. de Rojas Clerk Typist

TRANSPORTATION AND

TERMINALS BUREAU

Cristobal A. Buddie

Guard

Manuel Salvador Helper Liquid Fuels Wharfman

William D. McArthur

Leader Liquid Fuels Wharfman

Percival A. Samuels

Timekeeper (Typing)

Kenneth A. Thompson

Leader Automotive Machinist Hugh H. Harrison

Carpenter, Maintenance

Merlin B. Yocum

Supervisory Cargo Officer Jose M. Testa Laborer

Percival Griffith Stockman

The Panama Canal Review 13
PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

November 5 through December 5

EMPLOYEES who were promoted or transferred between November 5 and

December 5 are listed here. Withingrade promotions and job reclassifica- tions are not listed: CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Peter J. Barr, Guard, Locks Division, to Fire Protection Inspector, Fire Division.

Police Division Braxton W. Treadwell, Police Sergeant to Police Lieutenant. John F. Gilbert, Jr., Police Private to Police Sergeant. Division of Schools Martha M. Browder, Mary E. Ellwood,

Substitute Teacher to Elementary and

Secondary School Teacher.

Betty M. Martin, Substitute Teacher to Librarian-Teacher. Era L. Greene, Substitute Teacher and

Visiting Teacher to Kindergarten Assistant. Florence G. Cobham, Substitute Teacher

to Elementary Teacher, Latin American

Schools. Hartford Livingston, Laborer Cleaner to Heavy Laborer. ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

Frank H. Lerchen, Supervisory Mainte- nance Engineer (Maintenance Engineer)

to Supervisory General Engineer (Designing Engineer).

Electrical Division Kazimierz Bazan, Electrician to Senior Operator (Generating Station). Emest M. Reinhold, Jr., Central Office Repairman to Lead Foreman Central

Office Repairman. John J. McLaughlin, Marine Machinist, Industrial Division, to Shift Engineer

(Mechanical).

Thomas W. Petersen, Cable Splicer to Leader Electrician (Lineman).

William W. Good, Window Clerk, Postal

Division, to Radio Mechanic.

Florencio J. Guerrero, Maintenanceman to Launch Operator.

Dredging Division Arnold S. Hudgins, Electrician, Towboat,

Salvage, to Lead Foreman Electrician. Harry J. Harrison, Second Mate Pipeline

Dredge to Leverman, Pipeline Dredge.

Julius Cheney, Leader Electrician (Lineman) to Electrician, Towboat, Salvage. Lefard A. Bennett, Seaman to Launch

Operator.

Clifford H. Standard, Fireman (Floating

Plant) to Watertender (Floating Plant). Leland Truick, Counterman, Supply Division, to Messenger.

Maintenance Division

Carl J. Browne, Supervisory Maintenance

Engineer to Supervisory Maintenance

Engineer (Maintenance Engineer).

Howard W. Osbom, Maintenance Engineer

to Supervisory Sanitary Engineer (Chief, Water and Laboratories Branch). Alexander C. McCatty, Joseph C. Stair, Maintenanceman to Carpenter.

Diego Sierra, Helper Carpenter, Industrial Division, to Carpenter.

Victoriano Almengor, Asphalt or Cement

Worker to Cement Finisher. Andres Diaz, Helper Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic to Oiler. HEALTH BUREAU

Maria L. Keller, Staff Nurse (Medicine and

Surgery), Gorgas Hospital, to Public Health Nurse, Division of Preventive Medicine and Quarantine. Horace Reid, Clerk, Industrial Division, to Clerk-Typist, Division of Preventive Medicine and Quarantine.

Eduardo V. Lindsay, Laborer Cleaner, Terminals Division, to Nursing Assistant

(Psychiatry), Corozal Hospital.

Gorgas Hospital Dr. Francis X. Schloeder, Jr., Medical

Officer (General Medicine and Surgery),

to Medical Officer (General Internal Medicine).

Helen S. Plumer, Stock Control Clerk to General Supply Clerk (Medical).

Wanda L. Boriotti, Staff Nurse to Staff Nurse (Medicine and Surgery). Cecile G. Didier, Clerk-Typist to General Supply Clerk (Medical).

Louis E. Sprauve, Nursing Assistant (Psychiatry), Corozal Hospital, to Medical

Technician (General). Coco Solo Hospital Alberto J. Howell, Hospital Attendant to Storekeeping Clerk. Cyril E. Hewitt, Counter Attendant, Supply Division, to Food Service Worker.

MARINE BUREAU

Navigation Division Emley M. Henter, Clerk-Stenographer,

from Police Division. Heliodoro C. Thachar, Laborer (Cleaner)

to Seaman.

Vincent Blackmail, Laborer (Heavy), from

Division of Schools.

Industrial Division Jean G. Dockery, Clerk-Typist to Clerk- Stenographer. M. Lucille Behre, Stock Control Clerk to Accounts Maintenance Clerk. Emest V. Baptiste, Warehouseman to Stock Control Clerk. Leonard A. Shirley, Messenger, Administrative Branch, to Clerk. Wendell H. Reid, Laborer (Cleaner), Division of Schools, to Helper Machinist. Locks Division

Gilbert H. Davis, Leader Lock Operator

(Iron-Worker Welder) to Lead Foreman

Lock Operator (Iron-Worker Welder).

Joseph M. Bateman, Teddy A. Marti, Lock

Operator (Machinist) to Leader Lock

Operator (Machinist). Elbert L. Hughes, Leverman, Pipeline

Dredge, Dredging Division, to Lock

Operator (Engineman-Hoisting and

Portable). Howard M. Armistead, Armature Winder,

Electrical Division, to Electrician. George K. Hudgins, Jr., Marion E. Taake,

Guard to Towing Locomotive Operator.

William H. Peart, Helper Lock Operator

to Carpenter (Maintenance).

Santiago Evans, Line Handler to Carpenter

(Maintenance).

Alphonso L. Brandford Warehouseman,

Supply Division, to Toolroom Attendant.

Alfredo Graham, Line Handler to Boatman. Manuel Linan, Luis E. Rodriguez, Line

Handler to Helper Lock Operator.

Victor E. Waite, Utility Worker, Supply

Division, to Line Handler. OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

Feme E. Levee, Clerk-Stenographer to General Claims Examiner, General Audit

Division. Ashton Brooks, Jesus N. Barahona, Paul D. Vergara, Amoldo A. Young, Office Machine Operator to Bookkeeping Machine Operator.

Accounting Policies and Procedures Staff Maenner B. Huff, Digital Computer Sys- tems Analyst to Supervisory Systems

Accountant.

Julian M. Mountain, Systems Accountant

to Supervisory Systems Accountant. SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

Supply Division Donald C. Pierpoint, Service Center Supervisor to Service Center Manager.

Olianda A. De Alvarado, Accounts Maintenance Clerk to Accounting Clerk. Sidney O. Ford, Warehouseman to Store- keeping Clerk. Myrtle S. Anglin, Sales Checker (Retail Store) to Clerk. Roy Waterman, Warehouseman to High

Lift Truck Operator (Cold Storage).

Levy Beckford, Sales Clerk to Sales Section Head.

Ronald G. Bushell, Utility Worker to Leader Laborer. Alfonso Elliott, Utility Worker to Clerk. Robinson Caraquitos, Harold G. Fergus,

Utility Worker to Counterman.

Roberto N. Hall, Package Boy to Utility

Worker.

Alfred D. Jackman, Package Boy to Laborer (Heavy).

Gwendolyn Oddman, Car Hop to Counter Woman.

Herman Johnson, Henry H. Phillips, Pinsetter to Utility Worker and Pinsetter. Nicolas D. Bishop, Noel A. Jones, Pinsetter to Utility Worker. Community Servicees Division Richard S. Brogie, Accounting Assistant to Housing Project Assistant (Assistant Manager, Cristobal Housing Office). Mariela G. Quiros, Clerk-Typist, Terminals

Division, to Clerk-Stenographer.

Serapio De Los Rios, Victoriano Ortega,

Jose Santamaria, Laborer to Grounds

Maintenance Equipment Operator. Francisco Barrios, Juan Gomez, Dock

Worker. Terminals Division, to Laborer. TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS

BUREAU

Ricardo M. Martinez, Truck Driver, Supply

Division, to Chauffeur, Motor Transportation Division. Terminals Division Helen L. Meisinger, Cargo Claims Assistant

to Supervisory Accounting Technician.

Elbert F. Ridge, Leader Liquid Fuels Wharfman to Liquid Fuels Dispatcher. Arnaldo H. Davis, Ramon S. Pinto, Line Handler to Leader Line Handler.

14 January 4, 1963
Juan De Leon, Arquimedes Mosquera,

Julio Osorio, Tereso Perez, Alejandro

Romero, Dock Worker to Stevedore. Cromwell A. Panton, Bertram O. Bryce,

Line Handler, from Locks Division. Elvan W. Lim, Line Handler to Water

Service Man.

Onofre Coronado, Railroad Trackman to Helper Liquid Fuels Wharfman.

Alfred Davidson, Utility Worker, Supply

Division, to Cargo Marker. Alphonso Bell, Messenger to Clerk. Pablo Galvan, Heavy Laborer, Locks Division, to Dock Worker.

Railroad Division George J. Herring, Road Conductor and

Yard Conductor to Yardmaster.

Jose M. Testa, Laborer to Heavy Laborer. OTHER PROMOTIONS which did not

involve changes of title follow: Chester E. Pearson, Hospital Administrative Officer (Assistant Director, Gorgas

Hospital). Fredrick J. Wainio, Administrative Service

Officer, Terminals Division. George H. Logan, Management Technician, Administrative Branch. Donald S. Hounschell, Assistant Dairy

Manufacturing Technologist, Supply Division. Harry A. Carlson, Thomas P. Belford, Construction Inspector (General), Contract and Inspection Division. Barbara D. Peterson, Clerk-Stenographer, General Audit Division. Constance C. Nelson, Clerk-Stenographer,

Navigation Division.

Patricia M. Flores, Clerk-Stenographer,

Industrial Division. Efrain I. Herrera, Time, Leave, and Payroll Clerk, Accounting Division. Emilio H. Archer, Clerk, Navigation Division. Maria A. C. De Horna, Stock Control Clerk, Gorgas Hospital. James A. Dowlin, William H. Lovell, Bookkeeping Machine Operator, Accounting

Division. Ruby M. Jones, Sales Clerk, Supply Division. Hugh L. Reid, Clerk, Industrial Division.

CANAL HISTORY

50 y[earJ avao

PLANS FOR ILLUMINATION of the new Panama Canal were being made.

According to the Canal Record, ex- haustive studies of the illumination of the Locks had been completed in order

that a distribution of light best suited

to all of the conditions might be

achieved.

A few concrete lampposts had been

erected on the walls of the upper Locks

at Gatun and a pair of bracket arms for

trial were being cast at the Gatun

concrete yard. Some concern was felt over the shading of illumination from

the eyes of approaching pilots, permitting thereby an unhampered vision of

all range and signal lights.

Lighting at Culebra Cut, on the other hand, would be nonexistent except for the system of beacons on either side

of the bank. Otherwise, the journey

through the Cut was to be made in the

dark, except for such light as was given

by the moon and stars. Slides in Culebra Cut continued to plague the Canal workers. On the after- noon of January 16, the Cucaracha slide, on the east bank of the Canal, again

renewed its activity and by the morning

of the 17th the moving mass of material had covered all tracks in the Canal

except one next to the west bank. The

movement carried material a greater

distance across the Canal than in any

other case except the original movement

of the same slide in 1907. On the night of January 19, the rock

bluff on the east bank of the Canal south

of Gold Hill broke away at a distance

of several hundred feet and moved into the Canal, entirely covering all tracks

to the east of the center line.

RETIREMENTS

EMPLOYEES who retired in November, with their positions at time of retirement and years of Canal service: Darnley Barrow, Stevedore, Terminals Division; 33 years, 2 months, 3 days. Robert A. Berry, Machinist, Locks Division; 15 years, 1 month, 25 days. Mrs. Eileen G. Brady, Head Nurse (Psychiatry), Corozal Hospital; 18 years, 4 months, 17 days. Santo V. Casella, Towing Locomotive

Operator, Locks Division; 21 years, 28 days.

Samuel T. Crichlow, carpenter, Maintenance Division; 31 years, 1 month,

7 days. James C. Garth, Cargo Clerk, Terminals

Division; 26 years, 8 days.

Mrs. Melba M. Heintz, Accounting Clerk, Supply Division; 17 years, 6 months,

7 days.

Martin G. Herrera, Ramp Operator, Navigation Division; 35 years, 11 months,

15 days. James B. Ricketts, Seaman, Navigation Division; 34 years, 7 months, 23 days.

Reyes Rodriguez, Surveying Aid, Engineering Division; 34 years, 10 months,

26 days.

Harry H. Stultz, Seaman, Navigation Division; 25 years, 2 months, 9 days.

Kenneth W. Vinton, Instructor, Schools

Division; 31 years, 11 months, 16 days. Alexander Weir, Helper Lock Operator,

Locks Division; 49 years, 1 month,

7 days.

25 UearJ fao

A PLAN BY which tolls through the Panama Canal would be reduced on

U.S. -flag ships on the inter-coastal run was dealt a blow when Senator Bennet Champ Clark, Chairman of the Senate

Inter-Oceanic Canal Committee, re- vealed there was opposition from both

the State and War Departments.

The reduction was planned in order

to induce the Panama Pacific Lines to retain their luxury liners on the New

York, Panama Canal-California run. Panama merchants, meanwhile, said

that their greatest problem was the withdrawal of the tourist ships from the

inter-coastal run. In Washington, President Roosevelt proclaimed the need for the greatest U.S. Navy in history—a Navy capable

of defending simultaneously both the Adantic and Pacific coasts of the United

States in view of the possibility that the Panama Canal might be destroyed

or its operation paralyzed in time of war.

io U'earJ *9°

STUDIES IN connection with the pro- posed conversion of the Panama Canal

electrical power system from 25- to 60-cycle current were announced by

President Truman. President Truman

also told Congress that the present toll rates of the Panama Canal were providing sufficient revenue for operation of the Canal. New rental rates on Panama Canal

quarters became effective. The schedule was based on the recommendations of the Rent Panel which were accepted by

the Board of Directors. Increases ranged

from 53 cents to $4.84 a week.

One year c4ao

GOVERNOR W. A. CARTER left the Isthmus for his new post as senior engi- neer adviser of the Inter-American

Development Bank in Washington, D.C.

Prior to his departure he was honored

at a public ceremony of tribute which was organized by a group of Panamanian citizens. The tribute included a program of Panamanian folklore, dancing, and presentation of a medal from

the Panamanian people.

Earlier in the month, the appointment by President Kennedy of Maj. Gen. Robert J. Fleming, Jr., to succeed

General Carter as Governor of the Canal

Zone, was announced in Washington.

The Panama Canal Review 15
SHIPPING

New Grace Liner Due

THE NEW $17 million Grace Line

passenger-cargo ship Santa Magdalena,

which was launched last February, will arrive in Cristobal February 6 on her

maiden voyage from New York to Guayaquil, Ecuador. Panama Agencies

announced that the new vessel will leave New York February 1 and

probably will dock in Cristobal. The Santa Magdalena, the first of a

series of new replacement vessels to be

placed by Grace Line on the South

American west coast run, is capable

of accommodating 120 passengers and

can carry 175 standard 20-foot containers or truck trailer vans with a total capacity of 188,600 cubic feet. Banana

conveyers, installed as part of the ship's

standard equipment, will load at the

rate of 2,400 stems an hour.

"Gulfoba" Going Great

NORTHBOUND AND THEN south- bound, merrily does the Gulfoba, a Gulf

Petroleum, S.A. tanker, transit the Pan- ama Canal—in 1 day and out the nextonly to be back again in a wink.

The sea-going twin-screw tanker,

which has a capacity of about 6,000

barrels of oil, has been engaged in carrying oil from the Refineria Panama

on the Adantic side of the Isthmus to the Pacific side. When on the Pacific

side, the Gulfoba docks at Pier 4, Balboa. The Gulfoba started its heavy traffic business in November, completing 16

Canal transits that month.

All employees on the Panama Canal

lock walls are on first name basis with everyone on the Gulfoba, but the tanker

TRANSITS BY OCEAN-GOING

VESSELS IN NOVEMBER

mi mi

Commercial 924 891

U.S. Government 38 15 Free 7 4

Total 969 910

TOLLS •

Commercial $4,685,585 $4,444,586

U.S. Government 213,824 77,727

Total $4,899,409 $4,522,312

CARGO00

Commercial 5,177,751 5,232,796

U.S. Government 110,207 99,216 Free 51,027 31,534

Total.... 5,338,985 5,363,546

'Includes tolls on all vessels, ocean-going and small

•' Cargo figures are in long tons.

still uses a pilot and locomotives, just as does a vessel making a transit for the first time. Captain of the Gulfoba is George

Murphy Hayes of Grand Cayman

Island.

Speed Demon

ONE OF THE fastest freighters afloat came southbound through the Canal

December 11 on her way from New

York to the Far East. She is the Pioneer

Moon, an American Challenger Class

vessel which holds the trans-Atlantic speed record for cargo class ships. She

made the run from Bishop's Rock off England to Ambrose Light, recently, at an average speed of 24 knots. The Pioneer Moon will make regular

trips through the Canal for the United

States Line with general cargo from

Tanker's transit timetable like shuttle service.

New York to the Far East and return. The first in the line's $380 -million long range cargo ship replacement program,

the Pioneer Moon was launched in Newport News, Va., in April by Mrs. Clarence D. Martin, Jr., wife of the Under Secretary of Commerce. Mr.

Martin also is a member of the Panama

Canal Board of Directors.

Shipping Agent Retires

ERNEST S. BAKER, manager of Norton, Lilly & Co. in Balboa and dean

of the shipping agents in the Canal

Zone, retires from his position with the company in January after more than

37 years of service. Mr. Baker, who has

been with Norton, Lilly since 1925, will make his home in Panama after his retirement. His wife was a former

teacher with the Canal Zone Division of Schools. JOSEPH NOONAN, also a veteran employee of Norton, Lilly, who has

been manager in Cristobal, will take over as manager of Norton, Lilly on the Isthmus. The Balboa office of the

agency will be headed by Colin Lawson,

former assistant manager of C. B. Fenton & Co. Other changes in the com- pany staff are the appointment of Lloyd

Alberga as assistant manager in the

Cristobal office and of Archibald Irvine,

former chief engineer on the cable ship

All America, as boarding officer in Cristobal for Norton, Lilly.

Space Ship Part Transits

THE PANAMA CANAL took a part in the space program recently when a section of NASA's huge Saturn was carried through the waterway as deck cargo aboard the freighter Smith Builder. The

big missile section, which resembled

somewhat a giant thimble, was manufactured at the Douglas Aircraft Co.

plant in Santa Monica and was being

taken on a 41 -foot transporter to the launch and test sites in Huntsville, Ala. The part was the S-IV upper stage of the Nation's largest space vehicle and

is scheduled for unmanned earth orbital missions this year. The Smith Builder

picked up the part in Los Angeles,

Calif., and was taking it to New Orleans.

16 January 4, 1963



Date Due
9?(o.300S

P 187

LATIN AWESICk

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

3 1262 04820 4829