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Governor-President

R. S. Harlline Lieutenant Governor

Frank A. Baldwin Panama Canal Information Officer Official Panama Canal Publication

Morgan E. Goodwin, Press Officer

Publications Editors Louis R. Granger, Tomas A. Cupas

Writers Eunice Ricfiard, Fannie P. Hernandez,

Jose T. Tuiion, Willie K. Friar, and Luis C. Noli

Review articles may be reprinted without Furltter clearance. Credit to the Review will be appreciated.

Subscriptions: $1 a year, airmail S2 a year; back copies (.regular mail), 25 cents each. Published quarterly. Make posfol money orders payable to the Panama Canal Company, Box M Balboa Heights, C.Z.

Editorial Offices are located in the Administration Building, Balboa Heights, C.Z. "Printed ol the Printing Plant, La Boca, C.Z.

Contents

University of Panama 3 The Republic's main intel- lectual pillar prepares for the future. Cement Yacht 7 Curing, in a shed at Diablo

is a 50-foot ketch made of chicken icire, steel rods and

cement.

Shipping Statistics 9

Demise of the White Suit 12 Once a part of the Isthmian

landscape, the white suit has gone the icay of the

dodo bird. Or has it? Contadora Island 16

This once sleepij jewel in Panama Bay may soon be on every island hopping

tourist's itinerary.

Maritime Sketchpad 20

John Morton gives an artist's-eye view of Panama

Canal scenes. The Montuno Hat 22

In the dawn's early light

the deft fingers of mountain

women create real Panama

hats. Culinary Capers 24

Exploring the adventures of

Italian cuisine aboard the

MV Donizetti.

Language Bank 27

The Translating Unit takes care of the many language

requirements of the Canal.

Anniversaries 29

History 31

3 Mk...^

Our Covers

RISING MAJESTICALLY near the

L'niversit\' of Panama's Library and

Administration Building, the statue of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the master of Spanish Hterature, appears to be

the illuminating spirit guiding the future

of Panama's leading educational institution. It tv-pifies the theme of the school,

"toward the light". A portion of the in- scription at the base of the monument

is translated: To Miguel de Cervantes Saacedra Beacon for all people united bij the Eternal boml of the Ca-stilian language

Homage from Panama to the author of Don Quixote de la Mancha. . . . The statue was sculptured in Spain

by Julio Gonzalez Pola and paid for by

a public subscription mostly from Pan- amanian students. It was dedicated in January 1923 and was first located at Plaza Porras, formerly named Plaza

Cervantes, in front of the Spanish Embassy. In October 1947 it was moved

to its present site as the cornerstone for the new university.

On the left are Don Quixote on his horse Rocinante, and Sancho Panza, the leading figures in Cervantes' most popular literary accomphshment.

The back cover shows night classes

in progress at the busy law building

which was dedicated last month. The

structure is considered by many Isth- mian residents as one of the most attractive modern buildings in Panama. The

architect, Jose C. Villamil of Panama

City, says the architecture was influ- enced by the renaissance style while

the tall arched columns are of the Byzantine period.

Both photographs were taken by

Kevin J. Jenkins, a photographer with

the Panama Canal Graphic Branch of the Administrative Services Division.

2 November 1970
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By Luis C. Noli

AS A MICROCOSM of the nation it serves, the University of Panama is throbbing with the pains of grovNth. But

the campus atmosphere now is one of

order!)- urgency instead of turmoil. The urgency is more than justified. Within a decade the university must be

ready to accommodate an estimated

25,000 students—more than 4 times its present enrollment—if it is to fulfill its part in full as the main forge for devel- opment of the nation's human resources.

Its awareness of that mission is ex- pressed in a recent official document

outlining the university's plans for the

future: "Panama is aware that the greatest

scarcity in the process of growth lies in the skilled human resources needed to analyze problems, to generate ideas toward creative solutions and to implement efficienth' the programs drawn up. "The Universitv of Panama is undergoing an intensive overall revision to adapt it to the new requirements and to correct the s\'stems which have been

the source of the friction that has pre- vented maximizing its academic out- put and, hence, its contribution to the development and the growth of the

nation.

At the present time, the University

of Panama is fullv capable of implementing a program of institutional improvement as proposed and to increase the production of the highly skilled professionals that our times demand."

Campus Closed

The "intensive overall revision" began

in December 1968 when the campus

was closed b\- the Provisional Govern- ment Junta. In an official communique,

the Junta said its action was taken be- cause of ". . . a constant succession of

strikes over the most trifling reasons; an abundance of political meetings which

result in the frequent suspension of classes; the existence of antagonistic student groups which maintain a per- manent climate of disturbance; the use

of the walls of costlv buOdings for rude

insults and disrespect to authorities; ihe

lack of a true cultural concern; gross and aggressively disorderly acts devoid

of academic loftiness; the pressures exerted by students upon facult\' members through a campaign of affronts, threats and accusations; the large number of 'professional students' who for

\'ears have moved from one department

to another without deciding to take up

a career seriously. . . ."

A board of regents named bv the Junta prepared a new set of campus

rules—many of them based on student and faculty recommendations of long

standing. Among them: the fencing in of the entire campus and the creation

cf a 60-man security corps charged with

protecting university property, looking

after order and providing transport,

traffic, and guidance services to students and visitors. Campus Regulation

The universit\' reopened July 14, 1969. The radical change in the atmos- phere was reflected immediately in the

enrollment. From approximately 11,000

students in attendance prior to the

closing, enrollment dropped to half that

figure. The main reason: Enforcement

of a campus regulation barring students with an academic index below 1.00 (C average).

Besides fostering a climate of dedi- cation to study, the new regulations also did avvav with a large measure of the

control that students had exercised over campus affairs. Students, however, continue to participate in the Advisor}-.

Academic and University Councils and

on the Faculty Boards. The universit\' reopened under a

The Panama Canal Review
Rector Edwin Fabrega of the University of Panama.

new team of administrators—Architect

Edwin Fabrega (Master of City Planning, University of California), Rector;

Dr. Jeronimo O. Averza (Doctor of In- dustiial Pharmacy, Central Universit^• of Madrid), Academic Vice Rector; Ramon I. Ramirez, Jr. (Business Administration, Canal Zone College), Administrative \'ice Rector; Mrs. Clara Cecilia Navarro Riba (Master of Social Service,

Howard University), Director of Student

Affairs.

Nine Faculties

Since its reopening 16 months ago, the university has graduated 781 stu- dents. Its nine faculties are: Public Administration and Commerce, Agronomy,

Architecture, Natural Sciences and

Pharmacy, Odontolog)', Philosophy,

Letters and Education, Engineering,

Medicine, and Law.

Speaking at the first commencement

exercise held since the reopening of the campus, Rector Fabrega said: "We have completed 1 year of work.

One vear replete with problems and

satisfactions. In the course of it, the

efforts, the aspirations, the failures, and

the successes of the university family

have been seen and lived in the light of the national expectation over the fate of the country's biggest hope: the Universit\' of Panama. Six months to get it going and six months to undertake the fundamental reforms which will assure

better times for students and for the

country. Already what this house of learning will be in the future is taking

shape in giant strides in the light of the

The University of Panama Chorus, composed of 75 students, performs under the direction of Prof. Luis \'ergara. The repertory consists

of classical and popular music including works by Panamanian composers.

November 1970
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Cultural activities at the university include

interesting and varied programs presented

by the Department of the Performing Arts

directed by Profesora Aurea Torrijos de

Horta. Above: a scene from "Tartufo" by

Moliere, is presented in the university's

Mini-Theater which has a capacity of 65

persons. Director of the Drama Department is Prof. Roberto McKay. At right:

Students perform in the ballet "West" in

the Central Auditorium under the direction of Armando Villamil. The University

Ballet has a repertory of 25 ballets.

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The Panama Canal Review
role it must fulfill as a higher center of learning and formation of the citizens

to whom we are to hand dov\'n a more experienced and more mature

nation. . . ." What is this shape of the future?

Planning For 1980

The universitv has just announced a $13 million program of expansion and

improvements geared to the year 1980.

It has applied to the Inter-American

Development Bank for a $7.6 million loan for the program, the balance to be

provided b\' the Panama Government.

"In coordination with the Presidential

Office of Planning and Administration,"

the loan application document sets forth, "There has been structured an Investment Program for the Universitv

of Panama to be carried out during the

next 5 vears (1970-7.5). This program

. . . includes the improvement of the academic and administrative svstems, the formation and perfecting of faculty

and research personnel, equipment, and

educational construction. "This project is all the more important because the United Nations has

issued a resolution proclaiming the 70's

as the decade of education. If this project is approved, the University of Pan- ama will be able to carrv forward

dynamically its institutional improvement so that it will be prepared and

equipped to meet the demand for its services in the next 10 vears." The program is based on a detailed studv bv the universitv's Planning Department that encompasses all aspects

of the universitv's expected growth.

Some of the predictions:

Demand For Graduates —Between 1971 and 1980, there

will be a demand in the countrv for approximately 22,000 universitv-trained

professionals such as architects and engineers, chemists and pharmacists,

agronomists and veterinarians, phvsicians and dentists, nurses, teachers,

managers and administrators, auditors and accountants, and executive secretaries. —The University of Panama will graduate about 14,000 of the professionals needed in the next decade; with

graduates of the privatelv endowed

University of Santa Maria La Antigua

(the onlv other universitv in the country) and of foreign universities, the number will increase to 17,000- —The present 80-acre main campus

—University Citv—in El Cangrejo sec- tion of Panama Citv is expected to suffice until 1980. Bevond that vear, the

1,555-acre campus at Tocumen, near

the International Airport, where onh' an Agricultural Research Center is in operation now, will have to be devel- oped to handle future enrollment. —By 1980, the university will have

a student population of 23,280 at its main campus and at the Tocumen site and an additional 2,400 at regional universitv centers in David, Chiriqui Province, and Santiago, Veraguas Province.

Requirements —The expected increase in enroll- ment will require a faculty of 1,438

members and 1,007 administrative per- sonnel (as compared with 581 and 454

respectively, at present).

The major projects in the expansion

program include: —Improvement of the academic and

administrative svstems through a revi- sion bv consultants, at a cost of $250,000. —Scholarships for post-graduate

training of facultv members and re- searchers, $850,000. —Acquisition of scientific laboratorv equipment and bibliographic material, $1.2 million. —New buildings and facilities for the facultv of Agronomv (at the Tocu- men site), the faculties of Engineering

and of Natural Sciences and Pharmacy,

Architecture, Public Administration and

Commerce, a new Central Library, a Student Center, and a Cultural and

Audiovisual Center, $8.5 million. —Improvement of grounds and utilities at both the Universitv City and

the Tocumen site, $1.8 million. The figures on the present size of the Universitv of Panama provide a dramatic commentary on its gro\vth

K^^istess;

Dr. Arturo Morgan Morales, secretary general of the University of Panama, left, and

Rector Fabrega discuss university affairs outside the Library and Administration

Building.

during the 35 years since it was founded

during the presidential administration

of the late Dr. Harmodio Arias. For the

first 15 years, the university had no campus of its own—it operated in the National Institute buildings. When it moved to its present campus in 1950,

it had four buildings and an enrollment

of exactly 1,688 students. Today, 15

buildings stand on the campus and total enrollment reached a peak of 11,000 in the 1968-69 academic vear. Since 1935,

it has graduated 6,677 professionals. In the words of Rector Fabrega, the

Universitv of Panama remains the

nation's "main moral and intellectual

pillar."

Students in the School of Medicine at the university listen attentively to a lecture.

6 November 1970
To Sea

CBment

Hnd

Chicken Wire

"There is nothing—absolutely

nothing—half so much worth

doing as simply messing about

in boats. ... In or out of em,

it doesn't matter."

Kenneth Grahame

"The Wind in the Willows"

Clyde Jennings and his son Dale, upper

right photo, work on the cockpit

of the 50-foot cement boat in a shed

near the Diablo Spinning Club. Above,

Jennings gives special attention to the cement work near the rudder. He is framed in the area where

the propeller will be located.

By Eunice Richard

MAN HAS sailed the seven seas in everything from reed boats and balsa

rafts to huge steel-hulled tankers. But

tell a novice in the boating world that you have a cement boat and he might

say \ou're the t\ pe to buv the Brooklvn

Bridge. Or at least he would refuse a

ride in a cement craft "certain" to head

like a cement block to Davev Jones' Locker. Curing in a shed near the Diablo

Spinning Club, however, is the hull of

a .50-foot ketch constructed with a combination of chicken wire, reinforcing rods and—cement. Clyde Jennings, a machinist emploved

in the Panama Canal Locks Division, is building—with lots of help from his family and friends—a two-masted,

cement-hulled ketch that he expects to carry him and his wife to those farawav

places evervone wants to visit. The method he is using is not new

but has caught on onlv recently in the United States after being used successfully in most of Europe, including

Russia, and as far away as Australia and

New Zealand.

New Zealand

In fact, the boat being built bv

Jennings and familv was designed especially for him by a New Zealand naval

architect. While at present the ketch resembles

a large boat with a cement overcoat,

looks are deceiving. The hull, composed

of tight lavers of chicken wire through

which the wet cement was squeezed,

is flexible and well built. The method

produced a thin shell-like skin which

will become stronger as the ketch takes

to the water. Cement keeps curing in water, Jennings pointed out. And used

in this manner on this size boat, it is lighter than either steel or wood.

The cement job was done in one dav

by a group of 13 Panamanians who

worked without stopping for 8 hours

until the job was completed. The men

labored side b\- side with Jennings and

his friends and relatives. The No. 2 cement for the hull was

furnished free of charge bv Cemento

Panama. S.A. which shut down its nor- mal cement manufacturing operation

during the time it took to produce the

special fine grade cement. The sand

used to mix with the cement was No. 4

blast, so fine it's almost a powder.

Skeleton Work on the hull of the ketch began

about 3 vears ago and it took Jennings

and his family most of that time lacing

together 1% tons of reinforcing rod and

IVi miles of 3-foot- wide chicken wire

which forms the skeleton of the boat. Dozens of visitors, ranging from diplomats to sailors who just didn't believe

in a cement boat, have come bv to inspect the work being done bv Jen- nings and his familv. There have been

so manv, in fact, that the guest book

set up 2 years ago is almost full. While the hull is curing, Jennings

and his wife work on the interior of the the ketch which will have room to sleep nine persons, have wall-to-wall carpeting, air conditioning and other

comforts. In deference to Mrs. Jenning's preference for hot baths, her

husband has converted the gunwale

The Panama Canal Review
Expert Panamanian plastermen work with

ballet precision applying cement to the hull of the ketch.

pipe into a storage tank that will pro- duce hot water through solar energy. The Jennings' family predict that the boat will be launched, from in front of the shed where it is being built, in about

2 months. It will then be taken to the Pedro Miguel Boat Club where work

will continue on fitting out the interior r

H

The most tedious and painstaking part of

the job is tying the thousands of wires into the mesh base.

and installing a 43-horsepower engine.

The cement boat idea has been

kicked around for a long time—ever

since the 1840's. One skiff, built in Holland in 1887, still is afloat and sea- worthv. Big ships were built of concrete during both world wars but thev were

clumsy and not very successful.

The method being used by Jennings

and which is popular in Europe was

devised bv Pier Luigi Nervi, an Italian architect who began experimenting in the 1940's on sandwiching multiple layers of fine steel mesh compressed into a mat in a thin shell of dense waterproof

cement. He built some boats to prove it could be done. The new material is unlike traditional reinforced concrete, because it is flexible, incrediblv strong

and comes in a thin sheet that can be

formed into complex curves. Nervi

called the process ferrocemento. Nervi said, "The material created did

not behave like regular concrete but

presented all the mechanical characteristics of a homogenous material. Experiments proved it would withstand

great strains without formation of cracks in the cement mortar as a result of subdivision of the reinforcement."

Nervi went on to make impact tests which showed that the cement hull was

not onlv tough and durable, but lighter

than a wooden hull of the same size, and cost approximately 40 percent less. Manv refinements have been made

in the ferrocement boat construction,

but Nervi had kindled the flame and

the cement boat was on its way. ^

The family dog appears worried over the prospects of sailing around in a cement

boat as Dale and Mr. and Mrs. Jennings

look over the plans.

Boatbuilder Jennings, in the background on the ladder, works with his friends and

Panamanian plastermen on the day the cement was spread over the hull. It took approximately .3 years of lacing together reinforcing rod and chicken wire to get to this part of the job which took a mere 8 hours with the help of 13 workmen.

8 November 1970
CANAL COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC BY NATIONALITY OF VESSELS
Statendam of the Holland America Line.

All three passed southbound through the

Canal. The first two were on South

American cruises and the Statendam was on her way to the U.S. West Coast and the Pacific. The Italian Line Galileo Galilei also went through the Canal in October on

her way around the world, followed bv

the Marconi of the same line making a

similar cruise. The 15-day pre-Christmas shopping

cruises offered by Princess Cruises from

the West Coast will be made by the

Princess Carla late in November and

early in December. It will include visits to Mexico and South and Central America before going through the Canal to Florida. Her return trip to Los Angeles

will take her into Mazatlan in Mexico.

In December

Other ships due in Canal waters dur- ing December are the Meteor, enroute from Acapulco, Mexico to Cartagena,

Colombia, the Bergensfjord returning

from South America, and the Sagafjord

and Federico C on Caribbean Cruises

stopping at Cristobal. The German

Atlantic liner Hanseatic visits Cristobal on a West Indies cruise 2 da\s before

Christmas.

The Sagafjord and the Gripsholm are scheduled to transit the Canal in Januar\', the former enroute to Los Angeles

and the latter to South America. Also

during January the Hanseatic, Kungsholm. Oceanic, and Federico C are on Caribbean cruises stopping at Cristobal. The Paquet Lines flagship Renais- sance will make a 44-day cruise around

South America from Port Everglades

and is scheduled to transit the Canal for the first time January 19. This will be

the first time that the 4-year-old luxurv

liner has ever been slated for a long

cruise. The French Line will handle it. The France, the world's largest ocean

liner, will make a cruise to the West

Indies and South America but will not

visit Cristobal this year. Cruise liners in February are the German Atlantic Line Hamburg on two

Caribbean cruises, the Stello Oceanis on

her third cruise to the West Indies,

which stops at the San Bias Islands; the

Bergensfjord, Federico C, the Oceanic,

and the Empress of Canada.

Cruise Customers

P & O line ships which use the Canal

frequently are listed among the cruise customers this winter with the Oriana

scheduled for a 2-week cruise in December from San Francisco to Puerto

Vallarta, Acapulco and Panama. Two

PRINCIPAL COMMODITIES SHIPPED THROUGH THE CANAL

(AU cargo figures in long tons) Pacific to Atlantic

Commodity

Ores, various Sugar

Iron and steel plates, sheets and coils Boards and planks Petroleum and products

Fishmeal

Metals, various Food in refrigeration

( excluding bananas)

Pulpwood

Petroleum coke Bananas Plywood and veneers

Iron and steel manufactures,

miscellaneous Canned food products

Iron and steel wire, bars and rods.

All others

Total 10,488,332

First Quarter, Fiscal Year

1971

.,756,893

.,037,297

882,534

805,124

451,421

415,693

414,207

284,373

264,291

256,134

244,898

235,875

231,601

169,504

167,819

1,870,668

1970

1,214,546

735,529

689,053

748,327

534,979

288,192

369,575

291,200

278,237

242,136

303,068

260,527

371,343

170,259

174,657

3,053,499

9,725,127

5-Yr. Avg.

1961-65

282,514

693,908

N.A.

N.A. 490,599 N.A.

274,741

196,404

130,271 N.A.

274,753

N.A.

N.A.

253,387

N.A.

4,746,854

7,343,431

Atlantic to Pacific

Commodity

Coal and coke Petroleum and products Corn

Metal, scrap Soybeans

Phosphates

Sorghum

Sugar

Ores, various Wheat

FertUizers, unclassified Chemicals, unclassified Paper and paper products

Iron and steel manufactures, miscellaneous.

Autos, trucks, accessories, and parts All others

Total 20,339,847

First Quarter, Fiscal Year

1971

6,196,084

3,278,060

1,403,203

1,071,096

980,282

935,160

799,917

735,502

701,474

315,007

268,579

260,488

237,077

170,612

145,675

2,841,631

1970

4,837,780

3,826,069

1,199,726

932,041

548,990

963,716

653,914

506,271

517,309

122,496

163,660

227,763

225,808

128,736

155,868

3,092,139

18,102,286

5-Yr. Avg.

1961-65

1,521,383

2,848,139

299,197

812,008

279,937

497,992 N.A.

367,986

70,671

179,668

103,381

161,332

108,532 N.A.

72,861

2,103,541

9,426,628

CANAL TRANSITS - COMMERCIAL AND U.S. GOVERNMENT
3-\veek cruises follow, adding four Caribbean ports to the other three stops

in January and Februar\'.

Also offered by P & O between now

and the fall of 1971 are several roundthe-world ciTjises, four Pacific cruises and a number to the Caribbean through

the Panama Canal. Matson Lines will enter the Mediter- ranean for the first time next spring

when the luxur)' ship SS Monterey embarks on a 56-day voyage from the U.S. West Coast. The 20,000-ton liner will

sail April 16 from San Francisco on a cruise from the Pacific through the Panama Canal to the Aegean, the Caribbean, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and back. Popular passenger ships running

through the Canal all year on a regular

basis are the Shaw Savil liners operating

between the United Kingdom and Australia and the Prudential Grace ships

from New York to the West Coast of South America and the ever popular

Italian Line vessels that travel between

Genoa in Italv to Valparaiso in Chile,

passing through the Canal at least once

a month.

Another round-the-world service to become popular in recent years is oper- ated by the Chandres Lines that pur- chased the SS President Roosevelt and

the Matson Navigation Co. vessel

Ltirlinc. A. J. Chandres announced that the Lurline would be renamed the Bri- tank and will operate on the round-the- world service via Australia and New

Zealand joining the Australia and EUini'; which come through the Canal reg- ularK. Chandres said that the Lurline

would be taken to Greece to be completelv reno\ated before being retimied

to service. The Lurline is the fourth ship

in the Matson Line fleet to bear that name. It will be given to another ship of the Matson line after she is sold.—E.R.

New Container Service

TWO European ship operators whose

ships now use the Panama Canal on a regular basis have started a new joint service between the North American

west coast and Europe. The service is

to become an all-containership operation

within a vear. The companies involved are the London-based Blue Star Line Ltd.. represented at the Panama Canal by

Payne and Wardlaw. and the East Asiatic Co. Ltd.. of Copenhagen, whose

agent at the Canal is C. B. Fenton & Co. The new joint operation, to be

known as Scanstar, involves six vessels

each from the hvo companies. The

conventional cargo liners are to be

replaced beginning next June with four big cellular containerships now under

construction. The four new ships ordered to replace

the conventional tonnage now in operation will be 22-knot ships, each with a capacity of 900, 20-foot boxes. Nakskov

Skibsvaert of Denmark is building two

of the vessels and Bremer Vulkan yard

in West Germany is building the other

tw o. They are to be delivered next June. Port of call for the initial operation

will include Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles on the west coast and Dublin. GlasPANAMA CANAL TRAFFIC

STATISTICS FOR FIRST 3 MONTHS

OF FISCAL YEAR 1971

TRANSITS (Oceangoing Vessels) 1971 1970

Commercial 3,458 3,4o6

U.S. Government 176 374

Free - 27 26

TotaL - - 3,661 3,856

TOLLS • CommerciaL--- $24,.326,.354 .$23,800,.368 U.S. Governments^ 1,105,.536 2,075,253

Total $2.5,431,890 $25,875,621

CARGO""

Commercial 30,830,27 1 27,828,948

U.S. Governments 847,480 1,400,274 Free 4.3,067 .34,753

go\\-, Liverpool, London, Rotterdam,

Le Havre, Goteborg, and Copenhagen

in Europe.

The Blue Star presently operates a

service between Australia through the Panama Canal and the United States

east coast and is a member of the Associated Container Transport consortium

which engages in containership operations between Australia and Europe.

East Asiatic has long been a major

earner in the West Coast-European

trade. Announcement of the new operation

is the latest development in a drastic shakeup of the traditional west coast- European cargo liner services, the Journal of Commerce said. Recently, Fred Olsen Interocean

Line, a carrier on the route for .56 years, announced it would quit the route in October. Johnson Line, a Swedish

company and a long-time general cargo operator on the route, is currently

changing over its fleet to containerships

and is placing six big, fast cellular vessels in the trade. The United States Lines also an- nounced the beginning of a containership service from the east coast to the

U.S. west coast and the Far East using

eight containerships of the Lancer Class previously on the North Atlantic nm.

This is a departure for the United

States Line, which abandoned govern- ment .subsidies to be able to start the new service. TotaL - 31,720,818 29,263,975

* Includes tolls on all vessels, oceangoing and

small. *" Cargo figures are in long tons.

1,300

U
By Willie K. Friar THE IMMACULATE white suit, which was as much a part of the tropical land- scape during the Construction Days of the Panama Canal as the pith helmet,

the sIow-mo\ing ceiling fan, and wicker

furniture, has gone the way of the dodo bird. The onl\' white outfits seen around

the Canal Zone these davs are the modst\le bell-bottom tvpes being worn by

a few of the younger men, but until early

1960, every well dressed man in the Canal Zone had at least one white suit

in his closet ready for special occasions. For manv it was everyday wear. With the advent of air conditioning

and the handsome tropical weight materials in all varieties of color, the venerable white suit disappeared from the

Where Have All

local scene. Tropical weight suits could

not have been welcomed more any place

than in the warm, humid climate of the Canal Zone. The new materials won immediate popularity with the sweltering men, but some turned out to be so thin

that the men discovered, to their dismay,

that when they wore light colored tro- picals, the length of their underwear was becoming a topic of discussion.

Sack Suits

This was not a problem with the fabrics used in the early days of the Canal

when duck, linen, and flour sacks were

the main materials used. Flour sack

suits generally were only for ever\'day wear and were not a laughing matter

except occasionalK' when the sacks were not bleached well enough and

the Gold Medal Flour label was legible. A retired emplo\ ee reported that

a Governor of that period appeared

at his office one morning with traces of the label clearh' visible across the seat of his trousers. The Gold

Medal motto, which was printed on the sacks, was "Eventually, why

not now." Many of the men had two or three of these flour sack suits for work and

several who wore them described them

as "practical and attractive." There were

clothes trees and hangers in all the offi- ces of the Administration Building and,

usuall)' because of the heat, the men

removed their coats and hung them up. With this careful treatment they could wear the coats several days without

laundering, but since the trousers were washed more often, it was not uncom- mon to see a man wearing ver\' white

bleached trousers and a jacket that appeared slightly "tattletale grey" in comparison.

Stand Alone

The flour sacking was very sturdy and

stood up well under many bleachings.

Laundresses applying for work were

selected on the basis of how well they

"could do a white suit." This meant

much boiling, bleaching and starching.

With all the emphasis on starch it was

small wonder that men frequenth' found

that their underwear and handkerchiefs

had been starched also. Often the trousers were stiff enough to literally stand

alone and some maintained that the\ acted as a sort of flue which allowed

the air to circulate and produce a

cooling eff^ect. Others of the Construction Day era reported that the suits were actually very hot, and prickly heat, especially

around the neck, made them so miserable that the minute they got home,

they ripped off the detachable starched

collar followed immediately by the vest and coat. Strange as it seems, men of the era often wore vests even in the

tropical heat. In the 1920's most of the flour sack

suits were made in the mattress factory

of the old Quartermaster Department

near the Balboa Railroad Station. The factory made not only mattresses but all kinds of items. The tailors there apparently were wizards at turning

flour sacks into, not onK' suits, but bunk

bottoms, waiter's coats, butcher's aprons, pajamas for the patients at Ancon Hospital, golf knickers, covers for chairs,

and even hats and caps.

Just In Case

The 100-pound sacks, which they

used, arri\ed on the Isthmus filled with

flour for the bakery. They were sold, after being washed and bleached by the Ancon Laundry, for 25 cents each and

three sacks were usually enough for a white suit. The total cost of a tailored

suit was around $12. Tailors were in- structed to put the label side of the sack

inside the garment just in case the bleaching had not been well done.

Stvles in suits varied. There were

double breasted and single breasted,

both with wide lapels, and then there was the tvpe, worn by Col. George W.

Goethals and a few others, which fea- tured a high stiff collar of the mandarin

or militar\- uniform t\pe. Goethals' suits were of linen and reported to be made

bv a tailor in the Construction Day town

\

12 November 1970
The White Suits Qone?

of Culebra. He never wore his Army uni- form, onl\ the \\hite suit, which was

immaculate at all times. A number of men insisted that to stav spotless and

unwTinkled in the tropical heat one had to change suits at least three times

a dav. Government officials from the United

States often brought along white suits for wear on the Isthmus. On his visit in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt was

photographed wearing a white suit as he

took a train ride through the muddy

construction area and climbed aboard a steam shovel. President William Howard Taft, also bowing to the local fashion, decided to forego wearing the frock coat for which

he was so well kno\\n and appeared

resplendent in a voluminous white suit.

All In White

Societ\ reports of the olden dav s told of dances at the Tivoli and Washington

hotels uhere both men and women were

dressed in white. One man. writing in 1922 said, "The Tivoli Club held" its regular dance last night. I hung around

the sidelines a half hour or so, met a few people I knew and watched the per- formance. To me there is no dance so

prettv as this, so clean and fresh-look- ing—an impression due I suppose to the white clothing worn by men and

women."

The white suit gradually replaced the

striped trousers and the cutaway coat

for the most formal occasions, and in 19.34 Gov. J. L. Schley in a memoran- dum on protocol reiterated that, "The

white suit is the official full dress for the Canal Zone and has been so recognized

in Panama for 20 vears or more and that, consequently when the officials of the Canal Zone attend formal functions in Panama for which full dress is prescribed, the proper dress for them to wear is the white suit."

In 19.36, when Panama's President

Elect Demostenes Arosemena, after a lengthv conference, okaved white linen

suits with black ties as the "official dress

for members of the National AssembK

at the inauguration," one man was so grateful that he wrote a letter to the

editor of a local newspaper. He said, "Dr. Arosemena, you have

endeared \ourself to countless officials who had, I know, been dreading the dav when the\ should have been obliged

to appear in morning coat, heavv striped

trousers, shinv black shoes. Ascot tie.

high collar, and top hat to stand for short space of time." Over the vears, the white suit b

something of a status symbol. In

offices on the Isthmus, "the boss" a white suit. One young man,

seeking a job, noted this. \\'hen

he was asked what he could

do, file, t)'pe, or operate other

office equipment, he smiled

and said proudly, "I can do

none of those things but I can wear a white suit." The suits were often re- ferred to as "come-toJesus suits" because they were the standard cos- tume for baptism at many of the local churches.

In 1929, the first ready-made suits ap- peared in the Canal

Zone commissaries At that time, one

could buy a white

duck suit for

$8.9.5 or a linen one for .$12.95.

.\ man could

get a suit for

A LOOK AT OLD PHOTOGRAPH ALBUMS shows the popularity of the white suit from Construction Days until 1960 when the fashion began to disappear from the tropical scene. At left from top to bottom: Ceremonial occasions usually meant the wearing of white suits as evidenced by the large number at the dedication of the plaque at the foot of the stairs at Gorgas Hospital. The suits came in a variety of stales including knickers worn here by Gov. NL L. Walker. The Duke and Duchess of York (later Queen Eliza- beth and King George VI) visit the Lock Control House at Gatun Locks escorted by Governor Walker in white pith helmet. The pith helmet was often worn with white suits as well as with white uniforms by

the military. Immaculately dressed in white, Gov. Harr\' Burgess goes on an inspection trip on a railroad motor car. At right, top to bottom: Pres. Theodore Roosevelt climbs aboard a steam shovel to view Canal work during Construction Days. White was as popular with the ladies as with the men and Col. and

Mrs. D. D. Gaillard present a lovely scene as they have tea at their home in the old Construction Day town of Culebra. Another tranquil Canal Zone scene shows Col. and Mrs. J. F. Stevens out

for a carriage ride. Gov. Jay Morrow, left, poses with AFL Pres. Samuel Gompers and party on the

steps of the Administration Building during Gompers' \isit to the Isthmus. Gov. W. E. Potter and

the former Gov. Glen E. Edgerton inspect work at bottom of Miraflores Locks during overhaul. Governor Potter was the last Canal Zone governor to wear the white suit regularly.

The P.^.nama Canal Review 13
FLOVR SACK SUITS

just slightly more than what he had to pay for a bathing suit which cost him

$5.35 for "a good quality wool" shoulder

to knee style. He could finish out his outfit with a

§2.7.5 white broadcloth shirt with or without collar; white cotton "drawers"

and undershirt at 85 cents each; white

leather belt for $1.20 or if he preferred,

white suspenders for 75 cents; and four- in-hand tie from $1 to $2. Some wore

black and some wore white shoes with

this outfit, topping it off with a white

pith helmet.

Advertisement

By 1933, ready-made suits were being

produced in the Republic of Panama

and the problem of shrinkage was being

solved. One establishment published the following advertisement which bears

the marks of a rather laborious tran.sla- tion from the Spanish.

"One of the guarantees of the work

being done by our shop is that the cloth- ings will not shrink. When the goods are received from the exterior to be manufactured into clothes they are put

through a trying process which consists

in leaving them 24 hours in a deposit of boiling water. "Afterwards the clothings are put in the washing machine; then are sent to the drying department and finally ironed

and polished.

"There are three large tables provided

with electrical cutting machines. At once

the clothings are measured and modeled

according to size and styles. There are machines that cut .500 suits of three

different sizes at one time. Afterwards

the materials are carried to the confectioning shops where a swarm of workers

are busy laboring. This new section is furnished with the most modern materials that can be found an\\vhere.

Fierce Stitch "The highest efficiency is found in the machines designed to make special

work. Machines to make buttonholes,

machines to make hems, machines to make pants pockets, machines to sew

on buttons, etc. Even a machine called Maquina de Puntada Fiera or the machine of a 'fierce' stitch which executes

a \ery delicate stitch whose mark cannot be seen on the other side of the cloth." The factory reported that they were

able to produce from 100 to 200 suits a day.

By 1960, the white suit had almost

disappeared from the local scene. Gov. William E. Potter was the last Canal

Zone Go\ernor to wear the white suit legularly. They were phased out of the

commissary in the earlv 1960's with the | leftovers going on sale for 82.95. < The tradition of the white suit in the . tropics has ended. Perhaps the man re- sponsible for it is the most influential of '

all fashion molders today—the scientist. ' Fashions are often the result of work in the laboratory where modern

fabrics with special new qualities are developed. For many years, the search was on for a fabric to be worn in the tropics which

would be cool, light\veight, not easy to wrinkle (as fabrics usuall\- do in hot, humid weather) and which would hold

The Old Days

Now with the S)nthetic fabrics, the blends of acetates and cotton and cotton

treated to be vvTinkle resistant, the problems have been sohed and the da\s of the boiling, bleaching, starching, and

ironing are over.

Still, hanging in many Canal Zone

closets, among the flashv, brightlv col- ored new garments, one is apt to spot an old white suit, carefullv preserved

just in case the style should make a comeback.

So far, the only step in that direction has been a smattering of white suits with bell-bottom trousers, but who can

say, with all the radical changes in men's

fashions and the return of sideburns and

st)les of by-gone days, the old white

suit may try a comeback to the tropical scene.

A 100-pound flour sack of the type used in making white

suits in years gone by is displayed by Canal Zone College

Queen Darlene Daly. The sack is a part of the Canal Zone

Museum's collection of Construction Day memorabilia.

A^HOTHER NEW

MR.JONES?

14 November 1970
Presidents Wore Them <» <»

Pres. Theodore Roosevelt inspecting Canal work from train. Pres. Williatn Howard Taft with Col. George W. Goetluils.

Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt with Panama Pres. Hamiodio Arias. Pres. Nixon (while Vice President) with Mrs. Sixon.

They Return?

With one of the few ceiling fans remaining on the Isthmus turning slowly

overhead, John Hibben,

wearing white bell- bottomed trousers and

double-breasted jacket, looks over a picture of President Taft and

Col. Goethals dressed

in the style of Construction Days. John

is a student at the Canal Zone College. At right: A well preserved white suit hangs in the

closet among the vari-colored ones just in case the style should make a comeback to the Isthmian scene.

The Panama Canal Review 15
cA fewel cAntong. the ^^S^landd o/ Pearls

yy

16 November 1970
By Louis R. Granger

BLUSTERED OFF the south

coast of Panama he

a group

of more than 100 islands that during the next decade are ex- pected to give a bit of competition to the sun and fun

islands of the Caribbean.

Well-known to the boating and fish- ing crowd of Panama and the Canal

Zone, the Pearl Island Archipelago in the Gulf of Panama is stepping into the

limelight thanks toa group of Panama

businessmen and the Panama Government, all bent on putting the island jewels on every island hopping tourist's

itinerary.

Gabriel Lewis, president of the Pearl

Island Development Corp., is the lead- ing force behind the project and this month will officiallv open Contadora

Island to tourism. Already more than SI million has besn

spent to develop the island into

a luxur\

resort, and approxiniately $800,000 more will go into the construction of a .50-room modern hotel and 16 two-bed- room cottages to be ready in January

1972. Now available are 10, two-bed- room, centrally air-conditioned trailers; a restaurant and cocktail lounge: and a small rental store for sporting goods and

the usual beach and water necessities.

13 Beaches

Although the island is only 2 miles long and % of a mile wide, it has 13 beaches and plenty of room for privacy.

An airfield nearly 3,000 feet long serves the island, and the corporation owns

three twin-engine planes for shuttle service from Paitilla Airport. The fee is $10 per person round trip, but property owners are given a discount.

It'sa 15-minute trip by air and

approximately 1 to 2 hours by powerboat. The island lies at the northern end

of the archipelago approximately 35

miles from Panama City. There are nu- merous anchorages for deep-draft vessels and the island has a gas diesel fueling

pier.

Once the island gets into full swing,

Contadora will be

a paradise for the out- door types, as well as for the naturalist. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Peterson who

operated

a sailing school at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are resident managers of the operation and offer skindiving and sail- ing classes. Natives from the surrounding islands will conduct pearl diving

expeditions for the more adventuresome

visitors. Pearling was

a lucrative busi- ness around the Pearl Islands until the

With many tropical beaches

and jungle trails, Contadora

Island officially opens for tourism this month. On

opposite page pretty Karen

Hughes,a visitor from

Iowa, writes her favorite

island's name in the sand,

and strolls along the beach

in the photo below.

In left photo, Gabriel Lewis,

right, developer, chats

with Frank Morrice whose

company holds the

exclusive sales rights

to island property.

Below is

a trail leading

through untouched jungle.

The Panama Canal Review 17
--Jgaey

A paradise for beachcombers and skindivers, the Pearl Island Archipelago gives up

treasures from its past to sharp-eyed visitors. Here Mr. and Mrs. Lewis display some of the items found among the islands. Clustered in the foreground and in photo below are

pearls found just off Contadora this vear.

1930's when apparently a combination

of over-fishing and disease decimated

the beds. But peail oysters mav be making a comeback. Lewis has collected nearly

100 pearls of various sizes off Contadora

in 10 feet of water at low tide. (Pacific

tides average approximatclv 14 feet.)

Golf Course

Tennis courts, a 9-hole golf course, and volleyball courts will be added to round out the sporting activities. Lewis has preserved much of the

island forest of guaxacan trees, thorn\

cedars, oaks, and typical island growth,

and has let it be know n that a good way

not to be invited back to the island is to

kill one of the black iguanas that inhabit the island. This species grows to about

5 feet and like the rest of the familv are harmless to humans.

Indian pottery and 19th Centurv

bottles have been found on Contadora

during the construction and clearing.

And on a nearby island Lewis found two

large diving helmets abandoned or lost by pearl divers. Lewis plans to retain the natural

beaut)' of the island and not crowd any

of the residents or visitors. Actually

there is no need to pack Contadora with

people. He owns seven other islands in the archipelago which he plans eventually to develop. "It all depends on how

well the public accepts Contadora,"

he said. Part of the island has been subdi\ided

for homesites and additional building

sites will be set aside after the hotel is completed. "The reaction has been fantastic," said Lewis. "Alreadx- the entire subdivided section has been sold."

If Lewis' own reaction to Contadora

when he first saw it is anv indication of how others will feel, then the island is bound to be a fa\orite.

Like a Dream

Just 2 years ago in November Lewis was fishing alone in a small boat when

he had engine trouble. He put into Contadora for help. "I found the island to be like a dream," he said. After repairing the engine, Lewis returned to Panama

City. "Immediatelv I started asking

questions and found that it was owned

by the Pinel family who had been in the pearl business years before." Fortunately, the owners were willing to sell. Lewis set-up a 5-year program and in February' 1969 the first bulldozer started

to clear an area for the airstrip. Since then a work force of about 70 men has been kept busy. The Panama National

Guard provided some heavv equipment

to widen the runway. During the next drv season the airfield

and all the roads including one that

circles the island will be blacktopped.

That project is expected to be finished

in Februarv 1971 along with a water

system supplied bv three artesian wells, and an electrical plant with three generators supplying 1,000 kw. Comunicaciones, S.A., will install 80 telephone

lines for island communications and 6

lines to Panama Citv bv March 1971,

Lewis said. No Crazy Ideas

Original building sites sold for S6 a sfjuare meter for waterfront lots and $4

for inland propert}'. The only building

restriction is that plans be approved by

the management and that the houses

"fit in" with the communit\'. "No crazy

ideas," Lewis said. Lot owners, he ex- plained, can purchase two-bedroom, air- conditioned mobile homes from the Pan- ama Tourist Bureau for nothing down

and $128 a month for 8 years. Trailer

lots, however, must be landscaped.

To Lewis, the archipelago will be- come the next major tourist area. "These

islands will be booming soon. The Government is backing their development

and is giving a lot of cooperation. There's a great potential here. "Panama has an excellent opportunity

to develop a strong tourist industry. We

ha\'e what e\erybod\' wants—sun, good

beaches, some of the best fishing in the world, and clean, clear water," he said.

Sales Rights

Lewis is not alone in this venture. Frank Morrice III, a partner of Ford,

Sosa, Morrice, S.A., insurance and real

estate, has the exclusive sales rights to island property. And like Lewis, Morrice first went to Contadora for a reason

other than business.

"I heard about the island and went

there to see about buying a lot. I fell in love with it right awav," he said. Lewis

and Morrice became good friends and

Lewis offered him the sales part of the

business. Lewis is a family man, the father of

five boys and one daughter, and has a close relationship with his business

associates. He is general manager of the

successful familv-owned enterprise of Corrugado Panama, S.A.. which manufactures banana packing boxes. He has the easygoing manner of a man who is sure of himself and knows

exactlv where he is going.

Morrice feels much the same way

about the future of the Pearl Islands as Lewis, but admits that it takes someone

like Lewis to make it work. "Gabriel is the pioneer; he's the Robinson Crusoe

of the Pearl Islands."

18 November 1970
LITTLE IS KNOWN and less is re- corded of the Pearl Islands except that they were once the center of important

and lucrative pearl fishing, an industry

which to various degrees continued for more than 400 \ears.

The first known written reference to the islands occurs in a letter to the King

of Spain from V'asco Nunez de Balboa,

dated January 20, 1513. Balboa had not discovered the Pacific Ocean—that was

to be in September—but had heard many

stories from the Indians about the great

"South Sea" that stretched to the horizon

from across the Isthmus of Panama.

He told the King: "The Indians state there is another ocean 3 days journey

from here . . . they say the other ocean

is ver\ suitable for canoe tra\eling as it

is alwavs calm ... I belie\e there are manv islands in that sea . . . they tell me

that there are pearls in abundance of great size, and that the native chiefs possess baskets filled with them, as do

even common Indian men and women."

Since then these islands with their graceful white sand beaches, craggy

cliffs, good natural harbors, and a wide

and abundant variety of wildlife have

led unruflfled lives while their tropical cousins in the Caribbean were groomed

for the tourist trade. Sun and Rum

As the Caribbean islands boomed with

pleasure seekers by the hundreds of thousands soaking up the sun and rum,

the "Islands of Pearls," as Balboa called them, patiently waited for the limelight.

From 1901 until 1968, when Gabriel

Lewis, president of the Pearl Island Development Corp., bought Contadora

Island, it was owiied by the Pinel family

who used the island for its pearl fishing

fleet. The Pinel's bought it from great- grandchildren of Felix Moreno who took

title to the island and several others in the late 18th Century. Moreno's daughter inherited it on his death in 1836

when the island was called San Francisco de Asis de Contadora.

Jose Pinel of Panama City, who is en- gaged in the real estate business, was

a child during the pearl fishing days of

his family. He said Contadora and

several other islands had fresh water

necessary for the fleet. Pinel believes

that Contadora may have been the

island that was used as the countinghouse for pearls and mother-of-pearl

shell during the Spanish occupation. The

Spanish word contador means counter; accountant; or auditor, and contaduria is translated as accountant's office, accountancy, and auditorship.

The Pinel family remained in the pearling business—both for mother-ofpearl and pearls—until 1931 when the demand for mother-of-pearl diminished.

Most of it was sent to Germany while the

pearls were sold mainly in Paris, London, and a few other European capitals.

Onh" a few pearls were ever sold in the United States, Pinel said.

Pearl Fishing

Although the Colombian Government

had established conservation practices on pearl fishing prior to the turn of the century (Panama became independent

from Colombia in 1903), the production

of pearl oysters diminished markedly in the 1930's. According to Dr. Paul S. Galtsoff of the U.S. Department of the Interior,

Fish and Wildlife Service, who con- ducted a survey of the pearl oyster resources of Panama in 19.50, the years

of forced inactivity from 1939 through

194.3 had no beneficial effect on the

oyster population. "In 1944-45, when the fishery was

officially resumed, the divers found the

pearl oysters extremely scarce. They also reported seeing, on several formerly

productive grounds, many dead or dying

oysters," said Dr. Galtsoff. There are no records available of the number of pearls and their value taken from Panama Bay during the Spanish

occupation, but it probably was considerable. Modern-day records on pearls

and mother-of-pearl shells were not maintained until 1908, and even then

the records were only sketch)'. According to the Panama Bureau of

Statistics and Census, the best year was

1924 when pearls and shell valued at $57,524 were taken from the bay. The

last \ear of record keeping was 1938

when it was reported that only 3 carats

of pearls valued at $275 were collected. But the year before, 339 carats with a value of $10,818 were taken.

• , • a, ' a,,v.. . . ,• . •

At top of page is an aerial photograph of Contadora Island taken earlier this year.

It shows the runway, half a dozen beaches and some of the roads. A 50-room hotel and 16 modem cottages will be constructed near the beach at right center. The

U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office chart shows some of the northern islands in the archi- pelago including Isia Contadora, below

Isia Pacheca and to the right of Isla Saboga. The islands are approximately 35 miles from Panama City.

The Panama Canal Review 19
Panama

Coital

$ltetcli|uui

In the mind's eye of people who love ships and their ways,

all vessels, whether they be ancient rust buckets or elegant

luxury liners, create scenes of far away places and a longing to stand at the rail of a stout ship. Visitors to the Panama Canal

are no different as they watch vessels head to the four corners of the

earth. Amateur artist John B. Morton, an auditor with the

General Audit Division, has recorded with pen and ink some

scenes along the waterway. Sketch "A" (below) sJwws the

Swedish American Line cruise ship MS Kungsholm tied up

at Balboa. On the opposite page, sketch "B" is

of a merchant ship moving through Gaillard Cut during widening

operatiorus. A "nmle" which guides the vessels through the

locks by means of heavy steel cables is shown in sketch "C"

and the tug Gulf Raider tvhen she was leading .ships into

Canal waters is "D." The mighty aircraft carrier

U.S.S. Constellation, sketch "E," completes the Panama Canal

Sketchpad. The Constellation is too large to transit the

Canal and even had to wait for low tide before she could sail

under the Thatcher Ferry Bridge to moor at Balboa.
1
rite

KEAL hrnxm

Wat

By Jose T. Tunon

RICH OR poor, young or old, no man

or woman of Panama's interior is ever caught without a "montuno" hat—well, hardly ever. For the distinctive native hat is as much a part of the national

attire as the well-known "montuno" outfit is for men and the now internationally

famous "pollera" is for women.

Except that se.x makes no difference

in the use of the hat. At first glance, there is nothing out of the ordinary in the appearance of Panama's "montuno" hat. The crown is of normal size, about 6 inches high, and

raised or flat depending on the localitv where it is made. The wide brim is circular. But the fiber and the weaving are unique.

The raw material is the shoot of a palm tree that grows wild in the high

mountains of Code and Veraguas Provinces, in an area some 100 miles west

of Panama City. In Panama it is known

as "bellota," elsewhere in Latin America as "bombonaje" or "jipijapa." IncidentalK', it is the same fiber that is used

in Ecuador to make the once-famous

"Panama" hats.

Descendants

In the Code and \'eraguas mountains

of central Panama live the "cholos"—

descendants of the fiery Indians and the proud Spaniards. It is their women who

ha\e preserved the art of hat weaving

from generation to generation.

^N^- - r

Nimble fingers at work, Victoria Dominguez of La Pintada prepares the fibers for the miniature montuno hats which are given

as souvenirs in Panama City.

A farmer at the San Sebastian Fair at Ocii proudly wears his "Sunday best" montuno hat which is woven of white fiber. For everyday he wears a montuno hat of rougher fiber.

A traveler hiking the winding mountain trails of El Cope and El Harino,

above Penonome, is apt to come upon

the glow of rustic lanterns burning in the homes of the "cholos" before daybreak. The women arc weaving the finer "montuno" hats. For the work must be

done between 4 and 8 in the morn- ing—when the moisture in the air is highest to render the fiber softer and more pliable. The rest of the day, the

materials have to be kept wrapped in damp doth.

The painstaking weaving takes many

early morning hours, but when the hat

is finished, it is a real piece of native art. The strands are obtained by splicing the "bellota" shoot with a needle. Then

the fibers are left out in the damp morning air to acquire the required consis- tencv before being wrapped in damp

cloth for storing. Using head shaped

wooden blocks, the women patientK'

interweave as many as 1.5 strands of

fiber to fashion a hat. Two Styles

There are two distinct styles of "montuno" hats. One is the "ocueno," named

for the region of Ocii where it is most

popular. The "ocuefio" hat is woven

of white fiber, except for a 1 -centi- meter wide black strip around the edge

of the brim. The other is the "pin- tao" (a corruption of "pintado" or spot- ted) hat, its name deri\ing from the "pintas" or designs obtained from inter- weaving white and black fiber strands Each design is up to the weaver's

imagination; hence, the variety is almost

limitless. Look at a collection of "pintao"

hats and vou will wonder at the artistic

22 November 1970
touch of these women from the mountains of Panama. The designs—some in concentric circles, others in spirals,

in squares, cross-shaped or simply in dots—evidence a sense of refinement and

exquisite care. The crown of the "pin- tao" hat is flat instead of raised as in the

"ocuefio" style. Regardless of the color, all the fiber that goes into a "montuno" hat comes

from the same "ballota" palm. The

black strands have been dyed with a special clay that is a zealously guarded

secret of the "cholos." The jet black

color imparted to the fiber is indelible.

Hat Bands

No matter its style, the "montuno"

hat is usually adorned with a delicately woven cord of black or multi-colored thread or wood that sei-ves as a band.

The weaving of the cord is another home

craft transmitted from generation to generation among the women of Panama's countryside, particularly in the area of Ocu. It involves an ingenious

technique: pins are stuck around the

hole at one end of an ordinary spool of sewing thread—one pin for each of the

colors in the finished cord. The colored

strands then are interwoven around the

pins and the finished cord emerges

through the other end of the spool. In Ocu the weaving of cords for use as "montuno" hatbands is a pastime for most women—from the richest matron to the humblest girl. When should one wear an "ocueiio"

or a "pintao" hat? Mrs. Dora Perez de Zarate, an authority on Panamanian folklore, explains the difference, from a woman's standpoint.

"The 'campesina' in Ocu or Veraguas

prefers her hat plain, rounded, with no

special adornment or particular shape

to the brim. She wears this hat with her

daily attire and also, when she pleases,

with her lace 'pollera'. . . . The people

of HeiTcra Province . . . the Province of Los Santos and of the rest of the countrv . . . wear the 'pintao' hat onlv with

their 'pollera montuna' (the common

'pollera'); the headdress is different when a lace 'pollera' is worn. . . ."

The Important Thing

And what about the men? They have

an everyday, working hat of a rougher

nature, and for holidays and festive occasions wear similar hats but these

are better made. Regardless of the style, the important thing is to wear a "montuno" hat. Why?

Writer Roman B. Reyes put it this way:

"The 'montuno' hat is indispensable

to dance the 'tamborito.' It is an emblem

of masculine enthusiasm and of courting, a prerequisite for his gestures of

tribute and admiration to the woman

who shares with him the pleasure of native dancing." Panama's "montuno" hat industry is very old. No one really knows when it began. Knowledgeable persons such as Elias Vega, an expert hatter in Peno- nome, say it goes back to pre-Columbian

times. A distinguished American educator

played an important part in an interest- ing chapter of the history of the native hat industry in Panama. He was Federico E. Libby, who was employed by

the Panama government in 1914 as Inspector General of Education. He

spoke Spanish fluently, having worked

in Puerto Rico for a long time. Libby was convinced that the rural school had

to be adapted to the environment of the students in order to train them in useful

crafts. When Libby heard of the hat industry in the Code highlands, at La

Pintada and Ocu, he brought an expert

hatter from Ecuador, Francisco Lara, and established a school in Penonome to teach the weaving of Panama hats.

Hatters School

Few persons realize it, but Panama

hats made in the Penonome Hatters School were sold in the United States and in Germany and were worn by

members of Panama's most prominent

families. Graduates from this school, which

operated for 20 years, spread throughout central Panama, mainly in Code and

Herrera Provinces, resulting in a marked

growth of the native hat industry.

A Panamanian beauty wears a "pintao"

hat distinguished by the black fiber.

Thus, an American left the imprint

of his work on the "montuno" hat craft of Panama.

In recent years, the Panama Government and the United Nations, through

SENAPI (National Service of Crafts- manship and Small Industries), have

boosted the industry. In La Pintada,

SENAPI has established small shops for

fiber weaving where expert instructors teach residents the secrets of working

with materials from native plants. There

are many learners and both the quality

and the variety of the articles are

increasing.

Still, the most authentic "montuno"

hats—and the finest—are those woven in the glow of rustic lanterns by the skilled fingers of "cholas" in the highlands,

between 4 and 8 every morning.

A wedding in Ocu. All the guests and the bridegroom wear the "ocueiio" or white montuno

hats. The bride is attired in a white pollera wedding dress and wears gold combs in her

hair which are family heirlooms. The flags are used to add gayety to the occasion.

The Panama Canal Review 23
CULINARY CAPERS

ABOARD THE DONIZETTI

By Fannie P. Hernandez

A genial Neopolitan, chef Giuseppe Panariello prepares gourmet fare in the galley of the "Donizetti." Each dish becomes a culinary masterpiece.

CULINARY CAPERS goes to sea to explore adventures in Italian cuisine aboard the Italian Line's MV Donizetti,

which with her two sister ships, the Verdi and the Rossini, makes regular

calls at the Panama Canal on her Mediterranean to west coast of South America

voyages.

Arriving at the Canal on June 26,

1963, the Donizetti was the first of three

vessels put into service to replace the Marco Polo, the Americo Vespucci, and

the Antoniotto Usodimare, which for 15

years had called at the Canal. The Verdi

and the Rossini were put into service a short time later, and the three vessels, each making si.x voyages a year, are at

this time the only passenger ships on

the route. They transit the Canal 36

times a year. Italian Line ships have

been using the Canal since it opened

for business and there has been an

Italian Line office at Cristobal since 1916. Originating their runs at Genoa, on

the west coast of Italv, the vessels carry a m\riad of manufactured goods

ranging from objects d'art, fine laces and delicate Murano glas, to typewriters, scooters, marble, wines, and

machinery for heavy industry. Unloading their cargoes at South America's

ports, their emptied holds are filled mainly with Chilean copper, Peruvian

cotton, Ecuadorean cacao, and Colombian coffee, destined for Europe.

The gleaming white ships of modem

design are alike, except for minor differ- ences in interior decor. With a capacity

of 550 passengers and a crew of 250,

they give special attention to the travelers and also provide equipment for carrying cargo, mail, and passengers'

autos. Although not comparable with

the big luxury superliners such as the Michelangelo and the Raffaello, which

the Italian Line operates on cruises to the Caribbean and on the Europe to New York route, the ships are completely air conditioned with comfortable

staterooms, swimming pools, lounges,

bars, libraries, and restaurants for the 150 first class and 400 tourist passengers. They are especially popular with

South American travelers. In keeping with the traditional excel- lence of Italian cooking, the cuisine aboard the sister ships combines the wholesome simplicity of regional dishes with superb international fare. The

menus include a seemingly endless number of Italian specialties, regional dishes,

and typical dishes of South America

and Europe.

Not France

Mealtime aboard the Donizetti is a reminder that Italy is the mother of Continental European cooking, not France whose fame came much later. ( It was

Catherine de' Medici, the 14-year-old

bride of the young man who later

24 November 1970
became Henry II, who in 1533 took to France an entourage of Florentine chefs and the refinements of cooking and din- ing of 16th century Italy, introducing

good table manners, the elegance of fine napery, and the use of the fork.) Breakfast is not an important meal in

Ital\' and no great fuss is involved. Tlie

dav's first meal consists of juice, black

coffee, milk, eggs, sweet rolls, butter,

and marmalade.

Each a Masterpiece But lunch and dinner are another

story. Each dish is a masterpiece. A

tN'pical luncheon (colazione) and din- ner (pranzo) aboard the Don iietti starts with a choice of four juices, antipasto

(hors d'oeuvres) which mav include verv

thin slices of proscuitto and salami, anchovies, marinated mushrooms, and arti- choke hearts, both green and black

olives, fish, radishes, fennel, green and

red peppers, Belle\Tie eggs, chicken sal- ad, and sardines, accompanied bv a dr\' white wine. Then comes a choice of three soups. The antipasto and soup are supposed to open the appetite for the pasta dish that comes next. It niav be

ravioli, spaghetti, or any pasta dish or

rice. Three varieties of eggs are followed by two fish dishes. Then comes the

"piatto straniere," the foreign dish,

which mav be a tvpical dish of South

America or Spain. Next on the menu is the specialty of the dav, such as ham croquettes, spring

chicken, or roast beef, followed bv three meat specialties from the grill. Two

vegetables and four kinds of potatoes

also are offered. A cold buffet, consisting

of six choices of meat and fowl and an equal number of salads and sauces, is provided, and in the European tradition, a wide selection of cheeses and fruit, fresh, dried, or cooked. Various desserts,

ice creams and beverages put a final note to a gastronomical experience not

easilv forgotten.

Genial Neopolitan

Giuseppe Panariello, the chef on the Donizetti, is a genial Neopolitan, and

has contributed to Culinary Capers a number of recipes for regional dishes from the Ligurian region along the northwest coast of Italy. For luncheon

he selected Lasagne alia Portofino, a noodle dish with a green sauce of garlic

and basil called Pesto alia Genovcsc:

Caciucco alia Ligure, a squid stew; and

for dessert. Sacripantina, lavered cake

generouslv flavored with an Italian cordial called Strega. The recipes are for

six persons.

Lasagne alia Portofino

2I4 cups fiotir 4 eggs % teaspoon salt

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl.

Make a well in the center of the flour and add one egg at a time, mixing well

after each addition. Turn out onto a

lightlv floured board and knead until smooth. Roll out into a thin sheet and

cut into 2 inch squares. Let set.

Pesto alia Genovese

2 cups fresh basil leaves 2 cloves garlic

1 cup pine nuts

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup olive oil Put all ingredients into a blender,

adding oil little bv little until sauce has

the consistenc\' of thick cream. Makes

about two cups. While lasagne sets, cook 1 pound of

fresh, tender string beans and boil

1 pound of potatoes. Slice the potatoes

into V4-inch slices. Keep warm. Cook lasagne by dropping into boil- ing salted water (about 8 quarts). Cook

rapidlv, uncovered for 10 to 1.5 minutes

or until tender. Add 1 tablespoon oil

to boiling \\'ater to prevent lasagne from

sticking together. Drain. Place lasagne in a deep serving dish and mix with string beans and potatoes Pom- pesto over all and sei-ve.

Caciucco alia Ligure

(Squid stew Ligurian style)

1 lb. squid, cut up

2 onions, chopped

1 carrot 2 celery stalks % cup olive oil

1 bay leaf a cup dry white wine

1 clove garlic

li cup parsley

1 lb. can cut up tomatoes

1 lb. Swiss chard leaves

1 cup water pepper to taste Cut vegetables julienne st\le and frv

in olive oil with the onion and squid,

cooking until well blended. Add the wine, and when it is absorbed, add garlic and parslev which have been ground

in a mortar. Add the tomatoes and cook

about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add w ater and Swiss chard leaves which

have been cut julienne stvle. Add pepper and cook approximateh- 40 minutes.

Sacripantina

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

',4 teaspoon salt

1 lb. butter 2 cups powdered sugar 2 ounces chocolate Beat eggs and add sugar, mix well.

ITALIA

Three of the "Donizetti's" stewards are obviously pleased with the display of deserts served daily aboard the Italian Line's passenger ships.

The Panama Canal Review 25
ITALY

ol Conlii

Gradually add flour which has been

sifted with salt. Beat until smooth. Pour

into a buttered and Hghth' floured cake

or torte pan. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350°) for 20 minutes or until cake springs back to touch. Make a butter cream with the butter and sugar. Beat until fluffy and divide

the cream and add 2 ounces unsweet- ened chocolate (melted) to half the cream. \Vhen cake cools, cut into three

layers. Place first la\er in a 2 quart

bowl, sprinkle with Strega (a sweet, perfumed, golden-vellovv after-dinner

cordial made in Italy.) Then spread butter cream filling over the cake. Place second layer in the bowl and repeat,

spiinkling with Strega and the chocolate cream. Add the third layer fitting

it into the bowl and sprinkle with more

Strega. Let set for several hours and

turn bowl into a serving dish. For dinner the chef provided more

regional recipes from Genoa: Minestrone

alia Genovese, a heartv vegetable soup

always made with fresh vegetables;

(Minestrone comes from the Latin "to hand out" and was a staple in the old days when monks kept a pot alwavs on

the fire, ready to feed a hungrv traveler who mav be stopping bv); a recipe for Cima alia Genovese, veal and egg

stuffed veal loaf to be served cold; and Crostata alia Genovese.

Minestrone alia Genovese

Make a good meat stock with beef

and cracked bones. One pound of bones

and two pounds of meat, plus 1% table- spoons salt, first boiled and then sim- mered in 2 quarts of water for about

2 hours, makes a substantial base for

this soup. (Be sure to remove the scum when making the stock). a lb. cabbage

a lb. Swiss chard

a lb. string beans S lb. peas

a lb. potatoes

J.' lb. zucchini (Italian squash)

2 tablespoons pe.no

Cut up all vegetables the size of peas

(except one of two potatoes, depending on size, which are mashed later to thicken soup). Cook in stock about

% hour. Add ¥2 pound macaroni which

has been parboiled in salted water. Cook

until all vegetables and macaroni are

tender. Add 2 tablespoons pesto, the green sauce mentioned earlier, and cook

a few minutes longer. Serv-e with Italian bread.

Cima alia Genovese

Have butcher bone a three pound veal breast and make a pocket in it. Stuff with the following:

1 lb. ham or mortadella, cubed

1 lb. veal, cubed

6 eggs, well beaten % cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup cooked peas

1 finely chopped onion

% teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of marjoram

Fr\' onion in a little oil, add ham,

veal, and cook a few minutes. Add eggs and other ingredients and fill pocket

with the mixture. Sew the edge with

strong doubled white thread. Place the

stuffed veal breast on a clean cloth and

roll tightly in the cloth. Tie the ends

v\-ith string and twice around like a package. Put it in a pot of salted water and boil for % hour. Remove from the water and roll with the hands to remove

any water. Place a weight on the loaf

to press out anv remaining water. When

cool, remove from the cloth. Cut in

slices and serve cold.

Cima alia Genovese (Cdd veal loaf)

Crostata alia Genovese

2/8 cups sifted flour a cup butter % cup sugar

Sift flour and sugar into a bowl. Cut

in butter and make a dough. Roll out and line a torte mold leaving enough

pastPv- dough to make strips for top of

pie. Fill with a one pound of peach or

apricot marmalade. Make a lattice design on top of crostata with the strips of crust and brush with egg volk. Bake

in a moderate oven for 30 minutes or

imtil golden in color.

ALMUERZO

ENTREMESES: Jam(5n crudo de Parma, SalchichiSn Hungaro, Jam6n cocido Emiliano, Alcachofas Romanas,

Mantequilla, Hitsvos rellenos Cardinal, Tomate a la Nicoise, Niervos de ternera a la Veneciana, Jurel en

aceite, Aceitunas negras. FARINACEOS: Spaghetti, salsa Napolitana, Arroz bianco. HUEVOS: Tortilla con hongos, Revueltos a la EspaSola,

Al plato "Rotomago". PESCADOS: Ombrina al homo, Filetes de mostela a la Ingles. PLATO DEL DIA: Cotechino Negroni con lentsjas, Cro- quetas de jamon con Madera. A LA PARRILLA: Codornices de viiia sobre tostada, Entercosta a la Frances, Chuletas de cerdo con manzanas. LEGUMBRES: Broculis al natural, Macedonia de legumbres. BUFFET FRIO: Costillas de cerdo con salsa manzanas,

Gelatina gastronbmica. Lomo de buey, Pichones en escabeche, Pate de higado, Pecho de ternera relleno. Genoves. ENSALADAS: Mixta, Lechuga, Tomate, Remolachas. aUESOS: Brie, Emmenthal, Stracchino, Bel Paese, Cremini, Caciotta. POSTRES: Tarta Sublime, Embutidos Venecianos, Cubeletti Genoveses, Pastelsria surtida. HELADOS: Copa Fantasia, Crema vainilla, Sorbete de

durazno. FRUTAS EN COMPOTA: Duraznos, Peras. FRUTAS FRESCAS: Piria, Peras, Naranjas, Papaya, Sandia, Melon. BEBIDAS: Cafe Italiano, Leche fresca, Sanki, Nescafe,

Hag, Te Ceyl6n, Manzanilla, Menta, Soldo, Tilo.

The menus of Italian Line ships would

make Henry the Eighth jump for joy. Printed in both Italian and Spanish, this luncheon includes all the usual items plus

ham croquettes in Madeira wine, grilled quail on toast, fried marinated dove and

stuffed veal breast.

26 November 1970
Unraveling

The Languages

Having been the Panama Canal's official translator for more than 33 years, Enrique

A. Lapeira, who retired 20 years ago, still enjoys an occasional visit to the Translating

Unit. At left is William O'SuUivan, present head of the unit, and Aurora F. Courchaine,

translator.

A SMALL staff of multilingual experts

has the task of keeping the Panama

Canal from becoming a "Tower of Babel." Maintaining communications

between peoples of many lands with

different and often exotic languages is the job of the Translating Unit of the Administrative Services Division. The responsibility is often monumental considering that the international waterwav draws ships and people from

virtually ever\' maritime nation of the world to the Isthmus of Panama.

A recent incident involving a Turkish seaman who was near death is an ex- ample of the type of language problem

that can occur. The seaman had suf- fered a ruptured appendix and was

taken off his ship and moved to Gorgas

Hospital. Telling him of the gravity of

his condition and that he needed an

operation was the job of the Translating Unit which pro\'ided the names of

five persons on the Pacific side of the Isthmus who spoke Turkish.

One bv one, they were called and

messages left when none of them could

be reached directly. Bv the time the

last call was completed, however, several had responded and within the hour

the others had shov^Ti up at Gorgas

Hospital, willing to come to the aid of

their countryman.

Uncommon Languages

One of the demands made of the unit

is to maintain a current list of persons who speak uncommon or out-of-the- way languages such as Russian, Polish,

Finnish, Yiddish, Turkish, Korean,

Japanese and Chinese, making it a

veritable language bank. The importance and growth of the

unit has been closely related to the new and increased requirements to meet

language differences in the normal operation and maintenance of the waterway.

The personnel that staffs the office could very well be referred to as walking foreign language encyclopedias. As

interpreters or translators of an endless number of official documents, training

manuals, safety rules, legal papers and

routine correspondence, and as dispensers of medical, scientific, mechanical and

engineering terminology, thev are ex- pected to translate not only what is said but what is meant, conveying the exact

idea and mood of the original writer.

First Translator The late Jose de Lavandeyra, who

came to the Canal during construction

days as an accountant, was the Canal's

first translator. A Brazilian who became

a U.S. citizen, Lavandevra had lived in

France and was fluent in six languages.

When his linguistic talents were discovered, he was assigned to the Corres- pondence Bureau of the Executive

Department where he remained until

his death in 1916. Lavandeyra was succeeded by Enri- que A. Lapeira, a Colombian who had

been working for the Canal since 1904

as a file clerk for the Panama Railroad

at Cristobal. In 1915, when the Canal

offices were consolidated in the Administration Building, Lapeira came

along with the Panama Railroad files. Shortly after the move, the position of translator was offered to him.

No Alternative

Lapeira, 82, recalls that when the executive secretary called him to his

office and asked him if he would like to be the Canal's official translator, he re- plied, "Yes of course, thank you, sir," and in his nervous elation he barely

heard the secretary when he added that he was also required to know French.

He was half-way to the door \\'hen sud- denh' he realized that he had accepted

—and did not know French. The full im- pact of his predicament hit him a heavy

blow. What should he do? He closed the door knowing that he had no alter- native but to learn French. He did. In

.3 months.

Within a few years he had not only

mastered French but also Italian and in spite of his failing eyesight, he makes

it a point to read in the two languages

eyer\da%'.

Lapeira later became a U.S. citizen and was for more than 33 years the Canal's official translator. He occupied

a few square feet of space in the second

floor balcony of the Administration

Building in the rear of the General

Services Branch. His duties also in- cluded direct contact, by telephone and

in person, with oflBcials and diplomats

in the Republic of Panama as English was not widely spoken in Panama at that time nor was Spanish commonK'

heard in the Canal Zone. Lapeira retired

in 19.50 and lives with his wife in Panama City. Before retiring, however,

he trained a voung man who toda\

heads an expanded Panama Canal

Translating Unit.

Varied Volume

William O'Sullivan, fluent in seven

languages, and a staff of five multilin- gual translators have the responsibility of rendering from one language into another a varied volume of written (and

oral) communications involved in the everyday transactions of Canal business.

The Panama Ca.val Review
Translators Olga J. Stanziola, left, Marcia B. de Ortega, (seated at desk), Aurora F. Courchaine (standing) and Sofia de Magallon, right, who take care of French, Italian, Portuguese

and Spanish, are also bilingual stenographers.

A t\pical dav's workload of translations mav include one or two legal doc- uments, two or three letters for the Canal Zone Governor, an official note from the Panama Ministry of Foreign

Relations, various letters to Spanish

speaking employees, and work on the Governor's special project "Putting Into Spanish All That Is Needed To Know"

including specific chapters of the Per- sonnel Manual and the Canal Zone

Code and other regulations.

Serving as an information bureau

on languages, the translators also answer consultations over the tele- phone. Among these are calls received

from the Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Protocol Office, and Immigration

Office of Panama, U.S. Government

agencies in this area, and, of course, other Canal units.

Inquiry Boards

From time to time they are called upon to serve as interpreters at inquin

boards of ship accidents, in court,

hospitals, police stations and also to serve as bilingual reporters as well as

translators at special events requiring bilingual exchange of information. The four women translator-interpreters, Marcia B. de Ortega (the unit's administrator), Sofia de Magallon, Olga

Stanziola, and Aurora Courchaine also are bilingual stenographers and among

them they handle French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish translations. Henry

Cornell translates Spanish and German

while O'Sullivan may take care of trans- lating or interpreting in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Malayan, and

Tagalog.

All Subjects

Working as a team they translate,

edit, type, and proofread the workload

distributed to each translator accordingo

to his or her qualifications. Each member of the staff is assigned a responsibility: one takes care of assignments

dealing with medicine and chemistry, the other handles legal translations, another's specialty is mechanical-technical

terminology, and others handle the edit- ing and final proofreading of all materials. This last task requires considerable

familiarity and knowledge with all subject matters to enable them to

polish and improve on their translations. As bilinguality is becoming more and more a part of the Canal's policy, the language experts must spend many

hours researching various subjects to familiarize themselves with technical terms and vocabulary of the different workshops in the marine and mainten- ance areas and other Canal units in order to arrive at accurate translations of such subjects as the plumbing code,

firefighting regulations, training manuals which are used in various jobs,

forms, publications and even signs.

They are required to read trade jour- nals and texts, scientific papers and

magazines which are usually a more

reliable source of terminology than dic- tionaries as terms mav change with newer techniques. As a result of this constant research, translators are well informed on many subjects.

Heading The List To help them with difficult transla- tions they have at their disposal a number of selected dictionaries, encyclopedias, scientific guides and other

material, with the Real Academia Espaiiola dictionary heading their list of

references. Among the references, the Medical

Dictionary in Spanish is one of their prized possessions as this book is vir- tually unobtainable. Their copy was

ordered from Argentina. And, since

legal terminology follows close behind

in difficult}' insofar as interpretation

goes, the office has copies of Ballantine's and Black's Law Dictionaries which enable the translators to arrive

at accurate usage of legal words

and phrases. As the requests for information range from the most complicated to the most

outlandish, the translators make it a point to have on hand material ranging

from the Catholic Version of the Holv

Bible, the King James Version, Dictio- nary of Thoughts and Refranero Espafiol, to books on Panameiiismos (slang),

etiquette, grammar, lexicons, a book on

the proper syllabication for poetry and

verse, a thesaurus, synonyms and anto- nyms, a secretary's handbook, and of course, the various technical dictionaries in several languages of nautical,

mechanical, chemistrs', engineering, and

business terms. In the course of an 8-hour day, the

translators may use technical terms and

specialized language of doctors, lawyers, seamen, mechanics, chemists, car- penters, or firemen and collectively average approximately 325 pages of written translations a month.—F.P.H.

28 November 1970
ANNIVERSARIES

MARINE BUREAU

Cyril Fairclough

Leader Wire Cable Worker

Lincoln B. Boyce

Marine Traffic Clerk Henry Clayton

Painter Frank A. Brown

Seaman

TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS

BUREAU

Edgar W. Best Time and Leave Clerk SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

Solomon H. DaC

Warehouses

Charles L. Haylet?

MaintenaDceiii.ud Edwin N. Ellis Laboi^r (Gl^ Adolfo BedoJ] Garbage

Randolph J. Bryant

Chief Foreman (Harbor)

Harold E. Graham

Spectacle Lens Surfacer (Limited)

Clifton H. Lopez

Teller Wilfred V. Bartley Clerk ENGINEERING AND

CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Kenneth George

Painter Juan B. Martinez Time and Lea\'e Clerk Oscar A. Sealey

Surveying Aid

PERSONNEL BUREAU

Thomas L. Edghill

Staffing Clerk ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

DIVISION

Bertram L. McLean

Leader Cylinder Pressman (Large)

Ruby A. Wynter

Bindery Worker

Frank Thompson

Messenger

George I. Griffith Mail ClerkMARINE BUREAU

David S. Taylor

Deckhand Trainer

Jose D. Waitoto

Painter (Maintenance)

Evaristo Mel^ndez

Painter (Maintenance)

Ardenon C. Franklin

Painter (Maintenance)

Joseph D. Powlett Maintenanceman

Robert W. King

General Foreman (Lock Operations)

(On the basis of total Federal Service)

Woodrow W. Rowland

Lead Foreman (Locks Operations)

E. S. Reynolds, Jr. Leader Lock Operator (Machinist)

Silvestre Sanchez B. Lead Foreman (Operations—Lock Wall)

Victor Hardy

Crane Hookman (Heavy) Noel S. Daly

Seaman (Launch)

Hernandez B. Corpus

Seaman (Launch)

Fitzhubert Rose

Leader Linehandler (Deckhand Boatswain) Arthur M. Hiland

Towing Locomotive Operator Locks)

Lino Herrera Linehandler WUfred A. Campbell

Linehandler (Deckhand)

Lionel E. Mortimer

Leader Linehandler (Deckhand Boatswain)

Andrew J. Gagliano

Chief Engineer, Towboat

Angel Pelicot Boatman (Locks)

Fermin Alegria Motor Launch Operator

Victorino Garcia Helper Lock Operator

Lino Coco

Helper Lock Operator Robert T. Tweedy

Lock Operator (Operating En

Hoisting Equipment)

Florentino Pedroza

Oiler Woodrow Spradlin

Marine Traffic Controlle? Edward N. Belland

Supervisory Admeasurer

Sergio M. Penaloza

Linehandler (Deckhand)

Wilfred A. Anderson

Linehandler (Deckhand)

Cecil Redman

Linehandler (Deckhand)

Ezra Cohen S. Linehandler (Deckhand)

William E. Grant Leader Linehandler (Deckhand Boatswain) Levi A. Lewis

Leader Linehandler (Deckhand Boatswain)

George Daley

Leader Seaman

Joseph Carew

Seaman

Ernest H. Webster Motor Launch Operator

Charles E. Fowler

Towing Locomotive Operator (Locks) G. de la Torre Helper Lock Operator

Nicomedes Murillo Helper Lock Operator

Tomas Correa

Oiler

Reginald Foulen

Boilermaker (Maintenance)

Joseph Wallace Machine Operator

William W. Fitzsimmons

Leader Machinist (Marine)

Joseph M. Hunt

Supervisory Marine Traffic Controller George L. Holder

Clerk Typist Cleveland A. King

File Clerk George S. Ricketts Clerk

Alvin Hall Clerk TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS

BUREAU

Leopold Lester Super\isory Cargo Checker

Fascual A. Medrano

Winchman

Cayetano Carrasco Laborer (Heavy) Arthur N. Smith

Chauffeur

Jorge L. Espinosa

Truckdriver Cephas Daniels

Driver

Heavy)

Layne

er Garfield Brown

Leader High Lift Truck Operator

David M. Wallen

Leader Liquid Fuels WTiarfman

Abraham H. Ambulo

Helper Welder

Adolphus L. Jordan

Stevedore James S. Lewis

Cargo Checker Marton C. Davis

Guard

Roy R. Wilferd

Road Conductor

Henry G. Ledgerwood

Materials Handling Equipment

Repairman

Charles Simon

Freight Rate Assistant Ignacio Rodriguez

Clerk (Checker)

SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

Narciso Olavvar

File Clerk Lorenza Newton B. Accounting Clerk Ruth Rennie

Teller

The Panama Canal Review 29
Carmen L. Hassocks Time and Leave Clerk Kemer E. Frauenheim

Assistant Guesthouse Manager

Bart J. Elich Merchandise Management Officer (General) Robert L. Austin Supervisory Procurement Agent

Dorothy A. Bellamy

Sales Store Clerk Mabel G. Farley

Sales Store Checker

Maria M. Headley

Sales Store Checker

Jeanne Modestin

Supervisory Sales Store Clerk Miriam A. Riney

Marker and Sorter Lawrence R. Baptiste Leader Meat Cutter Gwendolyn Goring

Pantrywoman

Icibel H. Forbes Counterwoman

C. S. Cadienhead

Food Service Worker

Alfredo Castillo Meat Cutter Gladston N. Lewis

Leader Marker and Sorter Edith A. Thome

Stockman

Pedro L. Lara Garbage Collector Ivan K. Wade

Laborer (Cleaner) Canute A. Rodney

Laborer (Cleaner) Marcelino Maclao

Laborer Edna L Flemmings

Sales Store Checker

Mary K. Ferguson

Sales Store Clerk Harold D. Spencer

Inventory Management Specialist Ida E. Lynch

Supply Clerk Louise A. Johnson Supply Clerk Edward B. Webster

Housing Project Manager

Marie L. Beresford

Service Center Supervisor

Carlos A. Smith

Supervisory Clerk-Tvpist

Avis B. Ramirez

Clerk

T. E. Russell Food Service Worker

Cecilia W. Brathwaite Food Service Worker

Gertrude E. Cardona Meat Cutter

Fitz H. Taite Leader Cook

A. B. Casbllero Leader Baker Maria C. Iturrado Marker and Sorter

Iris E. King

Marker and Sorter

St. Marie L. LaFleur

Warehouseman

Modesto Diaz

Scrap Materials Sorter Huxley Drakes

Laborer (Cleaner) Ezequiel Fernandez

Gardener

Victor Morris Laborer (Heavy)

Levi Smith Laborer (Heavy)

Viola C. Lewis

Supervisory Sales Store Clerk

Iris M. Simmons

Sales Store Clerk Joseph H. White

Supply Management Officer Gladis H. Thorpe

Teller Myrtle S. Anglin

Clerk

Bervl G. George

Clerk ENGINEERING AND

CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

John A. Buckley

Guard

Ambrose V. Foote

Helper Electrician Sergio Salazar Helper Plumber

Ralph C. Thome

Carpenter

Archel«*»*t»£vans -r^—

Seaman.

Luis P. Charles, Jr. Seaman

Joseph E. I Seaman!

Oscar A. Brev

JLoader Seaman

R<*ust&j^ Griffin %!^der Seamaa

Jam^'P^^Mfhsiff Able Seaman

Walter M. Trasavage

Shift Engineer (Mechanical)

Rogelio A. Pacheco

Oiler (Floating Plant) Antonio A. Aguirre A.

Oiler (Floating Plant-Boom)

Theophilus L. Bowen

Leader Seaman

Jose L. Gedefio Seaman

Louis Bryan

Laborer (Cleaner) Delmas A. Swafford General Foreman (Cablesplicing and

Electrical Distribution) Lascelle F. Williams Maintenanceman (Distribution Systems)

Camilo Rodriguez B. Maintenanceman (Distribution Systems)

Catalino Lopez

Electrician (Lineman)

Braulio Perez

Electrician (Lineman)

Reginald A. Muir

Electrician (Lineman)

Lloyd K. Wheafley

Helper Central Office Repairman

Enrique Cruz

Oiler (Floating Plant) Ruben D. Gibson

Oiler (Floating Plant-Boom)

George H. McFarlane

Motor Launch Operator

Victor De Leon

Leader Rock Crushing Plant Operator

Felipe Ortiz

Blaster Harold A. Walker

Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning

Plant Operator

V. de la Cruz C.

Oiler Howard T. Tettenbum

Pipefitter Benito Sanchez C. Winchman

Zacarias Salazar Laborer (Heavy)

Charles W. McClean

Laborer

Arcadio Diaz

Maintenanceman (Distribution Systems) Bertram G. Coley

Helper Electrician Cuthbert L. Wharton

Helper Electrician Russell T. Wise

Supervisory Safety Inspector Rubelio D. Quintero

Supervisory Electrical Engineer

(General)

Emiliano Muiioz P. Surveying Aid

CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Albert E. Goguen

Police Private Reinaldo Archbold

Clerk Dorcas W. Gregory

Teacher (Elementary U.S. Schools)

Percival B. Scott

Firefighter Robert J. Balcer

Assistant Foreman, Mailing Division Richard J. Tomford

Police Private Frederick A. Mohl

Fire Lieutenant HEALTH BUREAU

Ehina W. Lansiquot

Clerk-Dictating Machine Transcriber Frank R. West

Nursing Assistant (Medicine and Surgery)

Rhoda J. de Tully

Nursing Assistant William H. Myrie

Nursing Assistant (Psychiatry) Anita Guy

Medical Aid (Sterile Supplies) Viola Blaizes Pantrywoman

Wilhelmina G. Brown

Fomiula Room Attendant

Isabella L. Wright

Pantry Worker (Special Diets) Emanuel Blaisdell Food Service Worker (Heavy)

Joseph N. Reid Leader Cook

Mildred Kopf

Supervisory Physical Therapist

Matthew M. Walcott

Hospital Food Servic-e Worker

Adolphus Phillips Nursing Assistant (Medicine and Surgery)

30 November 1970
HISTORIC MOMENTS

50 Years Ago

Gen. JOHN J. PERSHING, general of the U.S. Anny during World War I, arrived at Cristobal on the Army trans- port Northern Pacific on April 29, 1920,

and remained here until May 4. His

visit to the Isthmus was primarily to inspect the military establishment, but

he managed to fill a full social schedule. He traveled on the Canal from Gatun

Locks to Pedro Miguel; attended a re- ception bv the Commanding General

of the Armv on the Isthmus; addressed

the children of the Ancon and Balboa

schools; reviewed a parade of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic

Shrine; received hundreds of Americans

at a public reception in the Administration Building at Balboa Heights; was a

guest at a dinner given b\- the President

of Panama; and made a visit to a ranch

near Panama City.

o o o

Rebuilding of the original SS Cris- tobal of the Panama Railroad Steamship

line was completed bv the Mechanical

Division 50 vears ago. The ship sailed

for New York carrving 10,08.5 tons of cargo. Among the improvements were

a new smoking room, social hall, and

dining room finished throughout in light

mahogany from Panama.

o o e

Maj. Gen. William C. Gorgas died

July 4, 1920, in London, England. He

was chief sanitar\' officer with the Canal

from 1904 to 1914. On July 8, 1920,

the Go\emor of the Canal Zone named

the road through what was then Ancon

Hospital in his honor.

f 25 Years Ago

ELIMINATION OF THE 25 percent

differential from the salaries of U.S.-

citizen emplovees in the Canal Zone

who were not hired in the United States, pushed the news of \\'orld War II off the

front pages of the local papers. Strong

protests against the plan were expressed

by Canal Zone labor unions and employees of the Canal and Panama Railroad.

ft Anniversaries

(Continued from preceding page)

Stephen S. Moore

Xiirsing Assistant (Medicine and Surgery)

Mar.'e D. Edelen

Clinical N'urse Eugenio Beaiiville Recreation Assistant

Central Avenue at J Street in Panama City is crowded with revelers during carnival in 1920.

Sales of sugar in the Canal Zone

commissaries were restricted to 1 pound

per person because of a sugar shortage

in Panama. Canal Zone residents, meanwhile, crowded the sales store to buy

fresh fruit and vegetables, the first to arrive from the United States in several months. It was announced that the

shortages of meat and other foods would

ease soon.

10 Years Ago

THE FIRST GENERAL revision since 1954 of the regulations governing the assignment, occupancv, and rental of emplo\ees' living quarters was approved

hv the Governor of the Canal Zone in May 1960. Housing regulations stated

for the first time that residence in the Canal Zone was not mandatory for emplo>ees of the Canal organization except

for those who had been specifically di- rected by the Governor to live within

the Zone.

e o o Governor W. E. Potter left the Canal

Zone in May 1960 and was succeeded

bv Governor William Arnold Carter, who arrived in Julw Governor Carter, departing from past procedure, took the oath of office as governor of the Canal

Zone in a simple ceremony administered

by U.S. District Judge Guthrie F. Crowe

at Balboa Heights.

One of the final phases in the instal- lation of the Canal Zone modem microwave communications system was being

completed in Jul)- 1960, with the construction of a 10-foot dish antenna on

top of the Balboa Heights Administration Building. SimOar dish reflectors were installed on top of the communications buildings at Gatun and Cristobal.

e o o Two white gloved Canal Zone police- men hoisted the flags of the United

States and Panama side by side in the Zone on September 21, 1960, implementing a decision announced by the then President Dwight D. Eisenhower

at the White House 4 days eai'lier. The

flags were raised on twin, 40-foot flag- poles at a special plaza in Shaler Tri- angle near the Tivoli Guest House.

One Year Ago

THE SS CRISTOBAL went aground on

the banks of the Mississippi River last August as a result of hurricane Camille

which struck New Orleans. The ship

retmned to the Louisiana port and

remained there until repairs could

be made. None of the passengers was

injured.

o o e The last blast of the Panama Canal

Gaillard Cut widening project was fired on November 20, 1969, marking the end

of the Oman Construction Co. contract

for widening the 3-mile Bas Obispo-Las

Cascadas Reaches from 300 to 500 feet.

The Panama Canal Review

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