Gift ofthe Panama Can^Museum

?<?-/- ,233-0 -3

/L*~jjh£\^

Vol. 7, No. 3 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, OCTOBER 5, 1956 5 cents

CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, REPLACEMENT WORK

FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR TOTALS OVER $12,000,000

In Case Of Fire

FIRE EXTIXGUISHERS, and how they work, prove an enthralling subject to these very young

Zonians at Diablo Heights kindergarten. Their instructor is Sgt. J. R. Olsen of the Balboa Fire District, assisted by "Sparky" the fire dog. Sparky is camera-conscious and "mugs" whenever a photographer

appears, just as he is doing here. Talks to school children, when requested by their teachers, and open

house at Canal Zone fire stations will be part of the observance of Fire Prevention Week, October 8-13.

United Fund Drive Planning In Hands

Of Newly Appointed Governor's Council

Plans for the establishment of a United

Fund Drive in the Canal Zone, to replace

the more than half dozen campaigns con-

'ducted here annually, are now being

worked out by a community-wide committee headed by the Canal Zone's Lieu- tenant Governor, Col. H. W. Schull, Jr. This committee is to have charge of all "voluntary giver" campaigns in the Canal

organization. At the same time it will implement policies announced recently by

the White House for charitable and welfare

drives conducted within government

agencies.

Known as the Governor's Council for Voluntary Giving, it is made up of rep- resentatives of the community, labor, and

the Administration. Its members are the presidents of the eight Canal Zone civic councils, the heads of the two major labor groups, the Personnel Director, the Administrative Assistant to the Governor,

the Public Information Officer, and the

Assistant Comptroller.

The group held its first meeting September 12 at Balboa Heights; it is scheduled to meet again October 9 with Gov. W. E. Potter attending this meeting.

The policies to be followed in working

plans for a United Fund drive— and in conducting this year's Community Chest

campaign, within the Company-Government organization —which will serve as a sort of "dress rehearsal"—were established recently by the White House.

Several weeks ago President Eisenhower

announced his approval of a new govern- ment-wide policy, based on "true voluntary giving," for collection of contributions to recognized health and welfare organizations by Federal civilian and mil- itary personnel.

There are three basic principles in the government-wide policy, (See page 15)

"We who work in the government

want to assume our full citizen's share of voluntary support of the

many worthwhile private health and

welfare organizations.

"True voluntary giving is based on

the personal desire of an individual

to make a private donation to a specific agency for a purpose with which

he is familiar and which he wants to support.

"The new program will make avail- able to everyone in the government

the opportunity to give his full measure of support to these efforts." Dwight D. Eisenhower

Employment Openings

Should Be Available

On Various Projects

An expenditure of over $12,000,000 for new construction, engineering projects,

and rehabilitation or replacement of facilities has been authorized for this fiscal year by the Panama Canal Company.

This figure does not include approximately $340,000 to be spent on street and sewer work, and other substantial sums for normal maintenance work of a varying nature. Over 200 separate projects ranging in cost from less than $100 to almost

$4,000,000 have been listed by the Engineering and Construction Bureau on this year's work list. The largest single pro- gram will be the power conversion project

for which almost three-fourths of the total authorized expenditure has been budgeted. Much of the money to be spent

in this program will be actually expended

after the close of this fiscal year although

contracts for the work are to be awarded

this year. The major construction and improvement program is expected to counteract

to some extent the substantial force re- duction which is scheduled in the Canal

force at the end of this year. Also, most

of the outdoor construction and rehabilitation projects will be started at the beginning of the coming dry season which

will provide many employment opportunities at the time the reduction takes place.

Most of the work to be done during

the fiscal year will be performed by contract. Both new construction and rehabilitation jobs are scheduled in most of the Canal Zone communities and should prove

attractive to both large and small contractors. The largest single job listed is the Canal Locks conversion to 60-cycle current. The authorized expenditure for this exceeds $3,800,000. It is planned to in- vite proposals in December and open bids next March.

Another major power job is the Pacific area conversion work, for which $2,000,- 000 is authorized. The same general schedule for the invitation and award

of contracts is planned. Other power

conversion projects scheduled this year and the amounts authorized are: Madden hydroelectric plant conversion,

$700,000; Summit substation, $300,000;

replacement of pumps, switchgear, and

starters at the Mount Hope pump station,

$128,900; remote control and relay sys- tem, $600,000; and the (See page 15)
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 5, 1956

Getting Acquainted

TEA PARTIES WERE the order of the afternoon last month for a large number of Canal Zone women

from both sides of the Isthmus. They were guests at the first two cf a series of "get acquainted" teas

to be given by Mrs. W. E. Potter in the roomy old Governor's House at Balboa Heights. Above is a group at the first tea, gathered around the attractive tea-table.

Insurance Companies Invited To Submit

Proposals For Broad Medical Group Plan

Several insurance firms have been in- vited to submit proposals on a broad

hospital and medical service group insur- ance plan which would give adequate

coverage to Canal employees and their

families. The plan was developed by a committee

appointed last year to investigate the

possibilities of group health insurance for employees of the Canal organization.

One of the first steps of the committee,

headed by F. G. Dunsmoor, Administrative Assistant to the Governor, was to submit a questionnaire to all employees

in an attempt to develop a unified plan

which might be applicable to all groups. The plan was developed from proposals

made by the various firms, based on data

obtained from the questionnaires.

Grouped By Salaries As proposed in the plan, which must be quoted on by October 15, the insurance coverage would be offered to six groups, dependent upon the annual salaries. These salary groups would be: Up to $1,290; $3,050; $5,400; $6,600; $9,300;

and over $9,300, which are the same as those in the existing medical tariff. The same general benefits would be

provided for employees in all groups ex- cept in the two lower salary groups where no provision is made for medical or hospital expenses away from the Isthmus. Both hospitalization and medical service benefits would be based on charges

as provided in the Canal Zone medical

tariff, when the service is rendered on the Isthmus. These rates would be applicable even though the service was not rendered

at one of the Canal Zone Government

hospitals. These rates cover hospitalization up to 70 days, miscellaneous hospital

fees, surgical, and maternity charges.

Under the plan, Employee A makes

$1,290 a year and pays $1.50 a day at Gorgas Hospital, while employee B makes

$6,600 a year and pays $4.75 at Gorgas.

The insurance coverage would be at $1.50 a day for Employee A, and $4.75 for Employee B for a maximum hospitalization

of 70 days. This same sliding scale, based on the medical service coverage, would be used for other medical service coverage. These benefits would be the same in Panama or the Canal Zone. Off-Isthmus Coverage

The benefits for hospital or medical

services off the Isthmus for the four groups of employees in the higher brackets would be uniform for all groups. These would be $12 a day for a maximum

of 70 days of hospitalization; $75 for miscellaneous hospital fees; $250 for surgical

services; and $75 in maternity benefits. In addition to these benefits, the insur- ance companies were also asked to give

quotations on major medical benefits in excess of the basic coverage which would

range in steps of $1,000 each, from $1,000

to $6,000 for the six groups. The major

medical benefit plan would be applicable

whether service was rendered on the Isth- mus or elsewhere.

It is contemplated that if a satisfactory rate can be provided that payments can

be made through payroll deduction. The coverage requested under the plan

submitted to the four firms would be based on family rates with coverage for unmarried dependent children up to 19 years of age. Children attending school

off the Isthmus would also be covered by

the plan.

Group Participation

The companies were asked to base their proposals on participation by 50 percent

of U. S. citizen employees, or 1,500 employees, or whichever of these two is lower; and on a no-limit basis for non- U. S. citizen employees.

A contract for the group insurance plan

would be for a one-year period, but it would be dependent upon the stated minimum participation by at least half of U. S.-rate employees, or a minimum of 1,500 of this group. An announcement of the most favorable rates offered will be made to employees later this month after the four companies have submitted their proposals.

New York Publisher Named

Director Of Canal Company

The appointment to the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Company of Ogden R. Reid, President of New York Herald Tribune, Inc., and

"Herald Tribune" editor since 1955, was announced last month. Mr. Reid

succeeds T. H. Maenner of Omaha, who

recently resigned.

Born in New York City, Mr. Reid is a graduate of Yale and a veteran of World War II. He is the co-author of two books: "How Strong Is America;

The Score On National Defense," and

"The Threat of Red Sabotage." Now

only 31 years old, he is the youngest

member of the Panama Canal Company's Board.

Canal Will Provide

Control Point Groups

For Jackpot Exercise

Participation of one complete Control Point advance echelon of approximately

250 members of the Canal Zone Civil Defense Corps is being planned for each

of two field training exercises to be held

this month on both sides of the Isthmus. The training exercises are phases of the Armed Forces three-part Jackpot V exercises in which the Canal organization has

been invited to take an active part. The

Jackpot exercises have been held for the past few years and consist of annual train- ing in disaster control procedures.

The participation by the Canal Zone

Civil Defense organization will provide

the first opportunity for actual field work

under simulated disaster conditions. The Pacific side exercises in which the

Civil Defense forces will be committed

will be held October 17, while the Atlantic

side Jackpot V exercises are scheduled for October 30. Participating personnel will be considered on official duty and will be ex- cused from their normal duties without

leave charges. In preparation for the exercises, 72 employees have been appointed by the Personnel Bureau to take a 12-hour course

in first-aid training. This group will be one of several to be selected by the Per- sonnel Bureau from the various Canal

units to complete the task force required

for the two exercises. Each of the two Control Point advance

echelons to be supplied by the Canal Zone Government Civil Defense organization

will consist of several teams trained to handle various phases of disaster control and relief work. Among these will be a Police team,

first-aid teams, litterbearers, four monitoring teams, a refugee-marshaling team,

a communications repair team, a decontamination team, and 18 chauffeurs. In

addition to these, the Health Bureau will supply a professional team of doctors and

nurses to head the casualty collecting

station. During the Pacific side exercise the Main Control Center in the Administration Building basement will be manned

and the Administrative Branch will pro- vide the necessary personnel. The Alter- nate Main Control Center will function on the day of the Atlantic side exercises.
October 5, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Reduced Rate For Employees To Haiti

Among Revisions In Panama Line Fares

Leaving Soon

it 3**—

.

Several important changes, of

benefit to many employees, were made by revisions in the

schedules of passenger fares on the Panama Line which became effective late

last month. Principal among these are the following:

The granting of employee-rates between

Cristobal and Haiti; A ruling that families and dependents

may travel at reduced rates separately

from the employee, subject to the same

limitations as employees;

A change in the definition of an employee dependent; and

An increase in the discount for steamship fares from 15 percent to 25 percent

for dependents who do not qualify as family members entitled to employee

rates. Until the recent revision in the fares, employees were required to pay full commercial rates for travel between the Isth- mus and Haiti. The change means a re- duction from $140 to $35, minimum fare,

for an employee who takes a short vacation in Haiti. However, travel time for vacation trips to Haiti may not be

granted.

The change in the rule requiring employee dependents to travel with the employee or head of the family to obtain

reduced fares was changed after a clarifi- cation was received recently from the Comptroller General regarding separate

travel on free home leave travel orders. Under the new regulations, an employee's family or dependent may take a vacation in the United States and travel at reduced fares on the Panama Line even

though the employee or head of the family is unable to go. Such travel, however,

is limited to only one trip in 12 months

but it would not affect the rights of the employee and his family to home leave

travel. The change in the definition of "de- pendent" as applied for reduced fare on

the steamship line will affect relatively

few employees. The new definition means

a person, other than one included in the

definition of family, who resides with an employee and receives more than 50 per- cent support from the employee.

The change in the discount for dependents who do not qualify as members of employee families will mean a savings of $30 to $35 a round trip on minimum fares, for these individuals. Other changes in the schedule of pass- enger fares for the Panama Line were in the nature of revisions to clarify meanings and none other materially affects employees generally.

They Also Served

Behind every team of surgeons is what

hospitals call their "supporting team"-

those who staff the operating rooms, give the anesthetics, do the laboratory work. This is the Gorgas Hospital supporting team which went into action last month

when President Anastasio Somoza of Nic- aragua was brought to the Canal Zone

for emergency surgery following an at- tempt on his life. Three of the group-Mrs. Louise F. Lear and Mrs. Esther Swift, at the far

right; and Joffre Sauvageau, the only man

in the group -made a speedy round trip to Nicaragua, before doctors reached a

decision to bring the injured president to the Canal Zone.

Mrs. Lear and Mrs. Swift are labora- tory technicians. Mr. Sauvageau is a

nurse-anesthetist. The others on the team went to work

when President Somoza entered Gorgas

Hospital.

Griselda H. de Fonsenca, far left, is an

anesthetist, and was on duty in the operating room during the long operation.

Dr. Grace Stuart, Chief of Anesthesia

(not shown here), was in the operating room for the entire surgery. Mabel Sneider, fourth from the left, is chief operating-room nurse. She is flanked by her assistants, Katherine Taliercio, on

her right, and Clara Zapponi.

GILBERT H. FUREY, who has been closely connected with the production of The Panama Canal Review since it was started, will watch his last issue go to press this month. He is retiring October 31

as Printer for the Panama Canal Company, after almost 39 years of government service here and in Washington. Mrs. Furey is already in the United

States and he will leave early next month to join her. They plan to live in California for the time being.

Governor To Attend

Directors' Meeting,

Hearing On Budget

Governor Potter is to leave next Tues- day to attend the quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Panama

Canal Company and to appear before the Bureau of the Budget on the Company

and Canal Zone Government budgets for the fiscal year 1958. After arrival in the States he will go

first to Omaha where he will deliver an

address to the Nebraska State Bankers

Association annual meeting. The Governor will speak on economic opportunities

in Latin America and the part the Panama

Canal has in the economic development

taking place today.

The Board meeting is to be held in Washington Saturday, October 13. The

Directors will review the annual financial statement on Company operations for the past fiscal year and capital items authorized by the President of the Company

since the last Board meeting. Governor

Potter will present the Annual Report of the President to the Board of Directors

at the meeting.

Attending the Board meeting with the Governor from the Canal organization on

the Isthmus will be Philip L. Steers, Jr., Comptroller, who is a General Officer of the Company; Capt. Warner S. Rodimon,

Marine Director; and Col. Hugh M. Arnold, Engineering and Construction Director. Governor Potter is scheduled to appear

the following week before the Bureau of the Budget for hearings on the 1958 budets. He will be accompanied to these

hearings by Mr. Steers and Leroy B. Magnuson, Chief of the Canal's Budget

Branch. The hearings are scheduled for Monday, October 15.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 5, 1956

Nov. 1 Set As Date

For Reduction Notices

All-Girl Crew Work Full Time

Preparing Retention Registers

Force reduction notices are to be sent out by November 1 to those employees

whose jobs will be abolished at the end

of this year as a result of the curtailment

of purchase privileges, Edward A. Doolan,

Personnel Director, has announced.

Personnel regulations require a 30-day

notice for such terminations and the additional time, announced recently by

Governor Potter, will give those affected more time to seek other employment.

Since many employees will have "bumping" rights, the extra 30 days' notice will be helpful in making the necessary ad- justments by personnel and units affected by this procedure.

Governor Potter announced several weeks ago that less than 1,000 force re- ductions would be required, and it is now

estimated the actual number will be less than 900. Of these, between 40 and 50

will be employees on the U. S.-rate rolls. Two Divisions Most Affected The Commissary and Service Center

Divisions will lose by far the greatest

number of jobs by the change required

by the Treaty provision requested by the Republic of Panama.

A force reduction of 835 in these two

divisions is scheduled, of which approximately 60 are part-time and 40 full-time employees of the Service Center Division. About 35 positions in other divisions are

also to be abolished at the end of the year. As a result of the reduced work-load in the Commissary and Service Center Divisions the effect of this major force reduction will affect to some degree all of the

principal Canal units because of bumping

rights. Many of the principal units will also have smaller force reductions as a

result of the secondary effects of the change at the end of this calendar year, although in many cases these will be several weeks or months later.

Better Look Before You

Leap Into Air Conditioning

Planning to air condition your bed- room? Going to buy a clothes drier? Or any other piece of major electrical equipment?

Then you'd better get in touch with

the people at the Electrical Division's

field offices in the area where you live. The reason for this is that the electrical wiring in some Panama Canal quarters

isn't designed to carry the load which air conditioners, driers, etc., put on it. In such cases it may be necessary to install an additional circuit— at the expense of the householder. The men at the field offices will also be

able to give advice on the proper grounding of air-conditioning units—which can

give a nasty shock if improperly grounded—and on the installation of driers. As more and more quarters are con- verted to 60-cycIe current, more and more

interest is being shown in air conditioners, driers, deep freezers, and like equip- ment. But—better do some talking to the Canal's electricians before you buy!

ESTABLISHING service dates for approximately 11,000 employees and preparing retention registers

keeps this crew busy. They are, in the usual order: Carmen Sole, Ruby Ferguson, Mrs. Dorothy Webb

(standing); Maritza de Leon, Maria Company, and Gladys Davila. Not present when the picture was

taken was Vilma E. D'Anello.

A month after Mrs. Dorothy Webb and

six other pretty girls began work on a

special project in Balboa's breezy Building 69, she stopped long enough to take

stock. "Seventy-two pencils and over 3,000

sheets of scratch paper, so far," she

sighed.

And, before they have finished, many

more pencils and sheets of paper will have been used to prepare the retention

registers which will determine who will and who will not continue on the job

after January 1 when four commissaries

and four service centers close and several hundred men and women lose their jobs. At their clustered desks, Mrs. Webb

and her girls are checking approximately 11,000 employment records, unraveling the code symbols which indicate

service with other government agencies,

computing this service, and totaling

the government service for each employee.

Invaluable helping hands have been extended by Mrs. Marguerite Maphis,

head of the Organization Unit, and Mrs. Perpetua Hackett who, with Mrs. Webb,

are normally responsible for the preparation and maintenance of the retention

registers. Mrs. Webb and her all-girl band are dividing the 11,000 record cards into groups: Veterans and non-veterans, full or part-time employees, and those on WAE lists. Cards containing service- dates and condensed personnel data are then filed by districts and job categories. Pertinent data will be furnished to the

Statistical Unit to be used in punching

IBM cards. When the job is finished it will be

possible to determine readily what the

Personnel Bureau calls "job inter- changeability," bumping, and retreat

rights. And it will be possible to select, for example, which sales clerks, clerks or others in affected or related categories have the least retention rights and

must, accordingly, receive reductionin-force notices. The speed with which Mrs. Webb's

half-dozen helpers have learned their jobs —only one of them had ever worked be- fore—amazes Mrs. Webb and her immediate supervisor, George V. Daniels. "Everyone of them has taken hold

beautifully and far surpassed our expectations," they say, but then they add,

"but we should have expected it from

such an exceptional group!" Mrs. Webb, who is in direct charge, is a second-generation Canal employee. Her

father, C. H. Walston, retired in 1950 as a steam engineer with the Mechanical

Division. A graduate of Balboa High

School, she began her Canal career in the commissaries and has been with Personnel since 1950. Senior among "her girls," and the

only one with previous experience, is Ruby E. Ferguson. She is a graduate

of the University of Panama and holds an M.A. from the University of Michigan. She left the group late last month to teach in Panama.

Carmen C. Sole and Maritza de Leon

are June graduates from Ontario, Canada,

convents. Miss Sole's school was in Chatham and Miss De Leon's in Watertown. They work as one team. Another team is Gladys C. Davila and

Maria A. Company. Miss Davila at- tended Balboa High School for two years and graduated from the Pan-American

Institute. Miss Company, whose parents came from Spain, was born in Colon. She is a graduate of Maria Inmaculada

School in Panama City.

The other member of this completely

bilingual group is Vilma E. D'Anello,

daughter of Panama City's Municipal

Treasurer. She was graduated this year from Penn Hall Junior College in Chambersburg, Pa.

Where do they come from"! Ten years ago the Canal Zone population was far ahead of that today, but school enrollment

then was approximately 7,700 as compared

with 10,500 now.
Octobers, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Meet The Man

Who Produces

Rubber Stamps

50 Years Ago

The Canal Zone had a distinguished

visitor in October 1906 and was busy

preparing for another. Secretary of State Elihu Root stopped in the Zone for two

days on a Latin American trip. The Hotel Tivoli was being rushed to completion and plans were being formulated for the expected visit in November

of President Theodore Roosevelt, a prec- edent shattering trip since it would be

the first time a President of the United

States left the country. A slight setback

occurred at the Tivoli when a bolt of lightning hit the building although damage was slight. Bids for building the Panama Canal

were advertised early in October 1906 and

during the month Theodore P. Shouts,

Chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission, wrote a letter to Secretary of War

William Howard Taft strongly favoring

building the Canal under contract. Gen. Robert E. Wood was laying the groundwork for his later career as head

of Sears & Roebuck 50 years ago as

Assistant Chief of the Department of Labor and Quarters in the Zone. He had

been in the job one year and a magazine

article appeared complimenting him on

his work.

It was being rumored that the Governor's House being built on the eastern toe of Ancon Hill would be converted into an

Administration Building. It was one ru- mor which came true. The building now

houses the Canal Zone District Court. The October 1906 health report showed

there were 350 deaths in the Canal Zone

in September of that year—almost exactly twice the number, 176, who died

in the Zone during the fiscal year 1956. Even that figure cheered Col. William C. Gorgas as it was lower than previous

months. The three principal causes of death, in order listed, were pneumonia,

malaria, and tuberculosis. 25 Years Ago

Six officials of the companies awarded

the contract to build Madden Dam ar- rived to make an on-the-ground inspection of the project.

Ground was broken for the new Cristobal High School. Publication of plans for the building aroused much interest because of

its unusual design. Gov. Harry Burgess returned from

Washington with bad news. The request

for funds to build the Canal Zone Junior

College and a Canal Zone Library build- ing was turned down by the Bureau of the Budget.

Col. Julian L. Schley, Engineer of Maintenance, left for the States to be married in Boston to Miss Demise Vary. He and Maj.

Joseph C. Mehaffey had been listed as the most eligible bachelors of the Canal organization. General Mehaffey has never changed

his listing. The trial run of the ferryboat Presi- dent Amador was made during October

1931. It was one of several major pieces

of Panama Canal floating equipment to be built by the Mechanical Division dur- ng the depression years.

The complaints of Panama businessmen

against the Canal Commissaries were pre- sented to the Pan American Commercial

Conference being held in Washington.

The Bureau of Efficiency was taking

increased interest in the Canal and its operations. A new accounting plan rec- ommended by the Bureau for the Canal was approved by President Herbert Hoover. The plan was designed to show true

costs of all Canal operations. It was

announced during the month that the Bureau would send down a team of effi- ciency experts to suggest improvements.

The St. Louis Cardinals beat Philadelphia, 4 to 8, in the World Series. Among

other outside events of the month: Thomas

A. Edison died; Hitler assumed additional powers in Germany.

10 Years Ago

Canal traffic, employee travel, food supplies, and mail deliveries were all being

seriously affected in October 1946 by maritime strikes in the United States. The SS

Panama icas delayed on both of its first two trips southbound. The effects of World War II were still evident on all sides 10 years ago. Only

a few camouflaged buildings had been re- painted and many wartime restrictions had not been lifted. One was lifted in October 1946 when permits to salesmen

to enter the pier areas and solicit business on merchant vessels were again issued. Employees were given one year to reduce accumulated leave to conform with new reg- ulations. Most employees had much leave over the authorized amount because of the inability to travel during the war. Shortages became acute in the Commissaries in many items. Among these were eggs, butter, milk, shortening, mens'

shirts, and tissue paper. All of these items were barred from the mail in October to conserve the supply because of uncertain shipping conditions. Many parcels containing these items in short supply in the States had been mailed by

friends on the Isthmus. Cigarettes were

also put back on a limited sales basis, with one package to a customer. Canal Zone matches and cigarettes made

further news in October 1946. The first postwar shipment of the famous Swedish

"Canal Zone matches," which had been out

of stock throughout the war, arrived and the price of cigarettes was increased from nine

to ten cents a package.

A raise in house rents for U. S.-rate employees was announced for January

1947 to meet increased operating expenses, with increases to range from 10 to 70

percent. The principle of using the variabilities of desirable and undesirable fea- tures was announced in fixing the new

rents. T. A. Aanstoos, Panama Canal Printer,

and Chester B. Johnson, Chief Examiner,

were among the 12 Canal and Railroad employees retiring in October 1946. One Year Ago

The Panama Canal Company an- nounced that all of the Locks towing

locomotives would be replaced.

CLARENCE A. WATTS

He makes rubber stamps

There's a lot more to rubber stamps

than pressing them on an ink-pad and

whacking a piece of paper with them.

Someone has to make the stamps before they can be pressed and whacked.

In the Canal Zone that someone is Clarence Albert Watts, who qualifies as a "singleton" because he is the one and

only rubber stamp maker. He is classified

officially as a Compositor at the Printing Plant at Mount Hope. When the rubber

stamp business is not rushing he helps out

in the composing room—sometimes on The Panama Canal Review.

Rubber stamps come in all sizes and

shapes, he says. Some contain only one

word, like "Rush," or "Confidential."

Others consist of several paragraphs.

One of the biggest stamps he has ever made measured 7? 4

' by 4? i inches. Other rubber stamps are seals, like those used by the Customs and the

Port Captains, and some are facsimile

signatures.

All of the printed stamps are made by

the same process, which starts out much

like any other printing job. Mr. Watts

works from copy and sets the type by

hand. After the proof is okayed, he

cleans the type with benzine and cuts a

piece of mold-board, a plastic composition

which has replaced the plaster-of-paris he

once used, powders the mold and the type

to prevent sticking, and puts both toge- ther into a molding press. The mold, bearing the impression of the

type, then goes into a vulcanizer to be

dried out. Meanwhile, he cuts a sheet

of raw red rubber into the size of the mold and this and the dried-out mold go back into the vulcanizer together. A

mold can be used to make several stamps

if it is handled carefully, he says. The rubber, which now bears the letters reading backward, is trimmed with scis- sors and glued onto a piece of wooden

molding, which looks like oversized framing for pictures. This makes the wooden

base for the rubber stamp and when it has been sawed to the proper size, and

smoothed with sandpaper, Mr. Watts

drills a hole and fits in one of the assorted handles he keeps on hand {See page w)
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 5, 1 956

FOR YOUR INTEREST AND GUIDANCE

tJML , LJ. . '£CCIDENT PREVENTION

m

«a,fex- Oar r*oacline;

Early last month a new method of placing vehicles aboard the ferries went

into effect. The old method is shown in the photograph at the top right; the new method

in the photograph below it. With cars and busses placed as they were previously, it would have been very

difficult for the occupants to open the doors wide enough to get out in the event

of a sudden emergency such as fire or collision. It was therefore, for the safety of you who use the ferries, that the new

"method of single lanes on either side of the ferry was put into effect. In order to inconvenience the public as

little as possible, the ferry schedule has been speeded up to the maximum during

rush hours to compensate for the smaller

car-load per trip. To date there has been no serious mishap, fire, or collision to warrant evacuation of the ferries. However, safety measures cannot be based on past records but

must anticipate the avoidance of possible future tragedies. Remember the Andrea

Doria?

HONOR ROLL

Bureau Award For BEST RECORD

AUGUST

SUPPLY AND EMPLOYEE SERVICE

BUREAU

HEALTH BUREAU

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Health 7

Civil Affairs.. 6 Supply and Employee Service 3 Engineering and Construction 1 Marine 1 Transportation and Terminals 1

Division Award For NO DISABLING INJURIES

AUGUST

COMMISSARY DIVISION

LOCKS DIVISION

HOSPITALS AND CLINICS

SERVICE CENTER DIVISION

HOUSING AND GROUNDS DIVISION

INDUSTRIAL DIVISION

DREDGING DIVISION

RAILROAD DIVISION

MOTOR TRANSPORTATION DIVISION

STOREHOUSES DIVISION

POLICE DIVISION

AIDS TO NAVIGATION

SANITATION DIVISION AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Aids to Navigation 8 San ita tion 8 Service Center 8 Storehouses 8 Commissary 7 Hospitals and Clinics 7 Industrial 7 Motor Transportation 7 Railroad 7 Dredging 6 Electrical 5 Housing and Grounds (4 mos.) 4 Maintenance 4 Navigation 3 Locks 2 Police(2 months).. -. 2 Fire (2 months). 1 Terminals _...,,,- ,,.--„.. 1

AUGUST 1956

BUREAU

FREQUENCY RATE—Disabling injuries per 1,000,000 employeehours worked.

Supply and Employee Service

Health

Marine

Transportation and Terminals

Canal Zone Govt. -Panama Canal Co.

Civil Affairs

Engineering and Construction

(Employee-hours worked 2,341,671) LEGEND

Frequency Rate this month

I'-lv'lv'.vMvM Accumulative Frequency Rate this Calendar Year

1953-1954-1955 Calendar Year Average
October 5, 1 956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

OF CURRENT AND FUTURE INTEREST

Three reviews will be given this month

by the Junior ROTC battalions in Balboa and Cristobal High Schools. Balboa ROTC has scheduled two. The

first, on October 10, will honor Balboa High

School's principal, T. F. Hotz; and the sec- ond, on October 31, will be given for Col. H. W. Schull, Jr., the Canal Zone's Lieu- tenant Governor. The Cristobal ROTC

will have a review October 30, in honor of

their principal, Paul Beck. Both ROTC units elected their battalion and company sponsors last month. At

Balboa High School the battalion sponsor

is Geraldine McGriff. The Company sponsors are: Forest Wise, Company A; Maria

Girard, Company B; and Susan Potter, Company C. The Cristobal sponsors are: Mary Morland, for the battalion; Judy Tipton, Company E; Sandra Motta, Company

F; and Pat Maedl, Company G. Cadet Lt. Col. Robert Hamilton is battalion commander at Balboa, and his opposite number in Cristobal is Cadet Lt. Col. Norman B. Dials.

How many babies are born each month

in the Canal Zone? Plenty!

Official statistics show that between 150 and 160 brand-new individuals make their appearance every 30 or 31 days at the Canal Zone's two hospitals. This isn't anything new, though. The

150-160 average has been maintained for the past five years or so, according to the

records. The Canal Zone Library has declared war

on bookworms, but not the two-legged variety. Its secret weapon, lethal to book- worms but harmless to humans, is the white DDT powder which is inserted into the

spines of the library's books.

Until the declaration of war in June, the

library staff was finding at least 300 books

each month infested with the pests, which

are the larvae of a voracious beetle com- monly known as a "drug store" or "tobacco"

beetle. The decision to use DDT powder was made after a series of conferences with ex- perts on insect extermination and a controlled experiment in which a number of

insecticides were used. By the middle of September about twothirds of the books in the main library had

been treated. Little bookworm damage has been found in the branch libraries, probably

because these are predominately circulating

collections, and the bookworms apparently

prefer a less-disturbed existence.

Thieves and petty prowlers are now find- ing the Tivoli Guest House well-protected

against their nefarious doings. The rear

section of the Guest House is surrounded

by an 8-foot cyclone fence which extends down the two side-wings and across the back of the old building.

The fence was removed from the old "300 Area" between Gaillard Highway and

Diablo Road, and reerected at the Tivoli by contract. An exhibit of stones and semi-precious gems native to Panama may soon be one

l..iv-L. ja^i^l

Official Panama Canal Company Publication Published Monthly Al Balboa Heights, C. Z. Printed by the Printing Plant, Mount Hope, Canal Zone

VV. E. Potter, Governor-President H. VV. Schull, Jr., Lieutenant Governor W. G. Arey, Jr., Public Information Officer

J. Rufus Hardy, Editor Eleanor H. McIlhenny, Assistant Editor On sale at alt Panama Canal Service Centers, Commissaries, and Hotels for 10 days after publication date at 5 cents each. Subscriptions, $1 a year; mall and back copies, 10 cents each.

Postal money orders made payable to the Pan- ama Canal Company should be mailed to Editor, The Panama Canal Review, Balboa Heights, C. Z.

OUTSTANDING work among the Canal Zone's young polio patients was recognized last month when

a Distinguished Service Award, accompanied by a $300 check, was given to Dr. James R. West, Gorgas

Hospital pediatrician. Gov. W. E. Pctter is shown

above presenting the award to Dr. West in the pres- ence of Mrs. West (in a dark dress) and a number

of other Company-Government employees who also received awards. Dr. West ended his Canal career yesterday and left by plane with Mrs. West and

their three young daughters for their new home in Petaluma, 30 miles from San Francisco. He will be

in private practice there.

of the many interesting things to see in Panama's National Museum—as the result of a friendly hands-across-the-border gesture. The collection for the Museum is one

of the projects on the agenda of the Canal Zone Gem and Mineral Society.

The idea of a so-called "starter collection"

for the Panama Museum was suggested by

the Club recently to Professor Alejandro

Mendez P., the Museum's Director, who

received the idea with great enthusiasm. At present, Gem Society members plan

to make up the Panama Museum exhibit from stones now in their private collections, using such colorful local stones and semiprecious gems as quartz, jasper, agate, sar- donyx, rhodenite, and amphbotite, as well as petrified wood which is abundant here. Each piece will be labeled and the collection displayed in cases. Later the Museum col- lection will be enlarged as the Canal Zone gem collectors add to their finds.

A two-day celebration at Rainbow City

last month celebrated the 12th Anniversary

of the founding of the Plus Ultra Club. Part of the anniversary was a Thanksgiving

Service at which the guest preacher was

the Rev. Roy Blakely of the Gatun Union

Church. An auxiliary of the Ebenezer Methodist

Church, the club has sponsored many community activities. One of these was a trip through the Canal July 4 aboard the ferry- boat "Presidente Porras."

Automobile license plates for the Canal Zone for 1957 will have a familiar look. They will use the same colors, black and

yellow, as this year but the 1957 colors will be reversed, with the numerals in yellow

and the background black. The new plates have already arrived. Applications will be available as early as November 1. Canal Zone residents who get

their requests in early will be in on the annual drawing for low license numbers.

This will be held sometime during the middle of November.

The Library is not the only Canal unit with bug trouble. The particular difficulty of the Housing and Grounds Division is chinch bugs—which can mottle a beautiful green lawn with ugly brown patches almost

overnight. Chinch bugs have been a problem for the past three years and have been

especially bad in Los Rios this year. To combat the chinch bugs, the Division

is making new spraying machines preparatory for the annual invasion at the beginning of the next rainy season. The bugs seem to lie dormant, cr almost so, in dry weather and burst into activity when the

rains start. Meantime the Division is experimenting

with new insecticides and hoping that someone will soon produce a sure chinch-bug

cure. The pesky pests have developed an immunity to DDT.

A rare collection of first-flight airmail en- velopes is now on display at the Canal Zone Library-Museum as a special treat to all local philatelists. The collection, made

available by Pan American World Airways,

is being shown under the sponsorship of the Caribbean Stamp Club. The envelopes commemorate the first- flight dates of the opening of airmail routes throughout the world, although there is particular emphasis on North, South, and Central America. The collection began about

1929. The exhibit will be shown at the Library

Museum in the Civil Affairs Building from

October 1 through October 8. Atlantic

siders may see the collection between Octber 9 through October 14 in the lobby of the Cristobal Theater.

Philip C. Olsen, new psychiatric social worker at Gorgas Hospital, arrived recently from California. He succeeds Mrs. Eliz- abeth Murphey on the Hospital sttff. Arriving with him were Mrs. Olsen and their four children. A native of Alamosa, Colo., Mr. Olsen was

graduated from Adams State College in his home town. He is also a graduate of the School of Social Work of the University

of Denver. He is a veteran of World War II. The new social worker came to the Isth- mus from the Porterville State Hospital in Porterville, Calif. MY PET

THAT'S NOT a Davy Crockett hat as anyone can

plainly see, says Donald Adams 7, of Diablo Heights. The bundle of fur on top of his head is "Pancho,"

a marmoset who has been living with the Adams'

household for several weeks. "Pancho" is one of three marmosets in the Adams' menagerie, but the

only one which goes riding on Donny's head. The

other little monkeys are a female, who has shown no

inclination for such joyriding, and a baby which is too young. Donald is the son of Robert K. Adams

of the Locks Division.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW Oc»ober5, 1956

Planes And Trains, Cars And Ships,

Carried Them Off On Vacation Trips

or stowed on a luggage carrier on the top

of their car. The lower picture shows the family:

Dick, Executive Assistant in the office of the General Manager of the Commissary

Division; Shirley, who is Mrs. Cox; Brian,

17, and an Eagle Scout; Kathleen, 15, and

Eileen, 13, both Curved-Bar Girl Scouts; and Kevin, 3yi, voted by the family as

the best camper. They planned their 12,000-mile trip before they left the Isthmus and stuck

to their itinerary with only minor changes.

Their goal was Seattle to visit the girls' two pen-pals. They decided to camp

wherever tentsites were available and

ended up by spending 32 nights under

canvas and seven in motels. At the end of the trip the Cox children found they had been in 40 of the 48 states and want to take the next trip the same wav they did this.

THE WILLS of Margarita, started their vacation pearance on NBC's TV program, Break The Bank.

old twins; Lauray, 12; Gary 4; Robert, 8; Darnell, \

$300 richer than they'd expected, after this ap- Lined up, they are: James and William, 14-year-

; Mrs. Will; and Bert Parks, master of ceremonies.

There probably aren't many places of

its size whose people scatter so widely as Zonians do for vacation.

It's always been that way, the Canal Zone being the heterogenous collection it

is, but now home-leave travel has helped

spread us out even more. There are families now going home who, for one reason

or another (usually juvenile reasons) haven't been able to afford regular vacations for years. A good many Canal Zone mamas and

papas are now able to show their small

fry the old swimming hole (it usually

has shrunk) and the little red school- house where they went to school (nowadays it's all too frequently turned into

a tea room or antique shoppe).

And a good many young Zonians are

learning that apples really grow on trees, that berries may be had for the picking, that snow looks quite a bit like the frost on the outside of refrigerator units. On this page is a sampling of Zonians

and what they did on their vacations,

although all of them didn't restrict their vacations to the United States. The Will family of Margarita -Papa

Will's name is Ray R. and he is harbor- master at Cristobal, while Mrs. Will is admitting clerk at Coco Solo Hospital

started their vacation with a bang when

they were chosen as contestants on the National Broadcasting Company's TV

show, Break The Bank.

The six Will children, shown above

with their mother and master of cere- monies Bert Parks, were in the audience

for Break The Bank's last show of the

season. When they were invited onto the stage to answer questions about music,

they were far less nervous than their mother who was with them, or their father, watching them from the front row. The baby Gary, 4, got things started when he was able to identify the Lone

Ranger's theme song, and the rest of the family carried on until they had won $300.

As big a thrill as appearing on the program was seeing themselves on television. They did this two weeks later when they picked up a rebroadcast in Virginia, where they had stopped enroute

to Florida.

Gloria Shelton, who works at Balboa

Heights, didn't restrict her vacation to the United States. This summer she made a dream come true when she toured Europe, from Spain to Italy, visiting rel- atives and then flew back to New York.

Her brother, in California, however,

declared that she couldn't be so near(!) without visiting him, so she ended up

by flying across the country before she

returned to the Isthmus.

The Cox family, Margaritans like the

Wills, were also transcontinental travelers, but they did their traveling in a

"tired old '50 Chevrolet sedan," with

their tents, gasoline stove, portable re- frigerator, air mattresses, blankets (never

enough, they say) jammed into the car

FROM HERE TO HERE, says Gloria Sheltcn, as she shows where her vacation took her. She visited Europe and then flew across the United States.

PLANNING A TRIP is almost as much fun as taking it. Here the Cox family of New Cristobal decide the

route for their 12,000-mile camping trip last summer. Even young Kevin has a vote in family plans.
October 5, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Got To Learn To Count And Figger

If You're A C. Z. Power Squadronite

If there is a marked decrease in the next few months in the number of small

craft plying in and out of the Pacific en- trance to the Canal, it will be because

their owners and crews are so busy with

the academic side of boating that they

have no time for boating itself. This year's program of the Canal Zone

Pacific Squadron, a group of 36 avid

small boat enthusiasts, includes a basic

piloting course, an instructors' technique

course, a course in seamanship and, probably, one in motor maintenance. And

all this is in addition to the annual practical test of navigation and seamanship—

the Squadron's Annual Rendezvous.

But going to classes is nothing new for members of the Power Squadron. Every

member had to pass the basic piloting course before he could become eligible, and a good many of them have taken

advanced courses.- Last May, for an instance, ten Squadronites and Squadronettes spent close

to eight hours apiece taking the final examination which concluded a 24- week course in Advanced Piloting. According to the Squadron's monthly

publication, "The Panama Tell-Tale,"

the students "came equipped with

cigarettes, cold beer, sandwiches, pil- lows, and blankets." Of the ten, six men and one woman made the grade.

Like all activities of the Power Squadrons here or elsewhere, the basic piloting course which will start this fall stresses safety afloat and is designed to teach its students a high degree of skill in the handling and navigation of small craft. Those taking the course learn to box the compass and read charts as well as learn- ing rules of the road, lights and signals,

and other basic principles of piloting.

This year's basic piloting course will be the tenth since the local Power Squadron received its charter in 1949. Designed for neophytes in the small boat

group, it is no cinch. Last year 58 men

and women began the ten-week course. Some found it too complicated and

dropped out. Of those who went on to the end, only 22 made passing grades

an unusually high figure, according to Squadron officers. What they learn during the piloting course they put into practice during the Squadron's Annual Rendezvous. This is a dry-season affair. The boats start from

a predetermined point and follow a pre- scribed course to the meeting place. Before starting, each navigator must predict the time when he will reach each

check-point along the way and his guesses

are later checked against his log. The second of this year's courses, the

instructors' technique course, will be

taught by Brodie Burnham, who is Assist- ant Training Officer in the Personnel Bureau when he is not small-boating. This

course is designed to develop additional

instructors for the various courses sponsored by the Power Squadron. Mr. Burnham is one of the Squadron's four Senior Members. The others

are B. J. Brown, who taught last year's

piloting course; William H. Clark, who

is a former Commander of the local Squadron and the only member holding the rank of Junior Navigator; and

Francis F. Hargy, who is also another

FIVE STAJW of the Southern Cross appear on the

triangular pennant of the Canal Zone Pacific Squadron. The pretty girl? Oh yes —Mrs. William T. Halvosa of Diablo Heights.

former Squadron Commander.

The seamanship course is to be taught

by Robert Bowen, who has instructed

several other classes. This will stress all phases of safety at sea and the handling

and care of small craft. The Canal Zone Pacific Squadron is one of 204 such squadrons all over the

world, and its 36 members are only a drop

in the bucket in the over-all enrollment

of some 28,300. The parent organization

is a 39-year-old non-profit group incor- porated under the laws of the District of Columbia with the title of the United

States Power Squadron.

Its members, who must be citizens of the United States, hold various ranks,

each achieved by means of an examination. Those who have successfully passed

their basic piloting courses are rated as

"P's." Next highest are the "S's," for Seamanship, followed by the "AP," for Advanced Piloting. The Canal Zone PaMOTORIZED and sailing sailors meet at the an- nual rendezvous at Taboga Island. Penelope is owned by J. B. Webster; Kelpie is now the property

of John S. Bingham of Cristobal.

cific Squadron has 13 S's and 1 1 AP's. The second highest rank a Power

Squadron member can achieve is that of a Junior Navigator. Mr. Clark is the

sole JN and no local member has yet

achieved the highest possible rank, which

is that of Navigator.

The present educational system for Power Squadron members was not de- veloped until 1927. Since that time each

year has seen revisions to keep the train- ing more thorough and abreast of devel- opments. The system of requiring a knowledge of fundamentals as well as modern shorter methods has produced

trained members whose nautical education is equal to that of those who take

their training in the recognized profes- sional schools. This training and an in- sistence on members adhering to high

ideals has produced a corps capable of successful competition with professionally trained men, which was evidenced

in the war records of men who had de- veloped their nautical skill and knowhow in Power Squadrons.

While the activities of the Squadron

are largely educational - witness the

course after course to which its members subject themselves all is not serious. There are plenty of gatherings,

large and small, where the Squadronites and Squadronettes get together and

talk their hobby nearly to death, and

others when they get together just be- cause they like each other. This summer there were plenty of such

gatherings to welcome an old Squadronite back to the fold, at least temporarily.

The visitor was Charles King, now of Annapolis, Md., and formerly Assistant Personnel Director for The Panama Canal. The Kings first came to the Isthmus in their own sloop, the Show Me, and now

have a craft of their own at Annapolis in which they make trips up and down the Inland Waterway. Mr. King has kept up

his Power Squadron affiliation and is an

officer of the Annapolis Squadron.

Officers of the Canal Zone Pacific Power

Squadron are Lt. Col. E. V. Chandler,

of Fort Kobbe, Commander; George Hall,

who works at the Ancon Post Office, Lieu- tenant Commander; Edwin F. Rigby, of the Division of Storehouses, Secretary;

and Worden French, of the Balboa Oil Handling Plant, Treasurer. Colonel Chandler has been interested

in small boating ever since 1931 when he

served his first Canal Zone tour of duty

at Fort DeLesseps. He comes from Pan- ama City, Fla. Mr. Hall, who is another Floridian

Palm Beach is his home—has not yet

achieved ownership of a small boat but

he has been interested in boating for years. In addition to serving as Squadron Vice Commander, he edits the monthly magazine, The Panama Tell-Tale. Mr. Rigby, owner of the Nena, has

thousands of miles of deep water sailing to his credit. He has sailed his own boat

to Tahiti and about a year ago made a

trip from Balboa to California. Mr. French, the Treasurer, is a native

of Vermont which is a "fur piece" from

blue water. But his little over 15 years on the Isthmus have made him as inter- ested in small craft as any east or west

coaster. He is one of the Squadron's AP's.
10 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW Octobers, 1956

Did You Ever Know Rolling Pins Make

Other Things Beside Pies And Cookies?

it. The porous plaster-of-paris absorbs

the moisture from the slip, and a deposit of dry clay is left. When the mold

is removed, the clay is ready to be dried

and fired. After firing, the pottery can

be painted, or glazed. Glazing is a ticklish step in the process; it causes the

paint to change colors. Hence a color may look tan in the paint-jar and be

labeled emerald green. Although it is difficult to mix and match the paints.

Colonel Burke has been very successful

in this area. Out of his kiln, for example, have come

beautifully colored cigarette and candydishes, many types of vases, and busts of a Balinese man and woman.

Colonel and Mrs. Burke like to visit ceramic shows on their vacations. Two

years ago they viewed the Great Lakes

Ceramic Hobby Show in Detroit, Mich.,

and this last May they revisited the show

to see more samples of the nation's best ceramic works. Through his visits to cer- amic shows, Colonel Burke has noticed

that the popularity of ceramics has greatly

increased, and that the quality of the out- put has improved.

Colonel Burke especially enjoys cer- amics because it gives him a chance to do creative work with his hands. Then

too, the slow pace that it demands is re- laxing after a hard day's work.

The Colonel has many more projects

planned ahead. For the present, he wants

to complete work on a set of mugs, make

a pair of bookends from a Haitian headcarving, and remake a vase cast. With

more ideas for the future than time to complete them, Colonel Burke should re- main a contented and successful ceramist

for many years.

TWINKLE, THE CAT, is generally an interested observer when Lt. Col. David C. Burke starts work

on a new piece cf ceramics. Below are some of the handsome pieces he has made in his home hobby shop.

Meet The Man Who Produces Rubber Stamps

In his hobby workshop, Lt. Col. David

C. Burke has an oven and a rolling pin.

He is not, however, a creator of fancy

pastries. His baking is confined to cer- amics, with which he has been entertaining himself—and, incidentally, decorating

his home—for the past three years. Without ever having had a lesson, Colonel Burke has advanced his interest and

ability in ceramics until his home is now

a showcase for his work. He has made a

variety of pieces, ranging from the bust

of a Chinese sage to decorative wall plates

and an old-fashioned oyster dish.

It was quite by accident that Colonel Burke became interested in ceramic work;

it happened when he went to the aid of

his wife. While her husband was stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky., Mrs. Burke enrolled in a ceramics class. She was

shaping a pitcher at home one evening

and having such a difficult time that

Colonel Burke offered to lend a hand

and see what he could do with the clay.

The results encouraged the Colonel to become an amateur ceramist. Since

that day he has learned more about

working with clay by reading books and

periodicals and through trial and error.

"The most important things," he advises, "are persistence and patience."

Colonel Burke, who is Assistant to the Health Director, does his work in a neat workshop in the basement of his Ancon

home. In the room there are his supplies:

Paints, clay, molds, and a rolling pin for flattening out balls of clay. A cabinet

holds his tools and ceramic pieces in dif- ferent stages of completion.

On a work table there are plaster-ofparis molds, and a cast for a dragonshaped pitcher. In the corner is an oven,

called a kiln, in which the clay is baked. The clay is a compound from the Kentucky-Tennessee region of the United

States, where it is especially prepared

and matched with the paints he uses. In his workroom Colonel Burke begins

by making a mold from plaster-of-paris.

The mold is shaped from a cast that the Colonel has adapted and designed from

a basic piece, perhaps a wood carving, a

vinegar bottle, or a figurine. Making the mold sets Colonel Burke apart from many

ceramic workers because ready-made

molds are available and used by most

of the ceramists. After the mold is made and dried, wet clay (called "slip") is poured into

(Continued from page 5) in his workshop.

All surplus rubber is then cut away from

the stamp itself, so that only the letters remain on the wooden base. Facsimile signatures and seals are made from "cliches" which have been

produced by a photoengraver. There is no type to be set for these, but other- wise the production process is the same. Formerly facsimile signatures were made with a pantograph, a copying machine which reproduced the signature on a chalk plate. The signature was

cast into metal and Mr. Watts continued from there with the usual result. He has no idea how many rubber

stamps he has made in the years he has been on the job. One case in his workshop

is filled with drawer after drawer of the metal plates which are the first step, and

other cases elsewhere in the printing plant hold others. Mr. Watts, who was born in Colon and

attended school there, started at the

Printing Plant on May 4, 1920, and has been there ever since. First he was a messenger boy, and that was when he had

his only bad accident. On his way to the

railroad station his bicycle was rammed

by a Navy truck. He still carries scars on his left foot and leg, but figures he was

a lot luckier than the bicycle. That was

a complete wreck.
October 5, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 11

Questions of stock control and speedier

replacement of items carried by the Canal Zone retail stores outnumbered suggestions for new items or changes in service during the Commissary Forum held September 1 1 at Balboa Heights. The meeting was attended by 12 men and women

from both sides of the Isthmus and by 7 representatives of the Supply and Employee Service Bureau.

Before opening the meeting to general

discussion and "new business," Wilson E.

SHELL-LESS EGGS, like those being examined here by Paul H. Friedman, were tested last month for the Commissary Division by the men and women who

attended the Commissary Forum. Packaged at Cornell University in plastic containers, the eggs are being tried here for flavcr and convenience. The

results will be reported to Cornell.

Crook, Bureau Director, outlined some

of the changes made in the commissaries

as the result of suggestions from the pre- vious meeting. Among these he reported: Extra help has been assigned to the Balboa meat counter and service speeded

up in this section. Some items of perishable goods, like lettuce and celery, are being price-marked

when packaged to avoid delay for the customers at a pricing counter. New procedures have been adopted to cut shipping time from warehouse to retail stores. Sales personnel have been instructed

in more careful handling of perishable

fruits and vegetables, and a general train- ing program continued for all personnel.

A large number of new items have been

added to both drygoods and groceries

stock. Among these are better-grade

shower curtains, better-grade khaki trousers, knee-length hosiery, American Golfer

dresses, and several grocery items, including flake tuna, States sugar in 5-pound

packages, and Italian-style macaroni and

spaghetti. Mr. Crook told the group that air shipments of fresh fruit and vegetables

from Miami had not been satisfactory

because the cost of air-freight raised

prices beyond general appeal. Later in the conference one of the group suggested that Florida fruit and vegetables might be brought here by ships

traveling in ballast enroute to pick up

bananas in South America; this suggestion will be investigated. Mr. Crook also suggested to the group

that a proposal for continuous hours for the commissaries on Saturday, without a noon-hour closing, be deferred until about

March when the full effect of reduced operations will be more apparent.

When the meeting was opened for general discussion, the customer representatives indicated that there were recurrent shortages of commissary items such as

small-size sneakers for girls, paring knives,

needles, plain buttons, mercerized thread,

girdles, and girls' dresses. Paul Friedman, Assistant to the Supply and Employee Service Director, and

Richard L. Sullivan, General Manager of the Commissary Division, reported that each sales clerk is being asked to check

items as they sell, by size and color, and

to suggest reorders. Mr. Crook also sug- gested that customers tell the section supervisors when items are out of stock. In connection with a general discussion on the milk supply, Mr. Crook pointed out that home deliveries are given priority, and reported that a comparatively new item, reconstructed milk, has been

very successful. Since small-size bottles of this milk

were made available to school children

at the various cafeterias, more youngsters are drinking milk in preference

to bottled soft drinks, he said. This

milk is also being used in the Canal

Zone hospitals.

One customer suggested milk be sold

in half-gallon bottles but was told that

this would require expensive and extensive replacement of bottling equipment.

Among other suggestions by the commissary customer representatives were: Larger sizes of some canned goods such

as peanut butter, fruits, and vegetables; a large stock of girls' dresses in the subteen sizes; early deliveries to the commissaries of clothes suitable for boys and

girls going to school in the States; a better grade of women's dresses for office and street wear; hats which could be worn locally; more expensive uniforms

for nurses, and a larger variety of oxford- type shoes for nurses; more automobile

parts in the retail stores. Several women indicated that they

would be interested in having cosmetic

demonstrators in the retail stores from

time to time, but did not want food- demonstrators. This suggestion will be

considered.

Just before the forum closed, Mr.

Crook reported that experiments are underway to produce a better type of native beef which would be grain-fed,

and that the Commissary Division will cooperate with Cornell University with a

trial shipment of the new shell-less eggs. Those attending the forum were: Mrs. Pat LeBrun, Mrs. Frances Gilley, Mrs. Walter Wagner, Miss Rita Goulet, Mrs. Anne Cunningham, Mrs. Rose Casey, Mrs. Mina Dee, Mrs. Robert Medinge'r,

Fay Brown, R. C. Daniel, Mrs. Elsa

Bailey, Mrs. Eleanor Mcllhenny, W. H.

Crook, Paul H. Friedman, R. L. Sullivan, T. G. Relihan, C. P. Shay, and Mrs. Gladys Conley.

Paraiso Commissary To Open Soon

FINAL UNIT of Paraiso's under-one-roof civic center is the commissary above.

It is to be opened this month.

Plans have been completed for the for- mal opening of the new Paraiso Commissary, which will be held this coming week.

The commissary is located at the east end of the new Paraiso Civic Center. The two buildings, which form one unit, are connected by a covered passageway

to make them the first under-one-roof community center to be built as such

in the Canal Zone. One of the most distinctive features of the new commissary is its open front construction. Three 16-foot doors will slide into overhead frames, leaving the

entire front open during business hours. Customers will walk directly from a wide porch into the sales area, which will be served by five check-out stands. The

shelves have been arranged as units and

all cold storage items will be available in

"reach-in" type bins and cabinets. The

commissary is floored in an attractive

light-tan terrazo tile and the walls are painted in two shades of green. Fluorescent lighting has been installed

in the sales area and the manager's office which is in the front of the building at

the left, close by a window where facili- ties will be provided for cashing checks. On the main floor are the sales area, the manager's office, cashiers' rooms, a

receiving and stock room, a freezer room, and a loading platform. A partial base- ment houses machine and locker rooms.

Its electrical equipment was designed

for use with 60-cycle current and a fre- quency-changer has been installed so that

the equipment may be used on 25 cycles

until Paraiso is converted to 60 cycles.
12 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 5, 1 956

Contractor Devises Special Equipment

To Replace Transmission Line Conductors

Replacement of the present copper con- ductors on the 44,000-volt transmission

line between Madden Hydroelectric Station and Miraflores substation with aluminum conductors of a much larger size presented several problems which have

been solved effectively and in a unique manner by Bildon, Inc. Bildon holds the contract for this project, part of the 60-

cycle conversion program. The aluminum conductor material is soft and elastic and cannot be dragged

over the ground. It must be strung on

the towers, completely in the air, over

special stringing blocks or pulleys. Part

of the procedure involved is shown in the accompanying photographs.

The payout winch was constructed by

Bildon, largely from salvage material. The special tensioning drums which maintain a constant tension on the conductor

being payed out from the cable reel, were made from solid rubber truck wheels,

which were grooved. The tensioningL

SPECIALLY BUILT for the job, this is a payout- winch which feeds cable to the men replacing transmission line conductors.

drums are braked by a salvaged truck- brake drum, two to a tensioning drum.

These are connected to a common hydraulic braking system. Another brake

is attached to the cable-drum proper, to keep the cable taut as it runs off the reel to the tensioning drums. The entire ap- paratus is mounted on a ten-wheel-driven salvaged Army truck. Pulling in an aluminum conductor re- quired close coordination and instant communication between take-up and payout winches and observers on the critical spans and on the towers proper. Pulls as long as three miles are being made and

the communication problem alone is a tough one. Telephone wire is strung along

the full length of a section where necessary. When a conductor is to be replaced, the old copper conductor is transferred from its insulators to special stringing- blocks made of micarta. One end is then

spliced to the new aluminum conductor on the payout winch and the other to a

cable from the takeup winch.

OVER 100 MILES of aluminum conductors will be

installed by men working on towers like this on the Madden Dam transmission line.

Inspection Of Commercial

Vehicles Will Begin Nov. 1

The annual inspection of the several hundred commercial vehicles licensed in the Canal Zone will begin November 1. The commercial vehicles will be inspected

at the Motor Transportation Division's garages in Ancon and Cristobal. The vehicles will be checked for the condition of their brakes, lights, etc., and

will be marked with stickers when they

pass inspection. Vehicles without inspection stickers will not be allowed to operate after the first of the calendar year. The inspection of the Canal Zone li- censed commercial vehicles is the first of a three-part inspection program. Commercial vehicles licensed in the Republic of Panama but operating in the Canal Zone will be inspected beginning

December 1. Inspection of private vehicles licensed in the Canal Zone will start soon after the first of the calendar year. a Few Happy Spirits" Organized

Order Of Kangaroos 50 Years Ago

Just three days less than four months

after the SS Ancon made the first official trip through the Panama Canal, 20 men

who had had a part in building the water- way sat around a banquet table at the American Hotel in Panama City and dis- banded an organization which had been

a gay spot for eight years. The organization was the Independent Order of Panamanian Kangaroos, one of the most important and active

of the fraternal orders which flourished

in the Canal Zone during the construction period.

None of the 20 men who attended that

farewell banquet is still on the Isthmus,

but there are other former Kangaroos

here. They, and others interested in Isth- mania, now have an opportunity to ex- amine some of the relics of their activities. Through the courtesy of Frank E. Greene

of Detroit, who worked with the Canal

organization from 1905 to 1918 and was

one of the 20 men at the Kangaroos' last meeting, programs, directories, clippings,

and other material pertaining to the Kangaroos have been added to the collec- tion of the Canal Zone's Library Museum.

Organized 50 years ago this month, by

a "few happy spirits," the Kangaroos

grew rapidly. By 1909 there were almost

2,000 members. It started as a purely

social order but became, in addition, a

welfare group which, in 1910 and 1911, spent nearly $1,200 in relief work. The Kangaroos mixed plenty of fun with their charity. According "to their own account, appearing in the 1909 di- rectory, they "frequently held mock trials for their own amusement, at which time, some unsuspecting party would be enticed to the rendezvous, put through a long trial and fined a sufficient amount of refreshments to add zest to the trial of the next victim. "The first meeting was held in an old French house in Empire, on October 10, 1906, where one of the hail-fellows-well- met was tried all night for leaving the ranks of the good fellows, he having just

~~^—-rr-^"^'

returned from the States with a bride," the official history says. The beneficial work of the I. O. P. K. took many forms. Widows of Kangaroos received a $100 "death benefit." Mr. Greene recalls that "in one partic- ular case, a widow was sent the usual

amount and in due time came a letter

telling about the elegant funeral her

husband had and suggesting that she

would like to have another $100."

Kangaroos came from all ranks of the Canal organization. Membership in the order was open to any adult male United

States citizen of "good reputation and

honorable means of support," although no saloonkeepers, bartenders, liquor dealers, or gamblers were admitted.

Many well-known Isthmians were Kangaroos during the organization's heydey.

Some of those still on the Isthmus are: Omer E. Malsbury, former Assistant Municipal Engineer, now living in Pan- ama; Morris M. Seeley, who worked with

the Health Bureau from 1907 to 1942 and now lives in Gamboa; Robert K. Morris,

of Panama City, for many years the Canal organization's Chief Quartermaster;

Charles H. Bath, of Margarita, who was

a sanitary inspector for many years; Ora

M. Ewing, another Health Bureau old- timer, now retired and living in Balboa.
October 5, 1 956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 13

Original Post Office

To Cease Operations

The closing of the Ancon post office on January 1, announced last month by

Gov. W. E. Potter at the "town meeting"

held at Diablo Heights, reduces to three

the number of Canal Zone post offices which have maintained uninterrupted operations since June 24, 1904. The surviving oldtimers, after January

1, will be Cristobal, Gatun, and Balboa

post offices. Cristobal and Gatun have

operated since they were opened under

those names; Balboa post office was known as La Boca until May 5, 1909. No decision has yet been reached as to what use will be made of the Ancon post

office building after postal operations are stopped there. During the town meeting Governor

Potter announced that the decision to

close the Ancon post office was made

after an extensive survey of the Canal Zone postal system, specifically the operation of the various units in relation to the Division's overall deficit. In order to maintain the most efficient and necessary postal services for the Canal Zone, he said, the following steps

would be effective January 1, 1957: The Ancon Post Office will be closed. (Post office boxes will be available at Diablo Heights and at Balboa Heights

and a limited number at Balboa after January 1, 1957). Canal Zone postal services—including

general delivery service—will be limited

to the following:

Official United States Government

agencies;

Residents of the Canal Zone; United States citizens residing in the Republic of Panama who are officers or employees in the regular, full-time service of the United States of America, or the Company-Government organization;

Members of the United States Armed

Forces residing in the Republic of Panama, not including members of reserve

forces on temporary active duty or re- tired armed forces personnel;

Organizations and business concerns

properly established in the Canal Zon

Graduation Day

BADGES WERE PRESENTED by Gov. W. E. Potter last month to 73 new firefighters who had completed their six-week basic training course. Shown above is Joseph V. Lord receiving his badge from

the Governor. He will be assigned to the Corozal fire station. A graduate of Rainbow City High School, he is 24 years old.

Congress Of Civic Councils To Examine

Possibility Of Fund For Financial Aid

The Congress of Civic Councils will take the lead in investigating all possibilities of establishing a fund to provide

financial assistance in worthy cases among

non-citizen employees of the Canal organization after retirement.

Ellis L. Fawcett, President of the Congress, has announced that the Civic Councils will explore the possibilities of such a

and authorized to conduct their operations from a seat or place of business in the Canal Zone.

Notification of these changes was

widely distributed through the postal

service last month in order to give patrons who may be affected ample time

to make other arrangements before Jan- uary 1. The notices were put in boxes

and handed out at the general delivery

windows.

ANCON POST OFFICE, shown here as it looked for many years, was one of four Canal Zone post

offices opened June 24, 1904. This building was replaced by the present concrete structure in 1939.

fund to the fullest extent. The Congress

is also planning to hold meetings in the

various Latin-American communities to determine the sentiment among the people on the subject.

The suggestion for such a fund was made by Governor Potter at his September meeting with the Civic Council representatives. He called attention to the minor contributions which would provide

a substantial fund. A contribution of only five cents a week by each of the approximately 10,000

non-citizen employees would build a $25,- 000 emergency fund in one year. A penny

contribution weekly would bring a fund

of $5,000 in one year. Governor Potter said that such a fund

should be entirely voluntary and should

be administered solely by contributing

employees.

In making the suggestion, the Governor

said there are many instances, particularly among employees who have retired under provisions of the Disability Relief Act, when individuals find themselves in dire need of help and are unable for one

reason or another to obtain help from one

of the organized relief agencies.

The Governor pointed out that most

of the retired employees live on a very

restricted budget with only their monthly

relief checks as income. Illness or unexpected expenses of any kind create a real hardship. A relief fund provided by employees at a very minor expense to them

could alleviate suffering in such cases and

should be administered by leaders of the communities who are well acquainted

with needs in such cases. In announcing that the Congress of Civic Councils will fully investigate the

possibilities of such a plan, Mr. Fawcett

said much interest has been shown. The

Congress hopes to initiate its preliminary

work at an early date. Announcements

on the public meetings will be made at a

later date.
14 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 5, 1 956

PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

August 75 through September 75

OCTOBER SAILINGS

Employees who were promoted or transferred between August 15 and September 15 are listed below. Within-grade promotions

are not listed. CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Daniel F. Ramsey, fiom Student Assist- ant, Terminals Division, to Distribution and Window Clerk, Postal Division.

Division of Schools Mrs. Jean C. Morden, Mrs. Nancy J. Hatchett, from Substitute Teacher to Senior High School Teacher.

Billie G. Blaylack, from Library Assistant,

Library, to Elementary School Teacher. Mrs. Shirley B. Gaivez, from Substitute Teacher to Recreation Assistant. Mrs. Agnes P. Johnson, Mrs. Ethel P. McDennitt, Mrs. Doreen S. Barnett, Mrs.

Virginia C. Brink, Mrs. Dorothy B. Hickam,

from Substitute Teacher to Elementary

School Teacher. Mrs. Margaret G. Thomson, from Kindergarten Assistant to Elementary School

Teacher. Mrs. Jean E. de la Pena, from Accounting Clerk, Agents Accounts Branch, to Ele- mentary School Teacher. Walter M. Mikulich, from Junior High

School Teacher to Senior High School

Teacher. James L. Wolf, from Elementary School Teacher to Junior High School Teacher. OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

William A. Wichmann, from Auditor, In- ternal Audit Branch, to Systems Accountant, Accounting and Policies Procedures

Staff. Paul J. Coleman, from Electrical Engineer to General Engineer, Plant Evaluation and Transfer Staff. Mrs. Myrtle P. Sparks, from Clerk-Typist, Central Typing and Clerical Unit, to Accounting Clerk, Agents Accounts Branch. Mrs. Irene E. Maher, Clerk-Typist, from

Treasury Branch to Central Typing and

Clerical Unit. Mrs. Muriel H. DeYoung, from Supervis- ory Clerical Assistant, Central Typing and

Clerical Unit, to Accounting Clerk, Agents Accounts Branch. Mrs. Laura G. Casement, Accounting

Clerk, from General Ledger and Processing

Branch to Methods and Relief Assignment

Staff. Mrs. Frances L. Journey, from Accounting Clerk, Methods and Relief Assignment

Staff, to Supervisory Clerical Assistant, Central Typing and Clerical Unit. ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

Mrs. Patricia A. Robinson, from Clerk- Typist to Clerk-Stenographer, Electrical Division. Carl L. Simons, from Pipefitter to Heavy

Labor Lead Foreman, Maintenance Division. Mrs. Juliet H. de Leon, Clerk- Typist, from Gorgas Hospital to Electrical Division. Mrs. Betsy R. Hoenke, from Accounting

Clerk to Supervisory Clerk, Water and Laboratories Branch, Maintenance Division. Mrs. Mildred J. Spivey, Accounting Clerk, from Maintenance Division to Water and

Laboratories Branch, Maintenance Division Mrs. Florence W. LaClair, from Clerk to Accounting Clerk, Maintenance Division. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-PRESIDENT

R. Trendon Vestal, from Systems Accountant, Accounting Policies and Procedures Staff, Office of the Comptroller, to Organization and Methods Examiner, Executive Planning Staff. Noel C. Farnsworth, from General Engineer, Plant Evaluation and Transfer Staff, to Management Engineer, Executive Plan- ning Staff. HEALTH BUREAU

Mrs. Patricia R. Nellis, from Clerk-Typist

to Cash Accounting Clerk, Coco Solo Hospital.Robert U. Schultz, from Towing Locomotive Operator, Pacific Locks, to Food In- spector, Division of Yeterinarv Medicine. MARINE BUREAU

Nancy A. Ramsey, from Clerk-Stenographer to Clerk (Stenography), Navigation

Division. Mrs. Louise K.Allen, Clerk-Stenographer, from Terminals Division to Navigation Division. Samuel H. Rowley, Towboat Master, from Navigation Division to Ferry Service. PERSONNEL BUREAU

Robert S. Jeffrey, from Senior High

School Teacher, Division of Schools, to Training Officer, Personnel Programs Staff. Jessie S. Pugh, from Clerk-Stenographer

to Secretary (Stenography), Employment

and Utilization Division. SUPPLY AND EMPLOYEE SERVICE BUREAU

Commissary Division Mrs. Elaine E. Heyd, from Clerk-Typist

to Accounting Clerk. Mrs. Mary G. Livingston, from Clerk to Accounting Clerk. Mrs. Florence W. Robinette, from Accounting Clerk to Clerk. George D. Cockle, from Assistant Supply

Officer to Supervisory Commissary Supply

Officer. Norbert W. Hammond, from Supervisory

Storekeeper to Supervisory Commissary

Supply Assistant. Louis B. McGoff, Maurice J. Sterling,

from Storekeeper to Commissary Supply

Assistant. Nathan W. Ashton, from Wholesale Meats Foreman to Lead Stockman Foreman. Kenneth N. Woodcock, from Commissary

Assistant to Stockman Foreman.

Robert G. Richardson, from Shipping Foreman to Lead Stockman Foreman.

Arthur S. Miller, from Car Loading Fore- man to Lead Stockman Foreman. TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS

BUREAU

Richard D. Brown, from Chauffeur to Chauffeur and Truck Driver, Motor Transportation Division. Mrs. Cecile G. Marceau, from Cargo

Clerk (Typing) to Clerk-Stenographer, Ter- minals Division. Mrs. Edith W. Cotton, from SupervisoryClerk, Water and Laboratories Branch,

Maintenance Division, to Cargo Clerk

(Typing), Terminals Division.

ANNIVERSARIES

Senior man of the four Canal employees

who rounded the 30- year service mark last month is John A. Madison of the Miraflores Locks force. In case the "John" doesn't

strike a responsive chord among his associates, our Mr. Madison is the one who is

[ii

^**

THE NUMBER is nearly as big as the boy. This

is September's senior employee, John J. Madison,

as he looked when he held his first Canal job.

better known as either Allen or "Maddy."

He is a Machinist Foreman. A second generation Canal employee, he

is the son of Thomas C. Madison, for manyyears a track foreman for the Panama Rail- road. "Maddy" was born in Hickory, Miss., but came to the Isthmus as a small boy.

He drew his first Canal paycheck when he was only 11 years old and was working during the summer vacation as a "boy" in the

Cristobal Depot Commissary.

He began his permanent Canal career some years later as an apprentice machinist

in the Mechanical Division. He has been

with the Locks Division since 1939.

From Cristobal

Crsitobal "October 5 A neon October 13 Panama October 20

Cristobal October 2 7 From New York A neon October 4 Panama October 11 Cristobal October 18 Aneon October 25 "Because of Columbus Day holiday, the

Cristobal leaves Cristobal one day early, arrives in Port-au-Prince Sunday, and New

York Thursday.

Otherwise, the ships are in Haiti on Mondays on both north- and southbound

trips.

Mr. Madison has a home in Gorgona and

spends most of his weekends there.

Junior to Mr. Madison by four days on

the service list is Clyde L. Sharp. Under

the official title of Branch Superintendent

in the Postal Division, he is in charge at the Ancon Post Office. All of Mr. Sharp's service has been with the Postal Division; before he came here he had worked in the postal

service in Johnstown, Pa. The list of his assignments reads almost

like a list of Canal Zone post offices: Cris- tobal, the Cristobal air mail section, Fort

Davis, France Field, Margarita, Albrook,

Howard Field, Amador, Ancon, and Rodman.

Mr. Sharp is connected by marriage to an old Canal Zone family. His wife is the daughter of Jeremiah Foley who worked

with the Isthmian Canal Commission from

1905 to 1910 and later for the Panama Rail- road as a steam engineer.

September's other two 30-year employees

are Eller Jane Holcomb and J. Arthur Jones. As one of the Canal Zone's two school

nurses, Miss Holcomb tests eyes, checks sore

thioats, helps out with physical examinations, and does a thousand similar tasks. She is Georgia-born and w-as on the staff of Colon and Gorgas Hospitals before she was

appointed to her present job. In addition

to hei work in the Canal Zone she has nursed at several Veterans Hospitals and

during World War II served in Europe with

the Army's Nurse Corps. Mr. Jones, the only one of the four who

has unbroken Canal service, is in charge of the stock rooms at the Balboa Field Office

of the Electrical Division. There he issues

all tools and materials needed by wiremen

working in the Balboa District. Born in Camby, Minn., he spent four years with the American Railway Express

as a battery repairman and general foreman

before coming here in 1926, and for more

than 20 years he worked as battery repair- man here. He was reclassified as a wireman

when the Electrical Division closed its battery repair shop some years ago.

25 YEARS

September was silver anniversaiy month

for six employees of the Canal organization.

The six are di\ ided equally into those with continuous service and those whose Canal

service has been broken. The trio with continuous Panama Canal

service ate: Orin B. Acker, Eugene I. Askew,

and Clinton N. Bohannon. Mr. Acker and

Mr. Bohannon have continuous service not only with the Canal, but also with the Electrical Division. Mr. Acker is a wireman and comes from

Atlantic, Iowa. Mr. Askew was born in Hickman, Tenn., and is an Admeasurer with the Navigation

Division. Mr. Bohannon, a Lead Foreman with the

Electrical Division, is a native of Victoria, Va.The three quarter-century employees

whose Canal service has been broken are William C. Bailey, Gerald E. Cooper, and

Henry H. Shirk. Mr. Bailey was born in the Canal Zone. He held his first Canal job, that of a "boy"

in the Commissary Division, when he was

only 1 1 years old. He is presently a Branch

Superintendent with the Postal Division at Fort Amador.

Mr. Cooper, whose birthplace was Cincinnatus, N. Y., is a Mate on the dipperdredge Cascadas, while Mr. Shirk is a Ma-
October 5, 1956 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 15

chinist at Gatun Locks. He comes from

Sinking Springs, Pa.

20 YEARS

Two of the nine employees who completed

20 years of government service in September

have continuous Canal service. They are: Robert W. Blades, a Police Officer in the Balboa District, and Ralph A. Morales, an

Electric Welder and Diver with the Industrial Division. Mr. Blades comes from

Crissfield, Md., while Mr. Morales was born

in the Canal Zone. Other 20-year employees and their birth- places are: William Adams, New York City,

Police Officer, Balboa District; Paul Cave, Ruth Township, Ohio, Lock Operator Fore- man, Gatun Locks; Caleb C. Clement,

Ancon, Pipefitter and Diver, Gatun Locks; Gladys S. Lee, Spirit Lake, Iowa, Substi- tute Teacher, Division of Schools; Dorothea F. McNall, Chicago, 111., Mail Clerk,

Office of the Comptroller; Borghild H. Misenheimer, Trondhjem, Norway, Teacher

Balboa Junior High School; and Irving Spector, Brooklyn, N. Y., Small Tug Operator, Dredging Division.

15 YEARS

Thirteen Divisions or units of the Canal

organization are represented by the 17 employees who completed 15 years of service

in September. The Division of Schools leads the list with three 15-year employees, while

the Postal Division, the Maintenance Division, and Gorgas Hospital have two each. Six of the 15-year employees have un- broken Canal service. They are: Milford K. Bailey, Lead Plant Engineer Foreman,

Maintenance Division; Mary S. Brigham,

Teacher, Balboa High School; Gladys L.

Elkins, Supervisor of Instruction in the U. S. elementary schools; Sumner E. Ewing,

Lumber Inspector, Storehouse Division; William C. Merwin, Distribution and Window Clerk, Balboa Post Office; and Christine K. Newhouse, Nurse, Gorgas Hospital. Other employees with 15 years of gov- ernment service are: Carroll F. Anderson,

who is on a year's leave of absence from

Balboa High School; Howard W. Blaney,

Distribution and Window Clerk, Balboa

Post Office; Milton W. Canham, Electrical Engineer, Engineering Division; Jessie M.

Gill, Secretary, Office of the Supply and

Employee Service Director; Joseph F. Green, Machinist, Industrial Division; J. Douglas Lord, Supeivisory General Store- keeper, Locks Division; Reuben M. Reed,

General Stevedore Foreman, Terminals

Division; James M. Reeves, Filtration Plant Operator, Maintenance Division; Gertrude M. Roberto, Clerk-Typist, Marine Bureau; Austin E. Salter, Head Fore- man, Electrical Division; and Richard A. Williams, Staff Nurse, Gorgas Hospital.

United Fund Drive Planning In Hands

Of New Appointed Governor's Council

(Con'.imei fro-n page 1) as announced

from the White House: Every employee should have full op- portunity to learn about the services to the nation and the needs of those agencies which want his help;

Every employee should decide for himself what agencies he wants to support

and be assured that his donation goes to the agencies he designates;

The employee reserves the option of disclosing his contribution or keeping it confidential. During the coming Community Chest

campaign, which begins October 28, material on the Chest and its agencies will be distributed to all employees by "keymen" solicitors. These keymen within each Company-Government Bureau are

to be selected by the indivual Bureaus. Throughout the drive, in accordance

with the recently announced federal policy, emphasis will be placed on the policy that all donations are voluntary.

When the Community Chest campaign

is completed, the Governor's Council will apply the lessons learned during this drive

in formulating plans for a United Fund

campaign. These plans are to be completed, in general form, by January 1.

Chairman Of Board Spends Busy Week

Attending Inauguration, Visiting Zone

Assistant Secretary of the Army George H. Roderick, Chairman of the Board of the Panama Canal Company, has been

spending this week on the Isthmus. He

arrived last Saturday as a member of the

special United States Mission to attend

the inauguration of President Ernesto de

la Guardia.

The Canal Zone and the Panama Canal

were also represented on the delegation

Construction, Maintenance, Replacement

(Con'inuel from page l) design for the re- placement of the Mirafiores substation

switchgear, $30,000.

In addition to the power conversion work, nine separate projects are listed involving over $100,000 expenditures

each, and totaling nearly $2,000,000.

These, the amounts involved, and the month in which bids will be advertised

if the work is to be done by contract, are as follows: Replacement, renewal, and purchase of additional Health Bureau equipment,

$106,000.

Deepen Cristobal anchorage, $670,000.

Pacific sewage disposal facilities, $139,-

000, November.

Improve air conditioning at Civil Affairs Building, $130,000, December.

Balboa Commissary addition, $120,000.

Replace Gamboa pump station and ac- cessory facilities, $244,000, December.

Renew electrical wiring system on Pier

5, Cristobal, $150,000, January.

Install baffles and remove emergency

dam, $100,200, March.

Access shaft at Pacific Locks, $256,800.

An expenditure of approximately $750,-

000 is authorized in various rehabilitation

jobs, including painting, reroofing, and

fender repairs. The bulk of this work will be done during the coming dry season. Fender repair and replacements listed at both terminal ports will cost over $250,-

by Gov. W. E. Potter at the inaugural

ceremonies. Accompanying Secretary Roderick on

his trip were Mrs. Roderick; W. M. Whit- man, Secretary of the Panama Canal

Company; Col. Robert M. Burnett, Executive Officer in the Assistant Secretary's

Office; and Col. Maurice Holden, Military

Assistant to Secretary of the Army Wilber

M. Brucker. Mr. Roderick has spent a busy few days

here. In addition to attending the inaugural and various functions related to the inauguration of the new President of Panama, he has spent much time in the Canal Zone in conference with Governor

Potter and his staff on Panama Canal

matters. He also found time to visit several Canal facilities during his brief visit.

000; painting work amounting to over

$285,000 is scheduled; and reroofing jobs

costing approximately $190,000 are planned.

Many individual jobs ranging in cost from $ 10,000 up to $ 1 00,000 are also listed on the Engineering and Construction Bureau's calendar this year. These include new construction, design, and engineering

projects, rehabilitation work, and pur- chase of new facilities. The following are some of the major

individual jobs of general interest which

are scheduled for this fiscal year:

Installation of sprinklers at Palo Seco;

flood lights at Balboa and Mount Hope

stadiums; replacement of pumps at Mount

Hope Pump Stations; construction of Corozal Pumping Station; enlarge Paraiso athletic field; gasoline service station

at Paraiso; access road and new parking

area at Gorgas Hospital; air condition Gamboa and Cristobal telephone ex- changes; design work for ROTC building

in Balboa ; replace 500 old-type telephones;

replace electric ranges in quarters; and

study of lighting of public buildings.

Did They Spell My Name Right?

OSCAR, A BOA CONSTRUCTOR who has been a friend of Kenneth Vinton's for IS years, seems to know that there is an entire chapter devoted to him in Mr. Vinton's new book, The Jungle Whispers. The book, published last month by the Pageant Press, is a collection of lectures given by Mr. Vinton

to servicemen during World War II, supplemented by other tales of his experiences in the Panama

jungles. Mr. Vinton is Instructor in Physical Science on the faculty of the Canal Zone Junior College.
16 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 5, 1956

^ SHIPS ,nd SHIPPING ja

CAPT. CHARLES S. HUTCHINGS, USN, new Port Captain at Cristobal, talks things over with

Capt. John Andrews, Jr., USN, whom he relieves this month. Captain Andrews leaves Sunday for his new station in New Orleans where he will be attached to the staff of the Commandant of the 8th Naval

District. Captain Hutchings comes to the Isthmus from command of the attack cargo ship USS Oglethorpe. Last Saturday he was welcomed, and Captain Andrews farewelled, at an informal stag party

given by Atlantic siders connected with ships and shipping.

Transits By Ocean -Going Vessels for regular overhaul and will not be back

In August in service until after November 1. 1956 1955 Agents for the 15,000-ton Nassau are

Commercial 633 676 Fenton & Co.; the shore excursion was

U.S. Government.. 34 16 directed by Boyd Brothers. EXPOSITION SHIP

Total.. 687 692 A gpanish "exposition ship," the CiuTolls* dad de Toledo, is scheduled to arrive in

Commercial .-$2,894,183 $2,985,970 Cristobal this month on a hemispheric

U. S. Government 105,689 75,943 trip displaying some of Spam s merchandise. According to Canal records the vesTotal $2,999,872 $3,061,913 sel, which is due October 23, will be

* Includes tolls on all vessels, ocean-going and small. m^ing her first Isthmian Visit She is coming from the east coast ot PASSENGER SHIPS South America, where she is stopping in Tolls collected in August from passen- a number of ports and will go on from

ger ships—cargo-passenger ships with a Cristobal to Mexico and New Orleans

capacity of 12 passengers or less are not before returning to Spain, included were higher during the month IMMIGRANTS

of August than for any month since July L

. . 1950. August's passenger-vessel tolls Approximately S00 Dutch immigrants

were $217 718 are ^ue nere October 10 aboard the bb

Tanker' traffic, however, was light, Zuiderkruis enroute to their new homes

tolls-wise. Tolls paid by tankers during in Australia. Their ship will transit the

August totaled $297,256. Since April Canal on arrival and will berth in Balboa

1952, there have been only three months f°r bunkers. when revenue from tanker traffic was According to Fenton & Co., who are

below the $300,000 mark. handling the ship, most of the immigrant

passengers on its previous voyages have

FIRST CRUISE keen engaged couples who will marry

The first cruise ship of the season, an after they reach Australia. On the long

old Canal friend, visited the Canal Zone voyage to their new home they spend

yesterday with 395 passengers aboard. part f their time learning English in The cruise ship is the SS Nassau of the classes held for them aboard the ship. Incres-Nassau Line. During the 1920's she was the SS Mon- NEW CUSTOMER

golia of the P. & O. Line, running through Another new customer used the Panthe Suez Canal from England to New ama Canal this month when the TS

Zealand. Later she became the Rimutaka Castlemlle—the "TS" stands for turbine and was on the New Zealand run through ship—made her maiden voyage through

the Panama Canal. the waterway. She is a sister-ship of the A large number of her passengers made TS Kingsville, which was southbound

a transit of the Cut yesterday aboard the through the Canal—also on her maiden

Dredging Division's craneboat Atlas, trip—in July. They fly the Norwegian

Large parties usually are taken through flag. the Cut aboard the ferryboat Presidente At the time this issue of The Panama

Porras. The ferry, however, is drydocked Canal Review went to press, the Castleat the Industrial Division at Mount Hope ville was due October 4 from United

Former Zonians Sail Yacht <!9 = From Miami To Canal Zone si

When other people want to travel, they o have to buy plane or train or ship tickets. > Not so the A. H. Springthorpes, former <f> Atlantic siders who now make their home w

in Miami. z They provision their 80-foot yacht,

Lakaoia, load their menagerie of house- hold pets aboard and take off—with the wheel in the hands of Captain Springthorpe who piloted ships through the Panama Canal for 14 years, or in the hands of his wife who is also a competent

sailor. This year they decided to travel, and

are now visiting the Isthmus for the first time since they set out for Miami in September 1953 aboard the yacht Buccaneer. They left Miami in July and

took the trip across the Caribbean in easy stages, stopping along the way in Havana, Swan. Island, Cape Gracias-a- Dios in Honduras, and Bluefields in Nicaragua. The Springthorpes man the gleamingwhite Lakaoia alone, although the yacht

could sleep a dozen persons. But they

have aboard as company "Ring," their eight-year-old-dog; "Twinkie," the cat, who is a venerable nine; "Coco," the canary; and "Pancho," a parakeet.

"We don't have any definite plans, and we don't know from day to day what we

will be doing next," the former Zonians

said last week. Meanwhile they are en- joying their old friends and making the Panama Canal Yacht Club at Cristobal

their headquarters.

=^

.CO -O

"C>4

States gulf ports enroute to the Far East

via California. Both ships are owned by Fearnley &

Egen Company and will be used in the Barber & Fern Line service to the Far East via the Panama Canal. Each ship has a registered international tonnage of 7,563 tons, gross, and

is 505 feet overall. While primarily cargo

ships, the two vessels have accommodations for 12 passengers each. The new

ships are powered by two geared turbines,

and have a service speed of roughly 18 knots, although the Kingsville made 20 knots on her first trip to the Canal. The ships are handled locally by W.

Andrews & Co. BIGGEST PASSENGER

Undoubtedly the largest passenger to

transit the Panama Canal in many moons

saw the Isthmus from a crate on the deck

of the SS Tielbank last month.

The passenger was a live hippopotamus

which was being shipped from New Orleans to Auckland, New Zealand, as deck

cargo. The young hippo kept the crew

busy; he had to be given a bath every two hours to keep him cool. The Tielbank, of the Bank Line, is a

frequent user of the waterway but seldom

has such exotic deck-cargo aboard. Her

local agents are Payne & Wardlaw.

BACK AT WORK

The Dredging Division's big dipper

dredge, Cascadas, is back on the job in Gaillard Cut on her routine operations.

The Cascadas has just completed a

triennual overhaul, done by Industrial Division forces at Mount Hope.

The dredge can haul quite a bit of rock and debris away with one scoop of its 13>^ cubic yard bucket.