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Oclobei, 5 196! THE AMERICAS
Robert J. Fleming, Jr., Governor-President

VV. P. Leber, Lieutenant Governor

Will Arey Panama Canal Information Officer

| *~=^| &£*&

Official Panama Canal Publication

Published monthly at Balboa Heights, C.Z.

Printed at the Printing Plant, Mount Hope, C.Z.

Publications Editors Robert D. Kerr and Julio E. Briceno

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

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

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

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

Une J^and J\eunlted

IT IS DOUBTFUL if any bridge in the world surpasses the

Thatcher Ferry Bridge as a uniting element between: Two parts

of a country, two continents, two peoples, and, soon, the two

parts of the world's greatest highway system.

Nothing, perhaps, could better express the historic setting for the October 12 dedication and opening of the huge new bridge

linking the Americas.

The above words, from Elmer B. Stevens, bridge project

resident engineer, stress the true meaning of this new major world

traffic link.

The bridge also is viewed by Mr. Stevens as "a fitting and

proper sequel to the slogan coined during Canal construction

days, The Land Divided, the World United.' We can now say, The Land Reunited' with the secure knowledge that this fact further enhances world unity, and at a time when such unitv

is sorely needed."

News and picture highlights of bridge history may be found on the following pages, along with some sidelights provided by

Mr. Stevens in an article on page 7.

Techniques, technology, and equipment have improved vastly

since the days of Canal construction. But the kev roles have ever been those of the men and women of the Isthmus. Magnitude

of the jobs faced, and conquered, is evident in every picture and

every account of the bridge project.

The date of the ceremonies is a memorable one for more than one reason. It was on an October 12 that Christopher Columbus

first saw American soil.

Index

The Bridge by Night 3

Mr. Thatcher 3

Free, Permanent Transit 4

Dream of Years Realized 5

Tribute From an Ex-President 6

First-Hand Report, With Sidelights 7

Pictorial Progress Report 8-11

Dollars Flow to Panama 12

Good Will Ambassadors 14

Geologists Try Fins 16

School Calendar 18

Safety 19

Canal History 20

Anniversaries 21

Promotions and Transfers 22

Shipping 22

This issue of The Review will reach a far broader audience than

the average edition. Extra copies of The Review and of The

Review En Espanol have been ordered to meet expected demands.

Among these is a request from the Foreign Office of the

Republic of Panama for extra copies for distribution to embassies,

consulates, and schools.

ABOUT OUR FRONT COVER-The commemorative

medallion for the Thatcher Ferry Bridge dedication October 12 is flanked by an aerial view of the bridge itself showing dramatically the linking of the banks. The reverse

side of the medallion portrays a map of this part of the hemisphere, with the Isthmus at its center, and dedication

date. Aluminum pocket pieces l

1 ^ inches in diameter, miniatures of the medallion, have been ordered as souvenirs, along with decals reproducing the face of

the medallion.

October 5, 1962
The Bridge by Night

Dedicated - To Service

THE ONLY surviving member of the Isthmian Canal Commission will be

present October 12 at the ceremonies to be held to dedicate the impressive new

bridge which bears his name. He is Maurice H. Thatcher, a man

who celebrated his 92d birthday in August and whose enthusiasm and

vitality won for him the unofficial title

of the "First Governor of the Canal

Zone." He was, in fact, the youngest

member of a group of extraordinary men which included Col. W. L. Sibert,

Joseph Bucklin Bishop, Adm. H. H.

Rousseau, Col. Harrv F. Hodges, Col. David D. Gaillard,' Col. William C. Gorgas, and Col. George W. Goethals. Mr. Thatcher served as Chief of the Department of Civil Administration

which controlled Canal Zone civil affairs and included the representation of the Isthmian Canal Commission in its relations with the Republic of Panama and

the foreign diplomatic missions. He held

this position from May 13, 1910, until August 8, 1913. His name has long been associated with matters relating to the Isthmus of Panama. On two occasions he has been

president of the Gorgas Institute and was one of the founders of the "Panama

Society" of Washington. In addition, he

is closely connected with the Isthmian

Historical Society, which was organized

at his suggestion. For five consecutive terms, from 1922

until 1933, Mr. Thatcher was elected to

the U.S. House of Representatives from

the district of Louisville, Ky. It was

during these years that he introduced

legislation which created the ferry service across the Canal later known as Thatcher Ferry, made possible construction of a road connecting the west ter- minal of the ferry with the town of

Arraijan, and established the Gorgas

Maurice H. Thatcher.

Memorial Institute of Tropical and

Preventive Medicine.

Tireless in his efforts on behalf of the (See p. 19)

The Panama Canal Review
And by Day

Free, Permanent Transit

THE $20 MILLION high level bridge

across the Panama Canal at Balboa, a U.S. Treatv commitment, assures free, permanent transit of vehicles and pedestrians from one bank of the Canal to the other. Such a bridge was one of the principal

stipulations of the Remon-Eisenhower

Treaty and Memorandum of Understanding signed between Panama and

the United States in 1955. The US. Congress, in 1956. approved

an appropriation of S20 million for the design and construction of the permanent bridge across the Canal. This bridge replaces the Thatcher

Ferry service, which had been used the

past 30 years as a means of communication between the east and west banks

of the Canal. Construction started on December 23,

1958, with an official ceremony in which

former President of Panama Ernesto de

la Guardia, Jr.. and former Canal Zone

Governor \V. E. Potter participated.

Other Panamanian dignitaries present

included the Minister of Public Works,

Roberto Lopez Fabrega. Silver shovels were used to turn the first shovelfuls of

earth at the base of Farfan Hill.

It was not until September 1959, that actual work began. The midget dredge

Mandinga began excavation of a channel parallel to the location of the bridge piers, to facilitate access to the

piei sites. The bridge was designed bv Sverdrup, Parcel & Associates of St. Louis,

Mo. Governor Potter named a construction advisory board whose members

were Ralph A. Tudor, structural engineer; Dr. R. P. Davis, structural engineer; F. C. Turner, chief engineer in the office of public roads; E. B. Burwell, Jr., geologist; and Aymar

Embury II, architect, all experts in their special fields. The contract for construction of the substructure was awarded in 1959 to Fruin-Colnon International, S. A., and

LeBoeuf and Dougherty, Inc., a joint venture from St. Louis, Mo. Some diffi- culties were encountered by the substructure contractor in satisfactorily

completing the two largest cofferdams

erected at the water pier sites. In order to excavate to firm rock and

pour concrete footings "in the dry" for the water piers, cofferdams of the open,

internally-braced single-wall tvpe were

used. All piers and abutments were

completed in November 1961. Foundations of the bridge consist of reinforced concrete abutments, with the water piers resting on firm rock and the land piers on clusters of cylindrical reinforced concrete caissons which

extend down to firm rock. The largest contract in connection

with the bridge, for the superstructure, was awarded in February 1960, to John

F. Beaslev Construction Co. of Dallas. Tex., on a bid of $9,199,000. The contract included furnishing structural steel

manufactured in West Germany as a

joint venture by four firms. The steel started to arrive on the Isthmus in June and July of 1961. In August, a crew of 75 specially trained

steel construction men arrived from the United States. These men, skilled in the work of erecting bridge spans, did the

actual work of joining 15,000 tons of

steel with bolted connections. Fabrication of structural steel for the bridge was completed in Germany in January 1962, and by the end of that month all fabricated steel, with the exception of some minor parts, had been

shipped to the Isthmus. The bridge is 5,425 feet long, with

the longest single span, directly over the Canal channel, measuring 1,128 feet. The highest portion of the bridge is 384 feet above the average level of the Canal. The lowest portion of the struc- ture is 201 feet above the Canal at high

normal tide. The bridge has four traffic lanes and

a pedestrian walk, with three traffic- lanes and a pedestrian walk on the approaches. The roadway is of 7-inch reinforced concrete, which rests on steel beam and girder framework.

The lighting system provides

1,600,000 "lumens" of light from 80

mercury vapor lights, 16 aerial and sea navigation lights, and 3 flashing hazard

lights, one at each end of the bridge,

another in the center at the highest

point of the bridge.

October 5, 1962
stream of tyeari -Now (Reality

A PERMANENT BRIDGE or tunnel

across the Canal appears to have been

seriously considered as far back as 1909,

when sites at Empire, Culebra, Gold

Hill, and Paraiso were considered.

Further talk of a permanent bridge was postponed by actual construction

of a temporal)' suspension bridge at Empire with a 12-foot roadway onlv a few feet above the 95-foot level. Here is the sequence of historical events which led to construction of the new Thatcher Ferry Bridge linking the Americas:

1913-Serious consideration again was given to a permanent bridge or

tunnel and several comparative esti- mates were made. Greater concern with

early opening of the Canal without

risk' of further delay appears to have

caused sidetracking of the project.

1929-The bridge-tunnel project

broke into print again in Panama Canal

files and newspapers, but quite likely

the financial crisis in that year stopped anv further consideration at that time.

1937-Project revived by president

of Panama Automobile Club, Leopoldo

Arosemena. Pressure and interest by

various agencies on both sides of the

line continued from this date to the immediate pre-war period by which

time a tunnel was being seriouslyconsidered for military reasons.

1941-In this year, negotiations with an architectural engineering firm were

actually under way for design of a

tunnel. Thev were suspended by official

directive early in 1942 because of

the war.

1942—Miraflores swing bridge was

opened in June but it was never in- tended as a substitute for the permanent

high-level fixed bridge or tunnel, having

been built primarily for third locks

construction. However, once built, it undoubtedly has had a delaying effect

on the main project. The traffic it now

carries could not have been handled by

the existing ferry.

The General Relations Agreement

between the United States and Panama

effected bv an exchange of notes signed

at Washington May 18, 1942, contained

a number of commitments on the part

of the United States. The agreement was related to, and

was, in effect, the counterpart of an agreement covering the lease of defense

sites signed at Panama on the same

date. Point 4 of the 1942 Agreement, con- cerning construction of a tunnel or bridge over the Canal at Balboa, C.Z., commits the United States to build such

a bridge or tunnel when the World

War II emergency has ended.

1942-1954-The prospects of a

tunnel, and occasionally a bridge, came

up from time to time during this period,

originating both from political sources

Historic moment: Bridge sections joined May 16, 1962.

^

£
and from private interests soliciting the opportunity to perform the design and

construction. 1954—The Governor concluded, after review of the manv studies and argu- ments, that a bridge was superior to a tunnel. The Chiefs of Staff of the

U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and the Navy all concurred.

1955—New estimates were made of a high-level bridge at Balboa, of a tvpe

and span lengths differing from previous

estimates. A bill was presented to Congress authorizing the construction of a bridge, at an estimated cost of $20 million.

1955—Construction of a bridge across the Canal at Balboa again became a commitment of the United States under

the Eisenhower-Remon treatv of friend- ship between the United States and

Panama.

1956-On July 23, of this year, Pres- ident Eisenhower, on a visit to Panama,

signed a bill authorizing and directing the Panama Canal to construct, maintain, and operate a bridge over the Canal, at Balboa. A supplemental appropriation providing $750,000 with which

to start design and engineering on the bridge was signed bv the President on August 28, 1957.

1957—On November 5, after a thor- ough canvass of all eligible interested

firms, a contract was signed with the

firm of Sverdrup, Parcel & Associates

of St. Louis, Mo. to make a preliminary

engineering studv, and to present esti- mates and schematic designs of several types of bridges.

The following were selected in December to constitute a technical Board of Consultants for the bridge

project:

Roland Parker Davis, M., ASCE,

Dean Emeritus, West Virginia University, Consulting Bridge Engineer.

Aymar Embury II, Consulting Architect, of New York. Edward B. Burwell, Jr., Consulting

Geologist, and Chief Geologist, Office

of Chief of Engineers.

Ralph A. Tudor, M., ASCE, one-time

Chief Engineer of San Francisco Bav

Toll Crossings, Under Secretary, Department of Interior, Washington, D.C.

E. L. Erickson, Chief, Bridge Design

Division, Bureau of Public Roads,

Washington, D.C.

1958—Representatives of Sverdrup,

Parcel & Associates met in Balboa with

the Board of Consultants and with offi- cials of the Panama Canal April 10, and presented the results of their pre- liminary studies. Design recommended

SRYS €X-PR€SID€nT RLFflRO:

. . . %Vell-3)e3ervea ZJribute . . .'

Dr. Ricardo J. Alfaro, former President of Panama (1931-1932), now Justice

of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Holland, wrote the following letter to the Honorable Maurice H. Thatcher commenting on an

article which appeared in a leading United States newspaper regarding the Thatcher Fern- Bridge.

12315 Stoney Creek Road,

Rockville, Md., December 6, 1961.

My dear Governor Thatcher:

Please find enclosed the clipping you kindly handed me day before yesterday,

which I am returning to you with my thanks. I have read it with utmost interest and pleasure and I am very happy that your signal services to your country

and to the cause of Pan-Americanism are duly recognized by a paper of such

great prestige as The Christian Science Monitor.

The parallel between yourself and your famous fellow Kentuckian Henry

Clay is both just and accurate. If Clay is entitled to be remembered as the pioneer of Pan-Americanism in the United States, you have no lesser title to the recognition, the gratitude and the respect of all the peoples of our

continent and particularly of the people of Panama for your magnificent work

on behalf of good understanding and real friendship between the Americans

of the North and the Americans of the South.

Giving your illustrious name to the colossal bridge that will re-establish continuity in the land divided by the Panama Canal is an act of justice and

a well-deserved tribute. The Thatcher Bridge will be the culmination of a noble

thought which had its first expression in the Thatcher Ferry. I congratulate

you upon the honor you have received and my highest praise goes to the Congress and to President Kennedy for their worthy action in honoring you. Amelia joins me in congratulating you and in expressing best wishes for your prompt and complete recovery, and with renewed assurances of my

admiration and esteem, I remain

Very sincerely yours,

The Honorable

Maurice H. Thatcher,

The Somerset, Washington, D.C.

R. J. Alfaro.

by Sverdrup, Parcel & Associates was

approved by the Board, and the approximate alignment selected. A contract was signed with Sverdrup,

Parcel & Associates in April to furnish complete design for the type of bridge

selected.

1958—Construction work on the

bridge was formally initiated in December in a ceremony attended bv Panama

President Ernesto de la Guardia, Jr., and Canal Zone Governor W. E. Potter. 1959—First actual work on construction of the substructure took place in September.

Contract for the substructure was

awarded to Fruin-Colnon International.

S. A., and LeBoeuf and Dougherty, a

joint venture, from St. Louis, Mo.

1960—Contract for the superstructure was awarded to John F. Beaslev

Construction Co., of Dallas, Tex., in February.

1961—During June and July steel began arriving from West Germany. Bv

November all piers and abutments were

completed.

On October 25 the last yard of concrete was poured on the substructure,

which was completed November 4. 1962-A 70-foot steel beam was

raised into place May 16 bv a floating crane, joining the two sections of the bridge while tugs tooted and Canal and

bridge workmen cheered. Gov. Robert J. Fleming, Jr., accompanied bv other offi- cials and newsmen, watched from the tug San Pablo.

6 Octoher 5, 1962
And Some Bridge Project Sidelights

THE LAND REUNITED

By Elmer B. Stevens

Bridge Project Resident Engineer

ON THE NIGHT of September 8, 1962,

Thatcher Ferry Bridge blossomed out with all its roadway lighting plus the

aircraft warning lights atop the high

arch. At this stage it could be compared

with a fine lady primping for a party, complete except for the final touches of "putting on her face."

All the graceful curves are now outlined with the proper degree of daring

and discretion, essential fastenings

secured, and the "tout ensemble" neatly

poised on high heels. Just as our lady

is now readv for the mirror of the public eve, which reflects sidelights and

highlights that she may or may not

suspect, our bridge is nearly ready for the same critical scrutiny.

The hard work now lies behind and

the lighter moments of the party lie

just ahead.

Just as our lady awaits her escort at

this stage, it should prove interesting

to pause and reflect on some of the

lighter moments that led to the present,

as well as to confirm some of the vital

statistics such as those that the dress- maker had to know, when she fashioned

the alluring creation for the public

to see. Tackling the latter first and leaving

the spice for last, a word may still be

in order about the type of structure. Bridges are generally identified bv the

structural type of the main span, and

classified as to size by the clear length

between piers of that span. This frequently leaves much unsaid

about the balance of the structure which

sometimes exceeds the scope of the main span. The three main spans of the Thatcher Ferry Bridge are properly

considered as a unit and are accurately'

described as a cantilever, tied-arch combination. The approach spans are

of the "deck" type (roadway on

top) and are cantilever, simple-span

combinations.

In technical parlance, the tied-arch

of the central span is called a "sus- pended" span because of the manner

by which it is attached to the adjacent

cantilevers, but this does not make it

a "suspension" bridge, since that term

refers to the type that is supported

by heavy main cables, rather than

trusses, draped over high towers on

the main piers. In terms of size, Thatcher Ferry

Bridge is one of the largest "South of the Border" but does not rank high

among the large bridges of the world.

It is properly compared in size only

with other cantilever bridges and on

that basis, its main span of 1,128 feet

is less than two-thirds that of the world's

largest cantilever bridge, across the

St. Lawrence River at Quebec, Canada,

and built many years ago.

Its total weight of structural steel, about 14,000 tons, is less than onequarter that of the huge Quebec bridge.

ELMER B. STEVENS, resident engineer on the $20 million Thatcher Ferry Bridge

Project at Balboa, is retiring early in 1963

after a quarter century of service with the Canal organization. From the time he

graduated from the University of Vermont

with a civil engineering degree until he

joined the bridge project, he has spent a good part of his time designing and build- ing bridges. He designed the Gatun Locks

swing bridge and made the cost estimate

for the bridge at Balboa on which the appropriation was based.

Its height of 201 feet above high water, however, places it among the highest

in the world—for which the height was dictated by shipping requirements

rather than natural terrain at the site. None is known to be higher in that

artificial respect, though many bridges

have greater clearances (height) that were dictated by the terrain at their sites. Whatever the Thatcher Ferry Bridge

lacks in size among the world's large

bridges, however, it amply compensates

as a symbol of unity. It is doubtful if any bridge in the world surpasses it as

a uniting element between (1) two

parts of a country, (2) two continents,

( 3 ) two peoples and, in the not-toodistant future, (4) the two parts of the world's greatest highway system.

The bridge is a fitting and proper

sequel to the slogan coined during

Canal construction days, "The Land

Divided, the World United." We can now saw "The Land Reunited" with

the secure knowledge that this fact further enhances world unity, and at a time when such unity is sorely needed. At this point a fast curve is justified

by the fact that articles have already

been written on the sublime and the

technical features of the bridge and we

will now throw the switch that illumi- nates some of the lighter moments of the construction period.

There was the day, for instance,

when an inspection part)' from the "Heights" arrived at the site of Pier 4

a few minutes ahead of the scheduled

start of the footing pour. The concrete

plant on shore had already been

cranked up and the first delivery, consisting of a large bucket of grout

(sand, cement, and water without huge

aggregate—fortunatelyl ) was already on

the way. Told that they had only a few

minutes to make their inspection, the party decided to take their chances and

descended to the bottom of the coffer- dam. In the meantime the grout arrived and the bucket containing it was hoisted over the receiving hopper, some 70 feet above the exposed rock within the cofferdam. At this point a workman,

(See p. 10)

The Panama Canal Review
TOP OF MAIN

SPAN RISES

TO 384 FEET

Type of Bridge:

Three main spans—Combination

cantilever-tied arch. Approach spans—Combination cantilever-simple spans.

Main' span: 1,128 ft.

Clearance over water at mean high

tide: 201 ft. Maximum height: 384 ft.

Traffic lanes: On three main spans: 4. On approaches: 2 ascending and

1 descending.

Lighting: Mercury vapor.

Pedestrian walkway: One, 4 ft. wide.

Design Data

Loading: 20-ton trucks followed by

16-ton trailers. Also, 92-ton special load at slow speed.

Wind: 70 m.p.h.

Earthquake: 5 percent of dead load of superstructure.

Foundation pressures:

Pier 5: 15 tons/sq. ft. Other piers on rock: 20 tons sq. ft. Caissons under land piers: 30 tons

sq. ft.

Longitudinal force: Friction at expansion bearings—20 percent of dead

load supported.

Design criteria: Standard specifications

for highway Bridges of the American Association of State Highway

Officials.

Ice Cream Afloat

ONE OF THE features of the British Shaw Savill round-the-world passenger

liner Northern Star is an American-type

soda fountain bar, equipped with the

latest gear from the United States. The

bar, which made a hit with the hundreds

of young people traveling on the vessel,

is located at one end of the sun-bathing

deck near the approach to the three

attractive swimming pools.

The tile-lined pools were built to provide bathing facilities for all types

of swimmers from the paddlers and non- swimmers to the experts.

Channel clearing enabled work barge to reach pier sites.

Pilings framework for cofferdam construction.

October 5, 1962
Lacy network of steel inside cofferdam for pier construction.

Materials

Required

Approaches

Total length 12,986 ft. Excavation 589,000 cu. yds.

Fill 688,000 cu. yds.

Spoil 444,000 cu. yds.

Paving—Concrete . _ 59,000 sq. yds.

Paving—Asphalt 3,700 sq. yds.

Substructure

Concrete 31,500 cu. yds.

Cement 52,000 bbls. Reinforcing steel _ 1,100 tons Caissons, 36-in. diameter 7,500 lineal ft.

Superstructure

Structural steel- Carbon 6,250 tons

Structural steel- Alloy 7,450 tons Cable suspenders _ - 50 tons Cast steel 150 tons Reinforcing steel . _ 625 tons

Total steel -- 14,525 tons

Concrete 6,000 cu. yds.

Steel floor grating _ _ 16,000 sq. ft. Handrails 12,008 lineal ft. Paint 20,000 gals.

Bolts, high tensile. 350 tons.

Floating cranes' booms towered 400 feet high.
Land Reunited

(Continued from p. 7)

later professing innocence concerning

the party below, opened the bucket

gates and down went the grout. Almost as if blown up by the same

force that sent the grout down, the

inspection party appeared top-side,

bringing most of the grout back up

with them on their persons. Soberly

assured of an error, the inspection was

called off, the inspectors went home,

and the pour was resumed.

It is a matter of pure coincidence, of

course, that the bucket operator got

a 10 cents per hour raise starting that day, and that the Contractor's Project

Manager was heard to remark that it was the first time in his life he ever had

six inspectors lined up in his sights for one pull of the trigger!

There also was the time when a waterborne concrete delivery unit—an "LCM" with concrete buckets in this case—was being charged under the large

collection hopper at Dock 7. When the buckets were filled, a malfunction of the hopper gates prevented their closure and the concrete kept on coming. The

LCM operator began receiving shouted

and conflicting instructions in two

languages. Before he could decide which order

to follow, the LCM capsized and sank. (Note—Fortunately this occurred

toward the end of the pour and a "next" LCM was standing by to finish the

deliveries.

)

On other occasions, heavily-loaded

delivery units capsized en route from

Dock 7 to pier sites and the buckets

had to be fished out from Captain Jack's harbor to prevent the possibility of their becoming a part of a ship's "wheel."

Lighter moments on the superstructure seemed to center around the period

when final closure was being made on

the big arch, although one of those moments was not so funny for the operators of a fat pool, based on the time

of closure, who had to explain the cir- cumstances under which the pool went

to a high PanCanal official who later awarded an honor (?) to one of the

engineers.

There was the iron-worker, for instance, who, in the absence of flags, wanted to place one of our ladv's garments on the ceremonial (closing)

piece of steel. Through the entire construction period the keen interest of the public has been an inspiration, even if at the same time its occasional skepticism has been a problem. During the trying

period when cofferdam plans were

being revised "in mid-stream," it seemed

difficult to assure the public that "there

will be a bridge" and that the steel parts

that later went together so rapidly and

well, were, even then, being rolled, fabricated, and shop assembled.

The work going on at that very time,

far from the site of the bridge, was the

Keep Moving!

TRAFFIC FLOW over the new

Thatcher Ferry Bridge is expected

to increase to 10,700 vehicles a day

within the next year. Approximately 8,200 vehicles now

utilize the swinging bridge at Miraflores Locks and Thatcher Ferry

facilities each day.

Currently, 2,300 vehicles travel daily between the City of Panama

and the Interior of the Republic. The

remaining 5,900 vehicles crossing the Canal are cars, trucks, and buses

traveling between points bordering

the Canal.

work that made the future rapid and

spectacular erection possible. Later on, as the two huge cantilevers were being erected from the main piers

toward the mid-channel, it was evident

that the public was experiencing more

agony than the erectors as to whether

or not the spans would meet, being unaware of the built-in devices that guaranteed a perfect closure before the

first panel was ever cantilevered out over the water.

Finally, there was the staunch belief among the devoted public that the iron- workers were predominantly Indians,

this being the result of past publicity

given to a group of Mohawk Indians

who are high iron-workers in the New

York area. Efforts were made to advise the public that these local "Indians" were

predominantly converted cowpunchers

from the plains of Texas. Some progress was being made until a photograph was

published showing some iron-workers

in action, including their names on the caption of the picture. All efforts at explanation were suspended when one

of the names proved to be "Rainwater"! Sometimes you have to let the Public win!

Piers, abutments completed in November 1961.

10 October 5, 1962
Board To Be Here

TRANSFER OF THE regular October

meeting of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal from Washington, D.C.,

to the Canal Zone makes it possible for the directors to be on hand for both

the Thatcher Ferry Bridge dedication

October 12 and the Stevens Circle dedication October 13. Board members are the honorable

Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of the Army,

stockholder; Stephen Ailes, Under Secretary of the Army and board chairman;

Fred' Korth, George W. Ball, Clarence

D. Martin, Jr., J. Kenneth Mansfield,

John W. Martyn, C. Robert Mitchell,

Walter J. Pearson, Howard C. Petersen, Dr. Charles J. Zinn, and James A.

Williams. Mr. Ailes, who, as a boy, knew Mr.

Stevens very well, will be the speaker

for the Stevens Circle ceremonies.

A joint Republic of Panama-United

States of America Thatcher Ferry Bridge

Dedication Committee is handling

arrangements for that event. With Will Arey, Panama Canal Infor- mation Officer, as chairman, other members are: Camilo Levy Salcedo,

representing the Republic of Panama;

Carl E. Davis, representing the U.S. Embassy; Lt. Col. Loehr M. Rigby, Jr., representing the Caribbean Command;

and the following Panama Canal

representatives:

Paul Ficzeri, Jr., Kerry B. Magee,

J. M. Ruoff, N. B. Davison,' W. E. Burns,

L. B. Magnuson, Jerry Senear, Loron

B. Burnham, Eleanor Burnham, Ivan D. Hilliard, E. M. Browder, Jr., Dwight

McKabney, John P. Smith, Jr., and

Richard C. Sergeant.

Elmer B. Stevens, bridge project res- ident engineer, has served as special

advisor to the committee.

Shown as the first shovelfuls of earth marking start of construction of the bridge were

turned December 23, 1958, are (left to right) former U.S. Ambassador Julian Harrington; former President Ernesto de la Guardia, Jr., of Panama; Roberto Lopez Fabrega, former

Minister of Public Works; and former Governor W. H. Potter of the Canal Zone.

Part of crowd gathered at groundbreaking ceremonies.

The Panama Canal Review 11
$75 Million Flows Into Panama Economy

DIVERSIFICATION was the key to the impact of Canal Zone dollars on the economy of the Republic of Panama

during the past fiscal year. Expenditures

for goods and services increased nearly

9 percent over the previous year, the

total exceeding $75 million. No single major project or handful

of projects were responsible for the

increase, as the gains spread into many

nooks of Panama's economic life. The amount going into the Republic's

markets through direct purchases made

in Panama by U.S. Government agencies, contractors, and private organizations was up 14 percent to nearly

$23 million. Net income to residents of Panama

employed in the Canal Zone rose to nearly $33 million for a gain of almost

8 percent and estimated expenditures

in the Republic by residents of the Zone

topped S17 million for an increase of nearly 6 percent.

Supplementing the pattern of Panama's school expansions for development of human resources, on-the-job

training of residents of the Republic on Panama Canal projects and with Zone

agencies has enabled many of them to move higher up the ladder in private

enterprise fields through their increased

technical knowledge.

Available figures show employment

of residents of Panama by U.S. agencies in the Zone and by contractors working for Zone agencies topping

14.000 for a rise of nearly 700 compared

with a year earlier—and total wages in

this bracket above $30 million for an

increase of nearly $3 million. This helped measurably toward the Republic's gross national product ad- vance of 8 percent and per capita

income gain of 5 percent for the last calendar year. Dock and ship workers job reclassifi- cations early this year resulted in wage

increases of more than 20 percent for them and in April approximately 10,000

Panamanian employees of the Panama

Canal got increases ranging up to 29 percent for skills recognition and

providing more employee incentive. Food products purchases by all Zone agencies in 1961 amounted to $2,721,000 for the calendar year 1961,

for a gain of approximate!) $400,000.

The trend is upward and a substantial increase is expected for 1962. possibh

topping $3 million. Cains were listed in fixe of the eight brackets (food products, beverages, construction materials, consume] items,

services, and contracts) for a net in- crease of $350,000-plus in Panama

ZONE SPENDING IN REPUBLIC

,, 1961 1962

Estimated expenditures made in Republic of Panama by

residents of the Canal Zone. __ $16,316,000 $17,252,000

Estimated net income to residents of Republic of Panama

employed on the Canal Zone 30,491,000 32,877.000

Direct purchases made in Panama by U.S. Government

agencies, contractors, and private organizations ! 20,140,000 22,959,000

Annuity paid to Panama 1,930,000 1,930,00(1

Total $68,877,000 $75,018,000

1 Excluding purchases made in Panama by contractors for use in military and private

projects in the Canal Zone.

Panamanians hold key posts in many fields.

12 October 5, 1962
Canal purchases during the 1962

fiscal year. In May, under an agreement with

the National Cattlemen's Association of Panama, the Panama Canal began buying 10,000 quarts of raw milk per week

from Panama producers. It is delivered

to the Mount Hope plant for processing

and bottling. This has meant an average

flow of about $8,000 a month into the Panama economy and it appears likely

that milk purchases from Panama

sources will be approximately doubled

next vear. This is contingent upon the arrange- ment proving satisfactory during the

initial 12-month period. To date it has proven satisfactory and if supply sur- vives drv season problems there appears

little doubt that the purchases will be

doubled.

With all Panama Canal and Zone

agencies contracts up at least $2V2

million for the past fiscal year, the number of bags of cement purchased

provided a kev index: 127,680 for 1962

compared with 78,300 for 1961.

In accord with Panama Canal policy

to purchase from Panama sources whenever possible when quality and

prices of products are comparable, the

dollars to Panama trend is continuing

upward.

Added to this list most recently are paper bags and cellophane and part of the kerosene supply now is being bought

in the neighboring Republic, with

refinery products purchases expected to increase further. Panama's first petroleum refinerv, built at a cost of $30

million, opened this year and is deliver- ing petroleum products to oil companies that have distribution facilities in

Deliveries keep retail store unloading zones busy.

the Canal Zone and throughout Panama.

Not included in the solid gross purchases figures are items purchased

through agents in Panama. These in- clude many groceries, housewares, major

appliances, some toilet articles, cos- metics, stationery, and other consumer

goods.

Two main factors are important in volume of agricultural produce Pan- ama Canal facilities acquire from the Republic:

With this base, there's an assured minimum market if quality meets standards. And if it meets standards, it also meets world standards for domestic

outlets or export to other Latin American countries and into the world

market.

Supply, processing, transport play vital roles to meet

increasing demands.

Further quality improvement is ex- pected with the Republic's farm-to- market road program being expanded.

On-the-farm quality has met or sur- passed minimum standards in many

produce lines, but the transport problem

has curtailed the marketing field. Reef, cabbage, and tomatoes remain

the big item purchases from Panamanian sources in the food products lines. The expenditures by the Panama

Canal and agencies located in the Zone

made a notable contribution to the total Republic of Panama economic activity,

which closed the last calendar year on

a high level, showed a more than

seasonal upturn at the start of this yeai

and may have reached new highs

through midyear.

The new Panama City terminal

marketing facility for fruits and vegetables opened in April. It was built

at a cost of $35,000, with $23,000

worth of equipment financed by AID

and another $29,250 worth of equipment ordered recently is being financed

by AID funds. This facility is part of a joint agricultural marketing project directed toward

the goals of improving distribution within the domestic market, supplying Canal Zone requirements, and

developing export outlets. Among the larger contracts let were

those for the Cardenas housing extension, being handled by the Federal

Aviation Agency for National Institute

of Health, Middle America Research

Unit, and for modification of hangars

and to rehabilitate housing and barracks

at Howard Field as a result of relocating some flying activities to that field from

Albrook AFR.
AMBASSADORS OF GOOD WILL

Camera Clubbers Americans

V/ho Know The Americas

WHEN IT COMES to "Americans

knowing the peoples of the Americas,"

members of the Diablo Camera Club

stand second to none.

In its short 17-year history the Club

has made so many field trips into Panama and air flights to neighboring

countries that no one knows the actual

count. Last year the club members spent

intensive 3 and 4 day weekends in Guatemala's jungle ruins at Tikal; Trinidad; Santa Marta, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; San Andres Island (Colombian);

and Christmas at Bogota.

And every trip, proudly relates Club

President Cecil Vockrodt, a military

civilian employee, "was in a COPA

plane (Compania Panamena de Aviacion, S.A.) and every time the pilot was

Mike' De Puv." Miguel De Puv and

his popular wife, Roma, are honorarv

members of the Club. Last August the President of COPA, Carlos Icaza, pre- sented the Club a special scroll for

having shown 15 consecutive years of confidence in this well-known Panamanian airway. Preston Minton, a Pacific side

"Corral" employee, is the Club's unanimously elected tour leader, bottle washer, wet nurse, and documentary

clerk extraordinary.

On a memorable trip to Manizales.

Colombia, 3 years ago, he recalls wistfully. "We arrived at the height of the

coffee festival, but all our other arrange- ments fell through." Club members

quickly divided into splinter groups, some to secure coffee and chowder,

others to locate quarters and still others

to get towels, linens, and mattresses. Minton recalls that through sheer luck

a vacant house was found. It cost more

than S170 for 3 days—and the place was really packed.

(Manizales was one of the cities seriously damaged by the earthquakes

that killed more than 30 persons in Colombia last July 31.)

A somewhat similar experience witli

Like salt goes with pepper, so the Diablo

Camera Club flies with Miguel De Puv

at the controls. The popular "Mike" of Compania Panamena de Aviacion (COPA)

poses in front of a trusty Camera Club

steed prior to a recent takeoff.

accepting a

scroll) during

e far right is

14 October 5. 1962
tragic overtones was the flash flood that stranded the Club at Santa Marta,

Colombia, a year ago last September.

It washed out the town's railroad system, all bridges, and undermined the foundation of the hotel in which the members were staying.

Since the members had bused from

Barranquilla, they had to return there by plane. But not until Minton had

cleared the Santa Marta airport runway

of debris bv personally piloting a tractor and radioing Barranquilla for a DC-3

shuttle service. He also set up a system

of priorities so that Colombian doctors,

who had been holding their national convention at Santa Marta, could fly out

first to attend to operations they had

scheduled. While waiting for the evacuation.

Club members manned the galleys in the hotel for the Club and other guests, boiled all the water (the water system

had broken down) and used Minton's

chlorine pills for the reassurance of all. Every place the Club has visited, proudly notes former president Charles

McG. Brandl, Canal engineer in charge

of the cut-widening project, it has been

invited to return. Among some of the local field trips the Club has taken during the past year were visits to the Colon Free Zone

where a talk was given by the Free Zone Director, Jose D. Bazan, who is Panama's Second Vice President; a tour

of the Refineria Panama near Colon;

a trip through the Panama Boston Company's oleo plant in Panama City; and

the annual visit to the Finca Bermejal

of Eduardo Cucalon near Chepo.

Mr. Cucalon and his wife, Delia, and

the De Puns are the only honorary

members of the Club, whose membership is limited to 150 persons living on

the Canal Zone. Club members, who use only Panamanian commercial vehicles for their local

trips, even for jaunts as close as the National Museum in Panama City, have

been to Costa Rica six times in 6 years. They know Ocu and downtown David

like the palms of their hands. In Colombia a President of that nation has greeted

them and thev have been guests at the

private home of an ex-president twice.

In fact, on a recent visit to Medellin.

Colombia's second largest city, a plane

load of high Colombian Government

officials flew in from Bogota just to be

with the group during one of its long

weekend visits. The Club has visited Peru, Salvador,

and Venezuela and has been to Jamaica,

the Virgin Islands, and Curacao a number of times. It has been praised

bv numerous foreign dignitaries as well

A flash flood in Santa Marta, Colombia, didn't stop the Diablo shutterbugs even though

it caught the city unawares and caused extensive damage, including the ruin of the hotel

in which this picture was taken. Wading through the flooded dining room with a camera

around his neck is Club president Cecil Vockrodt.

as U.S. Embassy representatives as being Ambassadors of Good Will Extraordinary.

Since the Club departs from Tocii- men Airport, it flies under Panamanian

documentation and it is rare for the Club members not to be met on arrival

at foreign points bv the local Panamanian Consul. Local hosts repeatedly tell

Club members "We look forward to the

return of our Panamanian friends." Last year the Canal Zone Club had

the pleasure of playing host to the Medellin Camera Club. The Medellin

visitors enjoyed the Canal Zone and

Panama so much that some of them

have made return flights to visit with

their Diablo Camera Club friends.

Members of the Medellin, Colombia, Camera Club recently visited the Isthmus as the

guests of the Diablo Camera Club. The visitors pose for a picture upon their arrival at Tocumen Airport.

The Panama Canal Review 15
GEOLOGISTS TRY THEIR FINS

SKINDIVING is definitely not on the

list of skills expected of a Federal

geologist or engineer. But when the Canal found it necessary to study the design of a possible new reserve water

supply for putting ships through the

hilltops, two Engineering Division employees donned masks, oxygen tanks,

and fins for prowls around the bottom

of Gatun Lake. Swimming among the algae and mossfestooned trunks of dead trees that were

inundated when the lake filled up 50

years ago. Engineering Geologist Robert

H. Stew art and Soils Engineer Anthonv

P. Mann saw with their own eyes the kind of earth that exists at various points

along the proposed site for a big earth- and-rock dam for water storage.

If built, the clam will add 44% per- cent to the Canal's present capacity to

store water against the annual dry- season shortage. This will be the water- w a) s first reserve storage project since Madden Dam and Lake were built in the 1930's. The proposed dam would take perhaps 5 years to complete. But it could impound some 430,000 additional

acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is a unit

of 1 acre in area, 1 foot deep. The

Canal now has usuable storage capacity

of 445,000 acre-feet in Madden Lake,

520,000 in Gatun-a total of 965,000

acre-feet. The new dam could solve the problem of having enough water to serve

ship-transit demands for the foreseeable

future. On the basis of what the skindiving revealed and mechanical tests including

results of deep borings for earth and

Proposed Dam

Could Hike Water

Storase 44 lA %

rock samples, Geologist Stewart will be

able to recommend the alignment for the dam. Specifications also will be pre- pared as to the dumping of spoil from

other work plus material which must

be specially excavated. The work would

be done under contract.

Still in the advanced-study stage, but

approved in principle by Gov. Robert J. Fleming, Jr., and the Board of Directors,

tentative plans call for an approximately

2-mile long rock fill to be piled along

a dog-leg course across the western arm

of Gatun Lake, where it reaches deep

into a sector of indented jungle shoreline and islands commonly known as

the Trinidad area. The dam itself would be wholly

within the Canal Zone, and the areas along which it would raise the water

level by some 10 or 11 feet also are a part of the Zone. This would move the

shoreline back between 50 and 100 feet

in most places, a little more in others. Canal Zone jurisdiction extends inland

from the banks of Gatun Lake in this area to a point 15 feet higher in altitude than the lake's normal height of 85 feet above sea level. Preliminary plans call for alignment

across Guacha Island and much smaller Tern Island. Both islands are readily- visible from the main Canal channel

between Gatun Locks and Barro Colorado Island—the wildlife preserve. Guacha Island would form the base

of a combined single lock and spillway.

Through this, passenger and garden

produce launches, police, and fishing

craft would be able to navigate readily

into the western reaches of the lake just as they do now. There are few roads in the Trinidad

area of the Republic of Panama. Beyond

the shoreline of the lake live many Pan- amanian villagers and small farmers who now use the lake for access to the

Unusual for a woman, but not at all phenomenal for Mrs. Joanne

Allen, a Canal geologist, was an assignment on the drillboat to measure, inspect, and file for reference core samples of rock and

earth brought up at Booby Island near the southern terminus of

the proposed dam. Mrs. Allen earned her B.S. in geology at Kansas State University. She came to the Isthmus 3 years ago,

is the mother of two boys. Assisting her with the samples is driller helper Jose Rios of Panama.

After a preliminary underwater inspection of the nearby lake bottom, Robert H. Stewart, the Canal's geologist, doffed his skindiving gear to check findings with a map aboard the launch

Shearwater, which was serving as a tender for the drill barge.

Borings for soil core samples were being taken at a depth of 120

feet. At a nearby location, borings will have to go down 250 feet.

16 October 5. 1962
C.atun boat landing en route to the Panamanian port city of Colon. This

they would continue to do. The jungle-grown top of Tern Island has been partially cleared by Canal

survey forces. It was formerly a hill and

probably will be leveled off if it becomes

part of the dam.

The Dredging Division will employ

a time-tried technique, using what has

been called a "submarine bulldozer" to clear underwater stumps and trunks. A barge, weighted down with concrete

pilings so that it rides 20 feet below its normal draft, would be pushed through

the dead timber by a tug. Whatever this does not knock down or push over can

be dynamited.

Width of the storage dam at its base

might vary from 500 to 1,000 feet on

either side of its centerline, depending

on further geological studies to find a

solid base. Much already is known about what

lies under the lake waters in this fairly

hilly area. When glaciers were covering

North America in the last Ice Age, the Isthmus was wider and stood much

higher out of the sea than it does now. As the ice melted, the sea encroached.

Then the rivers brought down muck

and silt, depositing them in what had

been the valleys to form swamp areas near sea level at many points.

Geologists now must leam the depth

and character of these deposits, particularly those in an old geologic area in what was once a valley between Guacha

Island and the mainland.

Many of the problems foreseen in building the dam are not unique, though

Canal experts believe the structure may

be a "'first" in one respect. There is no

record of a previous attempt to build

a rock-fill dam under water. But Canal

engineers think they can do it, despite

the heavy flow from this end of the lake during seasonal downpours. Present

plans contemplate a rock-fill dam

that will be blanketed with earth for watertightness.

In this big rock-piling project, it is

Survey crews recently cleared part of Guacha Island, which could be leveled off to become

part of the proposed dam near its southern terminus. Spoil would be dumped to fill in the passage (right) between the island and the mainland.

Soils Engineer Anthony P. Mann adjusts

his skindiving equipment for a foray among

the dead stumps on Garun Lake bottom to observe terrain conditions.

planned to make maximum use of the

spoil already loosened and ready for moving from Las Cascadas Reach and

the material to be excavated under the new contract to widen the Canal "Cut"

all the way to Gamboa.

This rock spoil must go somewhere.

By dumping it at the dam site, the

Canal's need for a wider channel also would contribute to making sure there

will be enough water storage capacitv

to float all ships seeking transit during

the next few decades.

Are YOU a Delinquent?

'THERE ARE 50 million vision delin- quents on the street," says the American

Optometric Association, and this number undoubtedlv includes many thou- sands of people wearing out of date

eveglasses.

With one-fourth of the population

requiring vision care, treatment or correction, business, industry, and school- work can't proceed at the best possible

level of efficiency. Poor work, an adverse

effect on the individual's overall health,

and a tragically high incidence of acci- dents often are the result of vision

defects. See page 19 for warning signs.

The Panama Canal Review 17
MORSE CODE, a skill which John A. Morales learned while in radio school

in the Navy, is now being passed on to

a group of young people.

Although the Accounting Division

employee says he is a bit rusty, Mr.

Morales still is able to keep the attention

of the students who gather around his dining room table every Tuesday and

Thursday evening at 6. An average evening's class begins

with a short recall session. "What is 'A'? 'Z? 'K'? Send your name on the key."

Then there is practice in receiving. For

this purpose, Mr. Morales uses a record- ing of different letters in code. Students

are expected to take down what the code represents.

Classes are held for 8 weeks and the students aspire to a goal of five words

per minute, sending and receiving.

Youngsters

Try Hands

At

Code Keys

Successful completion of a course of

this nature is required for the first class Hoy Scout rating and the speed of five words per minute entitles the Bov

Scouts to a merit badge. Those who

wish may go on to try for the novice

"ham" radio license, which involves more technical radio knowledge in addition to skill in code. The first of three classes which Mr.

Morales has started was held in the summer of 1961 with a group of 11 Boy- Scouts. His son, John, who now acts as an auxiliary instructor, began his training

in this class. A recent class was a bit unusual,

because for the first time two girls slipped in. The girls, Gail Harrison and

Jeanette Morales, seemed to be keeping

up with the lessons at least as well as the boys; at least they had as much fun.

SCHOOL CALENDAR 1962-1963

End of first grading period October 19

Panama Independence Day (holiday) November 2

Veterans Day (holiday) November 12

Thanksgiving holidays (4 days) November 22-25

End of second grading period December 7

Christmas holidays (11 days) December 22—January 1

End of third grading period January 25

Washington's Birthday (holiday) February 22

End of fourth grading period March 8

Easter holidays (9 days) April 6-14

End of fifth grading period April 26

Memorial Day (holiday) May .30

Commencement June 4

End of sixth grading period June 5

Schools close June 5

Budding Morse Code operators get checked by instructor John Morales of the Accounting

Division. From left to right seated are Ralph Stinson, Lars Morales, and Jeanette Morales. Standing are Harry Stinson, Mr. Morales, John Morales, Jr., and Gail Harrison.

18 October 5, 1962
Dedicated-

(Continued from p. 3)

Canal workers, Mr. Thatcher made

every possible effort to obtain approval

by the U.S. Congress of a law which was passed in 1944 giving disability

retirement benefits to non-U. S. -citizen employees of the Panama Canal. This

legislation has benefited thousands of Panamanians as well as a number of employees of other nationalities. The work done by Mr. Thatcher on

behalf of the Isthmian community did

not go unrecognized. During a meeting

held July 30, 1930, the Federation

for Highway Education unanimously

approved a motion asking that former Gov. Harry Burgess of the Canal Zone

give the name "Thatcher Highway" to the road between Balboa and Arraijan.

Perhaps it was this eloquent demonstration of public affection which

inspired the U.S. Congress to pass Public Law 87-125 which gave the name of the well-known "Governor" to the magnificent bridge which unites the Americas, an action which has been

termed by former Panama President

Dr. Bicardo J. Alfaro an "act of justice

and a well deserved tribute." A gesture of recognition was made

by the residents of the town of Arraijan

who gave Mr. Thatcher a parcel of land

in that area in gratitude for the part he

took in the development of the town. On his part, Mr. Thatcher has set aside

this lot for the construction of a

children's playground which has been

named in his honor. The Government of Panama also has

honored the distinguished Canal pioneer

by presenting him the Order of Vasco Nunez de Balboa with plaque. Ecuador

has given him the Order of Merit and

the Order of the Eloy Alfaro Foundation. In 1930 he received the Order of Bolivar from Venezuela when he visited Caracas as a member of a committee

which presented Venezuela a statue of Henry Clay.

An enthusiastic promoter of Pan

American ideals, Mr. Thatcher stated

recently: "I have done whatever I could

to promote good relations between

Panama and the United States; I will always try to see that the Republic of Panama receives just treatment and

I believe that I can depend on the good

will of the Panamanian people."

In addition to the honors which

Mr. Thatcher has received from Pan- ama, Ecuador, an Venezuela, all proof

of the high esteem in which he is held,

he recently was presented the pen which

President Kennedy used to sign the law

naming the new bridge across the Panama Canal "Thatcher Ferry Bridge."

TH€ 'WW HflV€ IT

SEE? IT'S NOT SIMPLE

GOOD VISION is an important factor

in preventing accidents at work, on the road, and at play. Emphasizing vision

to all is a safety asset; therefore, good

vision is now considered "a family

affair." Adults and children must make

the most of their eyesight by having

an annual check-up.

Neglecting youngsters' vision is in- excusable for parents who try to give

their children everything they need for a successful future. At the same time,

parents have an obligation to safeguard

their own vision through eye correction and eye protection.

Vision requirements change. The

visual demands of modern life can't be

compared to those that confronted our own grandparents.

Work, reading, television, driving a

car, all call for special requirements

from the eyes. Demands can be summed

up in six basic areas: Good distance

acuity, depth perception, good fields of vision, good eye muscle balance,

good near point vision, and good color discrimination. A person doesn't have to be "in the dark" about visual abilities. You can

test yourself in all six categories for indications that professional help is required.

Eyes have good distance acuity when

able to focus and see clearly singly and

together for distance. How's depth perception? That's a question of judging correctly the dis- tance between oneself and other objects, even when both are in motion.

You have a good field of vision if you

can see over a large area on the horizon

as well as up and down without moving

your eyes. This includes seeing things

moving in or out from the sides. Muscle balance means ability to focus

the eyes simultaneously and with ease

at a given object at varying distances.

If one can see accurately and concentrate on close detail for long periods

of time without discomfort, near point

is good.

Color discrimination means the ability to identify colors and hues accurately.

Other vision problems:

Some people may move frequendy

from areas of poor illumination to good

lighting and vice versa. Can you adjust

readily and see adequately under either condition?

How's your glare recovery? Driving

along a highway at night, does

vision return to normal efficiency in

1 or 2 seconds after a car with glaring

headlights has approached and passed?

Admittedly, a do-it-yourself eye test

is far from acceptable as a judge of whether vision is up to date or still in the "dark ages."

A once-a-year visit to the optometrist

is the modern way to safeguard eye

health. Deficiencies do not develop in a few days or weeks. There is a gradual

lessening of ability. The optometrist is the doctor who can detect a lapse in anv

area of vision deficiency and direct its correction. Perhaps the most inexcusable mistake

is to be fitted with a pair of corrective eye glasses and continue to use them for years without re-examination. Not onlv work but play is affected. As work

requirements change, and leisure time

activities vary from year to year, corrective lenses should be brought up to date

at the same pace.

i—ACCIDENTS

FOR

THIS MONTH

AND

THIS YEAR

AUGUST

ALU UNITS

YEAR TO DATE

FIRST AID

CASES

•62 '61 248 258

1990 2552(699)

DISABLING

INJURIES

'62 '61 13 12

85 96(4) 7948 14995 95

( ) Locks Overhaul Injuries Included In total.

The Panama Canal Review 19
CANAL

HISTORY

50 yearJ c4ao

ROADS WERE being resurfaced in the Canal Zone 50 years ago and the Canal

Zone Police were being reorganized, but

there was little work for the traffic

police. According to a note in the Canal

Record there were 65 automobiles

licensed to travel in the Canal Zone in 1912. Of these, 14 were the property of

residents of the Canal Zone and the remainder were owned by citizens of the Republic of Panama. All were pas- senger vehicles with the exception of a motor wagon used at Mount Hope and

Cristobal. There were, in addition, 31

motorcycles licensed.

Plans for construction of the superstructure of the Atlantic terminal docks

at Cristobal were being prepared in October 1912. The committee in charge

recommended that in view of uncertainty existing as to the amount of

freight to be handled at the Atlantic terminal after the completion of the Canal work, no cargo handling cranes

or special unloading appliances were

to be installed with the exception of unloading masts designed for holding

blocks and falls.

Total enrollment of the Canal Zone

schools for the first week ending

October 4, 1912 was 1,000.

25 years cAao

RECAUSE OF THE tense international

situation 25 years ago this month, fears were expressed in Washington that ratification of the new treaty between the United States and Panama would be

delayed. Objections to certain terms were reportedly being made by the

U.S. War Department.

Spy fever hit the Canal Zone as the Panama-American reported that two

Japanese who had been guests at the

Tivoli were seen taking pictures of the

Pacific Locks, Madden Dam, and

Caillard Cut. These pictures, the paper

said "would be of the greatest military value to an enemy of the United States."

Officials of the Panama Pacific Line

announced that thev would remove

their three large passenger vessels from

the inter-coastal run through the Pan- ama Canal and put them on a new

service between New York and the east

coast of South America. A report from

Washington, D.C. stated that the new

regulations for Panama Canal tolls might have been one of the reasons for the proposed transfer. Meanwhile, Col. Glen E. Edgerton,

Engineer of Maintenance, announced

that construction had begun on the

three new Panama Railroad Steamship

Line vessels and a visiting U.S. Congressman said appropriations totaling

$1 million were to be made for construction of quarters at the Fleet Air and Submarine Rases at Coco Solo.

10 yearJ c4ao

MORE THAN 1,200 Panama Canal

employees met in Ralboa Stadium in October 1952, to protest what they

called an "unjust and unreasonable in- crease in rent" on Canal Zone quarters.

They asked for a congressional investigation not only of rents but of the entire Panama Canal operation. Gov. J. S. Seybold refused a Central Labor Union

request for a 6 month's extension on

the Panama Canal rent increases but

approved of the employees' collective effort to seek reconsideration in Washington of the rental increase. During the same month, Ralboa

Heights announced that approximately

$5 million would be spent on the Canal's two principal housing projects on the

Pacific side during the fiscal year quarters construction program. The plans

called for the construction of units for 168 families at the new Corozal townsite and along Empire Street in Ralboa. A new record for the number of commercial ships to transit the Canal in

1 month was set in October 1952, when

674 ships of 300 Panama Canal tons or more were put through the Canal. Tolls and ship tonnages also hit a new high.

Meanwhile, Panama Canal authorities announced that steps were to be taken

to increase the capacity of the Canal.

One year c4ao

AN INCREASE in medical assistance

for disability relief annuitants of the Panama Canal was approved by the Board of Directors. The plan for further extending medical assistance to the annuitants called for expanding visiting nurse service, furnishing drugs free of

cost when ordered by physicians and

the employment of two part-time

doctors.

Preliminary work was started on a $927,000 contract providing for the

construction of 100 quarters in the townsite of Pedro Miguel. The housing

units are part of the replacement

housing to be built in the Canal Zone

as part of the Nine-Point Program of

benefits to Panama.

These are members of the Colombian Kart Club who made a clean sweep of the Labor

Day Kart Championships in Ancon and contributed $200 to the United Fund. The sole girl on the team, Christiane Bigot, is third from the left. Her teammates were Mario Gomez,

Victor Barreto, Edgar Cardenas, Mario Correa, and Elias Matroni. Gabriel Campuzano

was head mechanic. All are from Bogota, Colombia.

20 October 5, 1962
ANNIVERSARIES

(On the basis of total Federal Service)

MARINE BUREAU

Balbino Caldito Deckhand

Elias A> Cjron oilermak

TRA£SJORTATION»^N

TERMINALS BUREAU

Valentine N. Gordon

Clerk

ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH

Lloyd W. Peterson

Transportation Assistant HEALTH BUREAU

Leon F. Small

File Clerk MARIN,

William R. Dl Lock Operator Jerome Bennett Deckhand

Ronald D. Williams Launch Dispatcher

OFFIC

COM

Ralph K. SkinneT

Staff Assistant to Comptroller James L. Fulton

Chief, Rates and Analysis

Branch

Jack K. Campbell

Auditor

SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

Vernon B. Berry

Assistant

sistant

rojectionist ION AND

DIVISION

lar

Dock Maintenanceman

Allan Toussaint

Oiler

ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH

Mario Torres Bookbinder

INTERNAL SECURITY

OFFICE

Berta I. Quinn

General Investigator

CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Hiram Overall

Police Sergeant

Charles R. Bowen

Instructor ENGINEERING AND

CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Joseph L. Gwinn

Electrical Systems Inspector George Murray

Navigational Aid Worker

Edward B. Parker

Central Office Repairman

James W. Riley Central Office Repairman

Armando Palmer

Seaman

Gilbert W. Card

Seaman

Eberto Tesis Seaman

Manuel Pereira Carpenter

Coleridge Crawford

Carpenter

George N. Rawlins

Carpenter

David N. Benard

Sandblaster

Jesus Martinez

Asphalt or Cement Worker

Nelson O. Williar Leader Joiner Joseph Francis Launch Seaman

HEALTH BUREAU

Grace Belden

Medical Typing Assistant Samuel M. Gaynor Meat Cutter Assistant George S. Robinson

Hospital Laborer MARINE BUREAU

R. F. Huldtquist, Jr. Chief Engineer, Towboat

or Ferry

Thomas W. Gove

Pilot William Nieves Towing Locomotive Operator

Clifford A. Thompson

Helper Lock Operator .Romero

or Cer

(artinjj Ince i Oscar />. A/ingq

^ocki

Pjrffice Jt[iord

r Lock^

ensio Gutier) Maintenance Pa1 IlinHrn JmiM."

Line Handler

Rupert E. Belenfante

Teletypist Jose M. Quiroz

Line Handler

William H. Cox

Guard

Ricardo Moran

Maintenance Painter Alberto Alvarado

Asphalt or Cement Worker

Mauricio Carias Helper Marine Machinist

Charles J. Palles Sheetmetal Worker

Conrado Saldaiia Launch Seaman

SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICES BUREAU

Vicente Lucena

Leader Heavy Laborer

Jose D. DeLeon

Utility Worker

Geraldine W. Allen Counter Attendant Oscar A. Landaverde

Heavy Laborer Ruby R. Lynton

Stock Control Clerk

Lila Belen

Salesclerk

F. E. Thompson

Cook

Jose Valladares Milk Plant Worker

Clara Cox Pimento

Stock Control Clerk

Victor A. Marks

Guard

Joseph Parks Dry Cleaning Presser Leonora W. Fearron Food Service Sales Checker

Elexander Francis General Foreman Stockman

TRANSPORTATION AND

TERMINALS BUREAU

Ivanhoe Donawa

Water Service Man

Ignacio Cordoba

Railroad Trackman

Melford L. Matthews

Stevedore

F. Hinestroza Helper Electrician Wilfred Walker

Cargo Marker

Geraldo A. Myrie

Truck Driver John M. Quinland

Clerk Juan F. Estrada Helper Automotive Mechanic

The Panama Canal Review 21
PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

EMPLOYEES who were promoted or

transferred between August 5 and September 5 are listed here. Within-grade

promotions and job reclassifications are

not listed: OFFICE OF THE

GOVERNOR-PRESIDENT

Annie R. Rathgeber, from Clerk-Typist, License Section, to Secretary (Typing), Panama Canal Information Office. ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH

Catherine I. Oliver, from Clerk-Stenographer to Secretary (Stenography).

CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Frank Thomas, from Chauffeur, Gorgas

Hospital, to Detention Guard, Police

Division. Ruben H. Austin, Clerk-Typist, from Maintenance Division to Fire Division.

Patricia P. Bonnifield, from Clerk-Typist,

Gorgas Hospital, to Library Assistant, Canal Zone Library.

Postal Division William M. Jensen, Lealand A. Larrison, from Finance Branch Superintendent to Relief Supervisor, Balboa. Donald L. Nolan, from Theater Doorman,

Supply Division, to Substitute Window

Clerk.' Division of Schools Helen M. Starr, from Elementary School

Teacher-Principal to Elementary School

Principal. Ruth H. Amedee, from Substitute Teacher,

Latin American Schools, to Elementary

Teacher, Latin American School.

Alice M. James, from Clerk, Supply Division, to Clerk-Typist. Ann B. Kennon, from Theater Usher,

Supply Division, to Recreation Specialist. Lanty Patrick, from Laborer Cleaner to Leader Laborer Cleaner. ENGINEERING AND

CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Heman A. Sedda, from Cartographic Compilation Aid to Surveying Technician,

Engineering Division. Kenneth F. Brassel, from Pipefitter, Industrial Division, to Plumbing Inspector, Contract and Inspection Division.

Electrical Division Charles J. Holmes, from Construction

Inspector (General), Contract and In- spection Division, to Shift Engineer

(Mechanical). Milton M. Lacroix, Robert J. Roy, from

Lock Operator Machinist, Locks Division, to Shift Engineer (Mechanical).

Domingo D. Hinds, Paul W. Kramer, Jr.. from Marine Machinist, Industrial Division, to Shift Engineer (Mechanical). Ruth E. Clement, from Clerk-Typist to Accounts Maintenance Clerk.

Julio B. Pinillo, from Palancaman to Maintenanceman.

Alfred Leacock, from Helper Cable Splicer

to Maintenanceman Distribution Systems. Viberto B. Weekes, Warehouseman, from

Supply Division.

Basil C. De Sousa, from Laborer Cleaner

to Helper Maintenance Machinist. Vernon R. Roberts, from Utility Worker.

Supply Division, to Laborer Cleaner.

August 5 through September 5

Dredging Division Edward J. Russell, Jr., from Supervisory

Typing Clerk, Locks Division, to Property' and Supply Clerk. Manuel A. Richard, from Floating Plant Fireman to Floating Plant Water Tender. Murphy Robinson, from Seaman to Leader

Seaman.

Patricio Martinez, Luther B. Ward, from

Launch Seaman to Seaman.

Fidencio Echaverra, Sotero Garcia, from Boatman to Launch Seaman.

Sidney O. Beckford, Humberto E. Santamaria, from Boatman to Seaman.

Dalton R. Ferdinand, from Helper Marine

Machinist to Floating Plant Fireman.

Claud A. Morant, from General Helper to Seaman.Maintenance Division

Albert H. Plumer, from Leader Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic to Lead Foreman, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.

John H. Childress, from Refrigeration and

Air Conditioning Mechanic to Leader

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

Mechanic. James R. McCarrick, from Towing Locomotive Operator, Locks Division, to Sheetmetal Worker. Dawson G. Jolley, from Work Orders Clerk

to Accounts Maintenance Clerk.

Isidro Nogueira, from Heavy Truck Driver

to Electrical Equipment Repairman.

Harry A. Jones, Truck Driver, from Supply

Division.HEALTH BUREAU

Cecil A. Springer, from General Medical

Supply Clerk to Supervisory Medical

Supply Clerk, Coco Solo Hospital. Bias Romero, from Laborer, Maintenance

Division, to Heavy Pest Control Laborer.

Division of Sanitation. Gorgas Hospital

Dr. Leo P. Biese, from Medical Officer (General Medicine and Surgery), to Medical Officer (General Practice). Dolores Espinosa, from Staff Nurse (Operating Room), to Nurse Supervisor (Operating Room).

Mary Basso, Elizabeth M. Hayden, Irene A. Sandberg, from Staff Nurse to Staff Nurse (Medicine and Surgery).

Lloyd M. Tait, from File Clerk to Clerk.

Corozal Hospital Kathleen I. M. Nelson, from Nurse Supervisor (Psychiatry), to Director of Nursing.

Gloria J. Hallett,' from Head Nurse (Psychiatry), to Nurse Supervisor (Psychiatry).

MARINE BUREAU

Navigation Division Madeleine M. Deraps, from Stock Control

Clerk, Industrial Division, to Timekeeper. Jaroth E. Archibald, Theodore A. Brathwaite, Victor A. Harrison, Albert S. Hunter, Willesty Mitchell, from Launch

Seaman to Launch Operator.

Barrington A. Smith, from Seaman to Launch Operator.

Albert A. Waisome, from Heavy Laborer

to Seaman.

Prince M. Grant, from Heavy Laborer to Warehouseman.

Locks Division George C. Scheibe, from Lead Foreman,

Lock Operations, to General Foreman,

Lock Operations. Robert T. Thomas, from Leader Lock

Operator Electrician to Lead Foreman

Locks Control House. Leon S. Fishbough, from Lock Operator

Machinist to Leader Lock Operator

Machinist. William B. Redmond, Russell V. Severance, from Lock Operator Electrician to Leader Lock Operator Electrician. Oliver G. Paterson, from Towing Locomotive Operator to Lock Operator

Machinist. Edward W. Kirby, from Guard to Towing

Locomotive Operator.

Upton W. Naron, from Substitute Window

Clerk, Postal Division, to Towing Locomotive Operator.

Cyril A. David, from Painter to Leader

Painter. Juan A. Allen, from Toolroom Attendant

to Clerk. Benjamin Jemmonrt, from School Bus

Driver, Motor Transportation Division,

to Timekeeper.

Rodolfo Ayarza, Gregorio Piterson, from

Line Handler to Helper Lock Operator. Roberto McDonald, Virgilio Vega, from

Deckhand to Line Handler.

Jesus Becker, Leonard J. Blychanton, from

Utilitv Worker, Supply Division, to Line

Handler.

Jose D. Romero, from Laborer Cleaner,

Community Services Division, to Line

Handler. Marvin K. Davis, from Packager, Supply

Division, to Line Handler.

Industrial Division

Anastasio Sogandares, from Planner and

Estimator to Supervisory Planner and

Estimator. Dennis A. Gilbert, from Purchasing Agent

to Planner and Estimator. Ralph E. Leathers, from Maintenance

Machinist to Inspector (Elevators and

Cranes). OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

Duane M. Perkins, from Supervisory EAM

Project Planner, Payroll and Machine

Accounting Branch, to Digital Computer

Systems Analyst, Accounting Policies and Procedures Staff. Robert W. Childers, from EAM Project Planner to Supervisory EAM Project

Planner, Payroll and Machine Accounting Branch. Robert K. Hanna, from Accounting Technician to Accountant, Accounting DiviSUPPLY AND COMMUNITY

SERVICE BUREAU

James O. DesLondes, from Administrative

Services Officer, Office of Director, to General Supply Officer (Superintendent, Storehouse Branch), Supply Division Storehouse Branch.

Earl W. Sears, from Administrative Services

Assistant, Community Services Division,

Office of the Chief, to Administrative

Services Officer, Office of the Director.

22 October 5, 1962
Supply Division Joseph B. Burgoon, from Lead Foreman

(Dry Cleaning), to Laundry and Dry

Cleaning Plant Superintendent. Patna L. Brown, from Retail Store Supervisor to Assistant Commissary Store Manager.

Seabert Haynes, from Sales Section Head

to Retail Store Supervisor.

Bobby J. Stokes, from Guard, Locks Division, to Service Center Supervisor.

George Taylor, from Leader Heavy

Laborer to Leader Scrap Materials

Sorter. William A. Holder, from Warehouseman to Clerk. Erskine D. Clinton, from Counter Attendant to Truck Driver. Allan R. Ellis, from Utility Worker to Sales Clerk. Cyntia A. Ellis, from Utility Worker to Counter Attendant. Clarence A. Tomlinson, from Laborer

Cleaner to Warehouseman.

Alfredo A. Gale, from Heavy Laborer to Warehouseman.

Eduardo Osborne, from Laborer Cleaner and Special Waiter to General Helper

and Special Waiter.

Terrell C. Deakins, from Theater Usher to Theater Doorman.

Sylvia G. Best, from Car Hop to Counter

Attendant. Ernesto A. Harrison, from Pinsetter to

Utility Worker.

Joseph Higgs, from Package Boy to Utility Worker.

Arthur M. Butcher, from Package Boy to Laborer Cleaner. Frederick D. Simmons, from Bus Boy to Utility Worker.

Alfred Davidson, from Laborer Cleaner to Utility Worker.

Angel Molinar, from Laborer, Dredging

Division, to Dairy Worker. Manuel Caballeros, from Laborer, Maintenance Division, to Heavy Laborer. Community Services Division Francisco Villarreal, from Laborer to Gardener.

Silvio Gallardo, from Laborer to Grounds

Maintenance Equipment Operator. Terencio Forbes, Laborer, from Dredging

Division. TRANSPORTATION AND

TERMINALS BUREAU

Herman V. Cameron, from Truck Driver

to School Bus Driver. Terminals Division Charles T. Francis, from Winchman to Leader Ship Stevedore. Tolo Singh, from Helper Electrician to Stevedore. Daniel A. Viafora, from Cargo Marker to

File Clerk.

Railroad Division William R. Graham, from Supervisory

Administrative Services Assistant to Administrative Services Officer. Enrique Riviere, from High Lift Truck

Operator, to Freight Clerk.

OTHER PROMOTIONS which did not involve changes of title follow:

Earl F. Unruh, Director of Posts, Postal Division. Edna T. Karpinski, Director of Nursing, Coco Solo Hospital.

Raymon A. Nesbitt, Admeasurer, Navigation Division. L. Sybil Riesch, Nurse Supervisor (General

Medical and Surgical Hospital), Gorgas

Hospital. Merlin B. Yocum, Supervisory Cargo

Checking Officer, Terminals Division. Paul F. Dooley, Marine Traffic Controller, Navigation Division. Betty R. Olsen, Time, Leave, and Payroll

Clerk, Accounting Division. Joan R. Cartotto, Clerk-Stenographer,

Office of the Director, Engineering and

Construction Bureau.

Virginia C. McCue, Library Assistant, Canal Zone Library.

Ruthwin Samuels, Retail Store Supervisor,

Supply Division. Sidney Brandford, Clerk, Navigation Division. Isidro Cruz, Jorge Hernandez, Benito Lucero, Jos£ D. Pe>ez, Gregorio Ruiz,

Facundo Villarreal, Surveying Aid, Engineering Division. Eric C. Henry, Alberto Robinson, Victor

E. Waite, Utility Worker, Supply Division.

Hour-per-Ship Saved

IN ANOTHER Canal improvement, all hands working together have been able

to cut the average time a transiting ship

spends in Canal Zone waters by a full hour. It's 15.5 hours now versus 16.5 hours last year. One hour saved will not make a voyage, but they all add up

to better service for world shipping.

It also represents a possible saving of $50 to $100 an hour in vessel operating

costs. With more than 1,000 transits being made by ocean-going vessels annually, an estimated total savings of $1 million by Canal users is possible,

assuming an average vessel operating

cost of $100 per hour.

Lock Walls Pared Down

A TICKLISH nocturnal job done bv

Canal divers along the concrete approach

walls at Pedro Miguel Locks has been

completed as part of the long-range

plan to improve the waterway's capability of handling larger ships. The

broad-at-the-bottom slopes, or "Batters,"

of the locks walls have been cut back

along their entire 75 feet. The batters previously interfered with deep-draft

ships.

RETIREMENTS

RETIREMENT certificates were pre- sented at the end of August to the employees listed below, with their positions at time of retirement and years

of Canal service: James F. Burgoon, Laundry and Dry Cleaning Plant Superintendent, Supply Division; 24 years, 4 months, 15 days. James H. Burns, Chief Engineer, Towboat

or Ferry, Navigation Division; 21 years, 4 months, 21 days. Antonio Canizales, Leader Heavy Laborer,

Navigation Division; 32 years, 5 months, 23 days.

Percy Cobham, Leader Dock Stevedore,

Terminals Division; 47 years, 2 months

22 days. Allan Daniels, Shipment Clerk, Railroad

Division; 37 years, 8 months, 15 days. Mrs. Frances F. Fears, Elementary and

Secondary School Teacher, Division of Schools; 11 years, 10 months, 21 days. Walter N. Grant, Deckhand, Supply Division; 41 years, 3 months, 3 days. Miss Dorothy M. Hall, Secretary Stenographer, Dredging Division; 28 years, 4 months. William D. Hardie, Supervisory Management Technician, Administrative Branch; 32 years, 9 months, 12 days.

Joseph P. Hawthorne, Towing Locomotive

Operator, Locks Division; 28 years, 6 months, 28 days.

Mesias P. Lewis, Laborer Cleaner, Motor

Transporation Division; 21 years, 2 months, 11 days.

Watkin H. Lindsay, Bookbinder, Printing

Plant, Administrative Branch; 39 years,

1 month, 11 days.

Harry J. Linker, Shift Engineer, Electrical Division; 22 years, 1 month, 20 days. Roberto Martinez, Utility Worker, Supply

Division; 19 years, 1 month, 26 days. Francisco Martinez R., Heavy Laborer,

Communitv Services Division; 20 years, 18 days.

William B. Newball, Stevedore, Terminals

Division; 4 years, 4 months, 7 days. Mrs. Nye C. Norris, Personnel Clerk, Employee and Placement Branch; 18

years, 10 monhs.

Ferdinand L. Ottey, Chauffeur, Motor

Transportation Division; 47 years, 6 months. Juan Padilla, Laborer, Community Service

Division; 13 years, 10 months, 1 day.

Hubert S. Robinson, Stockman, Supply

Division; 35 years, 3 months, 25 days. Frederick C. Rose, Chief Engineer, Towboat or Ferry, Navigation Division; 32

years, 3 months, 13 days. Jagat Singh, Stevedore, Terminals Division; 31 years, 2 months, 20 days.

Eduardo A. Soto, Clerk, Railroad Division; 25 years, 5 months, 17 days. Beresford S. Tompson, Sales Clerk, Supply

Division; 33 years, 9 months, 13 days. Walter Wagner, Chief Power System Dispatcher, Electrical Division; 25 years, 6 months, 22 days. James E. Walker, Foreman, Transmission

Lines, Electrical Division; 21 years, 10 months, 12 davs.

The Panama Canal Review 23
SNIFFING

Trailer Ship Service

A NEW TYPE of cargo ship, carrying cargo loaded in 35-foot trailers, passed

through the Canal during September on

its maiden voyage inaugurating a new

intercoastal trailer service. The ship was the U.S. flag SS Elizabeth/port

which was en route from New Jersey

to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The

voyage was to take 14 days. The

Elizabethport will make regular trips

through the Panama Canal on her inter- coastal lim and soon will be joined by

a sistership, the San Juan. Her owners, Sea-Land Service, Inc., have announced that by the end of this

\ car there will be four jumbo trailer- ships on this service. The trailers carry- ing the cargo are loaded and unloaded

by huge gantrv cranes which are part

of each vessel's superstructure. A trailer can be unloaded and replaced by

a new one in an average of 4 minutes.

Andrews & Co. act as agents for the line

at the Canal.

TRANSITS BY OCEAN-GOING

VESSELS IN AUGUST

1961 1962 Commercial 934 950

U.S. Government 25 16 Free 6 6

Total 965 972 TOLLS °

Commercial $4,751,586 $4,929,238

U.S. Government. 117,107 79,713

Total... $4,868,693 $5,008,951

CARGO00

Commercial . . . 5,664,080 5,168,760

U.S. Government. 159,618 91,809

Free 21,756 47.547

Total... 5,845,454 5,308,116

'Includes tolls on all vessels, ocean-going and small. "Cargo figures are in long tons

Safety Award

THE SHIP Safety Achievement Citation

of Merit, awarded jointly by the Marine

Section of the American National Safetv

Sea-going hopper dredge due in January.

Council and the American Merchant

Marine Institute, was presented to the

States Marine Line cargo ship Beaver

State recently. The award was in recognition of the part taken by the officers and members of the crew in the rescue

of survivers of the ill-fated Pacific Seafarer January 15, 1961. The rescue was made at sea about 15 miles north

of Cristobal under difficult weather conditions. The Beaver State is a regular customer of the Panama Canal.

New Maersk Liner

THE LATEST addition to the blue- hulled Maersk fleet made its maiden

voyage through the Canal recently. It was the MS Thomas Maersk, built in Denmark for the New York to U.S. west coast and Far East trade. The

modern air-conditioned cargo liner has been built to cater to all types of special cargo and is equipped with such things

as strong rooms, silk rooms, reefer chambers, and deep tanks for storage of vegetable oil, liquid latex, and molasses.

C. B. Fenton & Co., agents for the Maersk Line here, announced that the ship will join the Line's list of regular Canal customers and has accommodations for 12 passengers.

Dredging Assistance

THE PANAMA CANAL'S Dredging

Division will get an assist during the coming dry season from the sea-going

hopper dredge Harding, which will be

sent to the Isthmus in January by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The dredge will work in Gaillard Cut

for approximately 3 months to assist Dredging Division forces in the clear- ing of material which was part of the cut-widening work in that area.

Built bv the Corps of Engineers in 1939, the Harding is named for former

Canal Zone Governor Chester Harding,

who followed Governor George W.

Goethals as Governor and served here from 1917 to 1921. It is 308.2 feet in length, has a beam of 56 feet, and a capacity of 2,500 cubic yards.

24 October 5, 1962




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