Gift ofthe Panama CanalMuseum

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Vol. 2, No. 12 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, JULY 4, 1952 5 cents

Lt. Gov. HARRY 0. PAXSON Mrs. MARGARET PAXSON

PAST FISCAL YEAR WAS CROWDED WITH EVENTS

OF GREATEST SIGNIFICANCE IN CANAL'^ISTORY

New Lieutenant Governor Organization Observes

And Wife To Arrive Soon First Birthdate Under

New Plan Of Operation

Events of far more than passing interest and significance to

Isthmian residents crowded

each other day after day during

the entire fiscal year which

ended last Monday.

The fiscal year 1952 will un- doubtedly be long remembered

and written into the Canal's

history as a BIG year.

The most outstanding news of the entire year occurred on the very first day of the past fiscal year, July 1, 1951, when the

fiscal system for Canal operations was

changed. The significance of this change

which has been discussed in most issues of The Canai, Review for more than a year,

e.xtends far beyond the Canal Zone or Isthmian borders. The transition period resulting from

this change still is not ended. Attention was called to this important fact in Governor Seybold's first public address in the Canal Zone. It will be several weeks yet

before the final results, financially, of the Canal's operation under the new arrange- ment are tabulated. Meanwhile, the Canal's main function, the transiting of ships, has gone on apace. In fact, practically all the old records on

shipping through the Canal were broken

during the past 12-month period. For the

first time in nearly 25 years all of the former monthly records for the number of ocean-going commercial vessels, the

net tonnage, and tolls were broken. Although final figures are not yet tabulated, the old annual records for the number of transits, net tonnage of vessels, and

cargo tonnage were broken. The former

record of 6,289 transits by ocean-going

vessels of more than 300 net tons, established in the fiscal year 1929, was broken June 20 when the MV Geria Dan, a cargo

vessel of Danish registry, made the

6,290th transit of the year. The fiscal year 1952 was big in other ways for the Canal organization.

Quarters Program Started

The quarters replacement and construction program was started in a big way.

Contracts for quarters and other work

awarded during the past 12 months to- taled more than $9,000,000, and the Maintenance Division (Contirued on page is)

Col. Harry 0. Paxson has been ap- pointed the new Lieutenant Governor of the Canal Zone and will take over his new position in the Canal organization

following his arrival here about July 10. With the Lieutenant Governor when he

arrives will be his wife and their two

daughters, Nancy Lurline, 18, and Alice Manley, 16. They will come from Washington, D. C,

where Lt. Gov. Paxson has served for about two years on the faculty of the National War College, from which he was

graduated in 1950. The title of Lieutenant Governor is a comparatively new one in the Canal or- ganization, having been created only

about two and a half years ago. The appointment of a Lieutenant Governor is made by the Governor and, unlike the Governor, he is not ex officio a member and officer of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Company

under the Company's bylaws. He must

be appointed as Director and elected Vice

President. Before Lt. Gov. Paxson's assignment

to the National War College in 1949 he had

served for about a year and a half as Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Army in Washington.

He served as Deputy Chief of Staff for United States Forces in Austria from June

1946 to March 1947. His World War II service—in Italy and

Africa -included duty with the Headquarters Operations Section of the 15th Army Group in Italy in 1945; service as

Deputy Engineer for the Fifth Army in the Mediterranean area in 1944; and duty

with the Intelligence Mission to West

Africa in 1 942. He served in North Africa

in 1943. His World War II decorations include

the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf

Clusters, the British Order of the British Empire, and the French Medaille de

Reconnaissance.

Lt. Gov. Paxson was born in Philadelphia, attended grade school in St. Charles,

111., and high school in St. Joseph, Mo.

He was graduated from the United

States Military Academy in 1927 and

obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in

civil engineering from the University of Iowa in 1932. Both Lt. Gov. and Mrs. Paxson list among then- hobbies swimming, gar- dening, and reading. The Lieutenant Governor has also noted his interest in amateur radio and listed civic activities among his wife's special interests. Their elder daughter will enter Northwestern University this fall and theii- daughter, Alice, wiO be a junior at Balboa

Higli School. JULY FEATURES

# Girl Scouts and their activities—Pafie 2. Tlie Canal Zone celebrates Independence

Day—yesteryear and today—Pages 8 & 9. # History of Paraiso, one of Zone's fastest growing towns—see Page 4. 9 Canal enterprise passes SOth anniversary

of its start as a United States project

see Page 1 1

.

# Fii St houses completed in Morgan AvenuePyle Street area—see Page 12.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW July 4, 1952

Program For Canal Zone Girl Scouting

Covers Range Of Year-Round Activities

Canal Zone Girl Scouts, between the ages of 7 and 17, have a chance this month to polish up their camp lore or to work toward the badges which are the

visible marks of their achievements.

While 85 little Brownies, the youngest

of the three Girl Scout divisions, are at- tending day camp at the Diablo school, dozens of their older sisters, in the inter- mediate group, are enrolled in shorter, if more concentrated, camping sessions on

the third floor of the Fort Kobbe school

building.

And on the Atlantic side, some of the

still older group, the Girl Mariners, are trying out the fine, newly-renovated sail- boat Carina which they have on loan from the Sea Scouts until the girls can

get a sailboat of their own. Although the Girl Scouts of the Canal Zone have no permanent summer camp

like the Boy Scouts' Camp El Volcan, summer is a busy time for all of this fast- growing organization. At one time the Girl Scouts had a camp

at Madden Dam. Later they used as a summer camp an abandoned anti-aircraft gun position near Fort Kobbe. Today,

however, camp activities are restricted to the day-camps or to the 24- to 72-hour

sessions at the Kobbe school. Panama Is Brownie Theme

For the Brownies in the Diablo day

camp, this year's theme is Panama. In

their eight summer day-camp sessions

this month, they will learn Panamanian

dances, be taught how to identify Pana- manian birds and flowers, heiu- some of the stories of this part of the world, and

do some handicraft with native shells, clay, and plants.

The girls at the Kobbe school, who

began their camping activities late in June, are operating on a troop basis. Each group is accompanied by at least one adult who has been licensed to head

troop camping. Facilities are available at Kobbe for up to 40 girls at one time. They are living in troop units but cooking their meals together over outdoor

fireplaces. Some of the girls will hear a

talk by a Canal pilot on his job, by a

CIRL MARINERS, a division of the senior jjroup

of Girl Scouting, need a boat, of course, Here are the gii'ls of tiirl Mariner ship 53, a new Atlantic side group, with their 15-foot sailboat Carina which they have borrowed from the Sea Scouts and put into condition to use inside Limon Bay. The girls worked

from April to late June on the Carina, which is named for a constellation and which was put into the water June 22. Six of the girls trained to sail the

Carina in tlie July 4 races. Left in right, in the photograph above, the Mariners

are: Pat Roddy, .^lice Chambers, June Riley, Peggy Roddy, Shirley Tobin, and Diane Delaney. The

very junior Mariner in the Carina is the troop mascot, two-year-old Pat Brown, whose mother, Mrs. Edward G. Brown is one of the Mariner leaders. The other leader is Mrs. Russell Ellwell.

railroad man on what goes into running

a railroad. Crafts work includes the making of tembleques- the shivery, shimmering hair ornaments of carnival time—

and shell jewelry from shells the girls have collected themselves.

Girls .\re Scouting Juniors

Girl Scouting in the Canal Zone is much

younger than Boy Scouting. This year

"the Girl Scout Council of the Canal Zone

celebrates its eighteenth year. Women who grew up here recall having

been Girl Scouts during the 1920's, but

the Scout Council was not formed until 1934. The first troops of official Scout

record were in 1934, at Fort Amador and

at the Post of Corozal. Three years later the number had increased to 200 Scouts

WHEN BROWNIES, the youngest of the three

Girl Scout groups, become old enough to become

Intermediate Scouts they "fly up" to the next senior

group. Here Troops 34, 8, and 18 hold a Court of Awards and BrowTiic "fly up" at Coco Solo.

with 60 leaders; today there are 890 girls enrolled in the three Scouting age groups;

27.5 adidts, of whom 90 are leadei's, are serving in the Council, on troop committees and on other committees and as

associates. For administrative purposes, the Canal Zone Girl Scouts come under Region II of the Girl Scouts of America. This region includes New York State, New Jersey, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Canal Zone. Today thei'e are 48 (Jirl Scout troops

in the Canal Zone. Two of them are in- active at the present time but will probably resume their activities in the Fall. The largest group, the 503 Brownies who

are between 7 and 10 years old, are enrolled in 25 of these troops. Seventeen

other troops are devoted to the Inter- mediates, the 10- to 14-year-olds, who

total 310 members. The Senior Scouts, who include the Girl Mariners, are from

14 to IS years old. There are 77 of these

senior scouts, in six troops. Scouts In Every Town

Every community where there are girls of scouting age is represented in the Girl Scout program. There are Girl Scout

"Little Houses" in Gamboa, Gatun, Ancon, Pedro Miguel, Dialilo, and Balboa.

In the past two years there has been a 50 percent increase in the number of Girl Scouts from Canal Zone military posts

and stations. These girls now account for 47 percent of the local Scout membership.

Like Boy Scouting here and in most

U. S. communities. Girl Scouting is a Community Chest activity. The funds

obtained from the Community Chest

last year these amounted to $2,493.69

go to cover administrative expenses such

as office rent, telephones, stationery, bulletins for adult members, postage, equipment which is used by all troops in the Canal Zone, photographs (See page 15)
July 4, 1952 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Employee Delegates

Meet New Governor

At June^onference

"These conferences are very instructive

to me; I'm learning a great deal from

them," Governor John S. Seybold told

sfettiployee representatives attending the monthly conference June 26 at Balboa

Heights.

"I think that it is very desirable that we maintain them," he added. The Governor's statement came at the

close of his first conference— one which was concerned with subjects ranging from

a continuation of the previous month's

discussion on proceeds from a recent dance recital at the Balboa Clubhouse,

through security procedure at the locks, gasoline prices, the method of ([uarters assignments, to possible furloughs in the

Industrial Bureau. The conferences, popularly known as

"shirtsleeve conferences," were started two years ago. They are attended by

delegates from the civic councils and from

all organized U. S.-rate labor groups. Company representatives who attended

the conferences in addition to the Governor are Edward A. Doolan, Personnel Director; Forrest G. Dunsmoor, Executive

Assistant to the Governor; a secretary

and a representative of The Panama

Canal Review.

Conference Procedure

The usual procedure, which was fol- lowed by Governor Seybold, is to stai't around the table, giving each representati\-e an opportunity, in order, to raise questions for discussion or to be answered,

to question current rumors or to present

other matters which have been discussed

in the group he or she represents. The first questions at the June confer- ence were brought up by Rufus Lovelady,

President of AFGE Lodge No. 14, who

presented two rumors: That there is some

indication that the 25 percent salary differential is again threatened, and that

rents are to be increased. Governor Seybold said tha,t nothing has been discussed lo(-ally on the matter of the differential; that if there were such

discussion in the United States he knew

nothing of it. On the rental situation, he

said the Company's Board of Directors is concerned with rentals and that a study

of these will probably be made. Mr. Dunsmoor explained that the dif- ferential rumor may stem from a General Accounting Office question some time ago

on the propriety of paying this to other than heads of families and Mr. Doolan re- minded the conferees of statements in

earlier conferences that some houses which

are not to be demolished may be revalued

in connection with rentals. Civic Council Questions

The Rev. P. H. Havener, of the Cristo- bal-Margarita Civic Council, presented

three questions: The layout of the pro- posed bachelor quarters, civil defense, and

Cristobal parking facilities. Atlantic side bachelors, he said, have

suggested a revised layout for the bachelor apartments and his Council supports their stand. This matter was to be referred to the Engineering and Construction Bureau

for further information and the question

of parking will go to the Traffic Committee for consideration.

Civil defense, the lack of funds for its

To The Employees . . .

Few enterprises of a comparable size have

the diversity of activity and yet the singleness

of purpose as the operation of the Panama

Canal. Here in the Canal Zone, an area of only a few hundred square miles, are found most of

the yovernmental, social, scientific, and

normal community functions generally en- countered in an entire nation. Yet, all of

these are directed toward one mission —the transiting of ships between the Atlantic and

Pacific Oceans.

It is difficult to express to you in this, my

first personal message to the employees of

this organization, my sober reflections on the need for a singleness of purpose among

employees in all categories. The employee

who fails to comprehend his own job or its part in the overall objective and fails to pursue his or her job with that factor in mind is sadly out of step. The Canal organization did not achieve

its great reputation for efficient operation by

disunity. The builders of the waterway

would have failed in their objective without unity in purpose and direction of effort, from the watcrboy to the top executive. The same spirit of unity is no less necessary today to achieve the main task for which

this organization has its being.

Only three days ago the Panama Canal

Company observed its first birthday as the

entity established by our Congress to conduct

the affairs of the Panama Canal, which is an international utility of great importance

to world commerce. Despite the wide vari- ance of the work performed, the Panama

Canal Company and its sister organization

the Canal Zone Government, have the same

mission, the same overall objective. The men and women who have any job

in this single-purpose, dual organization

form a single team. It is idle to speculate

if one job is more important than another;

if some work is more essential or closer to

the heart of the enterprise than s(}me other;

if the holder of some job has more authority, has a higher salary, or has more responsibility than another. They 77iust all act with a unity of purpose. This unity, in private enterprise, in governmental work, in social endeavor, can be achieved by only one method—by each member of the team, doing whatever his or

her task may be. well and cheerfully. Those who do this in the Canal organization need

have no fear of their future with the organization. The employees of the Canal organization should not presuppose that unity which I am

stressing so much now is in any

manner stifling either to their ambition or promotion. Quite the contrary is true. Those, no matter who they are, who do their jobs ivell and who work in harmony with

their fellow employees can expect and may

expect consideration for teork of more responsibility and more pay. This nmch I can

faithfully promise you as the administrative head of the Company-Government. As I begin my term of office as Governor

of the Canal Zone and President of the Panama Canal Company it is my desire to express through this medium my personal

pride in being associated with this enterprise. As your co-worker I shall concentrate my devotion and my earnest effort in performing my job well. Only in this manner can I gain your confidence, respect, and cooperation.

It has been my personal pleasure to meet many of you already. I sincerely hope that

the duties of my office will not be so confining

that I cannot rapidly widen this circle of acquaintances among the Canal personnel. Wlienever time permits I plan to visit you

at your icork. And lehenever the opportunity permits I look forward to meeting yon and yourfamilies in your daily ivalks of life. As the administrative officer of this enterprise, I consider your problems my problems. I, too, expect to be a part of the team

on which the diversity of tasks is great but

the overall objectives are narrowed to the one mission of serving well the maritime commerce of the world.

operation and some means of striking a balance between public panic and indif- ference was discussed generally but with- out conclusion. Governor Seybold said that he foresees no possibility of obtaining funds for Civil Defense, at present at least.

J. J. Tobin of the Central Labor Union

reported that Industrial Bureau employees fear that they will be furloughed

for lack of work and asked how long such

furloughs could be expected to last. The

Governor commented that it is impossible

for anyone in any position to make an

assurance of a' future work load. Quarters Assignment

Walter Wagner, Central Labor Union

President, expressed his organization's

disapproval of quarters "freezes," and

pointed out what they consider the unfairness of priority assignments to desir- able new houses of employees with

comparatively short service whose houses

are to be demolished, while employees

with longer service are unable to apply for these same houses. Other matters brought up included: Service and menus at the Pedro Miguel

Clubhouse; a question as to whether the Pure Food and Drugs Act applies to the

Canal Zone; a question as to the legality

of an Executive order conferring on the Governor the right of search as part of lock security measures; the cost of gasoline delivered in the Canal Zone; beneficiaries for leave payments; and complaints

about the service at Colon Hospital,

which led to a general discussion of the

inability of getting either civilian or mili- tary doctors for service with the Canal. Attending the conference were: the Governor, Mr. Doolan and Mr. Dunsmoor; Charles W. Hammond, C. W.

Chase, Mr. Havener, Raymond Ralph,

S. W. Sowa and William H. Ward from

the Civic Councils; Robert Daniels, Rail- way Conductors; H. J. Chase and Mr.

Lovelady, AFGE; Daniel Kiley, Pacific Locks Employees; James Ahearn, Plumbers; Mr. Wagner, Mr. Tobin and C. W.

Hoffmeyer, Central Labor Union, and

Anch-ew Lieberman, Marine Engineers.

In 1905 quarters were assigned to "gold" roll employees of the ICC on the

basis of one square foot of floor space

for each $1 of monthly salary. Wives

were entitled to an equivalent amount,

children to five percent of this space for each year of age.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW July 4, 1952

Paraiso, Fast Gro\ving Pacific Side

Town, Is One Of Oldest Settlements

Contractor Is Ahead

Of Schedule For 144

Masonry Family Units

Paraiso, one of the oldest settlements

in the Canal Zone, is now one of the fast- est growing communities on the Pacific

side.

Its history dates back to the time when

there were no written records. It was one

of the first settlements used by the French

Canal Company in 18S2 as headquarters

for a "chantier" or working section, and

it became e\'en more important during

the construction period under the Americans. At least twice within the past 15 years

it has been abandoned and revived.

Its present growth is the result of 244

family units being built there under 'a $1,77S,.574 contract with Tucker McClure

The work is about a month ahead of schedule and the first of the new houses

will be completed about October, under

the present schedule. The final completion date for the whole contract is next May. This is the largest of the Pacific

side housing contracts for this fiscal year. Early History Unknown

Little is known about the early history

of Paraiso, or Paradise in English, but it

is believed to have been a settlement long

before the Spanish explorers came to the Isthmus. It had one of the finest springs

and furnished the purest water to be found on the Isthmus. It is known to have been an important point on the trans-Isthmian trek of early Spanish conquistadores across the Isthmus on what

was known as the "dry-season trail."

It was first selected as a permanent

settlement during the early 1850's when

the Panama Railroad was being built. A

40-foot cut for the new railroad was dug

there. After the rails were laid along the new roadbed a torrential rain swept back

the earth and covered the tracks to a depth of 20 feet. It was a costly, and

what should have been an invaluable les- son, on the treacherous slides of the Isthmus.Town Revived In 1880's Paraiso slumped into obscurity after the railroad was completed, but was re- vived when the French began their Canal

work. They established their first Pacific

side headquarters there. The town took a now growth after 1904 when the Canal work was begun by the United States (lovernment. Col. William

Crawford Gorgas selected it as the headquarters for all Canal Zone sanitation,

perhaps because of the large mountainspring that furnished uncontaminated

water. The Panama Railroad, a back- bone in the Canal work, also established

its main headquarters there. Throughout the construction period the townsite hummed with activity. The

Panama Railroad had its main shops

there and for about 10 years Paraiso was

a junction and shop center for all railway

activity on the Pacific side.

THE NEW PARAISO

THE TOWN OF PARAISO is one of the fastest growing communities in tlie Canal Zone. A total

of 244 family units are being erected there by Tucker McClure, contractor for the work. The houses are duplexes and are of a similar type to those already built in other local-rat« communities. The contract

includes the building of streets and the installation of various facilities. Rapid progress is being made

and it is expected that the first of the houses will be ready for occupancy by next October. Residents of Red Tank will be assigned the new houses on a seniority basis. PARAISO IN 1906

HERE'S HOW the town of Paraiso looked to those who arrived on the Isthmus during the early Canal construction period. The town is presently one of the fastest growing in the Canal Zone. It has been twice abandoned and twice revived in its colorful history.

Dredging Division Headquarters

After the Canal channel was flooded it was decided to move the Dredging Division headquarters there. It continued as such until its first abandonment in 1938

after the completion of the new town of Camboa to which the Dredging Division headquarters were moved.

The town was empty for just one year, when the site was transferred to the United States Army for headquarters for the Fifth Infantry. The Army added

many new buildings and most of these quarters are still in use. Paraiso was a busy place during most

of World War II but the Army units stationed there were moved during the

early part of 1944 and the site was transferred back to the Canal. Since most of

the buildings were in good usable condition, it was decided to use them for a

local-rate community.

Many Improvements Made

Various alterations and improvements

were made soon after Paraiso was reoccupied and such community facilities as a commissary, clubhouse, and school were

provided. Since the close of the war many

new family quarters have been added.

Paraiso's growth this year, however,

will be its biggest, at least since the early construction period.

The houses being built at Paraiso under

the contract with Tucker McClure are all two-family, masonry structures. The

Housing Division has announced that

residents in Red Tank will be assigned

to the new quarters.
July 4, 1952 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

FOR YOUR

711

INTEREST^ND GUIDANCE

LJ.

WILLIAM BAI)l.)hl<S, Salvage Master and

Master Diver, Salvage Section, Industrial Bureau, is also in charge of the diving school at Gatun. While

he was serving in the United States Navy he was

decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor,

the Navy Gross, and the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism on three different submarine sal- vage jobs. The most spectacular and best-known of these, for the danger involved, was the raising of the sunken submarine Squalus in 1939. HONOR ROLL

Bureau Award For BEST RECORD

May

COMMUNITY SERVICES

BUREAU

HEALTH BUREAU

INDUSTRIAL BUREAU

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Community Services,. 4

Industrial 2

Civil Affairs 1 Health 1 Engineering and Construction

Marine

Railroad and Terminals

Supply and Service

Division Awards For NO DISABLING INJURIES

May

HOSPITALIZATION AND CLINICS

DREDGING DIVISION

CLUBHOUSE DIVISION

RAILROAD DIVISION

DIVISION OF STOREHOUSES

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE DIVISION

DIVISION OF SANITATION

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Clubhouses 4 Grounds Maintenance 4 Electrical 3 Storehouses 3 Dredging 2 Hospitalization and Clinics 2 Motor Transportation 2 Railroad , 2 Sanitation 2 Navigation 1 Commissary

Locks

Maintenance

Terminals

SAFETY IN THE DIVING SCHOOL

The Salvage Depot and Di\iiig School was organized and established in 1943 under

the direction of the Superintendent of the Mechanical Division (now the Industrial Bureau) with William Badders designated as Salvage Master and Master Diver in charge

of operations. Mr. Badders was selected for this position because of the 22^ years of this sort of work

he had had while on active duty in the U. S. Navy. The Navy agreed to leave him on

inactive duty to work with the Canal's Sal- vage Depot and Diving School. The purpose of the establishment was, and

is, to train divers and salvage personnel so that they would be capable of performing any salvage project required to keep the Canal, channels, and ports open to shipping.

They were also to be able to do all routine diving such as underwater construction, surveys, repairs to ships, etc. Personnel to be trained were selected from among employees of The Panama Canal who

had served at least two years in their trade. They had to be in the artificer branch; be between 20 and 30 years old ; and be in good

physical condition. The idea was to train

all craftsmen to ply their trades under

water. To date 35 Panama Canal employees have been trained as divers. Each has spent

at least 144 hours under water to make a

total of 5,040 hours of underwater time. The Navy Department re\iewed the

school curriculum and requested that it be made available for U. S. Naval personnel.

The Master Diver was authorized to rate the Navy men as Salvage Divers or Divers Second Class. Thirty-one Navy men received the same

training as The Panama Canal divers, for a

total of 4,464 hours under water. Altogether Panama Canal and Navy men

have had a grand total of 9,504 hours in training under water, with only one lost-time accident due to di\ing. The fact that only one or two of these men had ever been under

water before makes this a safety record to be proud of. The Master Diver is even more proud of the fact that graduates of The Panama

Canal Divers School have worked over

50,000 hours under water, since graduating,

at one of the most hazardous occupations in The Panama Canal organization without a

single lost-time injury due to diving.

The \ery latest and most modern salvage

and diving equipment was procured for use

in this training program and for the estab- lishment of a central salvage depot from

which to move equipment to projects as needed. The present site of the Salvage depot and

Di\ing School was selected for several reasons. Three modes of transportation, rail.

water, and truck, were needed to move

equipment; the water nearby had the desired depth—35 to 85 feet—for training and

was away from traffic; and a ship lying on

the bottom of Gatun Lake at this site made

an ideal training ground for divers. Training classes were made up of 6 to 10

divers. On graduation each received a certificate, signed by the Governor, making

them Divers Third Class. With this dual

rate they were returned to their respective

shops to be called as divers and salvage

personnel when they were needed. Here are some of the jobs accomplished by

graduates of the school. Divers removed a fully charged, live mine

that was jammed between the rudder and

propeller of a Liberty ship; this job was considered so ticklish that the crew took their personal effects and left the vessel until the job was finished. They raised the U. S. Navy tug Wenewa

alter she sank in the entrance of Cristobal breakwater. They demolished the bow section of a

Liberty ship which had run aground and

broken in half outside the Cristobal breakwater. They placed live mines on and demolished two different ships which were sunk near

the Canal channel. They have refloated by using beach gear numerous vessels which were aground, and

have made emergency repairs to damaged

ships too numerous to count.

In the construction line graduates of the

diving school have performed all of the diving on the new docks at Diablo, all diving

for the laying of the trans-Isthmian pipelines for the Navy, and all diving required in connection with the opening of the third penstock at Madden Dam power station —a job

that was in 120 feet of water. They did all underwater work required

during construction of the marine railways

at Mount Hope and many other jobs that required from hours to weeks of diving.

In addition to such work the divers have

spent thousands of hours in making under- water inspection of damaged ship bottoms making detailed reports for ship agents to determine whether the damaged ship must

be drydocked or could continue on its voyage.

In e\ery case, regardless of which diver was called upon, they have always accomplished the tasks assigned to them. The

divers usually take their regular turns re- gardless of the task involved. This group of divers has not only established an outstanding safety record, but the men in it can more than hold their own with any group of divers in the world when it comes to safe work accomplished under

water.

MAY 1952

Community Services Bureau

Health Bureau

Industrial Bureau

Marine Bureau

Civil Affairs Bureau

Supply and Service Bureau

C. Z. Gov'l-Panama Canal Co. (This month

Engineering and Construction Bureau

C. Z. Gov't-Panama Canal Co.(1952 to Date

C. Z. Gov't-Panama Canal Co. (Best Year)

Railroad and Terminals Bureau

Number of Disabling Injuries 23

Disabling Injuries per 1,090,000 Man- Hours Worked

(Frequency Rate)

10 20 30 40

Man-Houfs Worked 2,915,355 LEGEND

3 Amount Better Than Panama Canal Company—Canal Zone Government Best Year 3 Amount Worse Than Panama Canal Company—Canal Zone Government Bert Year
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW July 4, 1952

Villages Antedating Settlement of U. S.

Lie Buried Under Waters of Gatun Lake

Because of the general interest of present day Znnians in ichat the Canal Zone was

like way back when, The P.inama Canal

Review publishes a condensation of an

article on the Lake villages. It appeared

originally in the Canal Record of December 6, 1911.

The villages between Gatun and Matachin will be covered by the water of Gatun Lake. They have never been

important in the sense of size, or as the

cent«- of any peculiar type of life. In

fact, they are little more than jungle

hamlets, yet they have a distinct place

in American history, because they were known to European civilization many

years before Jamestown was settled or Massachusetts Bay was an English

colony.

It is probable that most of them date from the early days of navigation on the Chagres River, when it was one of the most used routes for commerce across the Isthmus. Among these are Ahorca

Lagarto, Barbacoas, Caimito, Matachin, Bailamonos, Santa Cruz, Cruz de Juan Gallego, and Cruces (Venta Cruz).

The region in which these lake settle- ments are situated will probably not be under water before August 1912, but the

railroad track will be torn up in February and therefore the native hamlets and

American canal settlements are being

moved, the houses torn down to be

erected again elsewhere, or, in the case of shacks, merely abandoned in the jungle.

It is difficult to persuade some of the inhabitants that the inundation will ever take place. One old bush settler, after receiving repeated wai'nings heedlessly, ventuj'ed it as his opinion that

the Lord had promised never again to

flood the earth. The old village of Gatun, which lay on the river flats below the present town, was abandoned in 1908 and the site is now covered by 80 feet of rock and earth under Gatun Dam. At the time it was

abandoned, the village contained a church, priest's house, school, a dozen

small shops, and 90 or more small houses

of all descriptions, from the bamboo hut

with palm thatch to the typical sheetiron-roofed shanty. Most of the build- ings were moved to the new townsite, now known as new Gatun. Old Fort At Gatun

The antiquity of the place is uncertain because none of its buildings were of masonry. In his narrative of the pirate

Morgan, Esquemelmg says, "The first day they sailed only si.x leagues, and came to a place called De los Braces. Here a party of his men went ashore,

only to sleep and stretch their limbs,

being almost crippled with lying too much crowded in the boats. Having

rested awhile, they went abroad to seek

victuals in the neighboring plantations;

but they could find none, the Spaniards

being fled and carting with them all they had."

The location on the river corresponds

to that of Gatun. Even if the situation

of De los Bracos is not identical with

old Gatun, the narrative indicates that

the region thereabout was somewhat

settled. It is also known that the Spaniards had erected a fort 120 feet above the river, and evidences of the

old fort are found today. In the early days of the California immigration, it was the first stopping

place in the canoe journey up the Chagres,

where "bongo-loads of California travellers used to stop for refreshments on their way up the river, and where eggs sold four for a dollar and the rent for a hammock was $2 a night." In 1881 the French chose Gatun as the site of one of the canal residencies, erected machine shops there and built a number of quarters for laborers, calling the new section "Cite de Lesseps."

This continued as a center of the work

of excavation until 1888 when all operations ceased, not to be resumed here

until 1904. When the Americans arrived in 1904,

Gatun was the center of a comparatively

large river trade. Bananas and other produce from the Gatun, Trinidad, and

Chagres Rivers were brought there for transshipment by rail and for sale. The next settlement of any importance

up the river from Gatun is Bohio. Be- tween the two villages are three hamlets,

Lion Hill, Tiger Hill, and Ahorca Lagarto.

The first two are essentially railroad camps that have persisted since 1851 when they were, successively, the terminus of the road. "Hang The Lizard"

Ahorca Lagarto, however, is on a bend

in the river, and may well have been a

resting place for the cramped travellers

in canoes. Of the origin of its name

Otis (a British historian of about 1860)

says: "Ahorca Lagarto, 'to hang the

lizard,' deriving its name from a landing

place on the Chagres near by; this again,

named from having, years back, been

pitched upon as an encampment by a body of government troops who suspended

from a tree their banner, on which was a

lizard, the insignia of the Order of Santiago."

Until recently Bohio has been called Bohio Soldado (Soldier's Home). The

French made it the site of one of their

district headquarters in 1862; here as

well as at any place can be seen today

the plan of the sea-level canal which

included the main channel and two l?,rge diversions or drainage ditches, one on

each side of the canal proper. Near Bohio are the hamlets of Penas

Blancas and Buena Vista, both on the

river and each merely a collection of huts of various descriptions. Frijoles

is the next railway station, a village of 784 inhabitants in 1908. Here for many years an old Frenchman

ran a distillery in which he made rum of such good quality that he boasted that

it was sold in Colon to rectifiers who

made it into "genuine French cognac."

Tabernilla, the next village, was one

of the centers of French work and there was a small field repair shop at this point.

During the American occupation it be- came a village of over 2,000 inhabitants because here is situated the largest

dumping ground on the canal work.

Bridge At Barbacoas Between Tabernilla and San Pablo,

the railroad crosses the Chagres River at Barbacoas. San Pablo was originally a

plantation worked by Catholic priests. It was a railroad station in 1862, was a

laborers' camp in the {Sez page ifi) m

WHEN G.\TUN LAKE waters began to rise, villages near the Chagres

river bed were depopulated. This old photograph shows the burning of native houses in the village of Matachin on October 1, 1913. Matachin, the settlement next to Gorgona, was the place, halfway between Panama and Colon, where trains passed during the early days of the railroad.
July 4, 1952 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

* '"-I., -StJ^iJ^

Official Panama Canal Company Publication

Published Monthly at BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE

Printed by the Printing Plant Mount Hope, CanalZone John S. Seybold, Governor-President

E. C. Lombard, Executive Secretary

J. RuFUS Hardy, Editor

Eleanor H. McIlhenny

Oleva Hastings

Editorial Assistants LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters containing inquiries, suggestions,

criticisms, or opinions of a general nature

will be welcomed. Those of sufficient interest

will be published but signatures will not be

used unless desired. SUBSCRIPTIONS—$1.00 a year SINGLE COPIES—5 cents each On sale at all Panama Canal Clubhouses,

Commissaries, and Hotels for 10 days after publication date. SINGLE COPIES BY M.'ML-lOcents each BACK COPIES—10 cents Each

On sale when available, from the Vault

Clerk, Third Floor, Administration Building, Balboa Heights.

Postal money orders should be made payable to the Treasurer, Panama Canal Company, and mailed to the Editor, The

Panama Canal Review, Balboa Heights,

C. Z. TO SUSCRIBERS

Please noHFy us promolly of any change in your

mailing address. Post Offices everywhere have pre- pared postal cord forms For notices of changes of address.

Terminals Superintendent

.'Vi^B.'V E. BEt'K, new Superintendent of the Terminals Division, got to know the Canal Zone and like

it when, a veteran of World War I, he was serving in the Army at Fort DeLesseps. .After his discharge from the service he went to work nith the Panama

Railroad in 1925, first in clerical positions and later on the piers. He was promoted from stevedore fore- man to head stevedore foreman in 1937 and four years

later was made chief stevedore foreman. In .January

19.51 he was made Acting Assistant to the Superin- tendent of the Terminals Division and in .June of this year was appointed to succeed E. S. MacSparran who was retiring as Superintendent. Mr. Beck's ap- pointment was effective July 1.

OF CURRENT INTEREST

DIRECTOR VISITS ZONE

EDWARD D. McKIM, member of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Company, and his son, Laurence, were visitors to the Canal Zone for two weeks last month. It was Mr. McKim's second

visit to the Isthmus this year, having attended the Board of Directors meeting held here last January. Mr. McKim, whose home is in Omaha, Nebraska, is a member of the E.\ecutive Committee of the Board. He is one of the leading insurance executives of the United States and has served as Vice President of the Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association

in Omaha for the past 17 years.

Residents of 13 cottages on Ridge

Road in Balboa Heights have been notified that the clearing of the area has

been deferred and that they may re- main in their present homes for another 12 months and possibly longer"

It was planned originally that the occupants of the houses would be

moved by August 15 so that the cottages

could be demolished to make way for new construction.

The Classification Committee, which

formerly li.xed ratings for positions in the Canal organization graded GS-8 or above,

has been abolished by an executive regulation of June 16 wfiich became elTective immediately.

The aiilhoritv to fi.x ratings for positions

in gradus GS-'l through 11 and CPC-1

through 10 has been delegated to the Per- sonnel Director. Ratings for positions graded GS-12 and

above will be reviewed by the Personnel

Director with the concurrence of the Comptroller concerning the management aspects

III any position —(if the position is needed,

it funds are avaiUble, etc.) and will be approved by the Governor.

About 75 U. S.-rate student assistants have been employed in the Canal organization for summer vacation work this year. There are five more than there were last year. The assistants were chosen from

among about 250 applicants.

They are employed in these Canal

units: Locks, Storehouses, Police, Clubhouse, Maintenance, Engineering, and

Motor Transportation Divisions; the

Power Branch of the Electrical Divi- sion; Administrative Branch; Personnel

Bureau ; Aids to Navigation Section, and

the Railroad and Terminals Bureau.

Because the production of milk at Mindi

Dairy this year reached a point that for the

first time was considered sufficient to Canal

needs, the Mindi herd is being reduced by

the sale of unprecedented numbers of cahes. About 100 calves rangin;; in age from 1 da\' to 30 months have been sold since iMarch and about the same number are now

being offered for sale. About 30 of the calves that were sold went to Costa Rica and 35 to El Salvador, where they were shipped by air. Most of the remaining calves were sold to residents

of Panama.

Placement of a new 72-inch sewer and

connecting collector lines in Balboa and the repaving of Amador Road by Maintenance

Division forces will be completed in about

a month.

Construction of the sewer is one of the

first major projects in a proposed long-range

development plan for Pacific side sewage

disposal. The repaving of .'Vmador Road, which

started about two months ago, was completed the first of July except for about

1,000 feet near the Boy Scout Shack. That remaining portion will be paved and

an allied project, construction of an additional traffic lane on the west side of Balboa Road between La Boca Road and the Amador Road intersection will be completed

about August 15. Ten new civilian doctors are starting

1-year rotating internships at Gorgas

Hospital in the annual first of July turnover of medical personnel entering

and leaving hospital training programs. There are also 16 residents in training

at Gorgas, some of whom started their residencies on the first of the month

and others who are in their second or

third year of residency training. Only

two of the residents are Army physicians.

Three New Executives

Of Canal Arrive Soon

Three new Canal officials are expected

to arrive on the Isthmus to take over

their new duties early next week.

Brig. Gen. Don Longfellow, new Health

Director, will arrive by transport about

July 10. Col. Craig Smyser, who will become

Engineering and Construction Director,

is expected to arrive on the same ship. Dr. Walter G. Nelson, who will assume

the position of Chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine and Quarantine, is expected to arrive July 7 on the Cristobal. General Longfellow will come from

Washington, D. C, where he has been on duty in the Office of the Surgeon General. He served in the Canal Zone for about

a year in 1930 as a physician at Colon

Hospital.

He was born in Hobbs, Ind., attended

high school at Windfall, Ind., obtained a

B. S. and M. D. at Indiana University and

a Master of Public Health degree from

Yale University.

General Longfellow is also a graduate of the Army Medical School, the Medical

Field Service School at Carlisle Barracks,

and has had professional training in bacteriology at the Army Medical School in Washington, D. C. Colonel Smyser has been on duty in the office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington.

His World War II assignments included duty in the China-Burma-India Theater

as Deputy Commanding Officer and Commandmg Officer, Base Section, and Executive Officer and Deputy Chief of Services and Supply.

Colonel Smyser was born in Kansas. He was graduated from the U. S. Military

Academy at West Point in 1934; and was

also graduated from the Army Engineer

School; and obtained an M. S. degree in

civil engmeering from the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology in 1939. Dr. Nelson will come to the Isthmus

from Paris, where he has served as Medical Director for the United States Public

Health Service at the American Embassy.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW July 4, 1952

Fourth Of July $^X

BLACK r.MUma.I.AS «,•,( fash

*.>

-i',

iiaMi' sunshades for spectators on July 4, 1912.

MARINE AND SAILORS scaled a wall near the Tivoli as part of the 1912 festivities.

888 s;;;sgMMi jgs;g» ia

TRAFFIC must have been terrible in 1915;'look at those automobiles.

K

Fourth of July celebrations in the Canal Zone are about as old as the Canal Zone itself. The first was in 1905. From 1907 to 1919, according to old records, the Fourth of July celebrations were official in nature. The Chairman of the committee in charge was named by

the Governor, or, before the Canal was

opened, by the Chairman of the Isthmian

Canal Commission. During the war years

of 1917 and 1918 the Chairman was se- lected by the Commanding General. In 1915, at the suggestion of C. A. Mcllvaine, then Executive Secretary, the

official celebration was omitted. In 1920 Governor Chester Harding decided that no official celebration would be held and

left the manner of celebrating Independence Day to the various communities. Ever since, the Atlantic and Pacific communities have arranged their own

celebrations. In 1923 the American Legion sponsored

the July 4th celebration in the Canal Zone and in 1924 Wilson Kromer, then Assist- ant Auditor and later Comptroller, was

dismayed at the lack of interest in a community celebration. He voluntarily served

as Chairman of an Independence Day

committee and arranged for a celebration

so that the children, at least, would have

a good rousing July 4th. Since the mid-1920's, a committee for the celebration of Independence Day has

been composed of volunteer members.

From this committee a general chairman

is elected to direct activities each year. Usually a meeting of this committee is called in March or April by the general

chairman who had served for the preceding year's celebration. Oldtime Family Picnics

Oldtime Fourth of July activities in the Canal Zone resembled old-fashioned family picnics much more than do the some- what more formalized observations of to- day. And much more emphasis was laid on sports than on patriotic exercises in those days.

The Canal Record, faithful reporter

of Canal Zone activities for the construction period and some years thereafter, re- counts at some length details of the cele- bration of 190S. That for 1907 is dis- missed with the phrase that the 1908 cel- ebration was to "follow generally that of the previous year." Of course the first issue of the Canal Record did not appear

until September 4, 1907; had it been two months eailier the July 4th activities would undoubtedly have been reported in great detail. In 1908, the Canal Record says, Zonians turned out in great numbers to attend festivities at Cristobal and Ancon.

Fireworks were important in those days

as they have been ever since. The only

exception was in 1942 when war conditions led to the cancelation of the usual

fireworks display. But in 1908 firecrackers were distributed to all of the children who wanted any—and what child doesn't —and there was also a "pyrotechnic dis- play" which included such set-pieces as "Incandescent Suns," "Wierd White

Falls," and "Aladdin's Jeweled Tree."

$5 On A Greased Pole

In 1908 there were band concerts, boat

races, athletic events such as a sack race, a tug-of-war, and a three-legged race. In

Cristobal the day's sports included climbing a greased pole which had $5 on top
July 4, 1952 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

;v%o^

of it as a prize for the winner, and a horse

race between volunteer fire companies.

At noon warships in Cristobal harbor

fired a 21-gun national salute. On the Pacific side in 190S, one Lt. Glen E. Edgerton was a member of the Independence Day Committee. Thirty- two years later he was Governor of the Canal Zone. That year Pacific side events included a bucking-horse contest, a wall-scaling contest between sailors and marines, a

ball at the Hotel Tivoli, and all kinds of sports and athletic events. During the next few years the official celebration alternated between the two

sides of the Canal Zone. In 1911, for instance, Cristobal was the site of the

official activities; in 1912 it was the Pacific side's turn. There were smaller, nonofficial celebrations "along the line" with

part of the July 4th funds going to the

line towns for fireworks. 1912 Celebration Gala Affair In 1912 the committee, headed by Rear Adm. H. H. Rousseau, for whom the town

of Rousseau is named, planned an elab- orate celebration. There was a picnic "on

the slope where the Ancon school stands," track and field events on a ball park near

the Hotel Tivoli, and aquatic events, in- cluding diving from an 85-foot tower, in Balboa harbor. The roads leading to the Hotel Tivoli were decorated in the national colors, hung over three improvised arches. Three

bands—from the ICC, the Marine Corps,

and the Infantry— furnished music at a

concert at the Tivoli. Rainy weather curtailed the fireworks display from Old Reservoir Hill, but a ball at the Tivoli successfully concluded the day's festivities. After the official sponsorship ceased and

July 4th celebrations became community

affairs, the days' programs were concentrated largely on sports, children's activities, and such. A fireworks display was

always the crowning feature of the day

and band concerts were usually scheduled. With the beginning of World War II the community programs were somewhat

curtailed and much greater emphasis was

laid on the patriotic exercises. In 1940, for instance. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's July 4th address was

rebroadcast to local audiences. 1942—A Wartime July 4th

Two years later the Balboa celebration had as its theme "Inter-American Unity." Panama's President, Ricardo Adolfo de

la Guardia, attended the ceremony at the Balboa stadium and his brother, Camilo

de la Guardia, who was Minister of Government and Justice, was the speaker for the day. Boys and girls from Panama

marched alongside Canal Zone youngsters

in the big parade, eight bands played in a massed-band concert and servicemen pro- vided color guards.

There were no fireworks that year—

the nightly blackout was stiU in effect— and although the usual athletic events took place, War Savings Stamps and

Merit Certificates were awarded instead

of the usual medals or trophies.

One touch of that World War II July 4: The people of Pedro Miguel planned their town celebration so that at no time w^ould they be far away from the town's hillside

air raid shelters. This year there are two major Fourth

of July celebrations, one {See pa^e 12)

Canal Zone Style

KIDDIE TRAINS are important for the younger July 4th celebrators.

MANY TROOPS as well as friends from Panama were high spots of July 4, 1942.

STILL WARTIME, and the V for Victory sign was everywhere in 1943.
10 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW July 4, 1952

Longtime Maintenance Division Worker

Has Record Of 45 Years In Same Office

There aren't very many people, here or anywhere else, who can boast of having

worked in the same office for 45 years. But that is the record of Eustace E.

Butcher, office helper for the Maintenance

Division in Gatun.

Butcher, who was born in Barbados in 1887—he will be 65 years old on July 9—

was a tailor by trade when a Canal re- cruiting team came to Barbados in 1907. Their offer sounded good and, along with

several hundred of his countrymen, the young tailor start(>d on what turned out

to be the adventure of his life. The trip from the islands, he recalls, was pleasant and for him, anyhow, not marred by seasickness. He has never

been back to Barbados since he arrived, so he really isn't too good a judge of his seafaring ability.

When he arrived here Butcher began

work for the Municipal Division and he has been a Municipal Division employee

—first when it was the Municipal Division and now the Maintenance Division—ever

since. The first day and a half, he recalls, "they put a shovel in my hand" to build a dam at Gorgona. For the next 5 months, he worked at Las Cascadas, most of the time carrying

mail between Las Cascadas and the head

office at Bas Obispo. These four round

trips daily he made on foot and, he says, "the sun was hot in those days, hotter than it ever is now. It burned your eyes, then." In Gatun Since 1907

In August 1907, Butcher was transferred to the Municipal Division's Gatun

office to work as a messenger, storeman,

and office helper. That office was on land which is now under water. Since 1907 Butcher has never worked anywhere but

in Gatun and for the past 33 years has

lived in the same quarters, 364-E, in Gatun. Except for 10 days m 1938, when he

EUST.\CE E. BUTCHER

was a hospital patient, he has never

missed any time because of iUness. Butcher is married. He and his wife never had any children of their own, but

they have one adopted daughter who has

lived with them since she was a baby.

Her two children, 6 and 4 years old, are

just as much Butcher grandchildren as if they w-ere really blood-kin.

Forty-five years ago, when Butcher

first came to Panama, he tried to do a

little tailoring on the side. But office work and outside tailoring are too hard on the eyes, he said, and he soon gave

that up. " For a while he sold bus tickets as an outside occupation, but he has also given that up. Church work and activity

in several lodges now keep him busy aft«r

office hours. FORTY YEARS AGO

In

June

The tug Reliance with three barges in tow completed a 10,500-mile journey from

Cristobal to Balboa 40 years ago this month, steaming into Panama Harbor 126 days after leaving the Atlantic side. The barges were sent via the Strait of Magellan because the long water trip was

cheaper than it would have been to dis- mantle them and send them across the Isthmus by rail. The barges, needed for sand operations

at Chame Point, had been taken out of service on the Atlantic side when the sand

pits at Nombre de Dios went out of operation.

Dancing was one of the most popular forms of amusevient in the Canal Zone in 1912 and the Can.^l Recokd noted the number of clubs devoted to dancing. The

Tivoli Club, which held its dances at the Tivoli Hotel, was the oldest and largest of them all, and the Strangers Club, was "one

of the oldest on the Isthmus." Among eight others icere the Wizards, Ramblers, and

Kangaroos at Empire, and the Lock City

and H20 Clubi at Gatun.

An account of the operations of Ancon

Hospital Farm 40 years ago in June noted

that the smallest sow among the hospital's 62 hogs gave birth to the record litter of nine pigs. The farm's 125-head dairy was

producing about 260 quarts of milk a day

at the time.

Provisions for a distillation tax were amended to prohibit the operation of stills

or the manufacture or distillation of spirits

or alcoholic liquors in the Canal Zone. The

Executive Order containing these provisions

provided for fines up to $1,000 for violators.

Preliminary work on the site for a modern passenger station for the Panama

Railroad Company at its Panama terminal was started 40 years ago in June. The last 9 s miles of the relocated Panama Railroad, known as the Gold

Hill Line, was formally transferred to the Company and the relocation organization,

which had been an independent departs

ment, went out of existence on June 30. The relocation, which actually involved new construction from Mindi to Corozal,

Incas' Society Records

Among Gifts Presented

To C. Z. Library-Museum

A number of items of historical interest

or of interest to local naturalists have

been added recently to the permanent col- lection of the Canal Zone Library-Museum.

Included in the recent gifts is a collec- tion of the letters, clippings, and papers

of Charles L. Parker, relative to his activities in the Society of the Incas. This

collection was given to the museum by

J. Wendell Greene, Treasurer of the Pan- ama Canal Company.

The late Mr. Parker came to the Canal Zone in October 1904 as a "copyist." He

later worked as a clerk, chief clerk, assist- ant depot quartermaster, and was also a survey officer. In 1927, he was made

Deputy Marshal of the District Court and

served until his death in September 1937. The Society of the Incas was composed

of men and women who went to work for the Isthmian Canal Commission or the Panama Railroad during the year 1904. For many years this group held an annual

dinner on May 4, the anniversary of the date when the United States Government

took over the French canal proptxty.

Society of Incas Pin

Members of the Society were entitled to wear a pin of white, green, and gold,

which showed a map of the North and

South American continents drawn to scale with the figures "1904" across the face. On the reverse side there were the words

"Society of the Incas" and "Panama

Canal." Other recent gifts, some of which are not yet on display for lack of suitable space, are: A mug from the old Century Club, gift of Leopoldo Arosemena; a collection of

local shells and samples of local wood,

gift of the Girl Scouts, through Miss Mary

L. Patton; an excavation sample, core

drill, gift of J. M. Culpepper; relics from

Gorgona and Las Cruces trails, gift of C. W. Kilbey; stuffed local animals, gift of G. W. Pougher; journal box covers from French dump cars, gift of J. F. Prager; local wood specimens, gift of E. L. Farlow; a collection of local photographs, the gift of Col. George H. Hesner,

and a seven and one-half foot bushmaster

in formaldehyde, from Fred W. Morrill

of Diablo Heights. Loans which will be on display during

July are: Americana (celebrating the Fourth of July), from the private collections of C. W. Kilbey, Russell T. Wise, and Mrs. Howard S. Engelke; a collection of Spanish stirrups, from the collection of A. L. Wright; a collection of knives, decorative and useful, also from Mr. Wright;

and a stamp album from his father's col- lection, a loan from Mr. Arosemena.

was necessary because of Canal construction along the former roadway.

The original plan for the railroad south

of Gamboa to follow the east bank of the Canal and pass through Culebra Cut on

a berm was abandoned because of slides on the east bank and the last part of the

line to be completed was rerouted back of Gold Hill and through Miraflores timnel.
July 4, 1952 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 11 Canal Enterprise Passes 50th Birthday

Under U. S. Since First Basic Law Passed

The Panama Canal as an enterprise of the United States last Saturday passed

its Golden Anniversary.

The date—June 28, 1902—is now little remembered by the general public. It was

on that date when President Theodore

Roosevelt signed the Spooner Act into law. Succeeding years and momentous

events have crowded the launching

of the Canal enterprise into obscurity.

The famous Spooner Act authorized the President to buy the rights and properties

of the New French Canal Company and

"to cause to be constructed" an Isthmian

canal of sufficient capacity and depth to provide "convenient passage for vessels of the largest tonnage and greatest draft now

in use, and such as may be reasonably

anticipated."

The passage of the Spooner Act by

Congress had come after many years of investigation on isthmian canal routes and

plans. It also came after a long and acri- monious debate in Congress over the route

to be selected. The important aspect was

the change in the original Bill in Congress,

which already passed the House, from the recommendation for the Nicaraguan route

to the word "isthmian" route. This ac- tually opened the way for the construction

of the Panama Canal, which had been

blocked by the first Bill. The Spooner Act was actually an amendment to the original legislation. It was introduced in the Senate by Senator John C. Spooner of Wisconsin after the Walker Commission had submitted a sup- plementary report on its first recommendations favoring the Nicaraguan route. This supplemental report was made after the French Canal Company had notified the Walker Commission that it would sell

its rights and properties on the Panama

Canal route for $40,000,000, the estimate

of its value set by the Walker Commission.

After this supplemental report was sub- mitted Senator Spooner introduced an amendment to the original legislation

which virtually made it into a new Bill. Debate on the Spooner amendment

opened in the Senate June 4 and came to a vote June 19 after much stormy debate.

It passed the Senate by a vote of 67 to 6. The legislation was then referred to a joint

committee of the House and Senate and

after the House members of that committee yielded the Spooner Act was

passed by the House on June 25 by a vote

of 260 to 8 votes. The Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt 3 days later. According to Gerstle Mack in his book

The Land Divided, the real leader in Congress for the Panama route was not

Senator Spooner but Senator Mark Hanna

of Ohio. He credited Senator Hanna with

passage of the measure because of Hanna's

superb oratory, his political experience,

and his adroitness as a parliamentarian.

A feature of the Spooner Act was the

provision for the construction of the Canal

to be done under the direction of a Commission of seven members, at least four of whom were to be engineers, of which one had to be an Army officer and another a Navy officer. Acting upon his authority granted in the legislation President Roosevelt the

following February appointed what be- came known as the first Isthmian ComMEMBERS OF THE first Isthmian Canal Commission, on the front row shown above, at one of

their early meetings were: Left lo right—Mnj. Gen. George W. Davis, who was appointed the first Governor of the Canal Zone; Rear .'idm. John G. Walker, named Chau-man of the Commission; Frank J. Hecker; and William Barclay Parsons. Standing at the back, left to right, are: William H. Burr, Benjamin M. Harrod, and Carl E. Grunjky. The Commission held its fir^t meeting on the Isthmus in March 1904. Governor Davis issued his first Proclamation as Governor on May 19, 1904. The picture above is reproduced from Joseph Bucklin Bishop's The Panama Gateway.

mission with Rear Adm. John G. Walker

as Chairman. Other members were Maj.

Gen. George W. Davis, who was to be- come the first Governor of the Canal Zone, William Barclay Parsons, Benjamin M.

Harrod, Frank J. Hecker, William H.

Burr, and Carl E. Grunsky.

Most of these members had served on

the original Walker Canal Commission,

appointed in 1899 by President McKinley

to investigate and recommend an isthmian

canal route. It was the report of this commission which later resulted in the

basic legislation for the construction of the Panama Canal which became known

as the Spooner Act.

The first meeting of the first Isthmian

Canal Commission was held March 22, 1904, in Washington. Accompanied by

Col. William Crawford Gorgas the Commission arrived in Colon April 5, 1904,

for their first visit to the Isthmus. The

members inspected the proposed project

and first established headquarters in Colon in addition to the Pacific headquarters in Panama City already transferred from the French Canal Company.

The Commission spent two weeks on the Isthmus before returning to Washington

to settle down to the major task of organizing the tremendous work, purchasing

equipment, and employing personnel.

Balboa Waterfront Is Home To Granny

GRAN.N'Y is a waterfront character from way back. The pet of almost everyone who has busi- ness around the Harbormaster's office on Pier IS, Granny is close ti 13 years old. She was born on

Pier 18 and was crippled when she was only a week or so old. Her left front paw was cut off by a

falling piece of 12 by 12 timber, but despite her handicap Granny is a spry cat for her age. During

her lifetime she has done more than her bit toward increasing the local feline population, producing one litter of kittens after another. Her human friends on the docks find homes for her offspring or

else the kittens stray away when they are big enough to wander. Right now, one of her progeney makes his home with her on the pier.
12 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW July 4, 1952

First Houses on Pacific Side

Completed By Canal Division

work in the area has been done by the Maintenance Division, whose estimate for the housing construction was about $60,-

000 or 18 percent below the bid prices

submitted by contractors for the housing.

The house construction started the first of February. The site development work

in the area was done by the former Municipal Division—now part of the Mainte- nance Division—in the 1951 fiscal year. The former houses in the Morgan Avenue-Pyle Street area were primarily four- family structures, built originally in construction towns along the line of the Canal from about 1907 to 1910 and re- located in Balboa about 1914.

Ten Years Ago in June

THIS IS ONE of the tiist t«n mu hcus.^s iomi)li These houses were built by

Two cottages that were only "1952 construction projects" last month are now

homes for two Canal families. Captain and Mrs. Richard C. Sergeant

and their young daughter, Kay, and Mr.

and Mrs. W. W. Wood effected the transition recently when they moved furniture and fixtures, bag and baggage, into the

first houses to be completed in the 1952

quarters-building program.

Their new homes are on Morgan Avenue near the intersection of the newlyrelocated Pyle Street, looking down the

hill toward Balboa Road and right over

the top of the Scottish Rite Temple.

The two new three-bedroom houses are part of the so-called Morgan Avenue-Pyle

Street development that is changing the

face of the hillside from a cluster of old gray construction day houses, to a muddy

or dusty building site and finally the new

yellow, green, and buff colored cottages

and duplexes now being completed.

The new houses occupied by the SerFourlh of July, Canal Zone Style

tid in the ( 'anal's 1952 quarters

the Maintenance Division.

, iHcgram.

geants and the Woods are three-bedroom

cottages. There will be five more cottages

and three duplexes in the area when the development is completed about the end

of August.

The new houses will be ready for assignment at the rate of about two a week

until the area is filled with new Canal

tenants. The site development and construction

Axis submarine warfare moved uncomfortably close to the Canal Zone. Between

June 3 and June 14 thirteen allied ships went to the bottom under shells or torpedoes, or both. Five of the ships were sunk

in one day, June 5. Hundreds of survivors, some of them

carrying the lifebelts which had saved

their lives, were ashore here. Many of them proudly displayed the autographs

placed on the belts by fellow survivors in lifeboats. In at least one case survivors were two-timers. Members of the crew of the Dutch freighter Crynssen had been

picked up by the oreship Lebore, only to have the Lebore torpedoed soon thereafter. Local shops stayed open on Sundays to provide clothing for the torpedoed men, many of whom arrived clad only in under- wear and heavy coats of suntan.

In the Editor's Mail

(jCmtinued from page 9) fOF the Pacific

side and one for the Atlantic side. M. E. Walker and W. B. Mallory are co-chair- men for the Pacific side; Jack Rice is Atlantic side Chairman.

On the Pacific side Governor John S. Seybold will be the day's main speaker.

He will address an audience at the Balboa

stadium during the afternoon exercises. A fired salute to Independence Day will wake Pacific siders in the morning. There

will be a gala parade and the customary

children's activities and athletic events.

In the evening a display of fireworks from

Sosa Hill will end the Pacific side July 4th celebration. No speeches are planned for the Atlantic side. There is to be an opening parade

followed by a flag raising ceremony in front of the Margarita school. All civic organizations are cooperating in a joint

display in the main wing of the old Margarita hospital and a lengthy program of

athletic events is planned. At noon the town of Gatun is having a barbecue. Fireworks set off from the Margarita

ball park will climax the Atlantic side celebration

BOY SCOUTS in the Canal Zone were making

camping expeditions as early as 1910, according to a former resident of the Isthmus whose interesting and informative letter to the Editor of THE PAN- AMA CANAL REVIEW appears below. The writer, Harry W. Otis, lived in the C^gV Zone

from 1905 until 1921. He was employed as a pimnber.

His letter follows: "Your interesting story about Canal Zone Scouts 42nd anniversary—February REVIEW—was well written but not complete or entirely correct. The

early Scouting you mention in Boquete in 1924 was

14 years after Gorgona Scouts had camped on Toro

Point. The enclosed picture is a copy of the original taken in front of the Gorgona Clubhouse the day they

started for Toro Point. "This outing was made possible through the thoughtfulness of the Chief Engineer, at that time

Col. Geo. W. Goethals. He also furnished Gorgona

Scouts, upon request, a pass good on any Sunday

train, in either direction. That made it possible for them to go hiking any Sunday they wished. "This troop, that developed from a Sunday School

class in 190S, had their own clubhouse on a steep hard-to-climb hill back of Gorgona. They have hiked

all the way across the Isthmus in about five-mile

stages. They hiked all over Gatun Locks and Dam

during early construction, over the Panama Railroad

relocation soon after it was laid out, also over much

of the old location. They hiked through the Cut from Gamboa to and including the Mirafiores and Pedro

Miguel Locks. They have swum in both oceans, a number of places in the Chagrea River, and some

other places where they found water clean enough and deep enough. "No serious accidents happened during the many

months of Scouting. There were a few burned fingers acquired while the boys were cooking their oft-n meals

over camp fires. .Although a well-equipped first-aid kit was always carried, it was not needed for anything more serious than slight abrasions.

"Although there is apparently no record of the Gorgona Scouts, they had official uniforms and badges. Some earned merit badges' Further Canal Zone

Scouting news should include these early activities.
July 4, 1952 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 13

OUR OUT-OF-DOORS

Some of the first things spotted by

visitors to the Canal Zone Experiment

Gardens at Summit are the cannonball

trees. Several trees are located near the entrance to the gardens and others are scattered through the grounds.

There are drones among trees, for they

have no economic importance. Technically known as Couroupita guianevsis,

they are among the most curious trees of tropical South America.

IT'8 OB\II)l ^ win thib 16 called a caniiuiiball

tree. Several specimens are in the Experiment Garden at Summit. They bear fleshy, fragrant, and unusual shaped flowers on long woody stems which emerge without any evident pattern from

the trunk and large branches of the trees. The common name, of course, comes

from the large globular fruit, which is about the size of a human head and re- sembles a rusty cannonball. The fruit, which takes eight or nine months to ripen, contains a mass of very

disagreeable smelling pulp. This is creamy-white when the fruit is first opened but it soon turns green and then brown as oxidation takes place.

The cannonball tree is closely related to the well-known Brazil nut, Bertkolettia exceha, and to the monkey pod, Lecytkis

elliptica a.nd Lecythis turyana.

June Bugs

Gardeners around the Canal Zone are being plagued these days with the com- mon "May beetles" or "June bugs."

Scientific name for the pests is Lachtwsterna sp. They are exceptionally abundant at

this season of the year and do most of their damage to plants in the early eve- ning—usually between six and seven

o'clock. Everyone is familiar with these beetles. Some of the smallest species are only a

quarter of an inch long; the more abundant and obvious kinds are the large, stout, lumbering beetles which come

blundering into lights at night.

Smart gardeners can turn the bugs'

affinity for lights to the beetles' undoing.

One method of combating the pests is to place a large container of water with a

film of oil on it under a suspended light

in the garden.

The insects are attracted to the light,

fall into the water and are drowned.

Chlordane or arsenate of lead sprayed

on plants that are being eaten by the

beetles isjalso effective in destroying the June bugs.

Have you noticed you'Ne been eating potatoes lately? Some people in the United States haven't, yon know.

rhe papers said so, and radio newscasts, and so did Isthmians who were visiting theret Commissary customers ate potatoes all through the shortage in the United States, thanks to one of the Division's purchasing

agents in New York. He sounded the warning that sent an

order flying that kept potatoes in Commissary bins right through it all. "^'ou don't ha\e to pat him or the Comniissar>- Division on the back for their

loresight. That's their business—keeping potatoes on your table—and beans and rice and

butter and all the staples it takes to keep Canal people full and happy.

.\nd, at times, that business has been

harder than it was during the potato shortage.

.\bout two months ago the purchasing

agent in .\ew York told Commissary- Di\ision people on the Isthmus that soon there

j list weren 't going to be very many potatoes

despite the surpluses of a short time back

when they were being burned and gi\en away. So the people on the Isthmus issued pur- chase authorities for a longer advance period than usual. True to the agent's prediction potatoes

got shorter and shorter in the Ignited States. News stories and letters from people who

were there told about black markets, tie-in

sales, and other marks of a real shortage.

.\t the same time on the Isthmus there were more potatoes than usual in the cold storage warehouse—because of foresighted

orders. The potato situation wasn't always so rosy with the Commissary Division. On a

recent Friday night less than a day's supply

of the old crop of potatoes remained in the warehouse.

But, come Monday and another Panama

Line ship, there were more potatoes—from

the first of the new crop in the United States. The new potatoes went out to the retail stores that night and were on sale when the

Commissary doors opened Tuesday- morning.

Price controls had been remo\ed in the meantime and with a lot of buyers bidding

for the short supplies the new potato crop

entered the market at two cents a pound

more than the old crop. But potatoes are one of those staples the Commissary Division considers a necessity

for its customers and the new potatoes were

purchased—e\en if they did cost more.

.So it goes—with potatoes and all the other

staples stocked by Canal commissaries. The recent potato problem was comparatively easy as far as "stock protection" was

concerned. Things are not so simple when

transport workers go out on wild-cat strikes, without letting the Commissary Division in on their plans, leaving Commissary goods

stranded on piers or in railroad cars, for instance. Or, for really rough times, there were the war days when trainloads of merchandise for the Commissaries were headed for one port, only to ha\e that port closed because of a submarine threat on one of the ocean lanes. But there ha\e been few times when the Commissary Division didn't manage to find some goods some place and some means to get it to the stores and customers in the Canal Zone—the routine and important job

that goes on day in and day out and year in and \ear out to keep food available for Canal people.

Many Commissary customers may not know that the Balboa and Margarita ComA_C;,( missaries sell a complete line of S nnl'pq'"^''*'^ colors in tubes and the most

"" generally used types and sizes of brushes. .Although the supplies are suitable for use by the best artists, salesclerks will not insist that you present a sample of your work to buy them. The supplies can be put to good use by a

lot of nonartists who dabble only in handicraft and home decorating as well as the

potential Raphaels in the arty set. Learning

to paint can be fun, too, regardless of age or

lack of previous experience.

Past Fiscal Year Crowded With Records Of

Greatest Significance In Canal's History

iCmtinucd from page I) initiated more than

$680,000 worth of such work. Other major projects of the Maintenance Division during the year was the

installation of the interceptor sewer line

in Balboa on which over $480,000 was

spent during the past year. Part of this was contract work carried over from the previous fiscal year. The installation of the main 72-inch sewer line has been completed but some collector sewers are still to be installed. In addition, this division had an appropriation of .$.301,000 for its street improvement program. Another major improvement project

which was carried forward dtu-ing the year was the renewal of the electrical facilities of the Canal Locks. This work is being

done by the Canal forces. Panama Purchases Increased

Of special interest in the Republic of Panama was the great increase in the amount of local products purchased by

the Canal agencies during the past fiscal year. The final figures on these are not

available but the total will be far higher

than any year in the Canal's history.

There were few units of any major size which were not affected by the big events

in the Canal Zone during the past year. Some of the others of these were: The Health Bureau in which a major

program of consolidation was carried forward. This included the consolidation of dispensaries, major improvements in the

facilities and services at Gorgas Hospital,

and the completion of arrangements to purchase the Health Bureau's drug and

medical supplies through the Army, which

is expected to result in substantial economies.

Some of the major changes in the Community Services Bureau were the various consolidations accomplished in the Housing and the Clubhouse Divisions. The former "housing areas" were re- arranged and consolidated, and the Clubhouse Division carried forward a contin- uous program of consolidation of its

facilities. One of the events of the past year which

attracted much attention locally was the

transfer of approximately 100 acres of land from the Corozal Army reservation

to the Canal for its housing program. Among the year's occurrences in the

Canal's organization in the United States was the transfer of the procurement ser- vices from the Washington Office to the New York Office.

A party of officials from the Canal Zone

and Panama drove across the Isthmus and

back on the trans-Isthmian highway ten years ago. The round trip from Madden

Dam to Colon took three hours and 10 minutes. Both lanes of the highway,

from Randolph Road to Madden Dam,

had been completed late in May.
14 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW July 4, 1952

JULY

5th Track Foremen, Xo. 2741, Balboa B & B Shops.

6th—VFW Post \o, 3857, VeXvrans Cliil. Cristobal, a. m.

7th Postal Employees, No. 23160, Bal- boa Loilyc Hall. 7:,?0 p. m. Pedro Miguel Civic Council, I jiion Chiirfh, 7 p. til. Cristobal-Margarita Civic Council,

Margarita CUibhoiisc, 7:,?0 p. ni. VFW Post No. 727, Fort Clayton, 7:M)

p. 111. \'FW Post No. .?822, Ciiriiiifki Road,

7:.i() p. 111. American Legion I'osl \o. ,? Gatini

7:30 p. Til. 8th—Electrical Workers, No. 397, W'irz Memorial, 7:30 p. m. VFW Post No. 100. Old Bo\- Scout

Building. Cristobal, 7:30 p. m. American Legion Post No. 7, Fort Cla\ - Ion. 7:30 p. in. American Legion Auxiliary No. 1, Bal- boa, 7:.^0 p. 111. 9th—Carpenters, No. 013, Balboa LodgeHall, 7:30 p. Ml. Pacific Civic Council, Brjard Room,

.\dniiiiistratioii Building, 7:30 p. in. American Legion Post No. 2, Cristobal, 7:30 p. m. nth Blacksmiths No. 400, with Boiler- makers .\o. 463 and 471, Margarita

K. of C. Hall, 7:30 p. m. 13th— Pipefitters, Margarita Clubhouse,

0:30 a.m. Sheetmetal Workers, No. 1.S7, Balboa

Clubhouse, 0:30 a. in. Plumbers, No. 606, Margarita K. of C

Hall, 0:,?() a. ill. 14th— Machinists No. 699, Margarita K

of C. Hall, 7 -JO p. m. American Legion Post No. 1, Balboa

7:30 p.m.

15th Operating Engineers, No. 595, Margarita K. of C. Hall, 7 p. m. Machinists .\o. 811, Balboa Lodge Hall

7:,?0p. 111. 16th—AFGE No. 14, Balboa Clubhouse

7:30 p. m. .\merican Legion Auxiliary No. 3, Gatun. 7:,^0 p. in.

17th—American Legion Auxiliary No. 6, Gamboa, 7:30 p. m. 20th—CLU-MTC, Margarita Clubhou.se, 8:30 a. m. 21st—Electrical Workers, No. 677, Gatun

M.isonic Temple, 7:30 p. m. Truck Drivers, Balboa Lodge Hall, 7:30

p. m. 22d—Operating Engineers, No. 595, Ballioa Lodge Hall, 7 p. m. \FW Post No. 100, Old Boy Scotit Building, Crisiolial, 7:30 p. m. American Legion, Post No. 7, Fort

Cla\ ton. 7:30 p. in. Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, \o. 06, KIks' Club, Margarita,

7 p. m. 23d—AFGE No. 88, Margarita Clubhou.sc, 7:30 p. m. American Legion Auxiliary No. 2, Cristobal, 7:30 p. in. 24th—Governor-Employee Conference,

BoarrI Room, .Administration Building,

2 p. 111. 28th—Machinists No. 699, Margarita K.

of C. Hall. 7:,W p. m. VFW Auxiliary, Curundu Road. 7:30

p. 111. AUGUST

1st—American Legion Post No. 6, Gamboa, 7:,iO p. 111.

July Sailings

From Cristobal

Panama July 4 Cristobal July 11 Ancon July 18 Panama July 25 From New York

Cridobal _ July 2 Ancon . Juty 9 Panama July 16

Cristobal July 23

PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

May 15 Through June 15

The following list contains the names of those V. S.-rate employees who were transferred from one division to another (unless the work is administrative) or from one type

of work to another. It does not contain within-grade promotions or regradings. ADMINI.STRATIVE BRANCH

Francis E. Reardon, from Clerk, Housing Division, to File Clerk, Records

Section. Mrs. Delia L. Hancock, from File Clerk

to Clerk-t\pist, Recrjrds Section. Louis L. Moolchan, from Mail Clerk to

File Clerk, Records .Section. CIVIL AFEAIR,S BUREAU

William J. Cozens, HI, from Policeman,

Police Division, to Postal Clerk, Postal

Service. Barry H. Kenealy, from Fireman to

I'oliceinan. Fred H. Lee, from Cash .\ccouiitiiig Uerk, Electrical Division, to Postal Clerk, Postal .Service. Fred A. Durling, Jr., from File Clerk. Personnel Records Division, to Postal Clerk. Postal Service. Mrs. Josephine E. Hiltv, from Cash

-Accounting Clerk, Industrial Bureau, to Clerk-stenographer, Police Di\isioii. Mrs. Mary E. Soper, Mrs. Marguerite

F. Little, from High School Teacher to Substitute Teacher, Schools Di\ision.

J. D. Barnes, from Securitv Guard, Locks Division, to Postal Clerk, Postal

Service. John M. Walker, HI, from Fireman,

tire Division, to Postal Clerk, Postal

Service.

ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

Richard J. Mahoney, from Principal

Foreman, Maintenance Division, to Construction Inspector, Contract and Inspection Di\ision.

Riiben D. Arosemena, from Land.scape

.\rchitect. Grounds Maintenance Division,

to Landscape .Architect, Engineering Division. Carmine Ammirati, from Brickkuer,

Plasterer, and Tileselter, to Tilese'tter Leader and Brickkuer Leader, Maintenance

Division. Leslie O. Anderson, from Carpenter

Foreman, Maintenance Llivision, to Construction Inspector, Contract and Inspection T)ivisioii. Robert H. Turner, from P'iltration Plant Operator to Mechanic, Maintenance,

Construction Equipment, Maintenance Division. Albert Saarinen, from Lock Operator

W'ireman, Pacific Locks, to Construction

Inspector, Contract and Inspection Division. Frank L. Cunningham, from Foreman

to General Foreman, Electrical Division. Mai L. Dodson, from Cablesplicer Leader to Foreman, Electrical Di\isioii. Theodore W. Schmidt, from \\i reman

to Electrician Operator-Foreman, Electrical Division. James G. F. Trimble, from Wireman,

Electrical Division, to Electrical Construction Inspector, Contract and Inspection

Di\ision.

Calvin R. Groves, from Traffic Clerk, Terminals Division, to Construction In- spector, Contract and Inspection Division.

Employees who observed important anni-

\ersaries during the month of June are listed alphabetically below. The number of years

includes all Government service, with the Canal or other agencies. Tho.se with con- tinuous service with the Canal are indicated with (*). 30 Years Howard C. Anderson, Carman Leading- man, Railroads Division. Arba E. Beck, Superintendent, Terminals

1 li\ Ision. William B. Hall, Mechanical Super-

\-isor, Locks Dix ision. *Percy L. Hooper, Fireman, Fire T:)ivi- sioii. Agnew C. Jones, Towboat Master, Dredging Di\ision. Merrill A. Stutzman, Land Inspector, Community Ser\ ices Bureau.

25 Years *Rodney B. Ely, Chief, Sur\eys Branch. Juan Hidalgo, Signalinan, Navigation

Di\ision.

*Frank R. Mauldin, Power Dispatcher,

Electrical Di\isioii. Eugene K. Willett, Maintenance Mechanic, Health Bureau.

20 Years Walter F. Allen, Truck Dri\ er. Motor

Transportation l)i\ision. Samuel Cohen, Payroll Clerk, Payroll

Di\ision.

Herman H. Keepers, Electrical .Assist- ant, .Aids to Na\igation.

15 Years

*Robert A. Allan, Pilot, Navigation

Division. Robert H. Bartram, Machinist, Industrial Bureau. Charles E. Belden, .Accountant, Finance

Bureau. Joaquin Benavides, Medical Technician, Health Bureau. Russell E. Hellmund, Postal Clerk,

Ci\il .Affairs Bureau. *Henry J. McElhone, Jr., Planning

Estimator, Industrial Bureau. Thomas F. Roth, Jr., .Accountant, Fi- nance Bureau. James Turner, Postal Clerk, Ci\il

.Affairs Bureau.

Mrs. Cornelia B. Laurie, from Clerkt\pist, Finance Bureau, to Clerk-typist,

Electrical Dixision. Gilbert C. Foster, from Blacksmith to Principal Foreman, Maintenance Division. HEALTH BUREAU

Mrs. Mary A. Hale, from .Nurse, Gorgas

Hospital, to Staff Nurse, Corozal Hospital. Mrs. Marie B. McNeff, from Staff Nurse to Nurse Supervisor, Corozal Hospital. INDUSTRIAL BUREAU

Robert M. Bright, from Fiscal .Accounting Clerk to Go\erii mental .Accountant,

Industrial Bureau. MARINE BUREAU

Loring C. Cooper, from Rigger, Industrial Bureau, to Foreman, Pipeline Suction Dredge, Dredging Division. James P. O'Brien, from Steam Engineer,

Floating Crane, to Engineer, Pipeline Suction Dredge, Dredging Division. Loy E. Bates, Sr.," from Engineer, Pipeline Suction Dredge to Chief Towboat

Engineer, Dredging 'Di\isioii. Hugh C. Christie, from Lock Operator

Machinist, Pacific Locks, to Lock Operator

Machinist, .Atlantic Locks. Alfred D. Heinselman, from Policeman,

Police l)i\ision, to .Sergeant, Locks Securit\- Force. Pacific Locks. Wade V. Carter, from Junior Foreman,

Dredging Division, Ferry Service, to Securit>' Patrolman, Pacific Locks. William G. Monroe, from Guard, In- dustrial Bureau, to Securitv Patrolman,

Pacific Locks. Clyde W. Blosser, from Lock Operator

W'ireman, .Atlantic Locks, (See page ij)
July 4, 1952 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 15

PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

(Continued from page r.f) to Lock Operator

\Vireman, Pacific Locks. Max W. Douty, from Wireman, Electrical Division, to Lock Operator Wireman,

Pacitic Locks. Clifford F. Allen, from Steam Engineer,

Fkiating Crane to FJipper Dredge Engineer,

Dredging Di\'ision. William Black, from Electrical Supervisor to .Assistant Superintendent, Pacific Locks. Vernon C. Whitehead, from Pilot-in- Training to Probationary Pilot, Navigation

Division. Duane L. Bennett, from Policeman,

Police Division, to Security Patrolman.

Pacific Locks. William V. Butler, from Wireman,

Electrical Division, to Lock Operator Wire- man, Locks Disision. William F. Mornhinweg, Jr., from Lockmaster to Electrical Supervisor, Pacific Locks. Clarence Jacobson, from Lock Operator

Wireman Leader to Lockmaster, Pacific Locks. William F. Young, from Control House

Operator to Lockmaster, Pacific Locks. Bernice A. Herring, from Dipper

Dredge Mate to Dipper Dredge Operator,

Dredging Division. Julian O. Russell, from Pump Operator

to Drill Runner, Dredging Division., Captain Marvin J. West, from Chief, Navigation Di\ision, to Marine Director. Captain William S. Parsons, from

Cristobal Port Captain to Chief, Navigation

Division. Alton E. Jones, from Chief Towboat

Engineer to Senior Chief Towboat Engineer,

Navigation Division. RAILROAD AND TERMINALS BUREAU

Edward J. Dignam, from Foreman,

Grounds Maintejuince Division, to Fore- man, Terminals Di\ ision. Fred E. Campbell, from Wood and

Steel Carman to Car Inspector, Railroad

Division. John G. McKenna, from Foreman Crib- tender and Steam Engineer to Assistant

Relief Marine Bunkering Foreman, I'ermi- nals Di\ision.

Henry E. May, Jr., from Ganger, Division of Storehouses, to Ganger and Crib- tender Foreman, Terminals Division. SUPPLY AND .SERVICE BUREAU

Noel F. McGinn, from Lifeguard, Schools Di\ision, to Storekeeper, Division

of Storehouses. Oliver H. Erdman, from Heavy Truck

Driver and Tire Rebuilder to Supervisor, Tire Reclaiming Plant, Motiir Transportation Division. Walter H. Hobby, from Painter, Body,

and Layerout Repairman, to Supervisor,

Body Repair .Shop, .Ancon, Motor Transportati(jn 1 )i\'ision. Wilson H. Waldron, from Painter, Body

and Layerout Repairman, to Supervisor,

Body Repair Shop, Cristobal, Motor Transportation Division.

RETIREMENTS IN JUNE

Employees who retired at the end of June,

their birthplaces, titles, length of service at retirement and their future addresses are' Robert I. Barnes, New Jersey; Manager,

Camp Bierd Commissary, 36 years, 5 months and 26 days; Florida. Edward P. Donner, Pennsylvania; Fire- man, Fire Division; 33 years, 4 months and

25 days; Canal Zone for present. William B. Hall, Ohio; Mechanical Supervisor, Locks Division; 27 years, 10 months and 16 days; Canal Zone at present. Francis F. Hargy, Ohio; Administrative

Assistant. Marine Bureau; 32 years, 6 months and 14 days; plans indefinite. James R. Hawkes, Maine; Clerk, Locks

Division; 9 years, 3 months and 16 days; Canal Zone for present. William R. Howe, New York; OperatorMechanic, Terminals Division; 38 years, 10 days; California. Alba D. Hutchings, Alabama; Iron- worker Foreman, Maintenance Division; 37

years, 11 months and 1 day; Panama. William T. Johnston, Pennsylvania;

Ferryboat Captain, Dredging Division; 32

years, 3 months and 26 days; Corry, Pa. Isaiah A. MacKenzie; Ontario, Canada;

Program For Canal Zone Girl Scouting Covers Range Of Year-Round Activities

[Coniinueil from page ^) for record and

publicity purposes, and the handbook rec- ord books and other useful material which

goes to every troop. Covers Training Expenses

In addition, the Community Chest

funds must cover such training expenses

as that of converting the national pro- gram for use in the tro]3ics, the rental of training films and the mimeographing of training material. Salary for the Girl Scout part-time

clerks comes out of this money, as does one of the Scouts' least known expenses,

insurance. The local Girl Scout Council

carries a special liability insurance which

covers every member of the council against any possible suit for negligence,

and the girls are covered by insurance when they make special trips of any sort. For some years Girl Scouting in the Canal Zone was administered by two

councils, one at Cristobal and one in Balboa.

Several years ago the two councils combined in order to provide better profes- sional help and training for leadership.

The council office is in Balboa. It was moved recently from its old headijuarters

in the Balboa elementary school to its new location in the old Balboa dispensary

building.

The president of the Canal Zone Girl Scout Council is Mrs. Stanley Hamilton

of New Cristobal who is serving her second one-year term. Mrs. J. A. Bial- owski of Coco Solito is vice president for the Atlantic side and Mrs. M. D. Monagan of Curundu is the Pacific side vice president.

Home Grown Doctor

Interns at Gorgas

Ml:- \i \l;; I \ I |u\

Miss Mary Patton, a graduate of the Pratt Institute of Fine and Applied Arts and of New York University, is the Girl Scout Executive in the Canal Zone. She

took her Girl Scout training in New York

and has been here since October 1949. Celebrated 40th Anniversary

One of the high spots of this past year

for the Girl Scouts was the celebration in March of the foi'tieth anniversary of the founding of the national organization. It was observed locally by a large rally on

the steps of the Administration Building.

But, aside from the high spots, like summer camps and fortieth anniversaries,

Police Officer, Cristobal; 27 years and 23 days; plans uncertain. Esbon S. MacSparran, Rhode Island; Superintendent, Terminals Division; 42

years, 2 months and 6 davs, Takoma Park,

Md.

Dr. Charles F. Lester was born in Gorgas Hospital and is now back in his birthplace literally -for his internship,

following his graduation from Yale Medical School. His wife, the former Hilda J. Hinz, is also a Canal Zone girl grown up, although

she was born in Panama Hospital. She

has just obtained a master's degree in music - majoring in organ -from Yale

University. Dr. Lester is the son of Charles Lester, Chief of the U. S.-rate Records Branch of the Personnel Bureau, and Mrs. Lester. The young doctor's wife is the daughter

of C. L. Hinz, Postmaster at the Balboa

Heights Post Office just across the hall from the Personnel Bureau, and Mrs. Hinz.

Both Dr. and Mrs. Lester attended Balboa Elementary and High Schools. He

was also graduated from the Canal Zone

Junior College, and obtained a B. A. from

the University of Oklahoma before entering medical school. His wife was graduated from Oberlin

College before entering the Yale University Graduate School. Dr. Lester already has considerable Canal service, having worked several summers as a student assistant, substitute

teacher, clerk, and medical technician. His

wife is well known locally for her musical

abilities, having served as organist on the Isthmus on many occasions.

what do the Girl Scouts do all year? Here

are a few things which keep them busy:

Every troop is the girls' own club, for which she works and plans. And through

her program activities she learns what

skills and talents she may have and how

to use them, how she may be of service

to her community and how she can foster international friend.ship. At Easter time the Brownies of Pedro

Miguel made baskets for the children in Gorgas Hospital's tuberculosis ward. At

Christmas time every scout troop had a

special project to help someone less for- tunate than they.

More recently the senior troop in Cur- undu ran a child care center during the Army's disaster control exercises, "Operation Jackpot." And this month a number of the seniors are working as volunteer program aides for the Brownie day-camp

at Diablo Heights.
16 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW July 4, 1952

New Governor Spends Busy Month

Seeing Canal Zone Jobs And People

Villages Antedating Settlement Of U. S.

Lie Buried Under Waters Of Gatun Lake

THE LITTLE LEVERS which open and close the giant gates and val\es of Gatun Loclis are ex- plained to Governor Seybold by B. G. Tydeman (right), Control House Operator, while Captain Marvin

J. West (left), the new Marine Director looks on. The picture above was taken during one of the many

field trips Governor Seybold has taken to Canal installations all over the Canal Zone since his arrival

early last month.

Few, if any, employees could claim they were busier last month than Governor

John S. Seybold.

Since the time he and Mrs. Seybold

stepped from the Panama liner Panama

on the morning of June 9, his office hours

and many hours every day after offices closed have been filled with activity.

His first four-week period will be cli- maxed by an address at the Independence

Day patriotic exercises to be held at 3 :30 o'clock in the afternoon of July Fourth at Balboa Stadium. He also plans to attend

the annual Fourth of July party of the American Society of Panama which will be held this year at Panama Golf Club. Governor Seybold did not take long to get out into the field and see the installa- tions of the Canal and its auxiliary

activities. A series of field trips was begun

the second week after his arrival and has now included all of the major installations. Atlantic Side Visits Three mornings of the week of June

16-20 were spent on the Atlantic side. He

began inspections of installations on the

Pacific side to learn the work and to be- come acquainted with the men and women on the jobs during the following week. His first visits on the Pacific side were made to the three principal hospitals on Tuesday, June 25, accompanied

by Maj. Gen. George W. Rice, Health

Director, who was to leave the Isthmus

the following day.

The Go\ernor was accompanied on all of his trips by the Bureau Directors who

have supervision of the particular instal- lations he was visiting.

Among the Atlantic side installations and work he visited were the Commissary

Division's plant at Mount Hope; Mindi

Dairy; the Printing Plant; the Cristobal

piers and other installations of the Railroad and Terminals Bureau; the Industrial Bureau shops; quarters; Commissary

retail stores; Clubhouses; Police and Fire

Stations; Hotel Washington; Storehouses; Gatun Locks; post offices; and Colon

Hospital.

Other Field Trips

Other field trips during the past three weeks have taken him to the principal

installations or work of the Pacific side. These have included Madden Dam; the Dredging Division; Miraflores Filtration Plant; Sosa Hill Quarry; the Reproduction

Plant at Diablo Heights; the Tank Farms

and Oil Handling Plants; Postal, Customs,

and Immigration Division work; Hotel

Tivoli; quarters and Clubhouses; and the Canal Zone Experiment Gaixlens. He also paid a visit to the United States

District Court during the course of his orientation trips. Governor Seybold's first day on the Isthmus was one of the busiest. He and

Mrs. Seybold were met at shipside by

members of his stafi' and their wives and

representatives of the United States Embassy. They were greeted at Balboa

Heights Railroad Station by high Army,

Navy, and Air Force officials. Governor Meets Press The Governor held an informal press conference on the afternoon of his arrival

in the Board Room of the Administration

Building. This was attended by one of the largest gatherings of press and radio representatives ever to attend such a conference in recent years. His first day in the Canal Zone was completed with an

address at welcoming ceremonies held that night in Balboa Stadium for him and

Mrs. Seybold.

When Governor and Mrs. Seybold

arrived here last month it was their first glimpse of the Isthmus in more than 25

iCuntinu^d from pag; 6) French days, and f^Ji during the American occupation has is>|

been a small canal village. g;

Across the Chagres river from San oi|

Pablo is Caimito, one of the names i^l

ft)und on Esquemeling's map. It was a -jI canal labor camp in the French time and ol

also under the Americans until the work *|

at that point was finished. Of this class I also is Mamei, likewise a railroad station

in 1862, and little more than that today,

although it was the location of several quarters for Canal workers a few years

ago.Gorgona bears the name given by

Pizarro to an island off the coast of Colombia, because he found around it such treacherous currents. It may be

that this name was adopted arbitrarily, or that the Chagres River travellers found in the river at this place some

eddies which reminded them of the currents off Gorgona Island. Of this place Otis says: "The native town of Gorgona was noted in the earlier days of the river travel as the place

where the wet and jaded traveller was

accustomed to worry out the night on a

rawhide, exposed to the insects and the

rain and in the morning if he was fortu- nate regale himself on jerked beef and

plantains." In the French time large shops were

situated here, at the point where the American shops now are, known as Bas

Matachin. At the time of the first Canal Zone

census in 1908 its inhabitants numbered

1,065 whites, 1,646 blacks and 39 Chinese, a total of 2,750. The population has increased owing

to the expansion of the shops, and the lower parts of the village will be covered by the waters of Gatun Lake and, therefore, the shops will be moved in about a

year to the site reserved for the permanent machine shops in Balboa.

New Port Captain

C.\PT.\L\ HORATIO \. LINCOLN, U. S. N.,

is the new Balboa Port Captain. He came to the Canal Zone from San Francisco, where he has been

on duty with the Military Sea Transportation Service. He arrived on the Isthmus June 21, accompanied by

his wife, their 16-year-old son, Robert A., and daughter, Susan B., 11.

years. They had lived for three years—

1922 to 1925—at Corozal when he was on duty there as a Lieutenant in the Corps

of Engineers.