Vol. 8, No. 3 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, OCTOBER 4, 1957 5 cents

Gift ofthe Panama Canal Museum k
100,000th

October 10, 1938 150,000th

April 26, 1951

200,000th

Some merchant .ship perhaps in Canal

waters today or not many miles from one

of its terminal ports -will notch another

significant mark in the Panama Canal's

record of service to the maritime world. The vessel, stil! to he determined at the time this issue of TiiK Rf.vikw was closed,

will make the 200,0l)0th transit of the wa- terway by ocean-going commercial ships. Marine Bureau officials were counting

transits, one by one, during thie latter part of last month and by September 25

it appeared certain tliat the Ship of Distinction would be ready for transit by today or by Monday at the latest. The exact ship will not be known until the transit schedules are prepared the night before the 200,000th transit is made. The master of the vesel will be pre- sented with a certificate signed by Governor Potter and Capt. Warner S. Rodi- mon, Marines Director, as a token of th^

.ship's numerical distinction. The cere- mony will b held when the ship arrives

Tramp or Ocean Queen?

at Miraflores Locks, whether northbound

or southbound.

Acting Governor Hugh M. Arnold is planning to be present when the certifi- cate is presented, as will other Canal

officials and representatives of the ship- ping agency handlinf; the vessel locally. This will be the third such certificate awarded by the Canal authorities, ships making the 100,000th and 1,50,000th

transits having been similarly honored. The first certificate was presenti'd to the S. S. Steel Exporter, of the Isthmian Steamship Line, on October 10, 1938, just 24 years after the Canal was opened, when

it made the 100,000th transit, with a load

of general cargo from Los Angeles to London. Winner of the ioO.OOOth transit certifi- cate was the S. S. Nevadan, intercoastal cargo ship of the American-Hawaiian Company. Its transit was made 13 years

later, on" April 2fj, 1951. The time intervals between the opening

of the ('anal and presentation of the three

certificates illustrat<' the rapid growth of commercial traffic in the past few years

since only six and a half years have elapsed

for the last 50,000 commercial transits to be made. Thus, one-fourth of all commercial shipping has moved through the Canal in one-seventh of the Canal's operating history.

If the present volume of (lanal traffic continues, the 250,000th transit will be made early in 1963, the year before the Canal reaches its 50th birthday. The Panama Canal has already compiled some formidable statistics since it was opened in August 1914.

In addition to the 200,000 ocean-going commercial ships which have gone through

the waterway, ()\er 05,000 other \'esse]s of ma!iy different sizes and categories have

been listed on its transit sheets. These

included, up to the end of the past fiscal year: 24,134 small commercial vessels; 41,707 U. S Government ships, all categories; and 941 vessels which transited

free. The latter included (N.r ikige is) New Civil Defense Control Center To Be Located At Balboa Heights

Final plans are now being drawn up by

the En;;ine3ring Division for a Civil Defense Control Center, which will be lo- cated in the Administration Building at

B:ill.o;i Heights. When the plans are

c mipletcd bids will be asked for construction of the center. Through the new Control Center, Governor Potter and his staff will be

able to communicate, during any time

of disaster or other emergency, with

rescue and operating units anywhere in the Canal Zone.

Plans for the new Control Center have

been approved by Lt. Gov. Hugh M.

Arnold, who represents the Governor as head of the Civil Defens? organization

here, and by the P'efleral Civil Defense

Administration in Battle Creek, Mich.

It will be one of two Control Centers for the Canal Zone. The other will be located on the Atlantic side as soon as a

building sit<! has been selected. The Control Center will be located in the basement of the Administration

Building between the restaurant and the seismogra[)h room used by the Meteorological and llydrographic Branch. It will contain the latest types of communications ('([uipment considered essential

in installations of this kind. The room

will be air-conditioned, have its own water supply and t<'lephone relays, with map, plotting, and status boards. Ordinarily such control centers are ecjuipped with facilities for feeding and

housing those who will be a.ssigned there and sanitary facilities are also provided, but these alreadv are available in the

location of the center. The Control Room has been designed

so that it could be occupied for several days, if necessary. It will have space

for operating personnel such as radio

anil switchboard operators and messengers, together with a Civil Defense administrative staff, the (iovernor, and

those of his lUireau Directors to whom

Civil Defense functions have been as- signed. From the new Center, the Governor

and his staff will be in constant contact

with the armed forces, as well as civilian contact points in the Canal Zone. The

Bureau Directors involved will he able to

control rehabilitation, rescue, and emergency repair work through a network of radio stations and relay i)oints.

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 4, 1957
60 Cycles

Less Than A Year

Away For Everyone

All homes in tho Canal Zone will lie using 6l)-cyclc electric current a war from now if the tentative operational plans for the Pacific area con\'ersion, submitted liy the contractor, materialize. The contract for the Pacific area conversion was awarded last month to the Consolidated International Electric Company, Inc., which has had extensive ex- perience in power conversion in Canada.

It has outlined plans to the Canal administration for doing the entire job in a six- month period, except for preliminaries and clean-up work.

Their program entails the purchase of

all parts and equipment needed for the

entire job and establishment of adequate

warehousing facilities before any conversion of equipment is begun. Officials of the firm believe that they can complete

the work within six months after actual equipment conversion begins. The tentative plan submitted calls for starting the conversion of equip- ment early next year, and no later than

next April. The Pacific area conversion must be scheduled to coordinate with other phases of the Power ConversionProgram

but no material delays are presently foreseen by Canal officials responsible

for the program. As in other area conversion programs,

the contractor will be required to submit

a detailed program and schedule for approval. When Consolidated Electric submits its firm schedule, the Canal administration will authorize a starting date after determining that the rate of conversion proposed will fit into the overall program. The principal factor in coordinating the

pow'er conversion program is the provision

of ample 60-cycle and 25-cycle current for equipment actually in operation for both

cycles. The precarious balance required in the generation of 60-cycle and 2.5-cycle while the conversion of equipment is in progress could easily be upset if the conversion of either generating or motive equipment

outspeeds the other.

Visits to Canal Zone hospitals were part of the schedule for members of the Board's Budget Committee, here lost month to study Dr. Isidore Folk's report.^ The Falk Report

Board Members hear an expert on health and hospitals

spection trips were made to various Health Bureau facilities. The consultant's report is expected to b3 used as a basis for developing a master

plan for the Zone's health ssrvices in future years. Governor Potter told a group of local newspaper representatives

after the Committee meetings that the report made quite evident the need to continue the operation of both Gorgas and Coco Solo Hospitals.

A look into the near and far future of the Canal Zone's health services and facilities was taken last month by members

of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Board of Directors. The Committee held a special meeting here to consider the preliminary

report of Dr. Isidore S. Falk, who has been employed for the past several months as a consultant on the future

health program.

Attending the meeting were Directors Ralph H. Cake, Committee Chairman,

Maj. Gen. Glen E. Edgerton and Robert

P. Burroughs, and W. M. Whitman, Secretary of the Panama Canal Company.

Dr. Falk was here ta discuss personally with the directors various phases of the

report. Aside from formal meetings, in-

*Shown here at Gorgas Hospital are, left to right: Maj. Robert Hughes, of the Hospital staff; Lt. Gov. H. M. Arnold; Col. C. 0. Bruce, Health Director; Robert P. Burrougb, a member of the Board, back to camera; Ralph H. Cake, also a Director; Governor

Potter; Maj. Gen. G. E. Edgerton, the third member

of the committee, back to camera; W. M, Whitman,

Secretary of the Panama Canal Company; and

Dr. Falk. Change of Command

Twenty-three years of service with the Canal Zone Police force was climaxed this week for B. A. Darden, right, when he was promoted to the rank of Major and named Chief of the Police Division. He

succeeds Maj. Rodger W. Griffith, left, who retired in September after three years in the top police post. Announcement of the change of com- mand was made last Monday to the

Police Division and to the public. The new Chief of the Police Division

is a native of Elliston, Fla., but grew up

in North Carolina. He joined the Canal Zone Police in August 1934, was made a sergeant in July

1941. In March 1943, he was promoted

to the rank of lieutenant and in July 1950, was made a captain. He and Mrs. Darden live in Ancon.

October 4, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW
GATUN NET YIELD

IN THOUSANDS CF-S. 0123456789 10 II

.. r

1890

» Water Supply Main Concern

Of Zone Weather Forecasters

Broadly speaking, Isthmian weather is about the easiest in the world to predict. During about eight months of the year

daily forecasts can read "partly cloudy

with showers." For the other months

you can nail it down with a "dry-hot-and- windy" prediction.

Specifically speaking, accurate weather

forecasts are ne.xt to impo.ssible here. When it comes to the actual when, where, and how much rainfall, there are no standard patterns for meteorologists to use in prognostications. Flooding rains have

occurred in the middle of a dry season and

long, dry spells are not uncommon in the rainy season.

Rainfall was four and a half inches above normal in August at the Pacific entrance of the Canal and nearly si.x inches abov'e normal at the Atlantic end. Yet, late in September the Gatun and Madden Lake levels were at record low

for that time of vear. These lesser vagaries of local weather

do not generally trouble W. H. Esslinger, the C^anal's Chief Hydrographer. He

and those responsible for the very heart

of the Canal's operations the water- way and electric power are principally concerned with water supply on a year- round basis. Their concern is understandable since the water supply has varied as much as 250 percent over the period of 67 years of meteorological and hydrographic records. The water supply is measured by "net

yield," which is the number of cubic feet of water which flows into (latun Lake

every second from its 1,2S0 .sciuare-mile drainage basin, less the amount of water

that is lost by evaporation from Gatun

Lake. The evaporation losses are considerable and may amount to as much as

five feet of water a year. The accompanying chart shows the annual net yield since 1890. The two

wettest years in this 67-vear period were

1909 and 1910 at the height of the Canal

construction. Net yield in both years exceeded 10,000 cubic feet a second. The

two driest years were in 1905, with a yield

of only .'3,752 and in 194S when net yield was down to 4,1 OS cubic feet a secjiid. Up to September of this year the net

yield of the Gatun drainage basin was

I,()(i2 cubic feet a second, as compared

with 2,522 up to that date in 194S, the previous most critical year in the Canal's water supply. As a result of this comparative dribble

of water this year, the Canal's water

supply is lower than ever before at this time of year. Madden Lake set new low

records in June, July, August, and Sep- tember, while the level of Gatun Lake

reached new low levels in July, August, and September, and tied its previous lowin June. The water level in the two I ikes are

directly related to net yield but the lake elevations are influenced by Canal traffic and power generation. This year traffic

h.is been at its highest which has heljjed

deplet<' the supply, but this has been

partly off'set by the generation of more

power by au.xiliary die.sel plants. Usually

the diesel plants are do.sed by the end of June but this year they have been operated at near capacity through Si-ptember.

.Since all these factors net yield,

Canal traffic, and power generation at the hydro plants are so important,

careful check is kept of the levels of both Gatun and Madden Lakes. The graph accompanying this article shows the paucity of water this year by

comparing the water levels for 1956, a wet year; 194S, the driest year since the Canal was opened; and this year. Both lakes are filled to the brim at the end of each rainy season, Gatun to the

s7-foot elevation and Madden to the 250-

foot elevation, or ta the top of its drum

gates. Normally, Madden Lake generally drops to about 215 feet and Gatun to about S3 feet by the end of each dry season, refilling to normal operating levels by July. This year, as in 194S, both lakes went

far below their usual dry-season levels and continued low. Although the lake was at its maximum

when the last dry season began this year

it was still well below the 194S level in September. This means that the water

yield must be at least average for the remainder of this rainy season to reach S7 feet bi'fore the coming dry se;ison begins. While it is possible that enough rain

will fall to fill both lakes before the New

Year comes around, no one would shy

further away from such a prediction than Mr. Esslinger and his as.sociates. Right now they are a.ssuming the gloomiest out- look and figuring on what must be done

to counterbalance low lake levels and a

possibly long dry season next year. Plans have already been made to meet such a contingency and to take a practical form of insurance against

futuri' long, dry seasons. The auxiliary plants will be used to the extent necessary beginning at the outset of each dry

season to conserve water for the Canal

operation. The diesel plant power generation can then be curtailed later if the water supply warrants. In the past the diesel plants were not operated until during the latter part of each dry

season, depenilent upon the available water supply and weather conditions. The Review was reminded last month

of the importance of Isthmian weather and that the water supply could po.ssibly be one of the big stories of this year and

next. The reminder was in the form of a

letter from George K. Matthew, the Chief Hydrographer for numy years. Mr. Matthew now lives in Apalachicola, Fla., but not even Florida sunshine

can diminish his interest in the Isthmian weather which he studie(i from I9I.S, when he began as an A.ssistant Meteorologist, until he retired five years ago as Chief Hydrographer.

In his letter, he recalled that he calcu- lated back in 1950 that the Canal was due

for an extremely dry year in 1955. His

calculation was ba.sed on dry and rainy

cycles which have been ex|)erienced since

ac<'urate weather records were ke|)t. The

Isthmian weather demonstrat<'d another

of its vagaries and the extremely dry year

has come two years later than he figured. Now that it has arrived, Mr. Matthew

predicts some bad times ahead. "In my opinion, based on previous rec- ords, the present period of minimum

rainfall and runoff has (Scr )ngf /.;)

•*JAN. 1 TO AUG. 31 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October A, 1957
Pan-American Highway

A Zonian's Report

The scenery along the highway in the Mexican mountain country is picturesqueThis photograph was taken near a village about 1 00 miles south oF Mexico City. An up-to-date, tirst hand report on the Pan Amc'rican Highway between Nogales, Arizona and Costa Rica its pitfalls, mudholes, and red tape entanglements —can

be obtained these days from (Jeorge Vieto, Panama Canal Traffic ( )fficer. Mr. Vieto, whose job it is to plan other

people's trips, made an on-the-spot investigation of the much-discuss?d new high- way this summer following an extensive automobile tour of the United States. Accompanied by his wife and tliree small cliildren, he drove his station wagon into Mexico at Nogales, Ariz., and

reached San Jose, Costa Rica, eleven days later. He had only oiil flat tire. Although the highway cannot be compared as yet to the New York State Thruway, the roads he travelled ranged from

excellent paved surface to passable dirt and hard top asphalt. There was only one section, a stretch of 150 miles from Mexico to Guatemala, where the car had

to be shipped In' rail. Except for one ten-mile stretch, all the roads in Mexico were hard top or asphalt

and, while several bridges were still to be completed on the west coast road, ade- quate provision had been made for fording the streams in the average car. It took the Vietos seven days to drive through Mexico, including a stop of two

days in Mexico City, where they obtained

the best over-night accommoilations of the trip. A'though they camped out in the United States, they found no suitable camping sites in Central America and de- cided it was more comfortable to stay in inns or motels at night. In Guatemala, where there was plenty

of mountain driving, 70 percent of the Pan American Highway is paved. El Salvador had all of its section asphalted, but in Honduras, the road had only a rough dirt surface on which work is being

started. Sixty percent of the highway

A Queen will be selected from these Five to reign at the bail at Hotel El Pa- nama November 8 to raise Funds Forihe new Pacific Side Teen Club. L. to R.:Rulh Thompson, Eleanor Stancock, Ann Haskel, Kathleen Cox and Marjorie Smith.

October 4, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

This is a section oF the road in Honduras north oF the Nicaraguan border. was completely paved in Nicaragua but

only half of the road from the border to San Jose was paved in Costa Rica. The Vieto family crossed Guatemala in two days, travelled through Salvador and Honduras in one day and drove from the Honduran border through Nicaragua to San Jose, Costa Rica, in another day. Courtesy was encountered all along

the road, Mr. Vieto said. But to get the most out of the Information that nearly everyone insists on giving, the traveller should have a knowledge of Spanish. The red tape cropped up a couple of times when the Vietos reached Nicaragua and Costa Rica and discovered that exit permits as well as entrance permits were

required. This regulation almost caused

a two-day delay in Nicaragua where Mr.

Vieto had to rush to a Managua permit

office five hours away before it closed. The Vietos are still a little puzzled over

the method used by Captain Peter Townsend, whom they encountered in Mexico,

in getting his car from San Jose to Pana- ma. Mr. Vieto said his family went as

far as they could overland and then

shipped their station wagon back to Bal- boa from Puntarenas. For those who have a yen to pack up

the familv, take the family car, and make

a similar junket through Central America, Mr. Vieto has several travel hints: Check

visas and permits before starting. Don't

carry a gun -it may cause trouble and the

traveller will not need it. Start with new

nvlon tires and take three jacks, two of the bumper and one of the scissors type. Make sure that the motor, transmission, and brakes are in good condition and it might be advisable to have heavier springs put on the car in the rear. Take along

f :od and water for a day's travel just in case -and, since service stations may be few and far between, a five gallon tin of gasoline may come in handv. (The Vietos

didn't need the extra gas in the wilds of Mexico, but did on the Los Angeles, California, Freeway.) Last but not least, it is a wise idea to get some good maps and a good automobile travel guide book since the highway

is not well marked and sometimes the motorist is reduced to asking directions from town to town.
FOR YOUR INTEREST AND GUIDANCE

LJbSg. LJ. PREVENTION

Interior Decorating Pays Off HO^OR ROLL

Bureau Award For BEST RKCORD

AUGUST

SUPPLY AND EMPLOYEE SERVICE BUREAU

ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

HEALTH BUREAU

CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Health 7

(Mvil Affairs 5 Enijineering and ('onstruction 4 Supply and Employee Service . 4 Marine 1 I'ransportation and Terminals

Have you been to the Storehouse in Balboa or Cristobal lately? Well, if you

want to see a good job of interior decorating in what was a dark and gloomy

warehouse, pay them a visit. You may

get some ideas on how to improve working conditions in your own unit. New

dii-ii-younelf metal shelving has been

purcha.sed unassembled and is being in- stalled by their own personnel.

In the old days clerks often used anything handy to reach the upper shelves, as the pictures above show. Some had

small, un.safe, wooden, step-ladders and many falls resulted from their u.se. Now

all a clerk has to do is to take a screw

driver and hack.saw^ and make his own

light, safe, step-ladder from una.s.sembled shelving units. The new decorative paint motive is in cheerful, bright, colors, which reflect more light and a contrast background

with the stock on the shelving. Eye

troubles have been cut because better seeing is possible W'ithout strain. Stair treads, risers, and railings have

be m painted in contrasting colors to pre- vent falls. Where stairs are wide, a third

railing has been added in the middle for safety. Shelving tiers and the areas be- tween have been given familiar .street names, so employees can find their way

arounfi more easily. All this new look adds up to "Good

Housekeeping" and "Accident Prevention." This has been reflected in the Storehouses' splendid safety record with no disihling injuries in the storehou.ses during 1956 and so far in 19.57. The

week of October 6 to 12 has been desig- nated as "Fire Prevention Week." What

better way to observe this than starting a clean-up in your own work area and at home.

NOW IS THE TIME TO IMPROVE

THE LOOKS OF WHERE YOU

WORK, NOT ONLY TO PREVENT

FIRES, BUT TO PREVENT ACCI- DENTS

Get proper first aid for any wound.

If you must give the treatment yourself, make it safe treatment with approved

antiseptics and sterile dressings.

Division Award For NO DISABLING INJURIES AUGUST

COMMISSARY AND SERVICE CENTER

HOSPITALS AND CLINICS MAINTENANCE DIVISION HOUSING AND GROUNDS DIVISION DREDGING DIVISION INDUSTRIAL DIVISION ELECTRICAL DIVISION MOTOR TRANSPORTATION DIVISION

FIRE DIVISION STOREHOUSE DIVISION POLICE DIVISION

AIDS TO NAVIGATION

SANITATION DIVISION AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Aids to Navigation .- 8 Electrical 8 Fire 8 Housing and Grounds 8 Sanitation 8 Dredging 7 Hospitals and Clinics 7 Maintenance 7 Motor Transportation.. 7 Storehouse 7 Industrial 6 Railroad _ 5

Police. . 5 Commissary and Service Center 5 Locks _ 2 Navigation 2 Terminals 1

AUGUST 1957

FREQUENCY RATE

5 1 li

Disabling injuries per 1,000,000 employeehours worked.

BUREAU ij I 10 1 ;.

Supply and Employee Service Bureau

Engineering and Construclion Bureau

Heallh Bureau

Civil Affairs Bureau

C. Z. Govl. -Panama Canal Co. (This Monlh I

IVIarine Bureau

Transporlalion and Terminals Bireau

N imher of Disabling Injuries

LEGEND

Ij . 1. '_' -:l,

'

' '.' '. ^ i

* M.0(- 3

, .l" 2S-3 , w 1 "••V i

^^^^M

\^W^^^5^"-y^^^"-~^"S;5SJN\>^^ 5 10 Mm Hours Worlied

I Frequency Rale Ibis n:onlh .:;: ;;v1 Accumulalive Frcqiirncv Rale this Calendar Year

i 195M955I956 Calendar Year Average

15

2,244.8(4

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 4, 1957
OF CURRENT AND FUTURE INTEREST

The battalion and company sponsors who

were elected last month by members of the Junior Reserve Officers Training - Corps

battalions «in Balboa and Cristobal _ High

Schools will make their first public appear- ance soon when the units hold their first re- views of the year. This event will take

place in Balboa October 9 with a review in honor of T. F. Hotz, Principal of the Balboa

Junior-Senior High School. The year's

first ROTC review in Cristobal will be held November i in honor of Paul Beck, Principal of the Cristobal Junior-Senior High

School. The Battalion sponsor in Balboa is Miss

Jackie Dunn. A similar position is held in Cristobal by Miss Virginia Kleefkins. Company sponsors in Balboa are Miss Sue Mable, Company A; Miss Joan Dimpfl, Company

C; and Miss Betty Crowe, Company B. In

Cristobal Company sponsors are Miss Steffie Beck, Company E; and Miss Arsillia Vinas, Company F. ^ Battalion Commanders this year are Cadet Lt. Col. Paul Bennett, of Balboa High

School, and Cadet Lt. Col. James A. Brooks,

of Cristobal.

After almost 10 months of operations, tin- Pacific Side Blood Bank had assets of 43

pints of blood on hand, when figures were

totaled up on September 6. During this period, which began November 23 when the operations of the Bank got underway, a total of 397 employees of the Company-Government donated a pint of blood apiece, and 354 patients benefited from their generosity.

Special mention was made of the Housing and Grounds Division, whose personnel supplied 37 donors; only 14 recipients from the Division required blood, leaving a healthy

surplus of 23 pints on hand. The Locks Division, with 35 donors, placed second, but 31 Division employees

received blood from the Bank, so that Division's surplus was reduced to four. In third place was the Aids to Navigation sec- tion of the ^L^rine Bureau, which contrib- uted 28 pints of blood, withdrew 20 and has

a credit for the remaining eight pints.

Work should be started soon on the extensive traffic control improvements which

will be installed at the intersection of Gorgas Road and Fourth of July Avenue in Ancon. The contract was awarded by the Panama

Canal Company late in September to the

contracting firm of Dillon and Hickman who

will start work on the project as soon as all equipment and supplies arrive from the United States. The new traffic control system will include the widening of Fourth of July Avenue

between Calle "H " and Calle "J", the in- stallation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic control signals, the construction of dual- purpose islands to control the movement of

Official PaDimi Caaal Companj Publication Published Moilblr At Balboa Hei(hts, C. Z. Printed by the Printing Plant, Mount Hope, Canal Zone

\V. E. Potter, Governor-President Hugh M. Arnold, Lieutenant Governor

VV. G. Arey, Jr., Public Information Officer

J. RuFUs Hardy, Editor Eleanor McIlhenny, Assistant Editor Eunice Richard, Editorial Assistant On iaie at all Panama Canal Service Centers. Commissaries, and Hotels for 10 days after publication date at 5 cents each. Subscriptions, $1 a year; mall and back copies, 10 cents each.

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

The annual GAO-Comptroller's Office golf tournament was a recent event. The GAO won. Shown here, I. to r.: L. K. Gerhardt, GAO; Philip L. Steeis, Jr., Complroller; Governoi Potter, and Paul M. Runnestrand, Executive Secretary.

vehicles and protect the safety of pedestrians, and the installation of modern mast- arm type street lights. The intersection has long been a center

of congestion and traffic delay. Experts believe that the improvements will expedite

the movement of approximately 13,000 vehicles and 15,000 pedestrians who use the

intersection daily.

the equipment and plant is to be transferred

to the Dredging Division, the sea-going tug Taboga is to be retained by the Marine

Bureau and will be used in the future by the Navigation Division for harbor work and in furnishing assistance to shipping in the Canal and adjacent waters.

For the past two weeks the school children from Santa Cruz who attend the Paraiso

school have been using a special railroad

shelter located on a high railroad embankment opposite the Paraiso High School. The shelter was built for those students who

formerly arrived at the school by bus and who are now riding the train free. It is 100 feet long, has a 60-foot long roof shelter, concrete walks, and stairs leading toward>

the school. The shelter was built through the combined efforts of the Maintenance Division and the Railroad Division, using the piggy- back method of transporting the concrete

for the floor of the station. The concrete

mixers, from which the cement was poured, were brought to the site on flatcars loaded

at the Balboa railroad yards. By making use of the train instead of busses, the school will be able to operate from 8:15 a. m. to 3:15 p. m. instead of from

9 a. m. to 4 p. m.

Two new physicians arrived from the

L'nited States during September—one for Gorgas Hospital and the other for Coco Solo

Hospital. They are Capt. C. \V. Hardwick, who will be attached to the general medical

staff at Gorgas Hospital, and Capt. Charles

F. .Abildgaard, pediatrician at Coco Solo

Hospital. Both come to the Canal Zone

from Fort Sam Houston, Tex.

rcjji

CIVIL DEFENSE

NEWS

OCTOBER VOLUNTEER CORPS MEETINGS

Plans for the merger of the Aids to Navigation Section with the Dredging Division which have been under study for several weeks will be implemented during the coming few weeks. The transfer of the clerical force is being made next week and other personnel and

functions will be transferred to the Dredging Division early in November. The merger is expected to result in considerable savings by combining several

facihties and functions of a like nature which are now being operated separately by

both units. This will permit the retirement

of some equipment and buildings now being used by the smaller unit. Both units now operate such shops and

handle such similar work as sand blasting, painting, motorboat engineer repairs, car- pentry, iron working and blacksmith shops, launch hull repairs, battery and electric shops. Both the Office of the Comptroller and

the Personnel Bureau are presently engaged

in studies of various personnel and accounting changes required in the merger. The Aids to Navigation Section is now a

unit of the Marine Bureau. While most of

Town Place Hot

Margarita and Service Center 9 a. m

New Cristobal Margarita Balboa USO-JWB 9 a. m

Rainbow City School 6:30 p Gamboa Civic Center 8:30 a

>anta Cruz, Parais Santa Cruz Sp.m

(Joint meetmg) Service Center Gatun Service Center 9 a. m

Diablo Service Center 9:30 a.

Plans are being completed for two nurses from Gorgas Hospital to attend the course on the handling of mass casualties to be

given this month at the Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, D. C. These nurses will give training classes in

this subject to members of the Civil Defense

Corps when they return. A new X'olunteer Corps manual has been

written and is being distributed to the Wardens of the volunteer services in the Canal Zone townsites. Mrs. Charlotte Kennedy, Volunteer Civil Defense Instructor is giving special training demonstrations in home protection and sanitation to the Civil Defense Volunteer Corps

of the Canal Zone Government.

October 4, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Approximately 50,000 handbooks and

circulars on various Civil Defense training and information subjects were distributed

in the Canal Zone military and civilian communities during National Civil Defense Week.
Scouting, exempliFied by this group of Canal Zone lads at a Jamboree, is supported by the United Fund. UNITED FUND

A new shirt catches ihe eyes of these youngslets of the Salvation Aimy, which never turns away anyone in need. Many Drives

In

Qne

Goal: $134,000

Starts: October 14
Each of the Canal Zone civilian lowns has its own Civic Council; their members are voted Into office each year.

Occupational therapy at Corozal Hospital is an activity of the United Fund. Volunteer workers help the patientsThe first United Fund drive in the Canal Zone's history gets under way October 14, to raise a" total of $1.34,000 for more diflFerent community services and

fund-raising organizations than ever

joined in a single campaign here. Although not all health, welfare, and

recreation agencies which depend on vol- untary giving can be included in this first campaign, its success will determine to a

large e.xtent whether other agencies may

join future drives. This year's United Fund includes all of the agencies formerly in the Community

Chest, together with: The American Red

Cross, The Canal Zone Committee for Aid to the Physically Handicapped; the

Atlantic Reli>;ious Workers Association,

the American Social Hygiene Association, the National Recreation Association, and

the International Social Ser\-ice. Final plans for the drive are now being completed by a committee headed by

Philip L. Steers, Jr., Campaign Chair- man. This group has worked closely with a committee on admissions headed by Judge Guthrie Crowe, a budget group headed by Rajonond Gordon, and a publicity committee headed by Maj. Frederick

F. Brent.

Gifts to the United Fund may be either

in cash or by pledge. Pledge cards will be provided by volunteer solicitors and payroll deductions, which can be in install- ments, can be authorized by the donors. Donors may designate the agencies to which they wish to gi\-e money. The

United Fund is pledged to see that every

cent so designated goes to the specified i recipient.

[ Zonians have considered a United Fund for several years. Last fall an

overwhelming majority indicated prefer- ence for a single drive by voting on a referendum included with Civic Council

ballots.

Sightseeing is in order when the Fleet ( Is here — a USO trip to Old Panama. I

Transportation for patients who need special treatment is provided by the Canal Zone's Red Cross chapter. This youngster is a physical therapy case.

The Summer Recreation Program pro- vides for such fun as swimming meets.
PAGES FROM THE

CANAVS HIST

THIS MONTH

His service dates back to 1906.

Chief Clerk In Haiti

Real Canal Veteran

Harold E. McDonald, Chief Clerk at the Port-au-Prince, Haiti, office of the Panama Line, has been with the Canal

orjjanization longer than almost anyone

else. Hi.s .')! years of continuous service he joined the Canal organization in February 1906 makes him second only to William Jump of the Industrial Division who rounded out 52 years last February. Born in Sav-la-Mar, Jamaica, his first job was as a law clerk on that island. He

came to the Isthmus during the early part

of the (onstruction period and in February 1 90fj became a messenger for the Pan- ama Railroad. Five months later he was made a clerk in the office of the General Manager of the Panama Railroad Company and Steamship Line. After the Panama Canal was opened in 1914, he moved across the Isthmus to the

Office of the Executive Secretary as a

clerk. The following year he was back

in Cristobal and on the staff of the Receiving and Forwarding Agency, predecessor of the present Terminals Division. He was transferred to the General

Agent's office in Port-au-Prince, Haiti,

in November I9IX, anti lias been there

ever since. In 1942, the Panama Line

ships were requisitioned for war service and the Haiti otlice was closed, but he remained in Port-au-Prince as the offi- cial representative of the Panama Line. When the Haiti office was reopened February 1, lO.i'l, he again took over the

duties of the Chief Clerk. Friends say he is in magnificent physical condition and can still outwork the

eight employees under his direction. His

vast knowledge of Haiti and especially of the .shipping business in that country is of inestimable value to the Panama Line. MEETING NOTICE

A meeting of the Pacific Civic Council, which represents the towns of Ancon,

Balboa, Diablo Heights and Los Rios, will be held October 9. Meeting place is the Board Room in the Balboa Heights Administration Building and the time is 7:30 p. m. The public is invited.

50 Years Ago

\ slide in Gaillard, then Culebra, Cut,

half a mile south of Gold Hill, began moving steadily toward the center of the excavation at the rate of about 14 feet a day, during the first two weeks of October,

')() years ago. Electric arc lights were

erected at the slide and work put on an

around-the-clock schedule. The official Canal Record predicted that the slide would not delay completion of the Canal. Almost three pages of the October 7, 1907, "Record" were devoted to the report made

hfl Miss Gertrude Befks to the Xational

Civic Federation after a trip to investigate working and living conditions in the Canal

Zone, together with answers by the Isthmian Canal Commission. For instance, in an- swer to her comment that there was a great need of additional family quarters and that single houses were more desirable than the four-families then being built, the Commission answered that "funds available would

not permit the construction of more family

quarters" and that the cost of building separate houses was 60 percent more than the

cost of four family houses. Plans were approved for the Obispo

diversion to the Chagres river. This was

to divert all of the water east of the Canal and north of the Continental Divide and

keep it out of the Canal prism where it was interfering with excavation. By the early part of October, women's

clubs had been organized in practically all of the Canal Zone's major towns. On October 12, representatives of the clubs met at the Tivoli to form the Canal Zone Federation

of Women's Clubs. The sea-going .suction dredge, Culebra, which was to be used at La Boca, sailed from Sparrow's Point, Md., October 9. Her long trip, around South .\merica, was

to take almost three months.

Insane patients, who had been kept at Miraflores hospital, were transferred late in October to the new wards at .[neon Hospital, where San .Juan Place is now located. 25 Years Ago

The oath of office was administered October 20 to the Canal Zone's new Governor, Col. Julian L. Schley. Administering the oath was Frank H. Wang, then

look into complaints that some Canal employees were holding down after-hours jobs in Panama which could be filled by

Panamanians. The Star a.n'd Herald

headlined this news: "Schley moves to protect Panama workers. Canal Zone

employees may be barred from engaging

in Labor in the Republic. Investigation ordered to determine if jobs held in Pana- ma by Zonians are depriving Panamanians

of work."

Isthmian visitors in October 19S2, in- cluded two well-known individuals. Humorist Will Rogers made a brief stop here on a flight to South America and evangelist Aimee Semple .McPherson was in port for

the day on a United Fruit Company cruise. The visit was her third. Chapter 14 of the American Federation

of Government Employees was formally organized with 14.3 paid members and 85

applicants. Its first president was C. H.

Frederick. 10 Years Ago

Panama's Foreign Minister, Dr. Ri- cardo J. Alfaro, appeared before the As- sembly to report on negotiations with the United States regarding defense sites. He said that the proposed 20-year oc- cupancy of Rio Hato was too long. On this side of Fourth of July Avenue,

the Canal administration announced that furniture would no longer be provided, free

of charge. Furniture rental was to start .January I, hut Zone householders had the opportunity of buying outright any of the furniture which was assigned to them. In accordance with President Tru- man's plan to conserNe food to feed hungry Europe, the Panama Canal club- houses and hotels announced that they would serve no meat on Tuesday and that eggs and poultry would not apjH'ar on Thursday menus.

Labor difficulties beset the Cristobal piers when stevedores staged a wildcat stay-away- from-work movement. The strike lasted

several days. Twenty-five employees of the Marine

and Dredging Division, including some who had alreadv retired, learned that they would collect a total of $125,()()() in hitherto unp;;id overtime. Awards ranged from an individual high of $5,909 to a low

of $()4:{.N0. The Isthmus was saddened by the death, October 18, ll)/,7, of Cleorge W. (Ireen, the Panama Canal's Municipal Engineer for

21! years. One Year Ago

During an eventful inimth: George

H. Roderick, Chairman of the Panama

(^anal Company Board of Directors, an- nounced a .5-cent an hour increa.se for

Incility rate einj loyees, to be effective .lanuary 1 this meant an increa.se of over

.fll ,()0(),0(M) a year for this group; four conil)anies offered group health insurance

proposals; the SS Panama was advertised

for sale or charter; and the purchase was

approved of two new-tyi)e towing devices,

to be built by Le Tourneau and u.sed at the Locks. CANAL REVIEW October 4, 1957
Thatcher Ferry

Has

A Birthday

Figures of almost astronomical pro- portions enter the picture when one talks about the Thatcher Ferry, which made

its first run across the Canal 25 years ago

last month. Between September 1, 1932, and the

ferry's twenty-fifth birthday on September 1, 1957, the Thatcher Ferry: Made a total of 1,129,862 single crossings. Carried 12,968,277 vehicles, and

Hauled 72,696,266 passengers across the Canal. Opening of the Thatcher Ferry and

Thatcher Highway w^as hailed with en- thusiasm 25 years ago. Local papers an- nounced that the new route cut travel time to the Interior by at least an hour. At first the two valiant little ferryboats, the President Roosevelt and the Presidetde Amador (both of which were built by the Mechanical -now Industrial - Division) worked only from 6 a. m. to 9 p. m. but

public demand was so great that on July 1, 1935, the ferry service was put on an around-the-clock basis. By 1942, what with wartime traffic, the

Almost 1 3,000,000 cars have crossed the Canal via the Thatcher Ferry.

ferries were running almost continuously, and during that fiscal year chalked up

their all-time high of 61,218 trips, on which they carried 992,198 vehicles and

5,943,845 passengers. After the opening of Miraflores

Bridge, ferry traffic fell off, but it has

gradually pulled up during the past few

years. The ferries now average over

5B,000 trips a year, and carry more than

600,000 vehicles and 4,000,000 passengers in a 12-month period. The two original ferries are still in service. They are relieved during overhaul

periods by their larger sister, the Presi- dente Porras which had once, as the Nassau, been on the New York- New

Jersev run. Interns Learn Hows And Whys Of Personnel

Within the next year to 18 months, five young men from the Panama Canal Company's Personnel Bureau are going to have a lot better idea than they do now of just exactly how and why their Bureau

operates. The five, William Young, Richard Conover, Ronald Seeley, Thomas Peterson, and Robert Jeffrey, have been selected

for a job rotation plan which will take each of them out of his own job and put

him, for a short time, into the job held by

each of the others. When they have finished this roundrobin tour, they will know not only what goes into the operations of such

Personnel Bureau units as Employment

and Utilization, Wage and Classifica- tion, Administration, Retirement, etc., but also the part the Personnel Bureau

plays in the overall operation of the Company-Government organization. The program, which began September

6, is part of the Company's on-the-job

training. Each of the young men is known as a Personnel Bureau intern. At their first meeting, the quintet heard

the Personnel Director discuss his phiPersonnel Bureau interns meet each week. Left to right are: Richard Conover,

T. C. Peterson, W. D. Young, and R. L. Seeley. Robert Jeffrey is the fifth intern.

October 4, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

losophy and concept of personnel administration and the role of his Bureau in Company-Government operations. During the second seminar, the trainees heard

the Chief of the Employment and Utili- zation Division explain the functions of that division and the coordination be- tween it and other Company-Govern- ment operating units. Later the interns will listen to more

explanations by the head of each of the Bureau's divisions, branches, and sections. Meantime the five interns take turns

in leading a portion of the weekly discus- sion sessions which are held every Friday

afternoon. One Friday, for instance, Mr. Young explained some of the work in- volved in his assignment with the Office

of the Personnel Director. He outlined some of the problems

this office encounters and showed the other four interns how these problems

are solved. After this, he presented sev- eral other problems of a similar nature and the four listeners were asked to come up with their own solutions. As the program is now arranged, the

activities of the Personnel Bureau will be covered in considerable detail in about

four months. After this, the seminars will include top management speakers from

the other Company-Government units.

Still later meetings will enable the in- terns to compare notes on their various

jobs and the problems connected there- with. In addition to the activity' reports and problem-saving assignments, the

trainees will engage in an extensive reading program in the field of personnel and public administration. This s?lected reading is designed to acquaint them with

the latest developments and results of research projects in the personnel field.
Graduate Development Interns: Canal Trainees

Joe P. Campos, Jr., left, and Norman L. Randall, Jr., are E & C Bureau inlerns. With the employment of three recent

college graduates -one of them a graduate

of Cristobal High School and the probable employment of two more within the next few months, the Canal organization has started a graduate-development in- tern program -the first internal training program of this sort f"r almost 10 years. The long range lesult of this program

will be to supplement promising young men already in the Canal service with young college graduates, trained in the new program, to provide a pool of future management talent for the CompanyGovernment organization. The first three of the Panama Canal

Compan.v's development interns are already on the job and plans are under- way to employ two more. The first of the three was .Joe P. Campos, Jr., a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor's Degree in Building Construction. He has been employed in the Engineering and Con.struction Bureau and initially assigned to the Maint<'nance Division. Second to arrive was Xorman L. Randall, Jr., also a native Floridian and a graduate of the University of Florida as an architect. He has been assigned to the Kngineering Division. The third of this year's trainees is Robert M. Blakely, Jr., son of Mr. and

.Mrs. Robert M. Blakely of Margarita. He has lived in the Canal Zone since he was six years old, graduated from Cristobal High School in in.')2, held a number

of summer jobs during school vacations, and now holds a degree in business administration from Baylor University. He has been employed by the Transportation and Terminals Bureau and assignerl to the Motor Transportation Division. The two other interns planned for this year will be for the Supply and Kmployee Service Bureau and the Transportion and Terminals Bureau. The graduate-development intern pro- gram, which is a modernized version of one followed more than 20 years ago by

the Canal organization, began to develop

several months ago. It envisages a five- year plan, during which four to six young

men will be employed as development

interns each year. As a first step in this plan, letters were

sent to a large number of United States

colleges and universities. As a result of these letters, over three dozen applicants

indicated their interest. No guarantees were made to the appli- cants for the future. Each was told that

the opportunities for advancement would

be based on ability shown during the two- year training period and on opportunities

available when the training is finished. A special program is being worked out

for each trainee by a committee from

his emplo.ving bureau. Typical of these

is that planned for Mr. Campos.

As an Engineering and Construction Bureau intern, assigned to the Maintenance Division, he will spend most of his two years with that organization, just as each of the others will spend a majority

of his time with his employing division. Mr. Campos first spent a four-week

tour with the Maintenance Division. Then he moved to the Engineering Division where he will rotate among its main

office branches for a little over three weeks.

P'ollowing another four weeks with the Maintenance Division, he returns to the Engineering Division for 11 weeks and

then will work on the Locks overhaul. During the remainder of his first year, he

will spend a week with the Meteorology and Hydrographic Branch, two days each

with the Power Conversion Project and

Council Elections

For the second siuiessive year I ho Canal Zone Civic Councils will hold

their annual elections simultaneously an<l during the first week in November. I'.leclion V>:\\ , November .5, will coincide with general elec- tion day in the United States. Plans, which will be announced in detail later, are now under way in all communities for the balloting on November 5.

Robert M. Blakely, Jr., also an intern,

is assigned to Motor Transportation.

the Electrical Division, three weeks with

the Contract and Inspection Division, and

a week in the office of the Engineering and Construction Director. His schedule for his second year calls for a week in each of the other Company-Government bureaus, followed by

33 weeks with various units of the Kngi- neering and Construction Bureau. A number of training programs have

been used in the past by the CompanyGovernment organization. Most similar

to the present graduate development in- tern program was the Student Engineer

Training Program, which was started during the early HWD's. A number of men who are now in top

engineering positions are former Canal

student engineers. They include: W. A. Van Siclen, Superintendent of the Atlantic Locks; Truman 11. lloenke. Superin- tendent of the Pacific Locks; Carl J. Browne, Supi'rintendent of the Balboa

Field Office of the Maintenance Division;

F. R. Johnson of the Executive Planning

Staff; and Allen K. Miller, Edmund H. MacVittie, C. VV. Cha.se, Jr., Roger .M. Howe, Richard R. Potter, and Richard

R. Brown, all of the Engineering or Electrical Divisions. During the latter part of the I'MO's, the Panama Canal resumed a training program for « bat were kn<)« n as graduate trainees. During this perioil, they ro- tated among the various Canal divisions. Veterans of that program, still in the Canal service, include: Robert Risherg, of the Water and Laboratories Branch; Robert Liwiack. Albert Jenkins, and William Goldfein of the Otiiiv of the Comptroller; G. A. Doyle, Chief of the Architectural Branch of the lOngineering Division; G. A. O'Connell, also of the Engi- neering Division; and H. J. Danielsen, of the Locks Division. Roger W. .\dams. Superintendent of the Motor Trans|)(irt.ition Division, started

as a student engineer and then transferred to the graduate trainee program.

12 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 4, 1957
Home Leave Travel

Regulations Changed

A change in homi" leave travel reft- ulations, which will he heneficial to a majority of employees, was authorized last month by (Jovernor Potter. The change provides that employees may become eligible for homeleave travel 24 months after departure on leave. Under the previous

rule, employees became eligible for

free home-leave travel 22 months

after returning from leave. The change will be of special benefit to employees with children of school age since they can now schedule their vacations regularly during

the summer months when schools

are not in session.

Hospital Technician

Is Review Singleton

200,000th Tramp or Ocean Queen?

(Continued from i>age S) ships of tht' Panamanian and Colombian governments and ships which were moved through the Canal for repairs. The most impressive statistic of all in the Canal's voluminous files on traffic is the amount of cargo which has been

shipped through the waterway. Up to the end of the past fiscal vear this totaled

just under 1,030,500,000 "long tons. The arrival of the 200,000th commercial vessel for transit came much earlier than was expected only a few years ago. Forecasts of Canal traffic of even five or ten years ago were well under the volume

which actually developed. New records have been set in the number of commercial transits annually for the past six years. While carefully evading the snare of predictions, the transit record already

set for this fiscal year indicates another

record for fiscal year 1958. There were

1,600 transits by commercial vessels in July and August, or 278 above the fig- ures for the previous July and August. A new monthly record was set in August with 812 transits by ocean-going commercial ships. ON THE COVER

Balboa elementary school children turned out en masse to watch a demonstration of the big ladder truck from the Balboa Fire Station and,

incidentally, provide a cover picture

for this issue of "The Review." The gathering was a sort of preview

of what is in store during the coming

week at the Canal Zone's schools, during observance of Fire Prevention Week.

Fire fighters from the Canal Zone

and bomberos from Panama will join in a week-long program to emphasize the importance of preventing

fires, rather than having to fight them. The program will be directed

largely to the young people in the

schools. .\xrangements for this month's

cover picture were made through the courtesy of the Balboa fire fighters and the teachers at the Balboa

school. The cooperation of the

pupils was spontaneous.

Fine wiies conduct brain waves From the patient to the electroencephalograph.

WTien a new electroencephalograph, a machine that records brain waves, arrived

at Gorgas Hospital in October 1956 to replace one that had worked itself out of commission, very few people knew anything about its workings, least of all Mrs.

Francos V. Schoomaker. But through the help of reference books,

the electronics people, and Dr. Antonio

Gonzalez-Revilla, who knew a little about the basic fundamentals, Mrs. Schoomaker acquainted herself with the machine. Now, because she is the only

individual in the Canal organization who

can operate the encephalograph, she qualifies as one of the Panama Canal's

"Singletons." The main machine in her job is the encephalograph, but Mrs. Schoomaker

also works with three other machines,

the electrocardiograph, which records

heartbeats, the phonocardiograph, used

occasionally to record heartsounds on

photosensitive paper and useful in de- termining heart murmurs, etc., and the

basal metabolor. This machine deter- mines a patient's oxygen consumption.

Mrs. Schoomaker said that she needs

only about a half an hour to set up the equipment, ready the patient, and record

the heartbeat on the electrocardiograph. On the other hand, this whole process takes approximately an hour and a half on the electroencephalograph.

\\'hen she has prepared the patient by

cutting wisps of hair from the scalp and

cleaning the skin with two different chemicals, she attaches IS electrodes, silver disks about half as large as a little fingernail, with a fluid that hardens like house- hold cement or airplane glue. Since these

electrodes are super-sensitive and will pick up even such tiny movements as the blink- ing of an eye, each one must be fixed to the head with the greatest care possible. After the brain waves are transmitted

October 4, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 13

through the electrodes to the graph paper

on the machine, Mrs. Schoomaker takes

the completed graph to the doctor who

determines whether or not anything is out

of the ordinary with the patient. She said that the electroencephalo- graph could positively identify epilepsy and, with no interference from sources other than the brain, help doctors locate brain tumors, etc. (However, the technician must be able to distinguish these records from records obtained by faulty placement of electrodes or from disturb- ances in the equipment.) \Mien she hands the graph paper to the doctor her job is finished until the next patient arrives. Mrs. Schoomaker pronounced Skooinaker is the wife of an Army Major and the mother of four growing boys,

5, 7, 9, and 11. She was born in Detroit, Mich., and was graduated from Michigan State College (now Michigan State

University) in 1944 with a BS degree in bacteriology. In 1944 her husband was

stationed at Camp Lee, Va., and for a year she worked at the Regional Hospital there as a medical technician.

In 1954 she and her family came to the Canal Zone where she took a course

at Gorgas in medical technology which

included electrocardiography and basal metabolism. Mrs. Schoomaker said that if she had had the books she has now on electroen- cephalography she would have had an

easier time learning how to prepare the

patient and operate this machine; however, she considers her job an interesting one and says that the chief difficulty is in setting up the equipment and trying

to keep outside interference from showing up on the graph paper, since this

climat-e is extremely hard on electronic equipment and the resulting corrosion causes a great deal of trouble.
PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS OCTOBER SAILINGS

/August 75 through September 75

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

are not reported. CIVIL AFF.MRS BUREAU

Mrs. Delia A. Lewis, from Clerk-Typist, Kmiiloyment and I'lilization Division, to Clerk (Typing). Division of Schools. E. Frances Fanning, from Elementary

School Teacher-I^rincipal to Director, Division of Schools. William C. Garber, from Junior High

School Teacher to Elementar>- School

Teacher-Principal, Division of Schools. Ralph E. Shuey, from Station Examiner,

Balboa I^ost Office, to Postal Inspector, Postal Division. Russel E. Hellmund, Maurice W. Sherry, Edward G. Moran, from Transfer Clerk, Tocumen .Airport Unit, to Distribution

Clerk, Postal Division. Mrs. Margaret G. Hollingsworth, from

Substitute Teacher to Junior High School Teacher, Division of Schools. Mrs. Allie M. Beall, Mrs. Ruth F. Hutchings, Mrs. Elizabeth A. Gardner, from Substitute Teacher to Elementary School Teacher, Division of Sihools. William J. McKeown, from Recretaion

Assistant, Division of Schools, to Substitute

Distribution Clerk, Postal Division. Mrs. Mary M. Queen, from Junior High

School Teacher to Elementary School

Teacher, Division of Schools. Dianne M. Geddes, from Student Assist- ant, -Navigation Division, to Recreation

Assistant, Division of Schools. Charles Morris, from Recreation Assist- ant to Stuileni .Aid, Division of Schools. Mrs. Frances F. Fears, from Elementary

School Teacher to Substitute Teacher, Division of Schools. Mrs. Miriam S. Hirschl, from Kindergarten .\ssistant to Elementary School Teacher, Division of Schools. Mrs. Vera G. Irving, from Kindergarten

Assistant to Substitute Teacher, Division

of Schools. Mrs. Margaret M. Wilson, Mrs. Bessie

C. Herring, Mrs. Lorraine H. Seaquist, Mrs. Ahna W. Zimmerman, Mrs. Dorothy B. Orr, from Kindergarten .Assistant to Kindergarten Teacher, Division of .Schools. Mrs. Jean C. Morden, from Substitute Teacher to Senior High School Teacher,

Division of Schools. Harry H. Com, from Relief Finance Branch Superintendent to Finance Branch

Superintendent, Postal Division. Frank P. Sullivan, from Distribution Clerk to Winclow Clerk, Postal Division. William C. Merwin, from Window Clerk,

to Postal Clerk, Mail Deliverv Unit, Postal

Division. Nolan A. Bissell, from Foreinan, Mail Handling I'nil. to Relief Finance Branch

Siiprriiilcnderit, Postal Division. OFFICE OF HIE COM Fl ROLLER

Mrs. Rosemarie J. Kenealy, from ArCfiunting Clerk ,to C.cneral Accounting Oerk, Cl.iims Branch. Mrs. Grace E. MacVittie, Mrs. Betty R.

Olsen, JArs. Elizabeth Sudron, from Voucher ICx.uminer to Travel ICxpense Claims

Examiner, Claims Branch. Robert H. Hicks, from Fi.scal Assistant to Travel ICxpensc Claims Exaininer, Claims

Branili. Harry D. Raymond, from General Claims Examiner to Supervisory General Claims

ExamintT. Cl.iiuis Branch. Mrs. Ruth H. Munyon, from Clerk-.Sten- ographer to Cleric.d .Assistant (Stenography)

Inlerii.il .Auflit Branch. Mrs. Frances D. Whe;ler, Mrs. Loretta

J. Metivier, from .Aicouniiig Clerk to General .A rountiii'.C Clerk. Accoimting Divi.-.ion. Robe''t S. Bowen, from .Auditor to Supervisory .A'lditor, Geicral Audit Division. EN(;lNEERING AND CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Lynn E. Stratford, from Powerhouse Operator-Dispatcher to Power Dispatcher,

Electriial Division. Donald E. Judson, from Senior Powerhouse Operator to Powerhouse OperatorDispatcher, Electrical Division.

Carroll B. Robertson, Perry W. Strick- land, from Powerhouse Operator to Senior

Powerhouse Operator, Electrical Division. Victor D. Young, from Construction Representative to Supervisory Construction Management Engineer, Power Conversion

Project. Hilton F. Hughes, from Chief, Diesel Generation Station, to Chief, Hydro Generation Station, Electrical Division. Roger L. Deakins, from Electrician Operator-Foreman to Chief, Diesel Generation

Station, Electrical Division. Ralph H. Otten, from General Engineer, 60-Cycle Design Branch, to .Architect (General), Engineering Division. Leonard E. Case, fiom Maintenance Machinist. Indiistiial Division, to Fleet Machinist, Dredging Division. Glen H. Burdick, John G. Haky, Richard

G. Dinkgreve, from .Supervisory Clerical Assistant to Office .Services .Supervisor, Electrical Division. Mrs. Dorothy S. Bright, from .Accounting Clerk to Pro])erty and Supply Clerk, Electrical Division. Mrs. Beatrice J. O'Toole, from Accounting Clerk to Timekeeper, Electrical Division. Mrs. Jeanne S. Garcia, from Clerk-Typist

to Clerk. Electrical Division. Ernest E. Faris, from Accounting Assist- ant to Cost Accounting Clerk, Electrical Division. Mrs. Miriam H. Hawvichorst, from Supervisory Clerk (Typing) to Office Services Supervisor, P31ectrical Division. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-PRESIDENT

Mrs. Thelma H. Bull, from Statistical Clerk to .Statistical .Assistant, Executive

Planning StatT. Robert C. Walker, from Security Officer

to Supervisory .Security Specialist, Internal Security Office. Mrs. Lois J. Deerwester, from Clerk- Stenographer, Executive Planning .Staff to Secretary (Stenography), Office of the Lieu- tenant Governor. HEALTH BUREAU

William G. Hill, from Engineering Aid

( H\-dr,iulic), Meteorological and Hydrographic Branch, to .Supervisory Sanitation

Inspector, Division of .Sanitation. Edith London, from Clerk-Stenographer,

Office of Engineering and Construction Director, to Secretary (General), Administrative Section, Office of Director. MARINE BUREAU

John C. Thompson, from Lead Foretnan

Painter to Lead (ieneral Maintenance Fore- man, Navigation Aids, Aids to Navigation

Section. Lester H. Barrows, from Shipwright, In- dustrial Division, to Towing Locomotive

Operator, Pacific Locks Overhaul.

Julius F. Dietz, from Pilot to Assistant Harbormaster, Cristobal, Navigation Division. PER.SONNEL BUREAU

Mrs. Mary D. Seymour, from Clerk-Typist to Secretary (Stenogr.iphy), Office of Director. NEW YORK OPERATIONS

Mrs. Estelle J. Nagle, from .Accounting Clerk til .Accomiling .Assistant, Reports and

Uii<li;ct Branch.

Be.-nard J. Carroll, from Accounting Clerk

to Accounting .Assistant, Fiscal Bninch. SUPPLY AND E.MPLOYEE SERVICE BUREAU

Mrs. Margaret M, Nash, from Accounting Clerk, Conuniss.iry Division, to Clerk

(Sales-ProuKiti )n-Circulation), Supply Division. John M. Brown, from .Supply Officer (Shoes) to Siifiervisory Supply Officer (Shoes), Supiily Division. Beve'ley C. Halliday, from Supervisory

Priicuremc 11 OlVncr to .Supervisory Adminislr.itive Officer. Supply Division. John H. Stevens, from Accountant to .Supervisory Procurement Officer, Supply

Division. William L. Benny, from Assistant Chief, Motion Picture Branch, to Manager, Balbo.i Service Center, Snpplv' DiviNion. Roy A. Sharp, Burton J. Hackett Jr., Jack W. Clarke, Ralph L. Hanners, John W. Purvis, Gene E. Clinchard, from 1 c.cd

FROM CRISTOBAL

Cristobal October 2 A neon October 9

Cristobal October 19 A neon October 26 .FROM NEW YORK

A neon October 1 Cristobal October 1

A neon October 1

Cristobal October 29

Southbound ships which leave New York Friday

are in Haiti tlie following Tuesday. Those which

sail from New Vorlc Tuesday spend Saturday in Haiti. Xortlibound, the ships stop in Haiti two days after clearing Cristobal: Monday for those which sail from

Cristobal Saturday, and Friday for those whidi clear Cristobal \Vednesda>'. RETIREMENTS

Mrs. Esther P. Currier, Minnesota; Cash

Accounting Clerk, Balboa Commissary; 18

years. 1 month, 2 days; undecided.

Albert J. Deutsch, New York; Machinist,

M.iintciiance Division; 17 years, 8 months,

26 il.ivs: Panama City. Capt, Henry Falk, New York; Pilot, Navigation Division; 34 years, 5 months, 28

davs; .'^i. Petersburg, Fla. Maj. Rodger W. Griffith, Missouri; Chief,

Police Division; M) years, 24 days; Phoenix,

.Ariz. Lt. Clarence D. Howell, South Carolina; Lieutenant, Fire Division; 27 years, 8 months, 11 days; .Asheville, N. C. Dr. Julian R. Hunt, Tennessee; Medical

Officer, Health Bureau; 27 years, 3 months,

24 davs; Haw.iii.

Cliffiord B. Jones, Wisconsin ; Lead Fore- man. M.iinienance Division; 17 years, 8 months, 5 davs; Roanoke, \'a. Frank McGuinness, New York; Train

Dispatcher, Railroad Division; 20 years, 5 months. 2.? clays; |irob,d)ly C.difi rnia. Grounds Foreman 1 1 to Lead Grounds Fore- man I, Housing and Grounds Division. TRANSPORTATION AND TERMI.NALS BUREAU

James J. Belcourt, from Lead Track Fore- man II to Lead Yard Foreman HI, Railroad

Division. Thomas J. Dorgan, from Supervisory

.Storekeeper, P.uilic Locks, to Liquid Fuels Ganger. Terminals Division. Mrs. Ruth E. Clement, from .Accounting

Clerk, .Accounting Division, to Cargo Clerk, Terminals Division. Mrs. Beth C. Waddell, from Cargo Clerk

to .Accounting Clerk, Terminals Division. OTHER PROMOTIONS

Promotions which did not involve changes

in title follow; Mrs. Patricia A. Robinson, Clcrk-SienograpluT. I%lcc trii.il Division. Margaret F. Wiggin, Richard W. Fuller,

Gcner.il Cl.iims ICx.iminer, ("Liims Branch,

Gcncr.tl .Audit Division. Charles A. McArthur, Donald M. Parr, William C. Grimes, Jose E. Corco, Richard

O. Burgeon, Grover D. Luce, Robert M.

Graham, .\uditor. Internal .Audit Branch,

( '.cner.d .\uilil Division. Hugh C. Durrett, Systems Accountant,

.Aciouniing Policies and PrtK'edtires Staff. John W. Nitz, Phvsical Therapist, Gorgas

llospil.ll. Dr. Eduardo de Alba, Jr., Medical Officer

((.irdioloi;\), C.orij.ls llospit.ll, Numan H. Vasquez, I'.lci trical Engineer,

6(l-('vcle Design Br.inch. Albert Saarinen, ICleclrical lM|uipment

lnspe( lor, Co itr.ict an 1 Inspection Division. Orlando Flye, iCIeclrical Engineer, Electrical Division. James P. Rafter, Transportnlion Operations Otiicer ( I'leighl Traffic Manager) New ^ork Opir.ilious. Orlando Sena, Personnel Assistant, Office

of Gcner.il M.inager, New ^'ork 0|)cralii)ns, Helen Sternberg, Clerk-Stenographer,

Office of .Assist.int Comptroller, New York

.Ac( rjiiniiiig Office. Marie V. Tayes, Telephone Operator,

Ot'lii e of General Manager. New York OpTHE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 4, 1957
ANNIVERSARIES

Top man on the Sepienilier list of annivers;iries—for (he first time on any anniversiiry list— is an employee of the New

York Operations. He is Edward W. Higgins, Supervising Accountant ami Cliief of the Audit Examinini; lirancli in llic New \'ork Accounlint;

Office. On September 30, he chalked up a

total of 41 years of service, all but that during World War I with the New York

office of the Panama Canal. His first job. in 1913, was as an office boy

with the old Panama Railroad Company. He left the service the following April but

three years later was back in the Railroad Company's ranks, where he has remained

ever since, with the exception of a 13-month

tour with the armed forces during the war. He has been promoted through the ranks

of Junior Clerk, Billing Clerk, Auditing

Clerk, and Freight Accountant to his present

position. A native New Yorker, he makes his home

with his family in Jamaica, Long Island.

40 YEARS

William Coffy, who has 40 years of service, has been looking at ships most of his life. Born in Portsmouth. Ya., overlooking the blue waters of Chesapeake Bay, Mr. Coffy became even more familiar with ships during

nine years in the Navy. Since ships and the Panama Canal are a natural combination,

the Canal Zone was his next stop —and here he has been since 1926. His entire Panama Canal career has been

spent in the signal stations along the water- way and most of it has been at the La Pita

station on the east bank of Gaillard Cut.

In addition to being one of the Canal's middle-men —a signalman is a go-between between ships and controllers —he has had

to keep an eye out for slides, fogs, fires, or any other unusual condition in the stretch

of the Canal overlooked from his station. Just a couple of months ago one of the

largest bank breaks of recent years dumped

close to 50,000 cubic yards of earth and rock

into the Canal just below La Pita station.

35 YEARS

The three employees who celebrated their

thirty-fifth anniversan.' of Government service last month are all skilled craftsmen. Alphabetically they are: Wallace T. Melanson, master shipwright and dockmaster for the Industrial Division at Mount Hope; John B. Morton, locomotive machinist for the Railroad Division; and Harry M. Witt,

lead terminals repair shop foreman in the Motor Transportation Division. Mr. Melanson, a native of Belmont, Mas?., worked in the Boston Navy Yard before he came here in 1919 as a shipwright for the then Mechanical Division. Although his service has been broken on

several occasions, it has all been with the same unit, now the Industrial Division. He

was commended recently for his work on the

British ship, Sydney Star, badly damaged in a collision near Cristobal last June 15. Mr. Morton was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but came here as a youngster. During his schooldays, he worked summers on

such jobs as a "boy" in the Building Division and an industrial truck operator for the Receiving and Forwarding Agency. After he finished an apprenticeship here, he be- came an automobile repair machinist. He

has been with the railroad shops since 1950. Mr. Witt, a Texan from McKinney, came

to the Isthmus as a radioman with the Navy.

Part of his local Navy duty was at the iso- lated Las Palmas radio station. He started

his Canal career in 1927, following his dis- charge from the Navy. After a brief stint as a signalman, he transferred to the Transportation Division as a chaulTeur. In 1939

he became a battery repairman for the old Receiving and Forwarding Agency and re- turned to the Motor Transportation Division this year wdien the terminals repair shop was transferred to that Division.

30 YEARS

Vincent Canamas, a joiner for the Industrial Division, is another one-time Panama

Canal apprentice. Born in Panama, he worked as a "boy" in the Mechanical Division, and, after completing his apprenticeship, became a cabinet maker in the Mechanical Division. All of his service, which

has been broken several times, has been

with the Mechanical Division or its successor, the present Industrial Division.

25 YEARS

September was .Silver anniversary time

for four Canal employees: William R. Dunning, James L. Fulton, Lloyd W. Peterson and Ralph K. Skinner. Mr. Dunning, who comes from Brownsville, Pa., is a Machinist at Pedro Miguel

Locks. Mr. Fulton and Mr. Skinner are both with the Office of the Comptroller, Mr.

Fulton as Supervisory General Claims Ex- aminer in the General Auditing Division, Mr. Skinner as Systems Accountant on the Accounting Policies and Procedures Staff. Mr. Peterson, who was born in Denmark

and is a naturalized American citizen, is a Transportation Assistant in the Administrative Branch.

20 YEARS

Three of September's 20-year employees

are second generation Canal Zonians. Two

of these, Joseph W. Coffin, Jr., Fire Lieutenant, born in Colon, R. de P., and Mary

N. Orr, born in Ancon, Clerical Assistant in .Supply and Employee Service Bureau, have unbroken service. William I. Hollowell, the other second-generation Canal Zonian, born

in Ancon, is employed as Lead Foreman, Water System, Maintenance Division and

has broken service. Other employees who have completed 20

years of unbroken service for the Canal

organization are Neil V. Branstetter, Snpirvisor of Music, Di\ision of .Schools; 'Thomas W. Fels, Diesel Operator, Machinist, Electrical Division; James A. Lyons, Dean of Men and head of the Commercial Depart- ment, C. Z. Junior College; Allen K. Miller,

Electrical Engineer, 60-Cycle Design Branch

Engineering Division; Bernard F. Pohren,

Boilermaker, Industrial Division; and William F. Young, Lockmaster, Pedro Miguel

Locks. Other 20-year employees are: Clarence H. Browne, Personnel .Assistant, Cenir.d Labor

Ottice Division; Theophil F. Hotz, Principal, Balboa High School; and William K. McCue

Finance Branch Superintendent, Postal

Division.

15 YEARS

Eleven Canal employees completed 15 years of Government service in January. Those whose Canal service is unbroken are: Grace Belden, Clerk-Typist, Gorgas Hospital; Charles R. Bowen, Instructor of Social Studies, C. Z. Junior College; Joseph L. Gwiim, Wireman, Electrical Division; Lambert W. Kat, Towboat Master, Navigation

Division; Hiram Overall, Police Sergeant,

Police Division; and Nelson O. "Williar, Lead Foreman, Quarters Maintenance, Maintenance Division. Other 15-year employees are: William H.

Cox, Locks Guard, Locks Division; Jessie G. Harris, Clerk-Typist. Engineering Division; Charles J. Palles, Sheet metal Worker,

Industrial Division; Berta I. Quinn, ClerkTypist, Internal Security Office; and James W. Riley, Automatic Telephone Communication Equipment Maintainer, Electrical Division.

Water Supply Main Concern

OfZone Weather Forecasters

{Continued from page ^) Only started," he

wrote. "If it's anything Iil<e previous

periods, it will not end before it has run

its full 29-month approximate course, say May or June 1959." This long dry period, he says, may end

"with a bang" and a real flood about De- cember of next year." •, "The real wet period and floods siniilar'' to those of 1909 and 1910," he wrote, "are

likely to occur three or four years later, say in 1962 and 1963. It may come a bit sooner, so if the Canal authorities have in mind any big construction work, they

October 4, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

better get it out of the way before another

1879 flood, the worst on record, hits." Mr. Matthew's successor in office shares his apprehension about what may happen to the Canal's water supply for the next eight months. However, Mr. Esslinger steadfastly refuses

to make a firm prediction at least until he joins Mr. Matthew in retire- ment. In this, he is following a pattern

set by his predecessor in office.

If asked whether floods or bone-dry weather may be expected tomorrow or next month, a quizzical look comes over Mr. Esslinger's face and he mutters, "it could happen"—a stock answer Mr. Matthew gave to all and sundry from

1913 until 1952, and one Ted Henter, now

Assistant Chief Hydrographer, undoubtedly will give after Mr. Esslinger retires.
SHIPPING

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

3 1262 08544 4643

A fufure customer of the Panama Canal is the SS Oriana, the Orient Line's new 40,000-lon passenger ship which is now under conslruclion. She will have space for 1,500 lourisf-class and 600 First-class passengers.

Floating Winery

A shipload of California wine in l)ulk madi' the Canal transit last wi'ck en routo from Stoc-kton, Calif., to Newark, N. J., and Houston, Tex. The wine was carried on the SS Angela

Petri, which is owned by the United

Vintners and is the first vessel of its kind

to be constructed for service under the American flag. On her first trip through

the Canal she carried 2,412,1X5 gallons. Ac'cording to an account in the New

York Times, the 21J00ton ' floating winery" *vas built at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's shipyard in San Francisco and after a shakedown cruise outside the Golden Gate headed for Stockton, September 13, to pump the first cargo

into its stainless-steel vats. U. F. Ships Sold

The Chiriqui and the Jamaica, the last of the United Fruit Company's passenger

liners, were sold recently to German interests, it has been announced by the Company. The two vessels were two of six similar vessels in the 7,()()()-ton class which were built in 1932 and 1933, with

three of them running from New York to Cristobal and the other three from San

Francisco to Balboa.

Th(! three on the West Coast run

brought from California most of the ce- ment and machinery for the construction

of Madden Dam, and during the second World War all six operated in the Pacific area as troop supply ships. The Chiriqui and the .Jamaica, which wen^ the only two not converted to fn-ight TRANSri S BY OCKAN-GOING

VESSKl.S IN .\UC;UST

1956 1951 Commercial .

0,53 SI 2 CJovernment- 34 20

Total. 687 .H32 TOLLS*

1956 1957 CommerciaL ... $2,S94,1S3 $3,004,700 Government

105,689 .S.-.,2S."> Total. . . $2,999,872 $3,0S'J,'.)S.J 'Includes tolU on all vessels, o<ean-Kning and small. TOTAL CARGO (Lonft Tons) 1956 1967 Commercial

3,578,858 4,334,309 Government. 35,226 66,851 Total 3,614,0S4 1,101, Hid

operation some time ago, have, until re- cently, been on a run between New Orleans, Havana, Cuba, and Puerto Barrios, (iuatemala. Replacement Program

Reports from the United States indi- cated that the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company, one of the biggest shipping companies in the Gulf of Me.xico, will soon

build ,53 new ships at a cost of half billion dollars to replace its present fleet of 54

vessels. The Federal Maritime Board has announced that the Lykes replacement program will be the largest from the point

of view of number of shi[)s and dollars ever handled by that organization. Italian Line Renovation A face-lifting job which converted the 40-vear-old Italian Line Building in Cris- tobal into one of the most modern in the

Canal Zone was completed recently by

the E. 0. Hauke Company of Colon. The improvements include the installa- tion of air conditioning in the new glass enclosed offices on the first floor and the remodeling of the manager's (luarters lo- cated on the second floor. Fine Central American woods and Ibdian marble were

used in the decoration of thi nillce space. The modem metal furniture and decorations were imported from Italy and the United State's. The Italian Line offices were first built

in Old Cristobal in 1910 and, except for a short period during the last '\\'orld War,

have been in use as the Italian Line head-

(|Uarters in the Canal Zone ever since. The present manager, Captain A. Zerega,

stated that the modernization of the build- ing is another step in the reorganization

of the Line's services to the Americas.

The envy of Cristobal's Steamship Row is the remodeled, modernized office of the Italian Line. No one would ever realize it was built 40 years ago.

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW O

October 4, 1957