UNIVERSITY

OF FLORIDA

LIBRARIES




r

pS5i?#?S

C8afiK7tI@IQ>

^^, ^^

-%

(to

*^*
W. p. Leber,

Governor-President

R. S. Hartline,

Lieutenant-Governor Frank A. Baix)win, Panama Canal Information Officer

Official Panama Canal Publication Published quarterly at Balboa Heights, C.Z.

Morgan E. Goodwin, Press Officer Publications Editors LoLis R. Ghanceh, Tomas A. Cupas

News Writers Eunice Richard, Fannie P. Hernandez,

Jose T. Tunon, Willie K. Friar, and

Luis C. Noli

Printed at tJie Printing Plant, La Boca, C.Z. Review articles may be reprinted in full or part without

further clearance. Credit to the Review will be appreciated. Distributed free of charge to all Panama Canal Employees.

Subscriptions, $1 a year; airmail $2 a year; mail and back copies (regular mail), 25 cents each.

Postal mone\' orders made pa\able to the Panama Canal Company should be mailed to Box M, Balboa Heights, C.Z.

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

Contents

Growing Orchids 3

Orchid collecting and growing is a favorite pastime in the Canal Zone.

Eyes and Ears of Panama 6

INTERCOMSA brings ivorld events to the Isthmus.

Balboa Gun Club 8

It offers instruction and

competition for Canal Zone

shooters. On the Malaria Front 10

Monkeys are taking the

place of liumans in malaria

research.

Culinary Capers 14

For the gourmet we feature

fish cookery garnished icith history.

Following the Conquistadores . 16

Sailing the Spani.^h Main

with Captain Kapp.

Panama's Money Trees 20

Dried leaves and seed pods

turn into cash for the Ste- venson brothers.

Anniversaries 23

Statistics and Canal Feature 24

Shipping Notes 26

Panama Canal Headquarters 27

The Administration Building is the hub of Canal

operations.

History 31

'<3!<i'::~'--^ ^^^'^

OurCovers

THE tranquil

and somewhat

Grecian scene on

our front cover is

-•_^. ^ »"'-' 3MdM ^'" *^^ home of W^i^-^J^P*^ Mr. and Mrs.

Henry A. Tooke

of Los Rios. Both

covers feature or- chids. On the

front is the Cattleija skinneri, a wild plant native to Central and South

America. The national flower of Pan- ama, the Peristeria elata, commonly

known as the Holy Ghost or dove

orchid, graces the back cover. Tooke is one of the many avid orchid growers in the Canal Zone and presently has a collection of approximately 2,000

wild and hybrid orchids. The Cattleija .skinneri grows from the lowlands of Panama up to approximately 2,000 feet. The best ones are found in the western part of the Republic. The flower blooms in the

fall. Although the skinneri is sometimes

found near populated areas, says Tooke,

for some unknown reason, these urban

plants rarely produce a flower. A migrating moth, the Cydimon ful- gens, comes to rest on the Holy Ghost

orchid. The shape of the flower calls

to mind a do\e which hovers over an

altar formed by the lip. This fragrant

orchid blooms from Jul\' to September

and can be found at low to medium

elevations in shaded areas. Commercial

collecting has made this plant increas- ingly scarce except in inaccessible

sections of the Interior of Panama.

Photographs by Arthur L. Pollack, front cover, and Melvin D. Kennedy, Jr., back cover.

2 May 1970
"ROSE IS a rose is a rose is a rose," said Gertrude Stein, noted author and poet.

And that was fine, for a rose does look

like a rose no matter what the size, shape

or color.

If Gertrude had said this about

orchids, she would have been in trouble. Under no given set of circumstances can an orchid be an orchid be

an orchid be an orchid. In the first place, orchids represent

the world's largest familv of flowering

plants. At present there are more than

30,000 different species and the number is increasing as new h\'brids are developed.

In the second place, in spite of the general popularity of orchids, few per- sons can give a fairlv accurate description of what distinguishes an orchid

from other similar or allied plants.

Paul H. Allen, who wrote the book

"The Orchids in Panam.'V," said that

in the American tropics, any plant found

growing on a tree is called by the natives

a "planta parasita" or parasite plant and

hence all parasites are automatically

presumed to be orchids. Orchids are air plants, not parasites.

Orchids By Eunice Richard

They grow well with lots of air, water and plant food but never take suste- nance from another plant. The roots do

not penetrate the living tissue of the

host plant or extract nourishment from

it as do true parasites such as dodder

and mistletoe. Other plants such as bromeliads and

aroids are frequentK' found on the trunks and branches of trees along with orchids. During the drv season, orchid growers sometimes water their collections with a hose using a fine sprax' twice a dav. In the rain\' season, spraving ma\-

sometimes be skipped; orchids can die bv too lavish or too limited watering.

Most tropical orchids are known as epiph\tes, a term meaning to "live upon" some supporting bod\', usualh'

a tree or a rock. But there are other orchids knovvii as terrestrial. These grow

in the ground and, in the tropics, are

far less numerous than the epiphvtic

type. Of the terrestrial orchids there are two classes—those with green leaves and

stems which behave like most other

plants, and those which are saprophvtic

or living wholly upon decaving plant

(Please see p. 4)

Orchids do not require elaborate arrangements to bring out

their beauty as the above photo

shows. A single spray

of the scorpion orchid produces a graceful

display. A simple black teapot below is used by Mrs. Mary Linden

to create an interesting

vanda arrangement. A hint of

of the Orient comes

through in the display at right by Mrs. R. Arosemena.

The Panama Canal Review
(Continued from p. 3)

matter. Epiphvtic orchids are sometimes

apparentlv terrestrial growing upon the ground in beds of moss and other plants. In temperate regions almost all orchids

are terrestrial.

Well Guarded Secrets The preface of a book on orchids b\- Walter Richter, a German orchidologist,

sa\s orchidolog\' is a cult and its secrets are well guarded bv its "high priests."

He said their verv name summons up

visions of strange lands and high adventure, and onlv those persons who are prepared for a life of rigorous sacrifice can hope to enter its orders. Whenever the uninitiated is confronted with literature dealing with

orchids, he is soon lost in a labyrinth of

scientific and Latin terms. It has been

said that man either understands orchids

or he does not, and he who was not

celebrated Spanish voyage around the world under navigator Malaspine from

1789 to 1794. Nee visited Panama and

is known to have collected plants on Ancon Hill. Several of the most com- mon tropical plants were first described

from specimens obtained by him there. During the earh da\s of the Canal

construction, workers arriving in Pan- ama from the United States scarceK could fail to take notice of the more

conspicuous plants such as the orchids. Some of the earh orchid collectors were Mrs. D. D. Gaillard, wife of the

division engineer in charge of the Central District; Mrs. H. H. Rousseau,

wife of a member of the Isthmian

Canal Commission; and Mrs. Maurice

Thatcher, first chief of Canal civil

affairs. Although theirs were amateui

collections assembled in a haphazard

vva\-, the\ were of considerable interest

to visitors. One scientist reported that

is a thing of the past, the interest among 1 local orchid growers has not diminished. Members of the Canal Zone , Orchid Societx' on the Pacific side of the Isthmus and of the Gold Coast Orchid Societ\' on the Atlantic side take

their orchids in their stride as part of a wav of life. Most of them, while not

scientists or natiualists, have learned

the language that identifies most species « and are adept at producing fine h\ brids. Some of the fijie local collections were started b\ Harr\ A. Dunn, former ; medical chief technologist at Gorgas

Hospital, who was one of the pioneers

in the orchid growing business in the | Canal Zone. Before retiring in 196-5, he ' had one of the finest orchid collections on the Isthmus.

Orchid Enemies

Writing in the American Orchid

Societ\ Bulletin in 1948, he said he had

Mrs. ."Mice Clark, at left, sprays some of her orchids with a fine stream of water, part of an orchid growers ritual which keeps the plants in the pink

of condition. At right, opposite page, this orchid, the Lockhartia

Nlicrantha, looks more like a spider than a plant. It is growing in a piece of tree fern and is owned by

Mrs. Elizabeth Mercier. At the

far right. Canal Zone Police Capt. George E. Martin examines

a vanda growing in his orchid garden in La Boca.

born with the si.Kth sense required for caring for these extraordinar\' flowers

will never acquire it. That ma\' be so, but the orchid lovers

living on the lush Isthmus of Panama

have not been cowed b\- the apparent

pitfalls of orchid growing.

The local aficionados have gone

blithK' ahead and acquired some col- lections that would be famous anvwhere

in the world. ApproximateK' 300 orchid

species mav be found growing wild in Panama and man\- of them are in local orchid collections. Man\' others that have been introduced into this region

are now grown by orchidologists on

the Isthmus.

Spanish Voyage

Orchid collecting in Panama is not new. One of the first botanical collectors on record to visit Central America and

Panama was Luis Nee, botanist of the

he had oIjI.uullI specimens which were

found to represent species previoush

unknown to science. The late C. W. Powell, a construction

da\ s emplo\ee of the Panama Canal, is credited with providing scientists with

the first major part of their knowledge

of the orchids of the Republic of Panama.

World Renown

The Powell orchid garden, which

existed in Balboa from 1914 until the beginning of World \\'ar II, was known

to orchid growers all over the world. The garden was sponsored bv the Missouri Botanical Gardens of St. Louis. It contained more than 7,000 plants rep- resenting nearh- all of the species of orchids known to grow in Panama. Man\

of the plants were sent b\- Powell to Missouri for classification. Although the Powell orchid garden

been collecting orchids as a hobb\ for the past 15 \ears, but even at that time

the roadside collection of orchids had < become a thing of the past. The enemies

of the orchid were the lumber companies that cut the trees on which the , plants grew, and the native farmers who burned the jungle to make wax

for their crops. In addition, orchid col- lectors had sought and collected in most '

of the accessible places close to home

and it became necessarx- to go furthei

afield in the search for rare plants.

Dunn took a lO-dax' trip each x ear to Chiriqui Province in xxestern Panama

and collected as manx- as 1,500 orchid

plants of about .30 genera and 54 '

species. It xxas his opinion that the

Prox'ince of Chirifjui was the finest place in the xxorld to get orchids, mainlx , because the area includes three \arieties of climates—tropical, temperate,

and cold.

M.AV 1970
Panama, in occup\ing the narrow

land bridge linking the two major di\'i- sions of tropical America, has flora indigenous to both north and south. Residents of Panama and the Canal

Zone thus have the opportunit\' of see- ing a remarkably representative cross- section of the orchids of the New World.

The Dunn collection was broken up

when he left the Isthmus in 1965. But

Mrs. Alice Clark, who lives with her husband and famih at the top of Ancon Boule\ard, got her start in the orchid business when her sister-in-law gave her fi\e orchid plants from the Dunn garden.

Since then, she has traded, purchased,

and produced plants that cover two

trees, fill one greenhouse, and grow

along the side of the hill behind the house in a profusion of white, \ ellow,

and purple. Most of those that are in bloom through most of the \ ear are the

parts of Panama including Ancon Hill and islands in Gatun Lake. She has imported some from the Far East and

the United States. Canal Zone Police Inspector Capt.

George A. Martin is another veteran

orchid grower. He started his collection of plants in 19.50 when he was living on the Atlantic side and has obtained some from the Gatun Lake region.

Although he began with native blooms,

he has branched out into the h\brids

and the imported plants; man\- of which

he obtained through trading. Trading,

he says, is as good a way of making

friends in out of the wa\- places of the world as being a ham radio operator.

Captain Martin, Henr\' Tooke of Los

Rios. and most other orchid collectors here ha\e a number of the large flowered h\brid cattlexas. It is difficult to persuade the ax'erage indi\idual that

In Panama, the Hol\- Ghost orchid

blooms not in the Easter season as one might expect, but in August, midwav

in the rainy season. New growth starts with the first heav\- rains of the \ear

in Ma\-.

The Mariposa, or butterflx' orchid, is another beautiful species native to Pan- ama. It grows from sea level to 2,000

feet on the espave trees along the banks

of rivers. Orchid Cures

Orchids have been used for medicinal

purposes. The\' cure very common ail- ments and not as one ma\' think, onh

exotic diseases. According to orchid

expert Walter Richter in his book The

Orchid World, a drug known undei

the name of "salep" is made from the dried bulbs of certain species of

terrestrial orchids. The drug is important for the treat- ment of serious intestinal illness in chilvanda hxbrids and the bamboo orchids,

both of which are terrestrial or ground

orchids. Her garden is on the side of the hill and is in the line of march for tourists taking the Ancon Boulevard

route to tour the Canal Zone.

Orchid Eaters Man\' visitors arrive at her house

thinking it is part of the old Powell

botanical garden. Although her garden

is constanth' putting on a show, she seldom loses any of the exotic blooms

to human thieves. Orchid-eating deer

are her trouble. Thev sometimes come down from Ancon Hill and eat a whole

stand of vandas in one night. Mrs. Clark savs she has learned to know Panama as well as manv far awa\-

places through the hobb\' of orchid col- lecting. She has collected orchids in El

Valle, El Volcan in Chiriqui Province. Cerro Campana, and manv other

there are others. And \et SO percent

of the wild orchids are small to minute.

Fragrant

The hxbrids can be produced b\

sowing the microscopic seeds and bringing the plants to maturitx' mider precise modern methods, which takes about

2 years. Some of the varieties are quite fragrant.

The most celebrated of the Panama

orchids is the Peristeria data commonK

known as the Espiritu Santo or HoK

Ghost orchid—the national flower of the Republic of Panama. It is a terrestrial t\pe that inhabits the lowland forests. From a cluster of green bulbs, a few

narrow leaves rise and a flower stalk

.3 or 4 feet high bears a raceme of fragrant white wax\- flowers resembling

miniature doves which give it the popular name.

dren but the production is small because

attempts to cultivate salep producing

plants for commercial purposes have

been unsuccessful and the world sources

are becoming exhausted. The roots of some orchids are used

against inflammation of the joints and

the flowers of another against d\sentery.

Orchids are used for nian\ varied medicinal purposes. Some species from

Mexico are used as fever cures and

for coughs, and some are even good

for the treatment of wounds. The bulbs

of another are eaten in Jamaica to aid digestion. The bulbs of the Japanese terrestrial orchid are a remed\

for toothache. No orchid is known to be poisonous

although the Chinese have been known

to extract alkaloids from some species

and the lea\es of others can cause

inflamation of the skin.

The Panama Canal Revie^v
INTELSAT 11 blasts off from Cape Kennedy.

A 98-FOOT BOWL-SHAPED antenna

rising from pasture land amid primitive

surroundings approximately 20 miles

east of Panama City, at Utive, marks

the site of Panama's ultramodern Satellite Communications Station. It was

the link between the Isthmus and the efKK'h-making live telecast from space

of man's first steps on the moon that

thrilled viewers in Panama, just as it did millions of others throughout the world. The station is part of the worldwide

INTELSAT communications svstemInternational Satellite Telecommunications Consortium—and has placed Pan- ama in the forefront of Latin American

nations in the field of telecommunications. The system is represented in Panama

by the Panamanian companv INTERCOMSA, S.A. (Intercontinental de Comunicaciones por Satelite, S.A.). The

current president of the companv is Fernando Eleta Almaran.

The INTELSAT system includes 68

nations which have signed an international agreement for this type of comTHE EYES

AND

EARS

OF PANAMA

By Jos6 T. Tun6n

munications in which the United States

is represented by COMSAT (Communications by Satellite). COMSAT owns

53 percent of the stock in INTELSAT.

The highlv specialized equipment

required by INTERCOMSA, both in Panama City and in Utive, was provided

and installed by Page Communications

Engineers, Inc., of Washington, D.C. Page is managing the local companv

until Panamanian personnel are fullv trained to take over all operations. Late in December 1968, the first of two INTELSAT III satellites was

placed in operation high over the Atlantic. The Panama earth station made

the transition from the earlier INTELSAT II satellite to the new and more

powerful satellite early in January 1969

and has since operated commercial cir- cuits through it. INTELSAT III added

Me.xico and Spain to the countries previously linked with Panama—United

States, Italy, and Chile. Next will be

England, Colombia, and Canada.

By the end of 1970, Panama will have direct access through the INTELSAT III satellite to the United States,

Antenna brings world

events to Panama.

Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico; Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Venezuela,

and Colombia, in South America; and

Cermany, Italy, and Spain, in Europe

In addition, an agreement has been

reached to route telephone traffic from

Central America to all points served bv

INTERCOMSA. Already there are di- rect circuits available to nations in areas where telecommunications demand has

made communications via satellite more

economical.

Panama has received several telecasts bv satellite from the United States, Europe, and Asia. Of course, the moon

telecast—carried in color bv Channel 4

in Panama Citv—topped all. Among

others there were the transmissions of President Richard M. Nixon's inauguration in Washington; a soccer game

carried from Liege, Belgium, via Spain;

the opening of E.xpo '70 at Osaka, Ja- pan; and the Cood Frida\- service from

the Colosseum in Rome. Both of Pan- ama City's television stations carried these programs and some were carried bv the Southern Command Network in the Canal Zone.

6 May 1970
Cost has been the limiting factor in these international TV transmissions,

but once this problem is solved they are expected to become a regular feature. The INTERCOMSA installations were completed in a surprisingly short

time. Page Communications Engineers was awarded the contract in March

1967; construction began the following

month and the first commercial messages were transmitted September 7, 1968. All

this was accomplished within the first 4 years after international communications by satellite became a reality.

INTELSAT III is far more powerful

than INTELSAT I, which became universally known as the Early Bird satellite. Panama's system utilizes 60 channels, providing telephone, television,

photo, telex, and data communications.

A telephone call via the satellite sys- tem begins with the call being received

by the International Center for Communications Maintenance, in the Avesa

Building on Via Espana in Panama Citv,

where it is handled by the INTERCOMSA international operators. The

voice signal is combined there with

many other channels and is processed

for transmission by microwave to the earth station at Utive. There, the signal

undergoes additional processing before being transmitted 23,000 miles to the

satellite over the Atlantic by the 98- foot-wide antenna. The satellite receives the signal, combined with many more from other

points, amplifies it and converts it to the carrier frequency of the recei\ing

satellite station. This one, in turn, re- converts the signal from the carrier frequency to the original voice fomi.

The international operator at the receiv- ing end then plugs the call into the

local telephone system.

Presentlv, there are seven INTELSAT

commercial satellites in fixed orbits over

the equator. Thev are known as "geostationary satellites" because their orbital velocitv at 22,300 miles above the

surface of the earth is such that thev remain over the same area in relation

to the rotation of the earth. There are two INTELSAT III satellites in operation over the Atlantic. A

new series of satellites, INTELSAT IV, providing greater power and increased

circuit capacity, is now in the production stage. The first satellite of this series is scheduled for launching in early 1971. A group of Panamanian telecommunications experts is being trained bv

INTERCOMSA in the secrets of one of the world's newest professions: satellite communications specialist. Their knowhow will contribute greatly to the Republic's efforts to keep pace with

modem communications.

ABOVE: Frank Santomenno, right, general manager of INTERCOMSA,

and Gary Ross, engineer in charge

of operations, study the complex network

of satellites. UPPER LEFT: Justo

Finilla examines cables which

link the communications station at Utiv^ with the 98-foot antenna. LOWER LEFT: Electronic technician

Nicolas Peters is in training

as a satellite communications specialist. He is checking signals sent by central control to the antenna seen through the window.

The Panama Canal Review
THE YEAR was 1914. The Panama

Canal was newly completed and the thousands of men who labored to finish the gargantuan task were ready to give themselves the luxury of some

leisure time.

It was then that the Balboa Gun Club was born. The abundance of wildlife available on the Isthmus and the large number

of hunting enthusiasts were instrumental in organizing the club, located then on Gavilan Road in Balboa. The club- house was adjacent to where the All American Cables Office is today.

The shooting ranges created no

particular hazard as the targets were

on Reservoir Hill. Shooting matches

attracted a larger number of spectators

and the number of shooters increased

rapidh'.

Toda\- it is the oldest and largest rec- reational organization on the Isthmus.

First Class

Shortlv before World War II, the Balboa site \\'as taken over for housing

and the club was mo\ed to its present

location occupvmg 8 acres ot well- landscaped grounds adjacent to Farfan

Beach near the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Here there are first class facihties for skeet and trap shooting,

pistol, small bore rifle, large bore rifle, and bench rest rifle firing. In the early 1950's, the club was

incorporated and became known as the Balboa Gun Club, Inc. Membership

today is comprised of approximately

600 adults, both men and women, and

90 junior members, ages 12 to 19, from

the civilian and military communities

of the Canal Zone. There are many

father and son teams that spend hours

together practicing on the club's ranges. President of the 56-year-old shooting

group is Albert S. Adams. Other officers include: Archie Turner, vice president; Neil A. Doherty, secretary; and James Thompson, treasurer. Competition and

activity managers are: Bovd Ferry, Robert Jeffrey, Nat Litvin, Beverly Salter, and Fred Wells.

Safety, Competition

Over the vears, the club's main

interest has changed from a hunting

organization to an activity promoting

the safe handling and use of firearms,

and for competitive events. The clubhouse and main shooting ranges are located on the lower level of the neatlv landscaped grounds. The

pistol range is divided into two sections, one with 30 firing positions and turning

targets (used for time shooting) at a distance of 50 and 25 yards. TTie other

BALBOA GUN CLUB

SIGHTS SET ON SAFETY

AND COMPETITION

Father, Son Team

An important function of the club is shoot- ing instruction. Here James L. Collins, Jr., coaches his son, James L. Collins III, in .22 caliber prone position firing.

has six stationary positions for precision

firing at a distance of 25 yards. Also in

this area is the range for small caliber

rifle with 20 positions for match shoot- ing at 50 feet, 50 yards, 50 meters, and

100 yards.

Perhaps the most popular place on

the lower level of the grounds is the shooting gallery used strictly for "fun

shooting" with .22 caliber rifles using

light gallery ammunition.

The 200-\'ard range for high-powered

rifles and bench rest competition is at an intermediate level above the small bore rifle range. Skeet and trap shooting are done on

the highest level, on the crest of a rise about 30 meters above Ezra Hurvi^tz

road.

Hit The Tack

Many kinds of shooting competitions

are held at Farfan. Among the newest

is the "tack driving" contest. The shooter aims his precision rifle from a bench

rest at a thumbtack in the center of a small white target at a distance of 200 vards. This is so difficult that since

this competition began 2 years ago, onlv five members have "hit the tack." The Balboa Gun Club is affiliated with the National Rifle Association,

National Skeet Shooting Association,

and Amateur Trap Shooting Association.

Junior members are coached every Saturday morning in small bore rifle marksmanship and safety by trained

instructors such as Sgt. Beverly Salter

8 May 1970
of the U.S. Air Force. The senior members provide rifles, targets, and

other equipment for the boys' use at no charge.

Manv fine marksmen ha\e been rated

as Distinguished Experts b\- the National Rifle .Association. Among these outstanding shooters of the Balboa Gun

Club is Dana Ferr\ , 16, a junior at Bal- boa High School. He scored 387 out of

a possible 400 in the recent National

Junior Sectionals placing him with the

2.5 or so best junior shooters among the

.5,000 listed in the United States.

"

Only Shooter

Women members of the club,

although few in number, have distin- guished themselves as shooters. Mrs.

Klara McKeen is the onlv pistol shooter

to participate in the U.S. .\vm\ Southern Command, Commanders Pistol Matches, for 2 consecutive \ ears.

Safet\ is the watchword of the gun

club. During its .56 \ears, onl\ one minor

accident has occurred, and that was

.30 \ ears ago. Accidents are avoided as all match

firing is done bv specific command and

eas\- to follow safet\ rules are rigidK'

enforced at all times—J.T.T.

TOP: Targets appear only as small black dots on the 100-vard small-bore range. From left are Ken Andersen and

Boyd W. Ferr\'. Andersen has just fired and

is checking his target through a scope. ABOVE: Scoring

a target can be a difficult job

if the grouping is close. Ferry uses a pointer to determine whether a slug has touched

the white line which would give the shooter the next highest count.

In center is Fred E. Wells. Supervising the scoring

is Robert S. Jeffrey, administrative

assistant to the Governor.

Tracy Howard staples .22 caliber targets at the 100-yard range. All shooting stops when

targets are being put in place. Such safet>' rules keep the club accident free.

Following a round of firing. Ken Andersen

"scopes" his target to check on his score. The targets are so far away that shooters must use telescopes to see the holes.

The P.\nama C.\nal Review
Malaria

The fight goes on

By Willie K. Friar

Breakthrough in

malaria research

made in Panama

MONKEYS ARE becoming man's best

friend in the fight against one of the world's most destructive diseasesmalaria.

Scientists working in Panama have

succeeded in infecting Panama monkeys

with human malaria which means that monkevs can partially replace human

volunteers in the testing of anti-malarial drugs and that the disease can be more carefully studied under laboratory

conditions. This breakthrough has far reaching

implications, for despite the development of new drugs and new insecticides,

malaria remains a major health problem

in manv parts of the world and much

more research is needed.

Malaria is caused bv a minute animal

that lives, prospers, and multiplies ra- pidlv in the livers and blood streams of humans once it has been injected by

the blood-sucking female Anopheles

-«?

1

Cebus (white-faced or capuchin), well known as the monkey that collected money

for organ grinders in years past, is among the species in which human malaria

is being grown for research purposes.

H^JjS

mosquito. But until recently, all efiForts to grow the human parasite in small animals failed. The importance of this breakthrough can best be understood by

a look at the history of the disease. Wartime Casualties Malaria is an old enem\'. Julius Caesar saw mans' of his men suffer and die of the disease during the Roman civil wars. Napoleon's forces were ravaged bv it. Malaria caused more than 5,000 deaths during the Spanish American War, and in World

War I campaigns were stalemated for months because British, French, and

German troops alike were immobilized

bv the disease. During the battle for Sicih' in World

War II, more American and British soldiers were put out of action b\- malaria than bv the weapons of the enemv. Not onh' has malaria determined the outcome of wars, but it has stvmied

Examining a blood sample containing malaria parasites is Dr. Martin D. Young,

director of Gorgas Memorial Laboratory,

who has 35 years of experience in malaria research.

the building of cities, roads, railroads,

industries, and manv of man's great

undertakings. Its destructive role in the construction of the Panama Canal is a

classic example. During 1906, the rec- ords show 821 Canal emplo\ees out of

ever\' 1,000 were admitted to hospitals

for malaria treatment. Newcomers to the tropics quicklx- learned that it was not the visible pests, the snakes, the biting ants, the stinging

fish, or the jungle animals, but a minute organism unseen bv man that was

the dangerous enemv. An Old Enemy

Later, new drugs and new insecti- cides were discovered and the old enem\' of ancient armies seemed close

to being conquered. Then came disturb- ing reports from \'ietnam. American

soldiers were getting malaria and it was

a kind that the new drugs didn't cure. Also, DDT and other insecticides were

not killing the mosquitoes as they once did.

It became apparent that more re- search was necessarv. Man's old enemy

was far from being conquered. Better

anti-malarial drugs were urgently

needed.

10 May 1970
Scientists' success in infecting

these monkeys with human

malaria means they can now

partially replace humans in

the testing of new drugs.

A lively Ateles (Black spider) with his tail wrapped securely around Dr. Young's arm

warns intruders they are not welcome.

The fight against malaria has been

an international one. It was a French

doctor who in 1880 first saw the malaria

parasite. He discovered the minute an- imal living in the blood of malaria patients. Later, in Italv, doctors connected

the periodic fevers of malaria patients

with the periodic reproductions of the

parasites already in their blood, and

demonstrated that it was possible for attacks to come later in places where

there were no mosquitoes.

British doctors tried to infect volunteers by mosquito bites but failed. Finallv it was discovered that the malaria parasite needed an incubation period

in the mosquito. Then in 1898, British Maj. Ronald Ross, while dissecting mosquitoes in India, discovered the truth. The parasites reproduced asexually in

their human hosts, but in stomachs of

the mosquitoes they developed a kind

of sexual reproduction. Their hordes

of offspring migrated to the insect's salivary glands where they waited until,

if they happened to bite an uninfected

human, the transmission cycle was complete. It was Ross who made the important discovery that it was onlv the Anopheles mosquito, and only the vampire female, who performed this task. One of the first steps toward the conquering of malaria began after it was found that mosquitoes transmitted

the disease. Control measures such as eliminating breeding places by drain- age or putting oil on the water of lakes and ponds, protecting people

with screens, and killing mosquitoes

with insecticides proved effective in preventing the disease. These were the methods employed

b\- Col. William C. Gorgas in the sanitation work that made possible the build- ing of the Panama Canal. These methods, however, were successful onl\' if vigorously pursued.

Gorgas drove his men relentlessh and once told a story about a weary

sanitation inspector, who on a very hot day after pouring oil on a number of mosquito breeding places, returned to his hotel and in a final gesture of complete exhaustion dumped his remaining

supply of crude oil into the cistern on

the hotel roof. Soon, a Navy officer arrived at the

hotel, and went to his room to bathe. He stripped off his clothes, stepped into the shower, covered himself with liquid soap, and pulled the chain to release the water. Out came the stick\- oil which

mingled with the soap to make a gooev

coating that could not be washed off.

Pancho, the lab's pet, looks for cigarettes

in Dr. Young's pocket.

There was no other water available. The officer couldn't put on his clothes, so he wrapped himself in a sheet and

went to bed. The next morning, still wearing the sheet, he set out to find the

sanitation inspector. But someone, in an attempt to calm the outraged bather,

told him that the sanitation inspector

had died of vellow fever. The well oiled Navy man responded with, "I'm damn

glad of it." There has been no letup in the fight

against malaria since the Americans first took over the project of building the

Canal. The Canal Zone Division of Sanitation now has 123 men, all Panamanians, who clean more than 400

miles of drainage ditches each year. They help the health authorities apply

residual insecticide twice each year

in the dwellings of more than 150

land licensees. Blood smears are taken regnlarU

and the residents whose smears are found positive for malaria are given

weekly doses of an antimalarial drug

for 14 weeks.

The budget for the Division of Sanitation is $400,000 a year and its emplo\ ees spend 60 to 70 percent of their time in the continuing fight against malaria. The operation still includes such well known practices as draining

mosquito breeding areas, cutting away

underbrush, and the use of chemicals

to kill the larvae throughout the Canal Zone. Although the malaria rate among

Canal Zone employees may, in the

future, decrease to zero, it is practically

impossible to eliminate the mosquito.

The practical control objectives of the

sanitation forces are to reduce the numbers of mosquitoes breeding and to

selectively kill those mosquitoes resting on walls in houses by putting residual

insecticide on the walls.

Human malaria parasites were first grown

successfully in the night or owl monkey.

Colonel Gorgas used all these methods along with daily doses of quinine

for all construction workers. Quinine

became known about 3 centuries ago

after Count Chinchon sailed from Spain

to become Viceroy of Peiti. One story

is that at Lima, the count's wife, the Condesa de Chinchon, contracted malaria. A local citizen recommended a medicine which the Indians made from the bark of the quina-quina tree which is native to the Andean foothills, and now

named in honor of the Condesa.

The countess drank the bitter medicine and recovered. The Jesuit mission-

(Please see p. 12)

The Panama Canal Review II
(Continued from p. 11)

aries began to collect the bark and

spread the word of its medicinal value. Bv 1750, the value of "Peruvian" or

Jesuits' " bark was well known to the medical world even though the facts about malaria were still shrouded in mvstery.

Quinine remained the usual treatment

for malaria until World War II when

the shortage of quinine resulted in an intensive search for other drugs. One

of the drugs developed in the early 1930's was Atabrine which had the disadvantage of turning some people a

yellowish color. Most people objected to the coloring,

but a doctor told a storv of a Fiji Islander who found his new color made

him so attractive to the local girls that he stole Atabrine from the Army dispensary to keep up the coloration after he

had been cured of his malaria. Other drugs were developed without

such side effects, and quinine began

to plav a smaller and smaller role in malaria treatment until in recent vears when drug resistant strains of malaria

appeared.

No Substitute Now the search is on again for new

and better medicines. The finding and

testing of new drugs, however, is always

a long, expensive, and complicated process. Until recentlv, new malaria drugs

had to be tested in humans because

there was no practical animal substitute. This has man\- disadvantages. There

Thousands of Anopheles mosquitoes which

transmit malaria are grown in the Rand In- sectory at Gorgas Memorial Laboratory for research purposes. Dr. D. C. Baerg examines

mosquito larvae growing in white metal trays.

have never been enough human volunteers and although prisoners volunteered during the war, questions of security often posed big problems.

Also, it is difficult to know that the human patient has taken the medicine

even in hospitals. Sometimes for rea- sons of his own, the person does not take the drug.

Gorgas ran into this difiicultv in his malaria work. He reported one some- what humorous and unexpected inci- dent. He had built a convalescent hospital on the island of Taboga for patients with the more severe cases of malaria. The convalescent treatment was designed to rid the patients' blood

of malarial parasites and prevent

them from becoming carriers. The

treatment consisted of large doses of quinine continued for 10 days after the

fever ceased.

Turkey Gobbler

Gorgas noticed one dav that an old turkey gobbler which was a hospital pet was acting strangelv. He staggered

around as if he couldn't see. On investigation, Gorgas discovered that a number of the malaria patients, when the\' were given their dailv dose of quinine

in the dispensarv, threw their tablets out the window. The old turkey devel- oped a taste for the tablets and the

stimulating effects of the quinine and

gobbled up all the tablets he could find. He became so dissipated in this way

that he finallv developed amblvpia, a kind of blindness caused bv too much

quinine. The doctor had to confine the

old turkey to keep him awav from the quinine until he recovered his sight.

Malariologists work todav toward ' finding a wav to control malaria not onK' in small sanitized areas like the Canal Zone where through strict control measures the disease has been

almost eradicated, but in the vast jungles of the world where such methods as drainage and spraving with -

insecticides are impractical. But for effective research, there was

an obvious need for a small animal that could be infected with malaria. Since the discoverv of the malaria parasite

90 vears ago, the parasites have been

found in reptiles, birds, apes, and mon-

~

kevs, but attempts to grow human

malaria in birds and monkeys in the laboratory were not successful.

Scarce Animals

It was known that human malaria

would grow in chimpanzees and gib- , bons whose spleens had been removed. But these animals are scarce and very

expensive as well as difficult to handle. At Gorgas Memorial Laboratory- in

* Panama, Dr. Martin D. Young, director,

who has worked with malaria for 35

years, began trying to grow malaria . in Panama monkeys, although past

attempts to grow malaria in small monkevs had failed. The new technique which Dr. Young

planned to use was based on the reason- ing that the inmiunitv of the monkevs

to human malaria might be reduced b\' using some of the recentlv devel- oped drugs that have been used for

'

suppressing immunitv in the case of organ transplants. These drugs prevent

the bodv from rejecting foreign substances, such as transplanted hearts. Also, the monkev's spleen, which helps

fight disease, would be removed.

The experimental work was begun at the laboratorv. Blood was taken from

patients who had malaria and was in- jected into various monkexs belonging

to the seven species of Panama monkevs. After 6 months the first successful

results were obtained when the parasite, Plasmodium vivax, a species of malaria, grew in the small night or owl Actus monkey.

Allowed To Bite Later experiments showed that the mosquitoes which transmit human

malaria could be infected bv biting these monke\s. To further prove that the malaria in the monke\' was the same

himian malaria that had been injected

into the monkev, these infected mosquitoes were allowed to bite two human

volunteers who were staff members of

12 May 1970
the laboratory. Within the normal 11 to 12 day incubation period they devel- oped malaria. To complete the cycle,

blood from these volunteers was in- jected into other monkeys and produced

infections. This work proved for the first time

that human malaria could be grown in small monkeys and soon laboratories

in other parts of the world verified these findings. Continuing investigations showed that other monkeys com- mon to Panama could be infected with

human malaria. The parasites grew

well in the black spider monkey, the red spider monkev, and in the Panama marmoset.

So, in Panama, in the laboratory that

is a memorial to one of the world's

greatest malaria fighters, a very im- portant breakthrough in the war on

malaria was made.

New Findings

Later experiments showed the parasite could be grown in monkeys with- out resort to immunity suppresant drugs

and without spleen removal.

Attention was given then to the growing of the most dangerous malaria

parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in monkevs. This possibilitv was partic- ularlv important as some strains of this species were resistant to the best malarial drugs. A scientist in the United

States then found that an African strain of this malaria would grow in the Aotus monkey from Colombia.

Later work at Gorgas Memorial Laboratory showed that this African malaria strain and strains from Southeast

Asia would grow not only in the Pan- ama Aotus monkev but also in the white

faced capuchin Cehus.

Continue Learning

Now Gorgas scientists are using these monkeys to continue learning more

about malaria and how these animals

may be used as a partial replacement

for human volunteers for the development of better antimalarial drugs. Dr. Young, while discussing this important breakthrough in malaria,

said: "The bright possibilty that malaria can be eliminated from the world is a breathtaking prospect charged with

far-reaching significance. It would mark

the first successful elimination of a major disease from this planet. It would

improve the health, happiness, well- being, and economic status of vast seg- ments of the world's population. It gives

hof)e and a design for further conquests

of disease, especially those transmitted

by small insects or those which can be

attacked by drugs."

SOME ODDITIES

IN THE HISTORY

OF MALARIA

vtihi^. .* .» «}^k ¥-.>jki~'Sl>4g

During Canal construction days these men were part of an army of sanitation workers whose job was to spread oil on mosquito troubled waters. The barrels in the foreground contain the oil. The mule is hauling drinking water for the sprayers.

EVEN AFTER the discovery of quinine

it was not universally accepted as a treatment for malaria and many home

remedies were used. Beverages made

of sassafras roots, cherry bark, or horse manure were used and one country

doctor treated himself with salt and

pepper.

W'

For many years, people were con- vinced that malaria was caused by water

vapors.

So many workers were infected with

malaria when the banana plantations were being started in Central America

that there is good reason to believe that there would be no bananas today except

for quinine and other antimalarial drugs.

* +- A doctor in Apalachicola, Fla., once recommended that Washington, D.C. be

enclosed in a giant screen to keep out

malaria carrying mosquitoes.

The colony established by the English

at Jamestown, Va., was almost destroyed

twice by malaria. It is believed that the colonists moved to Williamsburg

because of it. % %

In the Canal Zone, all screened doors swing outward because inward swinging

doors favor entry of insects which may

be on the doors.

Although the Anopheles female is a voracious vampire which dines on

blood at every opportunity, the male is a namby-pamby, mild-mannered vegetarian. -^^

At one time it was believed that whiskey would prevent malaria and it was issued to sailors in the Confederate

Navy every morning. A popular cocktail during Canal construction days was

4 grains of quinine in an ounce of rum.

ik^ .*,

The Panama Canal Review 13
Culinary

Capers Pan a ma ( pan ah ma), n. [probably Choco Indian.] An abundance of fish,

By Fannie P. Hernandez

EARLIEST HISTORICAL chronicles on dining sav the eating of fisli was

prohibited to mortal man in pagan

times and note that the gastronomical

privilege was reser\'ed soleh- and ex- clusively for the gods. Fish was held

sacred and holv. And there was

weeping and wailing for the dead

aquatic creatures which washed upon

the shores. Down through the ages, legend after legend has carried the s\'mbolism of

fish as it has been depicted in paganism, Christianitv, love, romance, fertility, prophec\ , and hieroglyphics. In prehistoric eras, manv people in Asia worshipped a fish god. So did the Eg\ptians and the Greeks. At the time

of Christ, Ichthus, the fish, was the symbol worn bv the Christians in the catacombs of Rome.

In the Middle Ages, the fish s\mbol

meant light and intelligence. And in the Zodiac, the sign of two fishes de- notes love and wisdom. Fish are still honored as sacred symbols in parts of

India. The symbolism of fish remains

also in parts of the world where the

traditional blessing of departing fishing

fleets and their catches still takes place.

With the passing of the Dark Ages,

the taboo on fish eating disappeared.

During medieval times, the eating of

fish became a way of Christian life. Counting Frida\s, Lent, and all the

other days of fasting, meat was ex- cluded from the menu for almost half the year. Fishing came to play an important role in the destinies of nations

as it prepared the v/ay for sea trade. Fish contains a rich combination of vitamins, minerals, and proteins and

ocean fish contains 50 to 200 times as much iodine as anv other food. No

other food supplies so great a degree

of these essentials of the dailv diet. Most important, too, is the fact that the low calorie content in fish permits

weight watchers to indulge almost

at will in the delight of succulent

fish dishes. At the 1969 Fish Expo held in Boston,

Dr. Frederick J. Stare, professor of

nutrition at Harvard University, and

a great believer in fish as a major item

in today's diet, said, "Fish belongs in diets designed to lessen the development of our main cause of death today—

coronary heart disease. It has less fat and fewer calories per ounce than

other meats."

In purchasing fish the main thing is that it must be fresh. If it smells like

fish, it isn't fresh. The skin and scales should be brilliant, the flesh firm and

if the head is still attached, the eves should be bright, clear, full, and bulgCorbina, a prized

catch from Panama's Pacific waters, is displayed by

Cristobal Villarreal, head chef of the Union

Club of Panama.

Corbina is a favorite food on the Isthmus. The

recipe for Corbina a la Villarreal is on the next page.

ing. It is recommended that if the fish cannot stare back at you, have nothing

to do with it. In buying frozen fish, make sure it

is frozen solid and has little or no smell. Frozen fish stays fresh for about a month if it is well wrapped and kept

frozen. It should not be thawed at room

temperature or in warm water, but in the refrigerator. Frozen fish sticks and

portions are cooked without thawing.

Before cooking fish, wipe it with a cloth which has been dipped in salt water and wrung out. This does not

take away the flavor as washing does.

If the fish must be washed, do it quickh'

and pat it drv. For better flavor when

sei-ving the fish whole, let it keep its head. A headless fish loses its juices. In cooking fish, leave the skin on it as the best flavor in fish is found just

under the skin.

Nr.^'!^

14 May 1970
Fish

Fare

Red Snapper is perhaps the most

colorful food fish in the sea and it is in season all year around. The meat is juicy

and white and has a fine delicate flavor.

It can be broiled, baked, steamed, or boiled but manv consider a baked red snapper a real treat.

Baked Red Snapper

3 or 4 pound red snapper, whole

I'A tsp. salt 2 tbsp. melted butter

Sprinkle inside and outside with salt and stuff the fish loosely. Place on a well greased baking pan and brush

with butter. Bake in a moderate oven

at 350 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes

or until the fish flakes easily. Baste it occasionally with the melted butter.

Stuffing

% cup celery, chopped

% cup onion, chopped

% cup melted butter

1 quart bread cubes

!i cup sour cream

a cup lemon, peeled, and diced 2 tsp. lemon rind

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt Cook the celery and onion until soft and combine with all other ingredients.

(If it looks too dry add a little more

melted butter.) Serves six persons. For the broiling method of preparing

fish we have selected the excellent cor- bina from Panama's Pacific waters. The

following recipe has been contributed

by Cristobal Villarreal, the head chef of the Union Club of Panama, whose out- standing success in cooking the fish has

made it one of the true epicurean

treasures in this area:

Corbina A La Villarreal

2 pounds fillets of corbina 4 tbsp. melted butter, plus 6 tbsp. butter

for sauce

I tsp. salt dash of pepper

1 tbsp. flour 2 tsp. chopped parsley

1 anchovy fillet, mashed

Use thick fillets and cut into portions.

Brush with melted butter. Preheat oven and broiler at 500 degrees for about

10 minutes. Dust the fillets with flour,

salt, and pepper. Arrange on oiled broil- er pan and place about 5 inches from

the flame. Baste with melted butter twice while cooking for about 8 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Re- move from oven and cover with hot

butter sauce to which chopped parsley

and anchovy have been added. Or add

chopped toasted almonds in place of the

parsley and anchovy. Serves six.

not soggy. Flake the cooked fish which

may be cod, turbot, haddock (fresh, ot course, not canned). Heat the butter in a saucepan. Chop the hard-boiled egg

and add it. Season. Add the rice and

then the raw egg. Turn down the flame and stir all together. Add as much

cream (milk will do) as vou need, re- membering not to make it runny.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley before

serving. Serves six.

Escabeche

Escabeche, which probably origin- ated in Spain during the rule of the Moors, is common in all Spanish

speaking countries. Here is a version our readers may want to try using

grouper, corbina, snapper, or any fish

fillets available. 2 pounds fish fillets 2 onions, sliced thin 2 cloves garlic, minced

f

Fish and Rice

A breakfast food common in parts of India called Kitcherie was refashioned

by the British Colonials to suit their

tastes. By substituting fish for beans

or lentils in the original recipe, they came up with a delicious fish and

rice dish called Kedgeree. Here is a recipe for Kedgeree contributed to Culinary Capers by His Excellency

Ronald Scrivener, Ambassador of Great

Britain in Panama:

Kedgeree

1 cup rice

1 pound cooked fish

I tbsp. butter

1 hard-boiled egg

1 raw egg

a cup fresh cream

salt and pepper Wash a cup of rice, boil it and dry

it in the oven. It must be very firm and

3 tbsp. flour, cornmeal or fine breadcrumbs for dredging

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. salt bay leaf

1 tsp. oregano

1 tbsp. chopped parsley ^ cup olive oil, (ii cup for frying)

'A cup vinegar

'A cup water

onion slices halved black olives pimiento pieces

Cook onion and garlic in oil until

soft. Remove from oil. Dredge fish fillets in flour, to which salt and pepper

have been added. Fry in hot oil for about 5 minutes or until brown. Arrange

the fried fish in a serving dish. Mix the

vinegar, oil, water, and spices and pour

over fried fish. Cover with onion slices and olives. Put wax paper over dish and

refrigerate for 24 hours. Occasionally spoon marinade over fish. Serves six.

The Panama Canal Review 15
Ih \n< v/alu Of T\w Con<^ui^ic^dc^'l^

NAVIGATOR, mapmaker, explorer, sailor—Kit S. Kapp, master of the ketch

Fairicinds, has made his home in the wake of the Conquistadores.

The gregarious man from Cincinnati

who once was heading towards the "normal" nine to five life behind a desk,

has pro\ed that there are still plenty of virgin territories for the historian, archeologist, and explorer.

Along the Spanish Main and in the

jungles of Panama and Colombia,

Kapp's expeditions have taken him to iminhabited islands that once were

pirate hideouts or Spanish fortifications, and deep into the Darien jungles to

By Louis R. Granger

ancient towns and Spanish gold mines.

He has headed nine official expeditions under the auspices of the famed

Explorers Club of New York. Tra\eling

in his 50-foot sailboat, Kapp was accompanied bv interested adventurers made

up of "spirited, intelligent men and

women" willing to spend weeks and

sometimes months sharing the finances and the duties afloat and ashore. Man\

have come from the Canal Zone and

Panama Citv, and others from the United States, South America, and

Europe. At a boyish 43, Kit S. Kapp (his real name) has retained an excited interest

in his work that mav have come from

\ears of not having to worT\' about

house pa\ments, the stock market, and

whether or not he gets to work on time. Bom in Cincinnati, Kapp was graduated from the University of Cincinnati

in 1950 with a B.A. in business administration. After serving 2''2 \ears in the Armv and later receiving an ROTC

commission in the Air Force, Kapp

decided he needed a vacation and a bit of adventiu'e. He headed for the West

Indies. There he bought a 41-foot ketch named the Fairicinds and got into the

charter business. It was a financial suc16 May 1970
OPPOSITE PAGE: Sleek and

sturdy, the 50-foot ketch "Fairwinds" heads out on another voyage to adventure.

RIGHT: The Explorers Club flag, displayed by Capt. Kapp and his wife

Valerie, has been taken on many of their expeditions.

LOWER RIGHT: The arrow points to where Kapp expects

to find the old city of Santa Maria

la Antigua, the first Spanish

settlement of Central and South America.

cess almost from the beginning, but

there was something lacking. "It was

like running a seagoing taxi service,"

laments Kapp.

He bought his present SO-foot ketch,

also named the Fairtciiids. in 1955 and

built a home in St. Thomas, Virgin

Islands, shortly afterwards. "But this wasn't for me. It became a rat race

in the Caribbean. It wasn't creative enough," he said. Heading south to Panama, Kapp

began a self education program of exploration. Cartographx , he explains, was like doing his graduate thesis work.

He made trips to Europe to systematically search museums, libraries, and

archives in an attempt to locate the

sites of earh' Spanish settlements from

centuries-old charts and prints. These

documents sometimes reveal historical and geographical facts not found in books and manuscripts, he said. Often,

such searches give tips to old spellings

and former names no longer used. Dual Purpose

Kapp also buvs old maps and charts which serve a dual purpose—to verif\' his studies of place names and locations,

and to sell at a profit to help defray his exploration expenses. While stud\ing old charts in London

a few years ago he discovered something in British naval historx' that caused

([uite a stir among museum historians. While examining an 18th Century

chart of St. John's, Virgin Islands, Kapp

noticed that the cartographer signed

himself H. Nelson Adm. Lord Horatio

Nelson, the most famous of British naval

heroes, was not known to have ever been a cartographer, but Kapp had a hunch. He knew Nelson had married a woman from Nevis, a British island in

the Leeward Islands, and that he had

spent many years in that area of the Caribbean.

Unruffled Stride He compared an original signature of Admiral Nelson to that on the St. John's chart. They appeared to be

the same. British Museum historians thought so too and were quite surprised

at the discovery. Kapp took the dis- covers' in unniffled stride and left the museum authorities scratching their heads. His inteiest in cartographs' has led

to the publication of charts of Jamaica,

Isla Roatan, Honduras, and Mandinga

and Carti Ke\ s in the San Bias. He has

produced a preliminar\' large scale chart

of the uncharted coast between Isle of Pines and Ailigandi and has submitted

innumerable chart corrections of man\'

Caribbean areas to the U.S. Hydrographic Office and the U.S. Nav\'

Oceanographic Office. Off and on for the past 8 \ears, Kapp

has sailed among the islands of the lower San Bias, from Pla\on Chico Vil- lage to Anachucuna (near the Colombian frontier), making painstaking sightings and depth soundings in an area

that was last surve\ed more than 160

\ears ago. The latest San Bias chart is published

by the U.S. Na\y H\drographic Office (Please see p. 18}

The Panama Canal Review 17
v^. I

74'.

foni^cadTros

REPl'BLICA .1 COLOMBIA "lJ>

COSTA NORTE

r'i>_j_ -^vH ^*'***" -•- iOtj- J.^ufi' •jf,.,;. fM,«- c-«

r

This chart of the northern coast of Colombia was made by Kapp (luring expeditions along the Spanish Main.

(Continued from p. 17)

and is of the northern part from Nombre de Dios to Brava Point. Where this northern part ends and the southern

part begins the chart states that "the

coastline and off-lving reefs to the east- ward of Mono River is enlarged from

a Spanish chart published in 1817." Kapp's chart will be the most up-to-date.

Kapp's first sailing expedition was

The captain explains the secrets of map

making. On the table is a chart of Port Royal Harbor.

the start of a series of three beginning

in 1961 stretching from the Virgin

Islands to Cariipano on the Venezuelan

coast near Trinidad and then on to Bocas del Toro at the northwestern end

of Panama and back to the Virgin

Islands-a total of 3,500 miles.

Forgotten Tidbits "We were in search of abandoned

forts and lost settlements and endeavored to uncover anv forgotten tidbits of Hispanic history. We were amazed

to find a number of inaccuracies on

the modem charts. Li the San Bias Archipelago alone we uncovered two

ancient Spanish fortifications, unknown

to the National Archives of Panama,"

Kapp said. In 1962, with a crew of seven, the Fairwinds sailed out from the Virgin

Islands and headed for the tinv island

of Orchila which, unknown to the adventuresome group, was used bv the Venezuelan government as a political

prison. Their chart, however, showed

it to be barren and abandoned.

An incident that would make a Hollywood writer envious occurred while

tacking up to the island to find an

anchorage.

Pouring Smoke

"A large grey ship about 120 feet long without a flag or an\ identification bore down on us. She was realK- pouring smoke (moving fast). We got out

of there but the ship chased us for

about 6 hours. Finally we lost them in a squall, but not before the crew opened

up on us with automatic weapons." (The

Fairwinds was not hit.) Not associating the ship with the

island, the Fainvinds saOed back to Orchila where all hands were immediately arrested on suspicion of being

part of a political escape plot. LuckiK', the island commander, a Venezuelan naval officer, had attended

Columbia University in New York Cit\

and greeted his unwanted and surprised

American visitors like cousins. Even so. the\' were held captive for a da\- until other government officials determined

the\' were not attempting to release an\' of the prisoners.

Lightning Strikes On that same cruise, in a squall off the Darien coast, the Fairwinds was

struck bv lightning. It stunned the crew- member at the helm, started a fire in the engineroom, knocked out the entire

electrical system, and burned the mast. Repairs made and the injured treated, the journe\' was resumed.

"The purpose of investigating the antiquated fortifications along the coast was to make a comprehensive studv of

their construction, design, choice of

location, and specific materials used. This information will prepare us for locating the ruins in the Darien which

have been abandoned to the jungles for hundreds of \ears," Kapp said. One of the tasks set b\ the expedition

18 May 1970
was to locate the site of the first capital

of Terra Firma (on old charts the area

tliat comprises parts of Panama and

Colombia), Santa Maria la Antigua, in the western part of Colombia near the Panama border. The\ located an area 12 miles in the jungle which once was

believed to be the site, but ruled it out on the basis of logic and a historical description of 1516 which indicated it should be close to an anchorage.

"We proceeded to investigate every

possible harbor along the Gulf of Uraba

and were able to narrow the possibilities douTi to four locations. In one of the most logical bays, we found an unknown batter\- and man-made sub- merged seawall," Kapp said. Time for this portion of their journey

ran out and the\- were unable to continue their in\estigations. Kapp sa\ s, however, he ma\- return and possibl\'

make excavations if more evidence is found to indicate that the site was the

location of Santa Maria.

Gulf of Uraba

During the search for Santa Maria,

Kapp was able to chart the Gulf of Uraba. This has been published by the Republic of Colombia.

During his travels along the coasts

of Panama and Colombia, Kapp devel- oped a scholarh' interest in the Cuna

Indian culture. He became so inter- ested he moved his base of operations

from the \'irgin Islands to Cristobal, on the Atlantic side of the Panama

Canal, and to Cartagena, Colombia.

A sometimes freelance writer, Kapp

is stud\ing Cuna medicine dolls and

"mola" designs as the\ appK to the Indian medicine. He plans eventually

to write a book on the results of his

studies. The mola consists of la\ ers of various colored cloth sewn together and cut through to bring out a particular color which forms a design. Cuna Indian women make blouses out of them. Each

blouse consists of two brightlv colored molas plus short sleeves and a soke. Nose Rings

The Ciuja women also wear large

gold nose rings, and beaded legbands.

Medicine dolls, made of balsam and

other harder woods, are used b\' the medicine men to remove the e\il spirit from within a sick person. The doll rescues the abducted spirit and the

patient is restored to health. Kapp has published "The Printed

Maps of Jamaica Up to 1825," and is working on two other books, maps of Panama, and maps of Colombia.

While in Jamaica. Kapp met and

married a petite, prettv English girl.

Valerie. She properlv fits in with the

nautical life, having been born on the

seafaring Isle of Wight off the southern

coast of England. Eric, his 14-vear-old son of a previous marriage, sometimes joins the expeditions when his school vacations allow.

Greatest Undertaking

Kapp is now preparing for his greatest undertaking—to locate and explore

the fabled cit\" of Eldorado. He is presenth' working on financing the trip. According to legend, Eldorado was

fabulouslv wealthx' and the most cul- tured cit\ of northern South America.

What drives Kapp and that exclusive

frutemitN of men and women who have

left the grass cutting, the carpools,

church outings, and mortgage pa\

ments? Independence? Freedom? A

drive to do the unusual—something that has not been done before? Or mereh

escape? It is possible all of these things

are part of it. For example, Kapp

applied to the National Science Foundation for a grant to help finance an

expedition to Roatan, an island oft the

the northern coast of Honduras. "The

request was turned down, but I went

ahead and did it anvwav. I get carried awa\' sometimes." he said. Kapp has difficultx in explaining his wav of life and the satisfaction he gets

from it.

Swashbuckling

"I real]\ can't sav in one paragraph

what it's all about. As much as I've explained it to mv father, he still doesn't understand what I'm doing. I wanted

to do something scientific and I enjov

traveling and the romance of the old da\s—the swashbuckling da\s of the

pirates, not the blood and guts of it, but the times, the treasures and the

people," Kapp explains enthusiasticallv.

"I have pride in seeing mv charts published and being accepted bv the

scientific communitv. The Explorers

Club says that exploration should be

well planned, sophisticated, and something that hasn't been accomplished

before. The difference between adventure and exploration is scientific ad- vancement and that's what we attempt

in each of the expeditions."

Kapp's effort cannot be measured b\ the same standard as those of Perr\ or Lindberg, but he and the rest of the world's wanderers are from the same mold.

Henr\ David Thoreau explained it succinctlv when he WTote:

"// a man does not keep pace with

his companions,

perhaps it is because he hears

a different drummer.

Let him step to the music which

he hears,

however measured or far auaij."

Kapp takes time out from his work in charting

the San Bias Islands to make

friends with two Cuna Indian girls. The children are wearing

the typical "mola" blouses and

one girl a nose ring, traditional among the Cuna women.

/
R

THE OLD ADAGE that money doesn't grow on trees doesn't hold true for Panama. It does, and probably in vour own back yard.

Two enterprising brothers saw the green shimmering in the trees years ago and now slowly but surely are cashing in on a relatively untapped

Panamanian resource—dried plants that can be used for table arrangements.

The pair, Davis and Svdnev Stevenson, both U.S. citizens bom and reared

in Panama, operate the Tropical Plant Products Co. on a 50-acre farm in the Pedregal area between Panama City

and Tocumen Airport.

The products literally grow on trees and vines. They are the large curly

cecropia leaves, acacia pods, ferns, hops, sea oats, sea grape leaves, wood

roses, palm spra\s, ginger lillies, the handsome heliconias which grow wild

along the roads, and dozens of miscel- laneous flora eagerly sought by florists in temperate climates where tropical

plants are rare.

mu!Mm»'> mcnmj

To date, neither brother has taken

a salary nor any profits from the farm

operation. All earnings are returned to the company in the form of land purchases, salaries, seedlings, machinery,

and raw materials. But they see a lucrative future not only for themselves, but for the Pan- amanian economy as well. All the raw

materials including seedlings, plastic

bags, paper collars for the bags (these are printed with the name of the plant

and are stapled over the bag opening),

cardboard boxes for shipping, and

many other small items, are bought

in Panama. Even farm machinerv not manufactured in the Republic is pur- chased through local companies.

Bankrupt

The future was not alwa\s as bright

as it now appears, however. When the operation was first starting in 1960 it came close to failing. Less determined men might have given up. Following

the first harvest, a Florida distributor ordered $8,000 in dried plants. But Tt^e^

A collection of dried Panama

plant life transformed into an attractive table arrangement is held by .Mrs. Gladys Burdick of the Curundu Flower Shop.

With the help of 10 men and women

who harvest, drv, fumigate, and pack- age the marketable foliage, the Ste- venson brothers are working toward a

half-million-dollar a \ear industr\-. It may be the largest export compan\- of dried tropical plants in Central and

South America.

Already the "product of Panama"

label printed on the packages can be

seen in nearly everv State of the continental United States.

Airfreight So far this \ear thev have shipped

to the United States approximatelv

250,000 wood roses and about 200,000

other plants. Ever\thing is sent air- freight from Tocumen Airport to the nationwide distributor. Horticultural

Sales in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Tropical Plant Products has grown

from 10 to 50 acres since the farm

started 10 \ears ago. Although it was a struggle for them in the earlv years, the Stevensons now feel there is a vast market for tropical dried plants, not only in the United States, but Europe,

England, and Japan. Thev plan to in- crease the size of the farm to 200 acres, which will provide jobs for 50 persons.

before the shipment was paid for the wholesaler went bankrupt and the ac- count was never settled. Except for the farm itself, and the energies and

business sense of the Ste\'enson brothers, the compan\' was just about out

of business. Slowly they brought it out of the doldrums. Stockholders who invested

in the original venture are being repaid

their original investment, plus interest. Da\is. who takes care of the administrati\e side of the company, said the

obligation to the stockholders will be

totalK' repaid in another 2 or 3 years. While Panama's weather provides an

ideal growing season, it also creates something of a problem. Har\est time on the Ste\enson farm is at the beginning of the dr\' season. But if the rainy season ends late, as it did this year, unseasonal storms damage the plants. Dr\' season rains in Januarv destro\ed 10

to .50 thousand wood roses. But everv

thing consicleicd, nature is generous to persons who till Isthmian soil. The U.S. Department ot .Agricnitinc

re([nires that before being shipjied to the I'nited States, ail plants must he

iPii'dsc see p. 22)

20 M.w 19TU
With his homemade, plywood collection box

strapped to his back,

Jeronimo Garcia snips seed pods from

the vine with his right hand and flings them accurately over his shoulder into the box.

A closeup view of the seed pod shows why it is called a wood rose.

It is actually the seed pod of the Ipomoea Tuhcrosa vine which produces a bright yellow

flower during the latter part

of rainv season.

Just prior to fumigation

the plants are sorted and packaged.

Mrs. Maria de los Santos Molina,

who li\es nearby,

earns extra money during

harvest season.

Approximately 100 dozen wood roses are in

this wire box about to be placed in a gas-heated drying room

by Ricardo Torres. Although the

plants are almost dry when picked, further drying is necessary and assures better coloration.

The Panama Canal Review 21
\\w v/ood Ro^ U Apwmj> A fvrv^mi^

Surrounded by the lushncss of Panama,

David Stevenson, left, and

his brother Sydney, inspect a new batch of wood roses before the plants are packaged and

fumigated. Their efforts mav eventuallv turn into a $500,000 a year industry.

"""O ROSE

Packaged in plastic

and labeled, the finished product is ready to be flown

to Florida

for distribution. So far

this year approximately

450,000 dried plants have been shipped out

of Panama.

(Continued from p. 20)

fumigated to destroy unwanted and

possibly dangerous insects. Fumigation

is one of a series of processes carried out between the time a plant is picked

and the time it is shipped to the airport.

Wood Roses

In the case of the popular wood roses, a team of har\'esters moves through the rows of vines carefulh' selecting and

cutting the flowers. They are then put

into shallow boxes with wire bottoms

and placed in a gas-heated drving room.

.Although the plants would dry natural]), the artificial method does a faster job and results in better color. The plants spend 48 hours in the chamber and then are moved to the sort- ing table where each plant is inspected

for color, size, and general quality. The

best of the plants are then hand bagged

(a dozen to each perforated plastic bag),

stapled closed and moved to the fumigating room where menthol bromide

gas kills the insects, .\fter this necessary

procedure, the plants are placed in card- board cartons for ti-ucking to the airport. Braniff International and Pan American World .Airways fly the packages to Florida. An average shipment consists of 50 cases which contain 4,000 dozen

wood roses. Besides the pleasant climate of Pan- ama, there are other advantages for businesses in the Republic. Davis points out that the Isthmus has excellent accessibility to world markets; the invest- ment climate is good because it is a dollar economy, and the business community is a progressive one. Also, there

are certain guarantees for foreign busi- nessmen; ability to move dollars in and

out of the country without restrictions, and a liberal dividend tax. On The Ground

The Stevenson farm does not produce

all the items that Tropical Plant Products exports to the States. Some of the

dried plants such as the white cecropia

lea\es are provided bv suppliers who

simph- pick the leaves off the groimd

and take them to the farm. Other flora supplied in the same manner include

sea oats, sea grape leaves, heliconia,

and royal palm spravs. Panama, like other tropical countries,

has a wealth of items that can be dried

and made into attractive arrangements

for the home or office. Anybody can do it. All it takes is the right plant, a

little imagination, and a vase.—L.R.G.

22 May 1970
=ANNIVERSARIES

(On the basis of total Federal Service)

tier

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIVISION

Malcolm E. Smith Time and Leave Clerk

Francis V. Lord

Cylinder Pressman MARINE BUREAU

Elton H. Sealey Marine Traffic Clerk Herbert G. Forbes Guard

Leighton F. Franklin Seaman

Arthur C. Willocks Machine Operator TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS

BUREAU

S. M. Scantlebury Motor Vehicle Dispatcher

Albert W. McKinnon

Messenger

Albert A. Smith Time and Leave Clerk U. W. Wallace ^

Time and Leave Clerk (Ty^ng) SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY SERVICE BUREAU

Zilla M. Worthy

Marker and Sorter Allan A. Faulkner Leader Laborer (Cleaner) William A. Woodcock

Meat Cutter ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

Julian S. Heame

General Engineer (Dredging)

Ernest T. Wallace

Asphalt or Cement Worker

William A. Howard

Leader Painter HEALTH BUREAU

Ernest A. Welch

Medical Aid (Sterile Supplies)

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-PRESIDENT

William M. Whitman

Secretary-, Panama Canal Company and

Assistant to the Governor MAGISTRATES' COURTS

Cleveland E. Stevens Court Clerk (Typing) ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIVISION

Fred E. Wells

Supervisory Transportation Officer Robert G. Hammetter

General Foreman-Printing Plant Edna E. Newton

Bindery Worker

Phyra I. Decoster Bindery Worker OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

Wilfred W. Jones Accounting Technician

Carl M. Paiak

Staff Accountant Donald J. Bowen

Supervisory Accountant PERSONNEL BUREAU

Robert A. Stevens

Supervisory Position Classification Specialist MARINE BUREAU

Carmelo Zuniga

Line Handler

Ira B. Knieht Seaman

Florencio Ri'os Lead Foreman (Operations—Lock Wall)

Charles W. Rager Lock Operator (Pipefitter) Servio T. Rueda

Helper Lock Operator

Alfred E. Thompson

Air Compressor Plant Operator John W. Urey Lead Foreman Pipefitter William W. Anderson

Painter Alson T. Boyce

Painter Joseph N. Gill Laborer

Charles A. Barnes Supply Clerk

Justo Navarro

Carpenter Elwin S. Maitland

Line Handler (Deckhand)

E. S. Harrison Motor Launch Operator

Sixto De la Cruz Seaman

Earle H. Holder Mate Trainee (Towboats)

Roosevelt Bryan

Line Handler (Deckhand)

Eric B. Phillips Leader Line Handler (Deckhand, Boatswain)

Luis De Le6n Cement Finisher-Maintenance George L. Curtis Helper Lock Operator Walter F. Jarvis Lead Foreman, Lock Operations Miguel Batista Line Handler George E. Phillips Fiberglass Worker (Boatsj Grover R. Barnes Leader Lock Operator-Iron Worker, Welder

Alfred E. Ferdinand

Leader Seaman

Carlos Romero

Seaman (Launch) Ashton E. Crichlow Launch Dispatcher Henry Montgomery

Toolroom Attendant

Jos^ M. Castro Line Handler Chabel H. Moses

Painter

Julio Rodriguez Boatman (Locks)

Jose del C. P^rez

Oiler Anthony Williams

Painter John Jackman

Supply Clerk Henry I. Beimett Helper Machinist (Marine)

Gilberto Myers

Motor Vehicle Dispatcher Amoldo J. Sinclair C. Launch Dispatcher Edward R. McDonald

Helper Lock Operator TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS

BUREAU

Adolphus L. Osborne

Truck Driver Andres Ross Leader (Dock Stevedoring) Samuel Barrios Automotive Equipment Serviceman

Alfonso Heiuy

Stevedore Marcus Aird Cargo Operations Clerk Joseph E. Frederick Helper (General)

Basil E. Curtis Helper (General)

Eric E. Glasgow

Clerk Checker

^

Jorge Duncan

Laborer (Cleaner) Vivian Blandford B. Motor Vehicle Dispatcher

Nicolas I. Caput

Chauffeur Antoine Bruno

Truck Driver Leonard D. Saunders

Train Baggageman

Willard O. Robinson

Helper Electrician Arthur J. Edwards

Materials Handling Equipment Repairman

Joscelyn H. Evering

Clerk Lee B. Hunnicutt

Supervisor.' Cargo Checker

Onofre Coronado

Liquid Fuels Wharfman

James Kennedy

Truck Driver (Hea\'y) Calvin Best Blocker and Bracer Clarence A. Taylor

Parts and Equipment Cleaner McDonald A. Evans

Stevedore William R. Graham

Railroad Operations Officer Wilson H. WaHron

Lead Foreman Automotive Mechanic

Carlos Segreda C. Grounds Equipment Repairman SUPPLY AND COMMUNITY SERVICE BUREAU

Gwendolyn Cumberbatch Counterwoman

Ethel M. Harding Counterwoman Abelardo Reluz Garbage Collector Newton E, Skeet General Foreman (Grounds) Norman Davis Leader Laborer (Cleaner) Jame^ Jesse Laborer (Cleaner) William K. Mapp

Laborer (Cleaner) Booker T. Alleyne Laborer (Pest Control) Harlington G. Davidson

Laborer (Heavy-Cold Storage) Robert Davidson Marker and Sorter Luisa O. de Sanchez Marker and Sorter Remi O. Grimaux Warehouseman

Pedro Beleno

Carpenter (Maintenance) Cleveland G. Meikle

Supplv Clerk

Lillian C. Holder

Sales Store Checker

James N. Miller Commissarv Store Department Manager

Irene V, McClean

Sales Store Checker

Rafaela Salas Snack Bar Operator

Eric L. Wilson Leader Cook

Manuel Morales P. Gardener

Hilario Rojas Grounds Maintenance Equipment Operator

Jos^ G. Santana

Field Tractor Operator Edmund Reid

Laborer

Gerald S. Oakley

Laborer (Cleaner) Randolph V. Perkins

Sales Store Clerk

(Please see p. 30)

The Pawama Canal Review 23
CANAL COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC BY NATIONALITY OF VESSELS
This situation resulted in a stud\' of the pilot-control svsteni. The Marine Traffic Control (MTC)

which was centralized in Balboa 5 years

a^o, provided the pattern. Up to that time it too was being handled like the

pilot assignments—separately at Balboa

and at Cristobal. Streamlining was

needed to cope with the increasing

workload.

The Executi\e Planning StafF saw the

success of the centralized MTC and

recommended that pilot assignments

and record keeping should also be

centralized. Captain Gundersen was

given the task of developing a workable

svstem. He devised se\eral methods, and after a series of experiments, one was finally

put into operation. It called for a large

magnetic color coded tab board showing the name of each pilot, the size of

vessel he was qualified to take through

the Canal, his home base, and his

availabilit)- on a given day.

Magnetic Tabs

The information can easil\- be up- dated b\- simph- changing the magnetic

tabs. Different color tabs denote the home base and pilot qualifications.

An alphabetical directory board

shows the name of each pilot, his tele- phone number, home base, and qualifications. This board and the tab board

are in clear view of clerks as the\- de- velop daih rotation papers that are sent

to the MTC, which phones pilots and

assigns them to the ships.

^^
(Continued

SH t P ? I N G

from p. 25)

The unit is responsible for all functions pertaining to pilots' timekeeping.

This centralization of time records reduces the jMSsibOitv of errors in deter- mining night differential, and other

extra pay factors. Captain Gundersen is also the administration's liaison with the elected offi- cials of the Panama Canal Pilot Association with regard to agreements on

the interpretation and application of the

Pilots Work Rules. Centralizing the pilot record and

assignment system "was a tremendous

improvement," said Rufus C. O'Neal,

chief marine traffic controller. "There

is better utilization of manpower, uni- formity in administration of the pilot force, and better equalization of pilot

overtime."

Accurate Records

Other benefits, said Captain Gundersen, include removing clerical chores from assistant port captains, keeping

pilot time records in a single office, and

keeping more accurate pilot rotation

records. He also noted that this is the first time that anyone connected with pilot

assignments and pilot schedules has had

complete information readilv available

for the status of anv of the 185 pilots.

Working with Captain Gundersen

are: Kenneth Gibbs, supervisor; Ashbv

Smith, alternate supervisor; Claude

E. Burgess, timekeeper; and Hubert

Weeks, Ernesto Evering, Arthur Barter, and Ricardo Roberts, watch standing

clerks. $ $ cf Container Ships Ordered

FOUR 41,000-ton container ships will begin using the Panama Canal in 1972

in the United Kingdom to New Zealand

trade, according to an announcement

made recently by the chairman of the New Zealand Conference.

The vessels, which will be the world's

largest refrigerated ships, have been

ordered from British yards for delivery

in 1972 and 1973. They will carry approximately 1,420 containers, 1,160

insulated and 260 general cargo, at a speed of 23 knots. Two were ordered by Overseas Containers Ltd. of which the New Zealand

Shipping Company and the Shaw

Savill Lines are members, and two

by Blue Star Line and Port Line, members of Associated Container Transportation Ltd. The ships, plus their containers, will cost approximately $132 million. They

will operate a 14-day service from Til- bury and Southampton to Auckland and

Wellington and will charter 80 percent

of containerizable exports from Britain and nearly 50 percent of New Zealand

export cargo to the United Kingdom.

Speedy S^^'^edes

THE SWEDISH flag Johnson Line, a regular customer of the Panama Canal,

has added three new speedy containerships to its Europe to the United States and north Pacific run. They are the Axel

Johnson, Annie Johnson, and Margaret

Johnson. Each vessel cruises at 23 knots with a full load of 610 containers and

200,000 cubic feet of palletized general

cargo. Each ship has two high efficiency

gantry cranes, seven holds with a million cubic foot capacity, and a sophisticated remote control system. The enginerooms on the three vessels can operate

unmanned for 16 out of every 24 hours. The new ships entered service last year when the Axel Johnson made her maiden voyage through the Canal to the U.S. west coast and Vancouver. The

Annie Johnson arrived at the Canal a few months later and broke the company's speed record between London

and the U.S. west coast in 14 days

N 1.200

UM 1,100

B

R 1,000

and 19 hours. Margaret Johnson was

launched last fall and was to make her

initial trip through the Canal last month.

Panama Agencies is the local agent

for the Johnson Line.

Liners Being Sold

TWO WELL-KNOWN passenger ships

which have visited the Panama Canal

on various occasions under the flags of

their previous owners may be coming

here soon as cruise ships operated by

(Please see p. 30)

PANAMA CANAL TRAFFIC

STATISTICS FOR FIRST 9 MONTHS

OF FISCAL YEAR 1970

TRANSITS (Oceangoing Vessels) 1970 1969 Commercial 10,151 9,672

U.S. Government 853 1,046 Free 81 46

Total 11,085 10,764

TOLLS • Commercial $70,355,589 $64,342,447

U.S. Government. 4,936,460 6,442,040

Total $75,292,049 $70,784,487

CARGO"

Commercial 84,226,250 74,054,281

U.S. Government— 3,365,077 5,660,210 Free 173,949 74,871

Total 87,765,276 79,789,362

° Includes tolls on all vessels, oceangoing and

small. '•Cargo figures are in long tons.

900

800

700

600

500

<:;
-N> :• .<i*a ._:;rtiMiers i

£^'^'

^^^m^mm

"SUCH A VARIED collection of functions has seldom before been assembled under one roof, and the building is probably

unique and not liable to be duplicated until some undertaking

as great in magnitude as the Canal is to be consummated."

That statement, somewhat formal as was the st\le of the

times, capped the description printed in The Canal Record

on December 30, 1914, of the new Administration Building

in Balboa Heights.

And although the "varied collection of fimctions" still re- mains, the edifice that serves as headquarters for the Panama

Canal organization "was planned without any definite knowledge of what offices were to occupy it, how much space they

would require, or how thev were to be correlated," The Canal

Record stated.

Under One Roof

During the construction days various offices and administrative units were spread throughout the area. As the Canal

neared completion it became obvious that a structure was

needed to concentrate the oflSces of the several departments

under one roof for the sake of efficiency and economy, and

for the convenience of the general public having business

with the Canal. Actual work of excavating, filling, and leveling of the site was begun in March 1913 bv the Department of Construction and Engineering. The United States Steel Products Co. was able to start erecting the steel skeleton on June 18, 1913. The first employees occupied the "E" shaped building in November and December 1914, while the noise and hubbub

m:

1st

of final construction was still going on around them. By June

1915. there were 424 employees, 39 of them women, working

in the Administration Building.

Architecturallv, the building is 15th century Italian renaissance. Except for landscaping and the addition of parking

areas, the exterior of the Administration Building has changed

little since 1915. Changes, however, have come to the interior. Offices have been shuffled, reshuffled, extended, cut up, rearranged, carpeted, curtained, and cooled. Gone are the ladies' reading rooms, pool tables for men, and a small room on the landing between the first and second

floors where candv and cigars were sold.

Cold Beer Served

Gone also is the cold beer which was available in the res- taurant in the basement. A library once occupied the porch

at the front of the building. It was moved to the Civil Affairs Building in 1949. Man\' of the porches, which were necessary to protect the

offices from the direct rays of the sun and which also served

as corridors for public communication to and between the

various offices, were covered in 1942. The Graphic Branch,

originally in the attic, was moved to the basement in 1954. Canal organization functions which have remained at their

original places include the Engineering and Construction

Bureau, the main vault in the basement, the telephone ex- change, and the seismograph. The Balboa Heights Post Office, whose main purpose was to expedite official Canal mail,

has alwa\ s been on the first floor just off the rotunda.

(Please turn to p. 28)

The Pan'.wia Canal Review 27
Lijuking west from Ancon Hill on March 14, 1914, one

could see the almost completed Administration Buildint;. In 1953 the American Society of Civil Engineers chose

the "E" shaped structure as one of the seven modern civil engineering wonders of the United States.

Major changes to the interior were made about 12 vears

ago. A number of impro\ements were undertaken at a cost

of more than SI million. These included an air-conditioning

system, fluorescent lighting, suspended acoustical ceilings,

conversion of a suite of rooms adjacent to the Governor's

Office to be used as the Board Room, a new self-ser\ice elevator was installed, and glass doors replaced wooden doors

at all outside e.xits.

Nan Ingen Murals Restored

A bronze bust of former Presideiit Theodore Roosevelt was

unveiled in the rotunda during the Roosevelt Centennial cele- brated on the Isthmus in .\ovember 1958. A bust of Ferdinand DeLesseps had been placed in a niche of the rotunda

in 195.5. The beautiful \'an Ingen murals circling the upper

walls of the rotunda, w hich show the monumental construction

of the Panama Canal, were restored in 1960. More recent innovations in the Administration Building

are new windows and doors, rehabilitation of restrooms, car- peting and general refinement of offices. Latest additions to the interior of the -Administration Build- ing are epo.w reproductions of the seal of the Canal Zone

Government and the seal of the Panama Canal Company

which embellish the two columns facing the east entrance.

Extends To \\'ashington

Approximately 730 persons, including some 230 women,

are now employed in the Administration Building.

Headquarters for the organization which emplo\s close to 16,000 persons, the building is the hub of an organization

extending to Washington, D.C. where the Office of the

Secretar\- for the Panama Canal Company is located. The photographs on these pages show some of the dav-to- day activities that take place in the Panama Canal's Administration Building. —F.H.

Canal Zone Go\ernor \V. P. Leber, right, discusses one of many administrative matters that arise every day. At left is Lt. Governor R. S. Hartline with Paul M. Runnestrand, executive secretarv.

The Engineering and Construction Bureau is responsible for all design, construction, inspection, and

maintenance of buildings. Col. Charles R. Clark, Bureau director, right, uses a model of the Panama

Canal to explain how a ship transits the water^vay.

Listening are Julieta .Arosemena, stenographer, and

Richard Lopp. budget and projects coordinator.

With health directors from the past seeminglv looking

on. Col. H. H. Ziperman, present director of the Health

Bureau, center, confers with two colleagues.

Col. Robert \V. Green, director of Gorgas Hospital, right, and A. B. Carr. assistant to the health director.

28 May 1970
A Myriad

of

Functions

ABOVE; The purse strings of the Canal

organization are held by Comptroller

Philip L. Steers. Jr., left, talking over n budget matter with Arthur J. O'Leary,

deputy comptroller. BELOW; Telephone

operators Joan Chevalier, foreground, and

Mariela Vielo are at the switchboard in the Communications Branch. Five operators handle from 500 to 750 calls a day.

The Marine Bureau's primary responsibility is to put ships through the Canal. Capt. Alvin L. Gallin. USN. bureau director, left, talks o\er a project with Walter

A. Dryja, assistant director.

li k.

Programers in the Data Processing Division

discuss a systems configuration. From left

are: Richard Gayer, Norita Scott, and

Edgar McArthur.

Legal counsel and litigation are integral

parts of the Canal organization. From left, attorneys John L. Haines, Jr., Stephen A. Bemiard, Jr., and Earl R. .McMillin discuss a point of law as they prepare a brief.

Maintenance of the teletype circuits and

microwave equipment is continuous. Wade

Huffman, Jr., leader central office repair- man, checks the circuits. More than 185,000

calls a dav go through the exchange.

Hugh A. N'orris, Executive Planning Staff senior economist, seated, discusses shipping

statistics with Iris Peralta, statistical clerk, and Donald Schmidt, economist.

The Balboa Heights Post Office is always

busv. Checking parcels are, from left; Corirad Blades, Neville Fraim, James Beds- worth (standing), and Edmund Johnson.

The Graphic Branch provides a wide range

of services. Carlos .Mendez, prepares art- work for photographic reproduction.

The Pana.ma Canal Re\iew 29
(Continued from p. 23)

Constantia T. Lawson

Supervisory Sales Store Clerk George C. Clark Guard

Claude L. Goodridge

Laborer (Heavy-Cold Storage) Samuel U. Johnson Guard

Santiago CrifRn

Sales Store Clerk Marcelino Martinez

Laborer (Heavy) Everard S. Levexier Lead Foreman (Materials Handling)

Alfred C. Drakes

Leader Stockman

Wilbcrt H. Kellman

Assistant Baker Manuel E. Hernandez

Truck Driver Sadie D. Belle

Office Machine Operator

Clifford W. Edwards

\Vashman

Clarence Levy

Marker and Sorter Charles Hogan

Laundry Worker (Heavy)

Jestina Trusty

Sales Store Checker Alma V. Larrier Supply Clerk Ruth D. Jaminson Pantrywoman

Egbert E. Davis Supply Clerk

Ignacio L6pez G.

Laborer

Rafael J. Femenias

Truck Driver

C. M. Dandrade

Sales Store Clerk

Inez C. Howell

Sales Store Clerk Fabian O. Brown

Assistant Meat Cutter ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

Filix G. L6pez

Oiler (Floating Plant) Pedro A. Gord6n ""^ai^^^^^

Boatman

Epifanio Salazar Boatman

Aurelio Pozo

Paver John Finlason Chief Engineer, Towboat

Rupert C. Feimell Motor Launch Engineman

Jorge A. Shuffler Leader (Deck Operations, Dredge)

Frederick Bums

Motor Launch Operator

Jose Z. Moreno

Boatman

Gilbert C. Foster Leader (Quarry Operations) Hilton F. Hughes

Chief, Power Plant (Hydro) Gerald J. Fo« Lead Foreman Machinist (Maintenance) Harvey W. Sauter Lead Foreman (Hospital Maintenance)

Eric T. Smoll Wharfbuilder

Charles A. Sealey Helper Sheetmetal Worker

Nicolas Estrada R.

Sur\'eying Aide James H. Holder Guard

Luciano Del Cid S. Laborer (Heavy)

Wilfred G. James

Paver

Jose Del Cid M,

Laborer (Heavy) Mildmay C. Lamotte

Clerk. Work Order

Jorge Pierre Clerk

Victor E. Griffith Laborer (Heavy)

Austin G. Mapp

Upholsterer

Rafael Molinar C. Maintenanceman, Distribution Systems Raul Leinch

Electrician, Lineman

Reginald A, Mason

Helper Cable Splicer Carlos A. Valderrama Seaman

Crist6bal Murillo

Oiler, Floating Plant Miguel A. Garcia

Oiler, Floating Plant Cresencio Rivera Seaman

Candido MeUndez

Lead Foreman, Debris Control Juan A. Ibarra

Oiler, Floating Plant Mauricio C. Poveda

Sandblaster Owen Carlyle Leader—Deck Operations, Dredge

Isaac Bermudez T. Motor Launch Operator-Small

Frederick M. Palmer

Laborer (Cleaner)

F^lix Ramos

Laborer (Heavy) Waller R. Weeks

Supply Clerk

Ernest C. Taylor Truck Driver Orlando P. Lashley Helper Electrician Ovidio Caceres

Oiler (Floating Plant) Euribiades Ramos

Sandblaster Mike N. Bent Motor Launch Operator

Carlos F. Joseph Motor Laimch Operator

Frederick A. Watson

Carpenter Eugenio Ruiz Maintenanceman

Robert F. Dunn

Operator, Dredge

Alfred A. Reid Laundry Equipment Repairman

Luis Cuentas Cement Finisher Pedro Osses Water Tender (Floating Plant) Degaska Pryme

Helper Machinist (Maintenance) Mariano Garcia Cement Finisher Ferdinand M. Graham

Wharfbuilder James S. Daniel Wharfbuilder CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Hoaglan A. Maynard

Maintenanceman

John F. Rice

Fire Sergeant Samuel R. Prince

Fire Fighter Richard J. Salvato Customs Inspector HEALTH BUREAU

Cuillermo Herman

Diet Cook

Secundino MoT&n

Exterminator

Stanford W. Campbell

Leader Cook

Roberto A. Torres Q. Laborer (Heavy-Pest Control)

Leslie A. Panther Nursing Assistant (Medicine and Surgery)

Granville Brown

Nursing Assistant (Medicine and Siu-gery) Proscopio Londoiio

Exterminator

F. ViUalobos

Hospital Attendant

Clara Z. Saarinen

Supervisory Chnical Nurse

I. Robert Berger

Chief, Out Patient Service, Gorgas Hospital Muriel Levene

Nursing Assistant Roy A. Watson

Pharmacy Assistant

Fitz G. Bowen

Nursing Assistant (Medicine and Surgery) Thomas A. Barrett Medical Aid (Ambulances)

(Continued from p. 26)

the Greek Chandris Lines. They are the President Roosevelt of the American

President Lines, which recently completed a round-the-world cruise, and the American Export Isbrandtsen Line's Constitution, which has been laid up in Jacksonville for more than a year. A report in the Marine Digest said

that Chandris will pay $8 million for the Constitution and $L8 million for the President Roosevelt. The company

would use the Constitution on roundthe-world passenger service and the President Roosevelt for cruises. Chandris has been operating with many other

liners including the former U.S. flagship

SS American now sailing through the Canal as the Australis; the Elinis, formerly the Matson Line Lurline, and the Queen Frederica, formerly the Malolo. This last ship is still going strong despite the fact that she was built in 1928. Other U.S. passenger liners laid up on the U.S. east coast at present

are the Atlantic, the United States, the Argentina, the Brazil, and the Independence.

Stock Exchange Cruises

DOCTORS GO on cruises, the bridge

players join ranks and travel to the south

seas, and the idle rich go around the world. Added to this list of special

travelers are cruises for stock investors. The Prudential Grace Line's Santa Magdalena, which transits the Canal on

a regular schedule to the west coast of South America, has joined the "Wall

Street Navy" for the first time. She and

her luxury sister ship, the Santa Rosa,

sailed on Investors' Special Cruises with

her passengers enrolled in investment

seminars provided for them by Oppenheimer and Company, members of the New York Exchange.

Apparently so successful are these

investors' cruises that Merrill Lynch,

Pierce, Fenner & Smith completed its 3d

Annual Investors' Cruise last month

aboard the West German-flag vessel, the TS Hamburg. The 13-day "relax and

learn" tour sailed from Port Everglades

and visited St. Thomas, Martinique,

Trinidad, Granada, Venezuela, Curacao,

Jamaica, and Haiti.

30 May 1970
CAMAl HISTORY

The H.M.S. "Renown" steams info Colon Bay. Aboard the cruiser is the Prince of Wales.

50 Years Ago

THE BRITISH cruiser Rcnoicn, carry- ing the Prince of Wales (now the Duke

of Windsor) and his staff, arrived at Cristobal in the morning of March 30,

1920, and proceeded through the Canal

to Balboa. According to the Panama

Canal Record, the President of Pan- ama, the Governor of the Canal Zone,

and other officials boarded the Renoion

at Gatun Locks and made the pas- sage as far as Pedro Miguel. The

ship was delayed about 3 hours in Gaillard Cut while the dredges cleared the channel of a slide which had occurred

March 20. She arrived in Balboa at 8:30 p.m. having been I3y2 hours in transit. The Record said the Renown

was the largest ship in length and dis- placement to have transited the Canal

at that time. She was 795 feet long and

had a displacement of 33,379 tons. The Prince of Wales was entertained during the evening of his arrival at a dinner and reception, followed bv dancing, given by the British Minister to Panama at the Tivoli Hotel. The next day he was the guest of honor at a banquet and ball given bv the President of Panama at the Union Club. The Renoun

was on its way to New Zealand and

Australia via San Diego and Honolulu.

o o o The Panama Canal salvaged two

freighters in March 1920. The steamship Olockson was towed in from sea and was sunk in the outer harbor at Balboa to extinguish a fire in her cargo

of gasoline. The steamship Marne sank

in Cristobal harbor, also with fire in

her cargo of gasoline. Both were re- floated and repairs made in the Panama

Canal shops.

25 Years Ago

PANAMA CANAL emplo)ees contin- ued to carry heavy workloads at both

Cristobal and Balboa early in 194.5 due

to the sharp increase in Canal traffic which was up approximately 73 percent

above the previous fiscal year. The

limited docking facilities at Balboa,

used as a repair base for a large fleet of tankers carrying war cargoes to the

Pacific, necessitated the berthing of vessels three and four abreast at the piers

and doubling up at the moorings.

The system of convo\s in effect up

to the end of hostilities in Europe taxed personnel and etjuipment at Cristobal

to the limit in providing quick servicing. Wartime precautions for safeguarding the Canal and vessels in transit continued throughout the year although

the war was coming to an end in Europe.

o e o

President Franklin D. Roosevelt died

in Hot Springs, Ga., April 12, 1945. At the end of April, as allied troops

marched into Berlin, there were reports

of the deaths of Mussolini in Italy and

Hitler in Germanw

10 Years Ago

THE INCREASE in the size of ships

using the Canal was reflected in Pan- ama Canal shipping statistics issued in February 1960. With the exception of ship traffic, all Canal records were

broken during the second quarter of

fiscal year I960. The amount of cargo

carried through the Canal, the size of the transiting ships, and the tolls paid

to the Panama Canal during that period

all reached the highest figures in Canal

history. This was attributed to the in- crease in the size of ships during the 3-month period. Among the customers were such superships as the San Juan Merchant and the Sinclair Company's

Petrolore.

o o o The Japanese firm of Mitsubishi Shoji

Kaisha Ltd. made the apparent low bid on a contract to furnish new towing

locomotives for the Panama Canal. The

bids were opened Februar\' 22, 1960.

The\' called for 6 test locomotives, 33

additional locomotives, and three loco- motive cranes. The Japanese finn entered a base bid of 83,829,900.

One Year Ago

THE LINER Fairsea was towed back

to Balboa last February following a

fire in the engineroom. The ship, en

route from Australia to England with more than 900 passengers, was towed

to Balboa by the tug Gulf Raider from

a position nearly 900 miles southwest

of Balboa.

o o o Monday, March 31, 1969, was set aside as a national day of mourning to mark the death of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower who died March

28 in Washington, D.C. As a mark of respect to his memory. Governor Leber

ordered that all flags in the Canal Zone

remain at half-staff for 30 da\s.

The Panama Canal Review 31
^'

*,



Dafo Duo

Duo RalMrnod Duo Rolurnod

(JAN 2 I iwiw m ^9tt1

1—

r

nv-sr, ^L ?..'(;
1262 00097 9053

Rtin

AMERICA