Gift of the Panama Canal Museum

PANAMA


CANAL


====


Vol. 2, No. 3 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, OCTOBER 5, 1951 5 cents


EMPLOYEES


RENT


TO


RATES


NO


UPPED


INCREASE


RENTALS;


QUARTERS


Commissary Joins "Set Aside"
Plan For Canned Goods Buying
The Panama Canal Company has joined a cooperative buying program set up by
the United States Department of Agriculture and the Armed Services to insure a
steady supply of certain canned vegetables and fruits which may be limited for
general consumption owing to heavy purchases for military needs.
The Company's participation, through --- -- --
its Commissary Division, has just been Board Chairman
announced by R. L. Sullivan, General
Manager of the Division.
Through this program, he explained,
the Commissary Division will obtain
approximately $411,000 worth of canned
supplies during the current fiscal year, or �'
about seven percent of its wholesale
grocery supplies.
Some of this canned goods is already
on sale in local-rate stores and will be
appearing on the shelves of other com-
missaries within the near future.
Other government agencies participat-
ing in the Department of Agriculture's
"Set Aside" program are the armed serv-
ices, the Veterans Administration, and
the Federal school lunch program.
Mr. Sullivan explained that the Pan-
ama Canal Company's participation in
this program is a "cautious policy to
assure supply-to plan in advance in an
uncertain period."
The Department of Agriculture, he KARL R. BENDETSEN
said, made surveys all over the United _____ Assistant Sec:etary of the Army


States to determine what crops and pro-
duce might be expected to be "in short
supply," and then arranged to set aside
the quantities to coverithe needs of the
federal units participating in the plan.
During the fiscal year ending next
Tnfl .1-1...f IN......1


A can of each of the new brands


opened, as was one of the unlabelled
One of the unlabelled tins was f
from markings on the packing case,
from the "Fancy" quality pack
nationally advertised brand.


was


cans.
found,
to be
of a


899


Affe


Non-Employees
cted by Decision


of Company


Directors


There will be no rental increase on
quarters for employees of the Panama
Canal Company and the Canal Zone
Government at the present time. Non-
employees, however, effective November
1 will pay a surcharge of 100 to 150 per-
cent on Panama Canal Company quarters.
The decision on the rental rates was
made at the latest meeting of the Com-
pany's Board of Directors September 17
in Washington.
Governor F.K. Newcomer, as President
of the Company, had recommended that
the rent for employees not be increased
but that surcharges, planned almost a
year ago, be put into effect for those non-
employees in Company quarters.
Announcements of the increased rental
for the non-employees will be sent with
the November bills early in October.
Late in September, there were 899
non-employees, occupying Canal quarters
in the Canal Zone, who would be affected
by the rental increase.
The plan for the increased rents for the
non-employees is substantially the same
as that outlined last January 17 when the
surcharge was first announced.
On May 10, however, the increase
which would have been effective July 1
was suspended temporarily pending a fur-
ther study by the Board of Directors as
1t -^ --L A- �j I*** r^ r.-iktff f ll I H LJ 1- . , nn r mnnn-f - 'WVT


- i ii^C.


HAVE


FOR


NON-EMPLOYEES'





THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


October 5,1951


Lo


firefighters


Are


Charter


Members


Of


International


SFiremens
Firemen s


Association


OFFICERS of the Canal Zone Firefighters are typical of the youth of the men of the organization. The
Local's president, William M. Price, is now in Washington; but acting president Joseph F. Dolan, left, and
secretary-treasurer Frederick Mohl, right, posed for the photographer at the Balboa Fire Station. Mr. Dolan
has been a fireman for the past nine years and has a brother min the organization. Mr. Mohl is a past president.


Although not the oldest nor the largest
of Canal Zone labor groups, Local 13 of
the International Association of Firefight-
ers is one of the most active labor unions
on the Isthmus.
At one time, the union was involved in
a stormy conflict with the administration
-when the union opposed volunteer fire-
men-and the administration took the un-
precedented step, on August 15, 1949, of
breaking off relations with the Firefight-
ers. Matters were eventually smoothed
out, to the satisfaction of both parties,
and since April 24, 1950, Local 13 has
been re-recognized and now deals with the
officials of the administration in a more
placid atmosphere.
The Canal Zone Firefighters have been
members of organized labor since 1915,
according to their president, William M.
Price. In 1918, when the International
Association of Firefighters was formed,
the Local on the Canal Zone was one of


States locals working here on a permit
basis, all the Canal Zone Firefighters'
union members belong to Local 13.
Must Be A Qualified Fireman
To join the Firefighters Union, a candi-
date must be a qualified fireman, and if he
previously had been a member of another
labor union, he must have a clearance
from that union. That is, if a new Canal
Zone fireman had been a carpenter or a
painter or a bricklayer before he joined
the firefighting force, he must be able to
produce a card that he has separated from
the Carpenters' or Painters' or Bricklay-
ers' Unions in good standing.
It takes six months for a man to qualify
as a fireman in the CanaLZone. When he
is first employed, he is assigned to one of


the Central Stations, either Balboa or
Cristobal, for his initial training. During
the first six months he is on probation and
during that time is given monthly exami-
nations to determine his ability and apti-
tude for the job. At the end of the six-
month period, he must pass a written
examination to become a regular fireman.
Firefighters pay an initiation fee of $5
and dues of $2 monthly, which go to cover
union expenses. In addition, the local is
assessed its share of legislative represen-
tation costs.
Unlike some of the other local labor
groups, the Firefighters offer no planned
extension classes to their members. But
they frequently have special meetings for
special instruction. During the last war,
for instance, a Navy captain lectured
them on the hazards of fire at sea, and
other instruction was given on new phases
of first aid work, which most people do
not know is an important part of a fire-
man's duties.
jLocal 13 of the Firefighters has played
a prominent part in community affairs for
many years. Among other events, fire-
men always attend the Fifth of May mem-
orial exercises held each year in Panama
City by the Panama Bomberos and take
part in the November celebration given
by the Bomberos each year. They parade
regularly on Memorial Day and during
other special occasions on the Canal Zone.
One of their most successful ventures
occurred in 1941 when the Firefighters
sponsored two dances, one at the Strangers
Club in Colon and the other at the Union
Club in Panama, to raise funds for the
British Firefighters' Relief Fund. The
moneyraisedwas sent to the International
in Washington which turned it over to
the British National Fire Brigades Asso-
ciation for distribution to needy firemen
and the families of men "fallen in the
course of duty."
Local 13 is a contributor to all organ-
ized drives and charities in the Canal
Zone and has sponsored a (See page 7


a.... -S - ________________ ---C -




October 5, 1951


THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


Silver

Site


City

Bids


Two


Housing,

Advertised,


New


Division


Heads


Bid Schedule Released


Bids were advertised September 28 for
site preparation and construction of pave-
ments, utilities, and buildings for the Sil-
ver City townsite extension, the first proj-
ect to be advertised in this year's
$11,000,000 building program.
The bids will be opened at Balboa
Heights the morning of November 27.
The bid invitations carry the condition
that bidders be prepared to start work
within 30 days after November 27 and
have the entire work completed 270 cal-
endar days after they are given notice to
proceed.
Forty-eight masonry duplex buildings
of 96 apartments are included min this
project.
The project is divided into two parts.
The first, in the name of the Canal Zone
Government, consists of site preparation,
construction of pavements, sewers, street
lighting, etc. The second, in the name of
the Panama Canal Company, is for con-
struction of the other utilities and all
quarters buildings. The Panama Canal
Company will act as agent for the Canal
Zone Government and will be responsible
for the administration of the entire proj-
ect for both contracts.
Invitations will also be issued for bids
on other construction projects as follows:
The Ice Cream and Milk Bottling Plant
at Mt. Hope, November 16, with bids to
be opened January 16; the Paraiso town-
site extensions, north and south, where
230 apartments in 115 buildings are to be
constructed, November 9, with bids to be
opened January 8; clearing, rough grading
and preparation of Summit townsite, ap-
proximately 200 acres, November 15, with
bids to be opened January 4; construction
of 10 apartments in 9 buildings at Diablo
Heights, November 10, with bids to be
opened January 8; construction of 59
apartments in the Chagres Street area in
Ancon, December 14, with bids to be
opened February 12; construction of 80
apartments, at Margarita, in approxi-
mately 56 buildings, December 28, with
bids to be opened February 26; clearing,


TWO DIVISIONS of the Engineering and Construction Bureau have new Chiefs this month.
J. Bartley Smith, left, will succeed A. C. Garlington as Chief of the Electrical Division. His appointment
however, cannot be made final until the expiration of Mr. Garlington's leave. A native of Terre Haute, Ind-
iana, Mr. Smith came to the Canal Zone in June 1928, shortly after his graduation from Rose Polytechnic
Institute. He was among a number of young men being employed at that time, directly out of college, by
The Panama Canal. All of his Canal service has been with the Electrical Division.
Harold H. Feeney, right, is the Chief of the new Contract and Inspection Division. With his wife and
three children, he arrived here September 24 from Camp Ritchie, Maryland, where he was Project Engineer
for the Engineer Corps. For about seven years previously he had served as resident engineer, assistant chief
of the construction division, and chief of the inspection section of the Buffalo Engineer District.


Pay Raise C
Discussed


1ne


(


At


Pay raises, rental procedure changes,
future use of the Balboa dispensary build-
ing, and stories on the recently completed
anti-aircraft program in the Canal Zone
were among the major subjects discussed
September 27 at the latest Governor-
Employee "Shirtsleeve Conference."
The conference is held usually the last
Thursday of each month at Balboa
Heights and is attended by representa-
tives of organized labor, civic groups, and
administration officials.
In connection with pay raises pending
in Congress, the conferees were told that
Classification Act increases in the Canal
Zone Government will be a matter of law.
Company employees in classified positions
will receive the same benefits. In the case
of Canal Zone Government employees
whose rates of pay are not fixed by law
(teachers, firemen, postal clerks), there is
no authority to apply raises retroactively,
Acting Governor Herbert D. Vogel pointed


3f Major
Monthly


Subjects
Conference


ferring the branch library from Diablo
to the Balboa dispensary building. Plans
are also being considered for use of part
of the dispensary by the Commissary op-
tical department. A first aid station will
be set up at the dispensary.
The Atlantic side hospital situation is
not decided, the Acting Governor said.
Engineers estimate that an expenditure
of about a quarter of a million dollars
would be needed to re-open Margarita
Hospital in an adequate operating condi-
tion. Eventually, Col. Vogel predicted,
a hospital will have to be built at Mar-
garita; for the time being, Colon Hospital
will continue in use. He also denied
rumors that Colon Hospital's obstetrical
ward would be closed.
Discussion of publication by the Chi-
cago Tribune syndicate of a story unfavor-
able to volunteers in the anti-aircraft pro-
gram was opened by James Boukalis, of
the Machinists. Mr. Boukalis had a clip-





THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


October 5,1951


Panama Canal Faced With More Difficult Problems


Anniversaries


Than Su
Difficulties of terrain o
Panama are far greater t
the builders of the Sue
meet 100 years ago, Pa
Chief Engineer of the S
pany, told THE PANAMA


ez


Canal


French


Engineer


Thinks


n the Isthmus of
han those which
z Canal had to
ul A. Blanquet,
uez Canal Cornm-
CANAL REVIEW


last month as he ended a week's visit to
the Isthmus.
M. Blanquet, the third Suez official to
visit the Panama Canal in a little over
three years-J. Georges Picot, Assistant
Director, and Paul Reymond, Naval offi-
cer min charge of transits, were here in
March 1948-expressed "a very high ad-
miration for what I've seen here."
Because of the excessive Isthmian water
supply, Panama Canal engineers have to
anticipate flood conditions, that is, build
dams against overflows and to be sure
that there is not too much water, he said.
"We have the reverse condition. Life
in our canal zone is only possible when
sweet (fresh) water is brought in from the
Nile. We are dependent for our life on
that sweet water," he continued.
The Panama Canal Zone, he said, has
a mountainous terrain where everything
is green and there is an abundance of veg-
etation. The Suez Canal Zone has noth-
ing but desert sand and low ground; vege-
tation is found only in those areas where
fresh water has been brought in.
The Panama Canal Zone is in a tropical
climate; the Suez Canal Zone has a semi-
tropical climate.
Another major difference min the two
canal zones, M. Blanquet pointed out,
is that of government.
"Here you are working on the basis of
a treaty between the United States and
the Republic of Panama by which you
are responsible for administration and
public safety and the hygiene of this zone.
"We are a charter company in the coun-
try of Egypt. Therefore, we are under
the Egyptian government in everything
pertaining to law, administration, munici-
pal needs, and public life.
"Finally, you, as long as your treaty
exists, are eternally here; we are in Egypt
as a concession, and only to 1968."
At the present time, M. Blanquet con-
tinued, the conditions as to how the Suez
Canal will be operated after the expiration
nf the comnanv's nnnamwinn are hbinu


PAUL A. BLANQUET


ered invulnerable, M. Blanquet told THE
REVIEW.
"We have had the experience of two
great wars. During World War I, we saw
the arrival of a Turkish army, which was
repulsed from our canal zone by French
and British troops. In World War II for
a year we underwent aerial attacks by
Italian and German planes, spreading


mines in our waters and wrecking six
ships. Nevertheless, in these two wars,
our canal had to halt traffic for only a
few days. We consider that no attack,
from air or land, could interfere seriously
with our transits."
M. Blanquet commented that during
his visit to the Panama Canal Zone he had
been shown the model of the proposed sea
level canal, adding that he considered it
a "first class scheme." He went on:
"However, I canreadily appreciate that
it cannot be started under present condi-


tions."
Turning back, for a moment to w
conditions, the French engineer said:
"Let us hope that for both your c
and ours, the needs of navigation
commerce will be the ones which in
future will govern their policies."


orld

anal
and
the


Employees who observed important
anmniversaries in the United States Gov-
ernment Service during the month of
September are listed alphabetically below.
The number of years include all Govern-
ment service, with the Canal or other
agencies. Those with continuous Canal
or Railroad service are indicated by (*).
40 YEARS
*George N. Engelke, Assistant General
Manager, Commissary Division.
35 YEARS
Randall H. Ford, Assistant Superintend-
ent, Motor Transportation Division.
30 YEARS
Arthur V. Corbett, Electrical Foreman,
Electrical Division.
25 YEARS


John


L. Haas,


Bureau.
*J* Arthur Jones,
Division.
John A. Madiso
Pacific Locks.


Machinist,


n


Industrial


Wireman, Electrical
, Tunnel Operator,


*C. A. M. Monsanto, Supervisor, Heavy
Equipment, Motor Transportation Division.
Clyde L. Sharp, Postmaster, Fort Ama-
dor, Postal, Customs and Immigration Divi-
sion .
stn. 20 YEARS
Orin B. Acker, Wireman, Electrical Div-
ision.
Eugene I. Askew, Quarantine Inspector,
Health Bureau.
William C. Bailey, Postmaster, Fort
Clayton, Postal, Customs and Immigration
Division.
Clinton N. Bohannon, Leadingman
Wireman, Electrical Division.
Henry H. Shirk, Lock Operator, Atlan-
tic Locks.
Isabelle C. Wolford, Clerk-Typist, Audit
Division.
15 YEARS
Henry G. Appel, Utility Operator, Mun-


icipal Division.
Robert W.
Division.
Paul Cave,


Blades,
Lock


Policeman, Police
Operator, Atlantic


Locks.
Caleb C. Clement, Lock Operator, At-
lantic Locks.
Wendell G. Cotton, Housing Manager,
Housing Division.
Jasper J. Edge, Locomotive Machinist,
Railroad Division.
Borghild L. Hermo, Teacher, Schools
Division.
*Barbara H. Matthews, Clerk-Stenog-
rapher, Personnel Bureau.
Ralph A. Morales, Welder, Electrician
and Diver, Production Division.
Ira M. Payne, Principal Foreman, Mun-
icipal Division.
Robert L. Ridge, Crib and Engineer,
Steam, Foreman, Terminals Division.


' [ .rLf._ rl[ r.-_1..... -





October 5,1951


THE PANAMA


CANAL REVIEW


FOR


YOUR INTER


AND


GUIDANCE


IDENT


PREVENTION


The INDUSTRIAL BUREAU is to
receive the Bureau Award for Best Record
for the month of August by virtue of a
Frequency Rate of ZERO. This is no
mean accomplishment when we consider
the fact that this Bureau also won the
Best Record Award in July and is now
tied with the CIVIL AFFAIRS BU-
REAU for top position in number of
awards this year.
Investigation reveals the fact that the
INDUSTRIAL BUREAU HAS NOT
HAD A DISABLING INJURY SINCE
JUNE 8, through the reporting period of
August 31. Congratulations, once again.
The Panama Canal Company-Canal
Zone Government with a total man-hour
exposure of 3,129,648 experienced a fre-


quency rate of 15
ust as a result of
the reporting peri
While a frequent
an improvement
best year, it is fell
effort on the part


for the month of Aug-
48 disabling injuries for
od.
cy rate of 15 does reflect
over the organization's
That a more concerted
of those units not con-


tributing to this improvement is well in
order and long delayed.
The GROUNDS MAINTENANCE
DIVISION and the MOTOR TRANS-
PORTATION DIVISION will receive
Division Honor Roll Awards for No Dis-
abling Injuries for the month of August.
The former has won this award three
times this year and the latter five times.
Such results are not easily attained.
They must be worked for enthusiastically
and constantly.


Honor


Roll


BUREAU AWARD FOR
Best Record
AUGUST
INDUSTRIAL BUREAU
AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR


CIVIL AFFAIRS
INDUSTRIAL-
ENGINEERING
HEALTH---
COMMUNITY S


AND CONST._

SERVICES,


Fire,


Our


OLD


Enemy


by
Captain A. J. Troup
The Fire Division is planning a pro-
gram for Fire Prevention Week, October
- i-I 1 . 1 _ n J l - -11 1 1 .-.


7 mrougn 16, t at
testing to the resident
but will bring vivid
the fire hazards that
our homes and will
necessity of taking


caution against m�
FIRE. An all-out
during this week b
and fire protection (
out North America
sphere to control
losses. This effort
be successful with v


a

)yI
or
a
a
mn


rii not omly e inter-
ts of the Canal Zone,
ly to their attention
t are ever present in
emphasize the vital
every care "and pre-
n's ancient enemy-
effort will be made
the fire prevention
ganizations through-
nd most of this hem-
nd reduce future fire
Sthe Canal Zone can


rour help.


Fire has caused serious concern ever
since man learned to use it. At first, this


new thing, fire,
convenience to
long before the
could get out
dangerous enen
in its path, all
est, his family,


was a comfort and great
mankind, but it was not
caveman found that fire
of control and become a
ny, destroying everything
man's possessions, the for-
and himself. It was one


of primitive man's early lessons and
through the ages, up to the present day,
the dangerous relationship of man to fire
has been much the same.
One of the most terrible conflagrations
in history was the Great Fire of London,
which occurred in 1666, and which caused
great loss of property and life, but which
had the constructive result of starting a
concentrated effort by city dwellers
toward fighting fire when it got out of
control. In America, the first Volunteer
Fire Company was organized in the year
1736 by Benjamin Franklin in the city
of Philadelphia. A few years later, George
Washington, our first president, wrote to
the foreman in charge of his estate, direct-
ing him to be very careful about fire, and
to watch that it was properly controlled.
Washington was himself a prominent vol-


Capt. A. J. TROUP, Chief, Fire Division


unteer fireman.
Since the days of Franklin and Wash-
ington, steady progress has been made in
man's fight to reduce loss of life and prop-
erty by fire. However, the dreaded enemy


is far from
recent figu
States, whi
of 10,000 liv
ure of 4,0(
never had a
flames. Th
states all t
I, and the
the attention
that exist in
Canal Zon
ashamed of,
seven years
fires. Also
have started


defeated as is evidenced by
res published in the United
ch show an annual loss by fire
res, of which the appalling fig-
)0 were small children, who
chance against the consuming
e loss of life by fire demon-
0oo plainly that we-you and
other fellow-are not giving
n we should to the fire hazards
Sour homes. Our record in the
e is something we must be
, since four children in the last
lost their lives here in home
during the past year, 43 fires
d in Canal Zone quarters and


investigation discloses that nearly all of
them could have been (See page 13)


fl.. 11* *. . I R AR RAf **. ITF.. I


I




THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


October 5, 1951


Mud,


Dump


Recalled


Trains,


By


Mule


Building's


Rides,


Oldest


Horse


Race


Things on the Isthmus were "in a devil
of a mess" when Robert J. Atherley, sta-
tion messenger at the Administration
Building at Balboa Heights, came from
Barbados to work on the Panama Canal.
The description of Canal affairs, voiced
by President Theodore Roosevelt to a new
chief engineer in 1905, is echoed in sub-
stance by Atherley and other Administra-
tion Building messengers and office help-
ers whose Canal service started that year
and up to as late as 1913.
Oldest in service among the group of
long-timers in the Administration Build-
ing messenger force, Atherley arrived on
June 26, 1905, to see the first of a long
line of "steam shovels and Governors


coming and going."
Two days later, Enos Augustus Finn,
distribution messenger, arrived, also from
Barbados.
Homas George Gibson, foreman mes-
senger and clerk in the Administration
Building mail room, came from Jamaica
about eight months later, arriving Feb-
ruary 27, 1906.
Percy Archibald Eugene Hinds, clerk,
in the basement Document Room of the
Record Section, arrived from Barbados
in April 1906.
The following year, on June 16, 1907,
Ernest Edwin Holder, station messenger
on the third floor, came from Barbados.
Aubrey Edgar Todd, office helper in
the mail room, came from Barbados in
1908.
Alexander Josiah Douglas, messenger
on the "Governor's Station," came from
Jamaica in January 1909.


Ethelridge
nor's station,
messenger fo
the Isthmus.
in February ]


then in a wagon, and finally in a Ford
automobile. In 1917 the chief clerk
taught him to ride a motorcycle and Ath-
erley became the Canal's first motorcycle
messenger.
"Neither Snow Nor Sleet"
Starting as mail messenger at Culebra
in 1906, he carried the mail bags from the
postoffice to the railroad on his head and
shoulders at first because there was no
road. There were a lot of wrecks and
delays on the railroad in those days-
caused partly because the blasting and
digging for the Canal upset the area gen-
erally, he thinks-and he spent many
nights at the railroad station waiting for
the delayed trains to come in so he could
deliver his mail and go home.
Later there was a mule to ride to carry
mail to the station and sometimes, Ather-
ley recalls, he and the mail bags rode the
Governor's horse. Then about 1908 a
mail wagon was acquired, and about 1915,
the Ford. And all this time the postal
service was growing by leaps and bounds
as Canal digging got underway on a big
scale and there were great increases min the
employee force.
In 1930, after about 13 year's service
as a motorcycle messenger, Atherley be-
came a distribution messenger at the


first days on the Isthmus was the sight
of Colonel Gorgas and other medical per-
sonnel unloading a carload of dead and
injured workmen brought to Panama
from an explosion along the line of the
Canal. "I was terribly scared then," he
recalls.
Although he delivered many messages
from the sanitary office in Panama and
later in Ancon, to Colonel Goethals at
Culebra, he remembers the famous Canal
builder primarily for his straw hat.
Gibson became a messenger for the ex-
ecutive offices at Balboa Heights in 1914
and he has been clerk and foreman mes-
senger since 1920. For many years he
operated a photography shop and indus-
trial training class for apprentice photo-
graphers in the basement of the La Boca
Clubhouse.
Hinds had such a strong premonition
of disaster when he arrived on the Isth-
mus that he sent his clothes back home
on the same boat. He contracted malaria
in a few weeks. "You had to drink water
and moss-whatever you could get then,"
he explains. The fever "made him jump"
and he made up his mind to go home just
as fast as he could get there, despite the
taunts of a friend who called him "chicken"
for wanting to leave. Hinds went home


Daniels, also at the Gover-
is the junior member of the
rce, with only 38 years on
He arrived from Barbados
1913.


"They Wanted Young Men"
"They wanted young men to build the
Panama Canal," Atherley says, and the
young men came in droves-many on
two-year work contracts-and a lot of
them went back home soon after their
arrival.
S"Rain, mud, steam shovels, drills,


dump trains going up and down . . dig-
ging the Canal right where we lived...


I a ----___ __ _ i- - I I


Messengers


J





October 5, 1951


THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


t Laa


PANAMA __ CANAL_
I> ~ *


~y3syv


Official
Panama Canal Company Publication
Published Monthly at
BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE
Printed by the Panama Canal Press
Mount Hope, Canal Zone
F. K. NEWCOMER
Governor
HERBERT D. VOGEL
Lieutenant Governor
E. C. LOMBARD
Executive Secretary

J. RUFUS HARDY
Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters containing inquiries, sugges-
tions, criticisms or opinions of a general
nature will be accepted. In all cases
possible, letters to THE REVIEW will be
answered individually. Those of suffi-
cient general interest will be published
in this paper. Letters must be authen-
tic and be signed although signatures
will not be published unless requested
and names of authors will be kept con-
fidential. Return address should be
given but THE REVIEW will not under-
take to return correspondence of any
nature.

SUBSCRIPTIONS


Yearly
PANAMA


subscriptions


CANAL


REVIEW


address in the Postal Union:
$1.00
Postal money orders should be
made payable to the Treasurer, Pan-


ama Canal Company, and mailed
to the Editor, THE PANAMA CANAL
REVIEW, Balboa Heights, C. Z.

SINGLE COPIES
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW is on
sale at all Panama Canal Company
Clubhouses, Commissaries, and
Hotels for ten days after publication
date for:


5 Cents a Copy


S "1
Single
general


copies


the close


sales and individual copies


1 '1


POLICEMEN WENT back to school too when the Canal 2
tember 5, making their first appearance of the new school ye
throughout the Canal Zone.
This group of students at the Balboa Elementary School and
along to help them register were directed across the street on
Hollowell, himself a former Canal Zone pupil.


ENROLLMENT UP
The Canal Zone's white schools
pupils than ever before. When t
tion of registration for opening


have more
he tabula-
day was


completed, school officials found that they
had 5,161 pupils registered. This was six
more thann o opening day in 1949, the pre-
vious peak, and 324 more than last year's
first day enrollment.
Registration in the kindergartens and ele-
mentary schools was up; that in the junior


and senior high schools and colleges down
a little.
Balboa elementary school, with 673 pupils,
88 more than last year, has the largest en-
rollment for the Canal Zone's white schools.
Balboa High School is close behind with 657
students, 30 fewer than registered last year.
GORGAS CLINICS MOVE


Outpatient clinics


Gorgas I
their nev
tion B.
Wards 5
Clinics
dermatol
surgical,
orthoped
Building


and the blood bank at


Hospital moved September 17 to
v location on the first floor of Sec-
The clinics occupy space where
and 6 were formerly located.
at the new location are: Allergy,
ogy, pediatrics, cardiac, diabetic,
neuropsychiatric, hospital dental,
ic and urology, and the blood bank.
273 on Goryas Road where some


of the clinics


had been located,


will be


demolished.
Ror-o nn tho thirrd flnnr nf hl Hn-lcnitni1


amounted
claims foi
few days
24. The
tax for ti


;on
ar


are's white schools reopened Sep-
at street crossings near schools
sprinkling of parents who came
opening day by Policeman S. R.


\ to about $125,000.
r refunds were filed he
after passage of the R
Reed Bill revoked th
he Canal Zone.
SCRAP SALES


About 500
re in the first
eed Bill June
e retroactive

UP


Contracts for the sale of thousands of tons
of both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap were
awarded during September in the Canal
Zone, at a price of approximately $183,000.
The contracts were awarded on two batches
of scrap, those for non-ferrous scrap being
awarded on September 6 and for the ferrous
scrap on September 14.
They were the first large lots to be sold
on the Isthmus; previous large sales have
been made through the Panama Canal Com-
pany's Washington office.
The non-ferrous scrap included cast and
sheet aluminum, brass castings, pipes and
tubings, copper wire and screening, monel
metal rods and tubes. The ferrous scrap
included iron pipes, plates, castings, railroad
ties, and heavy metal steel and wrought iron
and steel.
HOUSING OFFICE MOVES
The Balboa Heights Housing Office moved
September 22 from its old location near the
Balboa gasoline station to the offices for-
merly used as headquarters for the Railroad


OF CURRENT INTEREST


4


)
*




THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


October 5,1951


Canal

Poets'


Boarding


Enthusiasm


Parties


Do


For


Not


oundin


People who sing of the joys of life on
the bounding main have never been mem-
bers of a Panama Canal boarding party.
A bounding main under a little launch
alongside a five to 10,000-ton ship is def-
initely undesirable.
The three-man boarding party had al-
ready made one trip "outside" to the
anchorage the other morning when they
were called for another batch of ships.
James C. Wood, of Customs and Immi-
gration and, when the occasion arises,
Deputy Shipping Commissioner; L. F.
Bushong, of the Quarantine Service, and
E. C. Flowers, one of the Panama Canal's
admeasurers, had left their home base at
five o'clock that morning and had
"cleaned up" the four commercial ships
and the two banana boats which were
waiting transit.
. Ordinarily their work falls into a differ-
ent pattern, for a usual morning has nine
or ten ships waiting for boarding and the
party does not return to shore until their
relief arrives just before one p. m.
This day was a little different. Soon
after nine o'clock the Canal lookout re-
"ported several more ships in sight. When
the lookout estimated that the ships,
coming in a bunch, were an hour out, the


boarding party packed up
started for the mine dock.
trip out to the buoy at
(this buoy is known to th
"Moaning Schloming," for
they were accompanied
Captains Harry Bach and
were to take over the first
the boarding party had


their gear and
On the launch
the anchorage
e waterfront as
a former pilot)
by two pilots,
M. C. Hill who
two ships when
finished with


them. Two loaded banana boats, which
need no pilots if they are under 65 feet
in length and have a Panama Canal
operating certificate, were boarded briefly
on the way to the anchorage.
Again, unlike most days, the water
outside was glassy and the launch Emer-
ald rolled only a little as she waited at
"Moaning Schloming" for the inbound
Queen Adelaide.
Party Boards First Ship
First man aboard, when the Queen
Adelaide pulled up, her accommodation
in A- > A**..- nl..A n .1.. AJ anr nT~ n e. ffi - Iw L n 12 fnnl m a


BOARDING PARTIES have three men each, unless a new ship requires more than one admeasurer.
This group is all from the south. L. F. Bushong of the Quarantine Service, left, is a Virginian. He has been
here since 1934 and with the Quarantine Service since 1948. James C. Wood, center, Customs and Immigra-
tion officer, was born in Alabama but grew up on the Canal Zone. He has been with Customs for 11 years.
Florida-born E. C. Flowers, an admeasurer, was a school teacher until he went to the waterfront a few months
ago.


mouth-disease infested countries. The
master listed for Mr. Bushong his ports
in New Zealand, his dates and the one
expected stop after leaving Cristobal.
Provisional, Free Pratique
If the Queen Adelaide had been docking,
things would have been handled in a
slightly different fashion. She would have
been examined for rats and insects and
general sanitation, if she carried only a
small amount of cargo and timepermitted.
If she were found to be clean, she would
have been given a "Free Pratique," which
guarantees that she meets all quarantine
standards of the United States Public
Health Service. She would then have
been permitted to dock.
If she were heavily loaded and thorough
examination impossible, she would have


gow), her time charter (proving that she
was running under charter to the New
Zealand Shipping Company), and her cer-
tificate of inspection, to show that she had
complied with regulations as to personnel,
equipment, and safety. He was given a
copy of the Queen Adelaide's manifest
(most of her 6,000 tons of cargo was tal-
low), and began to check the crew list.
He found that she was carrying 33 men,
including one DBS (Distressed British
Seaman) who had come from a ship of
the same line. This DBS was a Belgian;
Mr.Wood had him called to the cabin to
check that his papers were in order.
No Explosives Aboard
The Queen Adelaide carried no explosive
or inflammable cargo; had she had any of
this aboard, Mr. Wood would have had
vif Aa^-fmnrrdn nlho-hior * Hw irc hoing P21'-


Share


ain"





October 5, 1951


THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


at sea in case of non-docking ships. Or
Mr. Wood could have visaed the Alien
Crew List, signed on a seaman, noted the
Ship's Log for previous crew changes or
served as arbiter between master and
crew had there been trouble or misunder-
standing.
As he checked the crew list, Mr. Wood
determined that there were. no Japanese
or Germans aboard. They would not have
been permitted to land in the Canal Zone,
without special permits issued in advance.
Admeasurer Checks Tonnage


Mr. Flowers had not
Queen Adelaide was not
Canal waters and had
measured. Mr. Flowers
and other statistics on
questioned Captain Hy
structural changes which
made since her last vis


none. iHe


been idle. The
a newcomer to
previously been
had a notebook
the vessel. He
slop as to any
might have been
it. There were


also checked her register against


his office's figures from which the ship's
tonnage certificate had been made up.
Panama Canal net tonnage is not the
registered net tonnage of a vessel. The
Queen Adelaide, for instance, had a regis-
tered net tonnage of 2,993.44 tons; her
Panama Canal net tonnage was 5,024.82.
On this basis her tolls were computed at
$4,522.50.
Had there been any structural changes
on the Queen Adelaide, Mr. Flowers would
have measured them physically. He
would have had to determine what spaces
were exemptible or deductible (space for
ship's stores, is; space for stores for sales,
is not, for instance) and would have made
allowance for them. Complex mathemat-
ical formulae are used to calculate these
measurements, since, of course, the nat-
ural curves of a ship's structure must be
allowed for. Most admeasurers are engi-
neers; Mr. Flowers became an admeasurer
a few months ago after years of teaching
mathematics.
Ships making their first transits, are,
of course, measured completely. Much of
this work is now falling on admeasurers
on both sides of the Isthmus, as all gov-
ernment vessels, formerly tolls exempt, are
now being measured for "credit tolls"-
i. e., the Panama Canal Company's books
are credited with tolls which such vessels


would pay were they not government craft.
Three Ships Waiting
The boarding party's complicated busi-
ness was handled swiftly. There were
three other ships waiting. Next on the
list was an intercoastal vessel, the Noon-
day. Because she was out of Honolulu,
a U. S. port, she flew no quarantine flag.
Lightly loaded with only 2,754 tons of
cargo, mostly canned pineapple, she rode
high in the water. The men of the board-
ing party had to jump to reach her accom-
modation ladder. She presented no prob-
lems and the boarding party moved on
to the 3,805-ton Anchor Hitch of the
Grace Line's feeder service.
Officers of the Anchor Hitch were new
and did not have her papers ready. Since


she was to dock
more ship waiting
dispatcher, by
launch, ordered
leave the Ancho2
next vessel. As
shore half an h


and since there was
Eg for transit, the Bal
radio telephone to
the boarding party
r Hitch and go on to
they finally headed
our later, they saw


afternoon boarding party going on
Anchor Hitch.


Last stint of the day was a


lumber-


loaded Greek, the Maria G. Culucundis,
whose name in English bore only the
faintest resemblance to the Greek-lettered
name on her stern. She had no complica-
tions and was disposed of quickly.
While the boarding party was aboard
each ship, L. H. Anderson, who has been
operating launches for the Panama Canal
for 20 years, kept the trim white Emerald
moving back and forth alongside the big
ships. A native of Jamaica, he has lived
in Panama since he was two months old,
and has worked for the Canal since 1923.
An occupational hazard of his job is sea-
sickness, but "you get accustomed to the
motion," he said.
Sometimes, especially in October and
November, rough water makes boarding
at the anchorage too hazardous for even
the stalwarts who do it day after day.
In such cases, the pilots go aboard from
tugs and the boarding party does not
board until the ships are brought inside
the calmer basin.
Mr. Flowers, a comparative newcomer
to the waterfront, had not yet experienced


any hair-raising experiences.


ong, however,
party last yea
Frank Mayo wa
age. And Mr.
to think of the
caught between
side of a ship.
ladder hung, h
the ship had t
hanging despera
from the side of
Once in a wh
funny. There w
ago, when a Cu
smuggled drugs
ed from a ship.
recovered enough
point-and then
trying to collect
watch.


3


was one
r when
is drown
Wood st


The
author
Wrecki
French
Canal
taken i


Isthmian


sized the sale, to
ing Company f
equipment and
Zone that had
nto stock for us:
V 1 1 1


Canal


Mr. Bush-


of the boari
Customs of
ed at the anc
till does not


time when his hand was
a Jacob's ladder and the
The rail, over which the
id broken. Men aboard
o lift it, Mr. Wood still
rely on, and shove it away
the ship.
ile, things are reasonably
as the time, some years
toms officer on watch for
saw packages being toss-


He dived into the water,
[h to be used to prove his
i, he recalls, spent months
ct a claim for his ruined


Em roR's NOwE: This is the second of a series of
stories concerning the men whose business it is to
put ships through the Panama Canal. The next
will deal with the pilots.


Forty

In


YearsAgo

September


Although the Panama Canal


to be open
struction
mark. Les
vation was


1911,
all the
getting


ed for almost thr
work was well ove
ss than one-fourt
Still to be done.
over 66 percent o
locks was in pla
machinery for th


ee ye


the half-way
l of the exca-
)n September
the concrete
e. The work
operation of
ith the prep-


r


locks had been started w


Commission


the Chicago H
or $215,000, o
scrap metal ii
not already
m or was not alr
j i1 I 1 1


housee
)f all
n the
been
eady


aration of foundations for the machines
to operate two of the Stoney gate valves
on the west wall of Gatun Locks.
Specifications and plans for the locomo-
tives which tow ships through the locks had
been completed and sent to Washington so
that bids might be asked. Forty locomotives
were to be needed for the Gatun, Pedro Mi-
guel, and Miraflores Locks. The system of
towing, which is described at great length
in the PANAMA CANAL RECORD, was the
invention of Edward Shildauer of the Canal
engineering staff.





THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


-Ocobe 5..1951


The following list contains the names
of those employees who were transferred
from one division to another or from one
type of work to another. It does not
contain within-grade promotions or re-
gradings.
CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU
Robert B. Mcllvaine, from Policeman,
Police D)ivision, to Postal Clerk, Postal,
Customs and Immigration Division.
Samuel W. Meyer, from File Clerk, Per-
sonnel Bureat, to Postal Clerk, Postal, Cus-
toms and Immigration Division.
Richard A. Edmondson, from Police-
man to Sergeant, Police Division.
Walter H. Morton, from Customs Guard
to Customs Inspector, Postal, Customs and
Immigration Division.
Paul Moser, from Recreational Super-
visor to Physical Education Teacher,
Schools Division.
James E. Stearns, from Junior High
School teacher to High School teacher, Divi-
sion of Schools.
Borghild L. Hermo, from Elementary


School teacher to Junior High School teach-
er, Division of Schools.
Norman C. Slade, from Commissary
Assistant, Commissary Division, to Cus-
toms Guard, Postal, Customs and Immi-
gration Division.
Ria Rita Simmons, from Clerk-Stenog-
rapher, Adminstrative Branch, to Clerk,
Stenographer, Postal, Customs, and Immi-
gration Division.
Henry E. Argue, from Policeman to Po-
ice Sergeant, Police Division.
William H. Munyon, from Police Ser-
geant to Police Lieutenant, Police Division.
Carl 0. Baldwin, from Police Lieutenant
to Police Captain, Police Division.
Grace J. Rider, from Junior High School
Teacher to High School Teacher, Schools
Division.
COMMUNITY SERVICES BUREAU
Alfred Houston, from Restaurant Man-
ager to Clubhouse Manager, Clubhouse Div-
ision.
ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION
BUREAU
Joseph T. Verchinsky, from Principal
Foreman, Water and Laboratories Branch,


to Principal Foreman, Southern District,
Municipal Division.
Peter H. Borger, from Pump Operator,
Dredging Division, to Pumpman, Municipal
Division.
Manlio Roy, from Civil Engineer, Civil
Engineering Branch, to Structural Engineer,
Structural Branch, Engineering Division.
Nick M. Elich, from Principal Foreman
to General Assistant Foreman, Municipal
Division.
Harland V. Howard, from Construction
Inspector, Engineering Division, to Super-
visory Construction Inspector, Contract
and Inspection Division.
Ovo K. Worley, from Construction In-
spector, Engineering Division, to Supervis-
ory Construction Inspector, Contract and
Inspection Division.
Charles A. Behringer, from Construc-
tion Engineer, Engineering Division, to
Supervising Construction Inspector, Con-
tract and Inspection Division.
William L. de la Mater, from Construc-
tion Inspector, Engineering Division, to
Supply Distribution Assistant, Contract and
Inspection Division.
William M. Sergeant, from Supervising
Construction Inspector, Engineering Divi-
sion, to Contract Officer, Contract and In-
spection Division.
Walter E. Colclasure, from Clerk, En-
gineering Division, to Administrative Assist-
ant, Contract and Inspection Division.
Clarence H. True, from Construction
Engineer, Engineering Division, to Super-
vising Construction Inspector, Contract and
Inspection Division.
William C. Fritz, from Construction In-
spector, Engineering Division, to Supervis-
ory Construction Inspector, Contract and
Inspection Division.
Calvin L. Geiswite, from Policeman,
Police Division, to Utility Operator, Muni-
cipal Division.
FINANCE BUREAU
Mrs. Nellie M. Audy, from Clerk-Typist
to Payroll Clerk, Finance Bureau.
James E. Lawson, from Fiscal Auditing
Clerk, Audit Division, to Accounting Clerk,
Accounting Division.
HEALTH BUREAU
Arthur W. Smith, from Fiscal Auditing


PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

From August 15 through September 15


RAILROAD


AND TERMINALS BUREAU


Donald R. Brayton, from Conductor to
Traffic Clerk, Railroad Division.
SUPPLY AND SERVICE BUREAU
Dorothy B. King, from Student Assist-
ant to Clerk-Typist, Storehouses Divisions
Patricia Neckar, from Student Assistant
to Clerk-Typist, Storehouses Division.
Max R. Hart, from Fiscal Auditing Clerk
Finance Bureau, to Safety Inspector, Store-
houses and Motor Transportation Divisions.
Lawrence Barca, from Machinist and
Elevator Inspector, Industrial Bureau, to
Plant Engineer and Machinist, Commissary
Division.
Austin F. Yoder, from Fiscal Auditing
Clerk, Finance Bureau, to Supply Clerk,
Storehouses Division.
Charles Krause, from Storekeeper, to
Engineman, Storehouses Division.
SAFETY BRANCH


Edward M. Altman, from
Classifier, Personnel Bureau, to
Safety Assistant, Safety Branch.


Position
Public


A ,,
4yjfr
', ,S*,


._* *
4$^ '^*

.* ' " ^ '


*<*-~~~~~~~~~~ . <� . *** ...^v * ***� . , .^


Clerk, Audit Division, to Clerk, Gorgas
Hospital.
Mrs. Della Pilkerton, from Nurse, to
Nurse Supervisor (Psychiatric), Corozal
Hospital.
INDUSTRIAL BUREAU
Christopher C. Bennett, and Alexan-
der Rienks, from Machinist to Machinist
and Elevator and Locomotive Crane Inspec-
tor, Production Division.
MARINE BUREAU
Wesley Herr, from Wireman, Electrical
Division, to Lock Operator, Wireman, Locks
Division.
Charles V. Scheidegg, from Lock Oper-
ator, Wireman, to Tunnel Operator, Wire-
man, Locks Division.
Walter H. Hebert, from Admeasurer to
Chief Admeasurer, Navigation Division.
Marshall E. Rinker, from Pump Opera-
tor to Accounting Clerk, Dredging Division.
George R. Murray, from Dipper Dredge
Engineer, Dredging Division, to Chief Tow-
boat Engineer, Navigation Division.
Edward J. Cullen, from Machinist and
Inspector, Production Division, to Steam
Engineer, Dredging Division.
Otto A. Sundquist, from Floating Crane
Engineer, Dredging Division, to LockOpera-
tor, Locks Division.
PERSONNEL BUREAU
Fred A. Durling, Jr., from Student
Assistant, Municipal Division, to File Clerk,
Personnel Bureau.


October 5. 1951


*._V





October 5, 1951


Santa


Claus


THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


Coming


To


Town


C.Z.

Driv


Community Chest


e


Start


Oct.


FOR CHILDREN ONLY: As everyone knows, Santa Claus gets all around the world the
night before Christmas, delivering toys to all good children. This year, however, Lew W. MeIlvaine,
the Commissary's toy buyer, met one of Santa Claus' helpers in New York last February and told
him what Canal Zone boys and girls were going to ask for later on. Mr. MoIlvaine even arranged


for all the toys to be sent to the Canal Zone for
so many in his sleigh-or helicopter, if that is
October 19 and tell your parents just what yo
change your mind, he knew you would.
As has been done for many years past,
the Commissary Division has arranged
for two great centralized toy previews
and sales this year.
On the Atlantic side, both will be held
at the old Margarita Hospital. The Pa-
cific side will have sale and preview at
the former Ancon Theater building.
The previews will be held Friday,
October 19, from 3 to 5:30 p. m. and from
7 to 9 p. m. Santa Claus will make
appearances at both places during the
afternoon showing. No toys will be on
sale on the day of the preview.
The Toy Sale will open at both loca-
tions the following morning at 8:30 a. m.


Ten


Years


Ago


September


If anyone had any idea that the Third


* storage so that Santa Claus wouldn't have to carry
what he will use this year. You can see them on
u want. But Santa knew all the time; even if you

The hours and days of sale will be the
same as the regular hours at Ancon,
Balboa, and Cristobal commissaries: Tues-
days through Saturdays, from 8:30a.m. to
5:30 p. m., with the usual noon-day
closing from 12:30 to 2:30 p. m.
Cash only will be accepted in buying
toys; charge accounts will also be honored.
The following Saturday, October 27,
greeting cards, gift wrappings, and Lionel
trains and accessories will go on sale at
both Toy Sections. Christmas tree orna-
ments, lights, and decorations will not be
on sale until December. Further details
on this will be released through the Com-
missary Division's weekly trade circular.


the Third Locks towns of Cocoli and Mar-
garita.
A million-dollar program got under way
to double facilities at Colon Hospital
nrhor. a ftrmn-tr, nvzr inrilml inrr Q /l.i


An intensive, short campaign is planned
this year for the Canal Zone's fifth Com-
munity Chest campaign which starts Oct-
ober 14, F. J. Moumblow, Chest Chair-
man has announced. The goal for the
drive this year is $31,500.
Governor Francis K. Newcomer has
again agreed to serve as honorary chair-
man of the Chest drive.
Participating agencies will be the same
as last year. This year, however, under
Girl Scouts is included, "sponsors of the
International Girl Scouts of the Canal
Zone."
;The welfare and community agencies
for which funds will be raised are: The
Salvation Army, the Balboa and Cristo-
bal Armed Services YMCA-USO; the
Girl Scouts; Boy scouts; USO-JWB Armed
Services Center; the National Catholic
Community Services-USO; Corozal Hosp-
ital's Occupational Therapy and Recrea-
tional Program; the International Boy
Scouts of the Canal Zone; the Summer
Recreational Program and Canal Zone
Civic Councils.
This year the Chest is known as the
"Bigger Red Feather," because of the in-
clusion of the USO's with the Armed
Services centers.
Headquarters for the Community Chest
organization are at the Balboa Road office
of the Canal Zone Credit Union which
has again offered space without charge.
telephone numbers at the headquarters
are 2-1787 and 2-3215.
Mrs. Douglas Johnston will serve this
. year as Director of the Community Chest
campaign. William Jump, an oldtimer in
Community Chest campaigns as well as
in service, will head the campaign for
local-rate employees, with Stanley Loney
as his Pacific side vice chairman and
James A. Hassocks as vice chairman for
the Atlantic side.
Mrs. J. B. Clemmons, Jr. will serve again
this year as secretary of the Community
Chest campaign and Mrs. E. A. Doolan
will be treasurer. Their headquarters will
be the office in the Credit Union in Balboa.
E. D. White, Jr. of Margarita is Fi-


nance Chairman for this year's drive.
MAmhorQ nf tbx Pvoonrnlfrc rmmii^




THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


October 5,1951


370


Hours of Police


w


ork End


With


Capture


Of


Hotel


Tivoli's


oung


Second


Story


Man


A policeman's lot is not a happy one;
everyone knows that. It's especially un-
happy when he is trying to catch a second-
story burglar at the Hotel Tivoli.
(Of course, it can be argued that the
burglar, 19-year-old Steve Augustus Wil-
liams, will not have a hilariously happy
time in Gamboa penitentiary for the next
10 years-he can get 46 months off that
sentence if he behaves himself-but this
piece is about the police!)
The Canal Zone police were justifiably
annoyed at five o'clock on the morning of
last July 14 when the desk clerk at the
Tivoli reported a burglary. That sort of
thing is a breach of Canal Zone hospital-
ity as well as of law. Police Sergeant Troy
Hayes, Sergeant R. G. Nichols, Detective
Tom Frensley, and Policemen C. H.


Peavley and Arthur
the hotel to invest
know then that they
were going to spend
tedious hours on the
Williams started to
The first case was


victim
guest a
sacked
around,
Hines'
glasses,
laneous
were m
ticket.
doors h1
prints o
valueless
Police
vey Rh
joined


L. Blystone went to
igate. They didn't


and their
some 370
case before
Gamboa.
simple eno


colleagues
tiresome,
They had
ugh. The


was one Lee Hines, a transient
bout to leave by plane. His ran-
suitcase, its contents spread all
, was found in a hallway near Mr.
room, No. 164. Clothing, eye-
a fountain pen, and other miscel-
I items, worth together some $48,
missing, as well as a $100 plane-
There was no indication that the
ad been forced and smudged finger-
n the luggage and elsewhere were
ss as identification. (By this time,
Sergeants H. V. Crooks and Har-
yne and Officer N. J. Lewter had
the burglary detail.)
No. 2-Three Hours Later


Three hours later, Dr. and Mrs. James


G.T
their
were
wrist
the b
in an


ownsend, in
room had
asleep. A
I watch wer
burglar had
overnight


room 268, reported
been entered while
$1,400 ring and a
e missing. In his h
overlooked $285 in
bag. The print of a


foot was found outside on a porch and


powder brought out several good finger-
prints in the Townsend's room.
But the prints fitted none of the 100
hotel employees or former employees who
were investigated and no such prints were
found in the comprehensive police files.
All-night watches were placed around the
hotel, with special attention to week-ends.
Nothing developed, no one suspicious
was seen. On August 11 a guest in room
164 (scene of the first burglary) reported
a theft. His billfold containing $480, was
missing. The wallet, empty and wiped
clean of prints, was found later near the
porch steps. As luck would have it, Ser-
geant Nichols, who had planned to watch
the hotel all night, was discovered by a
hotel employee at 3:30 a. m. and, con-
cluding that further surveillance was use-
less, had left his hiding place.
In the meantime watch was kept on
pawnshops, jewelry stores, the rooms of
possible suspects, all with the full cooper-
ation of the Panama police. Four local-
rate employees of the hotel, who had been
working at the time of the burglaries,
underwent lie-detector tests. Also tested
was the unemployed brother of one of
them. Four of the five were cleared but
the fifth gave indications that he knew
something of the crimes. (Investigators
now believe that he had found the miss-
ing but empty billfold of burglary No. 3,
searched it and wiped off his fingerprints,
all without making a report of his find.
, He had been under investigation in Pan-
Sama for assault and is serving a three-
month's sentence on this count.)
No. 4-August 19
The hunt went on, on both sides of the


Isthmus, but on Aug
fourth burglary. Mr
Caldwell, who had bee
268 (the same as that i
burglary occurred) re
Mrs. Caldwell's purse
cash and commissary c
o'clock that morning,


ust 19 there was a
. and Mrs. J. Y.
n assigned to room
in which the second
ported the loss of
, containing $27 in
oupons. About two
she told the police,


she had been awakened by the slamming
of the screen door and had seen someone


-, .,a~r


running down the outside porch. There
were indications that the burglar had
climbed over the corridor door transom.
The stolen purse, empty, was found on
the grass outside the hotel.
This last was just too much for the


police.


Any burglaries, they


good, but that many, no!
detective matters were suspend(
entire force put to work on
burglaries. William R. Dunn,
police officer not well known o
fic side, entered the hotel as


feel, are no
All routine
ded and the
the Tivoli
a Cristobal
n the Paci-
a guest to


watch from the inside.
The break came the morning of August
24. About two o'clock that morning de-
tective Hiram Overall, outside the north
wing, saw a man come from Tivoli Ave-
nue, remove his shoes and climb over the
railing of the steps leading from the
ground to the first floor porch. Detective
Overall followed, first taking the precau-
tion of hiding the suspect's shoes. A few
minutes later, the burglar slithered over
the transom into his old stamping ground,
room 268, where Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell
were asleep. Overall called his Cristobal
colleague on the first floor for help.
They Caught Him
In the meantime, however, the thief
had gotten into room 266, part of a suite
with the Caldwell's room, but had, as it
later turned out, also made a foray into
nearby room 260 where he helped himself
to some property. He startled Mrs. Cald-
well, who screamed. The burglar fled
down the porch. As he ran he collided
with officers Overall and Dunn and a
third colleague, H. H. Summerford.
What the burglar did not know was
that he had fallen neatly into a trap,
baited with a $20 bill (belonging to Sgt.
Nichols) which had been covered with a
powder which glows under ultra-violet
light. His hands and clothing shone bril-
liantly a short time later, when he was
placed under the special light.
Later, after questioning, the burglar,
Williams, admitted all the thefts and on
September 4 was sentenced to 10 years
in Gamboa.
The case, though, was not ended for
the police. They wanted to get the stolen
property back. Questioned as to Mrs.
m i�1 --� nniri �. .-, -.� ,


X
I





October 5,1951


THE PANAMA


CANAL REVIEW


w


At


Don't


Diablo


ave


Everything


Clubhouse


. . . but we do have a lot of things that bring a lot of people to the Clubhouse
day after day, year after year, and at all hours of the day and night. In fact, at
Diablo Clubhouse, we have just about everything there is at any Canal Clubhouse,
and more, because we have the big boss, too.
For instance, . . .
A There is food. That's in our cafeteria section. There you get the good solid
variety that you want at mealtime or the sodas and sundaes or cokes or what-have-


you for the calories
* Then there arn
People go there for
of film, a phonograp
A And there's a
you're interested in
productions most of
chiller-mystery-horr
sometimes, dramatic
entertainment.
* The ballroom


in between.
e all kinds of things to buy. They're in our merchandise section.
a new lipstick, a cigar, a candy bar, a New York Times, a roll
h record and all kinds of things like that.
theater. If you're interested in statistics, it has 450, seats. If
movies, it has them too-the common garden variety Hollywood
the time, the "arty" variety on the last Thursday of the month,
or shows at 10:30 o'clock one Friday night a month . . . and
c productions, by Isthmians for Isthmians and their mutual

on the second floor brings a lot of people to the Clubhouse, too.


They gather there for meetings, bingo, dinner dances, and banquets, and all kinds
of things people find to get together for.
* A dance floor and a juke box draw the just-beyond-small-fry crowd through
a red door to (what do you know?) the "Red Door," a new and special little gather-
ing place where people sometimes have small informal parties.
* There's an eight-lane bowling alley accredited by the American Bowling Con-
� .ii -I ii-* '


MUD AND DUMP TRAINS


(Continued from page 6) Culebra cut, La Boca,
then left the Canal to become a bartender
in the Hotel Normandie in Panama.
A Canal official who used to play poker
at the hotel asked Holder if he would like
to come back to work in the Canal Zone,
and he took a job in 1911 as messenger in
the Executive Department at Culebra.
He left Canal service again in 1920,
worked in the Metropole Bar and drove
his own bus in Panama until 1940, when
he came back to his present Canal job.
Todd's first job for the Canal was in
the "feeble ward" at Ancon Hospital
"farm" in the area now occupied by the
houses of the Health Director and Lieut-
enant Governor, at Balboa Heights. It
was commonly called "the farm" Todd
says, because at some earlier time the
land had been used to raise foodstuffs for
the hospital.
As attendant at the hospital, Todd says
he saw them "come in droves with dysen-
tery, malaria, and typhoid."
Gorgas A "Sweet Gentleman"
Colonel Gorgas, later General, the
Canal's famed first Chief Health Officer,
was "a sweet gentleman who never lost
his temper and always had a smile and
talked nice." Todd says his daughter,
"Miss Eileen," was the same way.
When the present Administration Build-
ing at Balboa Heights was opened in 1914,
Todd was transferred to the Record Bu-
reau as messenger. He became a clerk in
1919 and since 1926 has been an office
helper. Douglas came to the Isthmus in
1909 with his mother to join his brother
who was already working for the Canal.
He worked in Panama as clerk and
watchman for a short time, then became
an attendant at Ancon Hospital, where
his brother was working. He first worked
in the "private" wards where the nurses
quarters are now located, then in the
isolation wards, at that time located near
the present site of the Governor's house
at Balboa Heights. He remained there
until 1918, then took over his present job
as messenger for the Executive Depart-
ment in the Administration Building.


Daniels is a
employee who
join his father
1907. Daniels'
of janitor in
Building at An
Court Building.
in 1+ho nroaont. A


second generation Canal
came to the Isthmus to
who had been here since
first Canal job was that
the old Administration
con-the present District
He became a messenger
dminidritinn TRildinoa in




THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


October 5, 1951


TO uJR


HEAL


TH


OUR


OUT-OF-DOORS


About


Since the establishment of the Blood
Bank at Gorgas Hospital almost two
years ago the Canal Zone public has
taken a great deal of interest in donating
blood for other people. The staff at the
Blood Bank has cheerfully answered hun-
dreds of questions concerning the giving
of blood, many questions being repeated
almost daily. Why not?-everyvone who


donates blood has a natural curiosity to
find out all he can about the procedure
and how it will affect him.
The staff of the Blood Bank has pre-
pared a list of a dozen questions which
are asked frequently, together with the
answers. These are printed below for the
information of all concerned.
1. How much blood can I give?
The usual amount taken is 500 cc, or
one pint. The same amount is usually
given to the patient.
2. How much blood is in my body?
The average person has 12 to 15 pints


of blood in his body.
3. Will the procedure hurt me?
Certainly not! A needle is inserted
through the skin into a vein in the arm,
and the the blood flows into the receiving


bottle.


4. Why does the blood flow uphill into
the bottle?
There is a vacuum in the receiving
bottle which causes the blood to flow
into the bottle.
5. Will I suffer any ill effects from
donating a pint of blood?
No. You will be kept lying down for
a few minutes after the donation is com-
pleted, then you may resume your usual
activities. Your body will make up the
loss of blood in a short time.


OCTOBER
5th-American Legion, Post No. 6,
Gamboa Legion Hall, 7:30 p. m.
7th-Masters, Mates, and Pilots, No.
27, Diablo Clubhouse, 9 a. m.
8th-American Legion. Post No. 1. Bal-


Blood


Bank


6. How often can I donate blood?
Blood can be donated every eight weeks
with safety. However, for the Blood
Bank purposes, a donor is not permitted
to give blood oftener than once in three
months.
7. How many types of blood are there?
There are four major types: Type A
occurring in 39 percent of people, Type-
B in 12 percent, Type AB in 4 percent,
and Type 0 in 45 percent (this is the
International Classification and is based


on studies made in the
based on the Isthmian
slightly different).
8. Will the type of my b
donation?
No. Normally a pers4
never changes.
9. Can Type A blood b


U. S.; studies
population are


lood change afte\
on's blood typE


e given to a pa


tient who has TypeB blood?
No. As a rule, donor's blood and pa-
tient's blood must be of same type; how-
ever, Type O blood may be given to any
patient in an emergency.
10. How do you know if donor's blood is
acceptable to the patient?
The blood of the donor and the blood
of the patient are always cross-matched
before a transfusion is given to be sure
they are compatible.
11. Will I be given a card after giving
blood that will show my blood type?
Every donor is typed and a card show-
ing his blood type is mailed to him.
12. Where is the Blood Bank, and when
is it open?
The Blood Bank is located in Gorgas
Hospital, first floor, Section B (old Ward
6); it is open from 8:30 to 10:30 each
morning from Monday through Friday.


October

PnfTW 421 fV


Sailings
From Cristobal
rl/anK/vi K


Questions


height of 20 feet or more and have flat, red
r inflorescence which are often a yard long.
Heliconia curtispatha is the most showy
Species of Heliconia found in Panama. Its
handsome pendant inflorescence is pre-
- dominantly red and yellow with bright
blue seeds. The plants are common on
- the Atlantic side of the Isthmus and may
still be seen in flower along the road to
Fort San Lorenzo.
The Panama Poinsettia (Warscewiezia
coccinea) is starting to bloom. The long
panicles of fiery red bracts make this small
tree one of the handsomest in Panama.
It is a relative of the coffee tree-but who
but a botanist would ever guess it? Plants
in flower may be seen as one drives
through the Canal Zone Experiment Gar-
dens at Summit.
Two of theshowy, yellow-flowered Cas-
sias (Cassia multijuga and C(7. spectabilis)
may also be seen in flower at the Experi-
ment Gardens.
Many people have inquired recently
about the large showy tree on the west
side of Gamboa Highway near the en-"
trance to the Experiment Gardens. This
is a fast-growing timber tree, Terminalia
myriocarpa, which was introduced into
the Canal Zone in 1927 from West Africa.
The wood is comparable to that of the
Central American mahogany. The abun-
dant small, fuzzy flowers are cream-
colored and are followed by clusters of
small, crimson, winged fruits.
Those who are interested in orchids
might like to know that September and
Octnher are the months when the Canftlta


(EDITOR'S NOTE: the material for this
column has been prepared by Walter R.
Lindsay, Chief of the Grounds Maintenance
Division who is also in charge of the Canal
Zone Experiment Gardens.)
October is a poor month for flowers but
there are several worthy of mention. The
Heliconias (wild bananas or plantanilla)
have been especially colorful this year. At
least three species may still be seen along
the Madden Road.
Heliconia latispatha is the most com-
mon species of wild banana found on the
Pacific side of the Isthmus. It is the
species with upright inflorescence com-
monly found growing along the highways
and other waste places.
Heliconia mariae or Beefsteak Helico-
nia is one of the tallest species found in
this region. The plants often reach a


THIS MONTH'S CALENDAR


q


October 5,1951





October 5, 1951


THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


Order


Of Draft Call


Outlined


For


Zone


Selective Service


Procedure which will be followed for
the induction into the service of Canal
Zone residents, or of those registered with
the two Canal Zone Selective Service
Boards has been outlined by local Select-
ive Service officials.
First to be called will be those who vol-
unteer for service. They will be inducted
in the order in which they volunteered.
The volunteers may be either United
States citizens who have registered for
Selective Service but who have not yet
been called, or non-U. S. citizens who are
within the 18-25 year age group, residents
of the Canal Zone, without dependents
and with no record of conviction of a
felony. Additional information concern-
ing the voluntary induction of aliens is
obtainable from either of the two Canal
Zone Local Boards.
After the volunteers, non-volunteers


will be called
of birth, with
first. The sole
is that in cas
person who ha4
regulations by
to comply witi
ice obligation,


up in order of their dates
the oldest being selected
exception to this procedure
e of a delinquent, i. e., a
s violated Selective Service
failure to register or failure
i any other Selective Serv-
he will be selected and


ordered to report for induction before any
other non-volunteer.
When two or more registrants have the
same birthday they will, among them-
selves, be selected in alphabetical order.
No quota has yet been fixed for the
Canal Zone, although the local Selective
Service will have a credit for those Canal
Zone men who have entered the armed
services.
Quotas are determined on the basis of
the actual number of registrants classified
I-A and I-A-0 (conscientious objectors)
who have been found acceptable for
service.
When A. C. Medinger, State Selective
Service Director, is notified that a certain
number will be needed from the Canal
Zone, each local board will select for in-
duction its proportion of the number of
men required to fill the call. They will be
chosen from the registrants classified in
T-A and T-A-0. who havn hbnnn fnndl


AMERICAN MEN between the ages of 18 and 26 register
such registration held on the Isthmus since the days of World
Zone Selective Service organization.
In the top picture, Lt. Gov. H. D. Vogel, Executive Secre
rector A. C. Medinger watch the registration at the Balboa
at both Boards was 227.


In the lower picture, registrars
registrants. Left to right, seated:
a senior at Cristobal High School;
man, and Sherman C. Brooks, a
Board No. 2, and Mrs. Frances H


istration became compulsor
nental United States for m(
ages of 21 and 35, Canal Zo
age group were required to
five days after theyv reaneh


red September 6 for Selective Service, the first
1 War II, and the first ever held under a Canal
tary E. C. Lombard, and Selective Service Di-
Railroad Station. The first day's registration


and officials of Local Board No. 2 in Cristobal sign up the day's first two
W. L. Howard, Chief Registrar; Thomas Anthony Brennan, 19, of Gatun,
Victor Fisher, a registrar; Thomas Newton Stewart, 25, a Canal Zone fire-
registrar. Standing are Judge E. I. P. Tatelman, Chairman of Local
unnicutt, the Board's clerk.
*y in the conti- tween the ages of 18 and 44 were regis-
mn between the tered. Where registrants gave addresses
ne men in that in the United States their cards were for-
register within warded to selective service boards in those


ad the TTIniv.d


lnodnnsv tbe rmarfdrat


inn oarla nf Inollir


: mmIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII II





THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW


October 5, 1951


Little


Theater


Goals:


Fun


And


Funds


Fun for its members and funds to help
others who are less fortunate are the two
"F's" for the 80 members of Cristobal's
Little Theater.
A good many people on both sides of
the Isthmus have seen and enjoyed the
productions staged by the Little Theater.
But not too many know that since the
group was organized in 1939-the first
meetings and the first plays were held in
the basement of the Colon residence of
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Motta-it has raised
over $4,000 for the Shrine Hospitals for
Crippled Children; raised over $500, in a
Rotary Club-sponsored production, for
the Old People's Home at Puerto Pilon;
has sponsored Boy Scout Troop 6, recog-
nized as one of the best on the Isthmus,
and, during the war years, played to over
15,000 service men and women, donating
time, talent, and facilities without one
penny of compensation.
Only a few months after the Cristobal
Little Theater was formed it had out-
grown its Motta-basement home and be-
gan to look for a place to call its home.


An agre
Boy Sc
Little T
sponsibi
French
Shack"
the buil
In re
make s
would ii
of the w
member
labor of
for eac


CA, -

00
oi% -
O -


Oi -


"PETTICOAT FEVER" was one of the most successful of the Little Theater's productions. Here are
the set and part of the cast.


ement was made with Council 801,
;outs of America, whereby the
'heater agreed to assume the re-
ility for the maintenance of the old
building known as the "Scout
and sponsor Troop 6 which used
ding as a meeting place.
turn the group was entitled to
uch changes and alterations as
improve it for their purposes. Most
ork has been accomplished by the
rs themselves who, considering it a


1
h


ove, have an affectionate regard
nail and plank put into the


Shack. At least $6,000 has been expended
in these improvements.
Over 60 Plays Presented
By working hard, surmounting obsta-
cles, solving difficult problems, in fact by
achieving the impossible more than once,
the group has presented over 60 plays.
Included are many celebrated Broadway
hits such as "The Torchbearers," "Out-
ward Bound," "Blithe Spirit," "Arsenic
and Old Lace," "You Can't Take It With
You," and many others.
Starting with a charter membership of
about a dozen, none of whom remain on
the Atlantic side at present, the member-
ship reached a peak of 300 during the war
- -_ -. A I- S. L ad-- S. whan A ll-^-. -ii /-fc a r fr nC k n Vns


HALF AN HOUR before curtain time, the grease paint goes on


A... -*-W*


m


m