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PANAMA C^l CANAL HevIeV SPRING 1975 DAVID S. PARKER WILLIE K. FRIAR Governor-President Editor, Engli.'ih Edition JOSE T. TU5JON H. RICHARD L. HUNT Editor, Spanish Edition Lieutenant Governor Writers Vic Canel, Fannie P. Hernandez, FRANK A. BALDWIN Franklin Castrellon, Dolores E. Suisman Panama Canal Information Officer OFficial Panama Canal Publication AND Pandora G. Aleman

Review articles may be reprinted without further clearance. Credit to the Review will be appreciated.

The Panama Canal Review is published twice a year. Yearly subscription: regular mail $1, airmail $2, single copies 50 cents.

For subscription, send check or money order, made payable to the Panama Canal Company, to Panama Canal Review, Box M, Balboa Heights, C.Z.

Editorial Office Is located In Room 100, Administration Building, Balboa Heights, C.Z.

Printed at the Panama Canal Printing Plant, La Boca, C.Z.

Contents Our Cover

Photographing a galleon under full In the Wake of Drake 3 sail might sound simple but getting the Transit of "Golden Hinde" shot of the Golden Hinde, which appears on the cover, was not revives interest in the audaci- an easy task. Intent on capturing the ship with her ous Elizabethan. sails unfurled, the photographer fol- lowed her on a launch as she left Balboa on her Some Fancy Shirts From way to California. As soon as she was free of the tug, Far-off Shores 9 which had towed her through the Canal, A short shirt tale. her crew set about the task of putting up the sails. But there were no strong winds and The Age of Aquarists 13 the sails hung limply. Capt. Adrian These fishermen give them an Small, master of the ship, decided to start the small engine aspirin and bring 'em back to help maneuvei the vessel into a better position to catch alive. the wind. Of course, with the first throb of the motor, the 16th centuiy atmos- phere vanished in a puff of grey smoke A Horse in the House 19 from the exhaust. B[i hand or icith net, feeding Finally, after much e.xertion on the part of the captain and crew, the ship a seahorse requires finesse. was in just the right position, the wind filled her sails, the engine was shut More Than A Book of Numbers 22 down, the scene was perfect, but only for a moment. The 20th century in- Phone directories reflect chang- tervened again when a small plane ing times from construction began flying back and forth directly above the ship. days to present. At last, the plane flew out of sight but a tropical rain shower caused another Culinary Capers 26 delay. The Isthmus was fast fading into the A riot of rice recipes. background as the ship moved along under full sail. Hurriedly the photogra- Shipping Notes 29 pher focused the camera just in time to spot several small boats sailing in be- tween the Golden Hinde and the launch. Nata 32 Responding to much yelling and waving of hands, Oldest totvn on the Isthmus the small boat owners moved out of range and the photographer cap- enters the industrial age. tured the scene on the cover onlv seconds before an ominous black cloud appeared overhead. Credits: Photos by Don Coodc (p. 5 "Colden

Hinde" and p. 11 traffic controller j, Kevin Jenkins The cover photograph, as well as all (p. 6), Mike Goode (p. 11 Panamanian dancing others in this issue, unless otherwise couple). Sketch p. 4 by Capt. Adrian Small. credited, are by Arthur L. Pollack.

2 Spring 1975 In ike

of

Dtaktf

WilUe K. Friar The "Golden Hinde" lies at anchor off Portobelo in the area where it is believed that Drake was buried. The galleon also stopped briefly at Nombre de Dios. IT WAS A STRANGE SIGHT-A small 16th century galleon sailing serenely past the modern gargantuan tankers and container ships lying at Drake s Drum anchor off Balboa waiting their turn to transit the Panama Canal. Drake he's in his hammock an' a thousand mile away, her sails set The small sailing ship, (Capten, art tha sleepin there beloiv?) taut, was the Golden Hinde, a replica of the ship on which Sir Francis Drake Shmg ativeen the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay, circumnavigated the globe. An dreainin arl the time d Plymouth Hoe. From the time the Golden Hinde the Island, i/arnder lie the ships, anchored off Portobelo early in Decem- Yarnder lumes ber 1974 until she completed transit of Wi' sailor lads a-dancin heel-an'-toe. the Canal, she attracted unusual interest the shore-lights fiashin, an the night-tide dashin. on the Isthmus, where Drake has always An been an important part of the local He sees et arl so plainly as he saw et long ago. history. Henry Newbolt Drake's victories over the Spanish along the Las Cruces Trail are well known and a lively interest in locating to San Francisco where she will be on liminary designs were produced about the lead casket in which he is supposed permanent exhibit, took the short cut 5 years later following considerable re- to have been buried at sea near Por- through the Panama Canal. The in- search. Although often reported in the tobelo has continued through the years. surers of the ship, which is valued at a press as "an exact replica," this would An island in the vicinity is still known million dollars, took a dim view of be impossible as little is known about as Drake's Island. havinCT her go through the Strait of the original Golden Hinde. It was on the Isthmus that Drake, Magellan. After studying every scrap of his- after climbing to the top of a tree and Plans are to berth the ship at Fisher- torical evidence available, including viewing both oceans, fell on his knees man's ^Vharf in San Francisco to com- manuscripts which described Drake and and asked God to give him "life and memorate Drake's voyage and his land- his ship and viewing paintings of the leave to sail an English ship in the South ing on the west coast of America in 1579. period, Norgaard came to the conclu- Sea." His prayer was answered later The Golden Hinde replica was de- sion that the Golden Hinde was a classic when he succeeded in circumnavigating signed bv Chris Norgaard, a Califomian, example of a mid 16th century warship. the world on the Golden Hinde. for a consortium of San Francisco busi- It is i)elieved that the ship was built in On his trip in 1577, Drake took the nessmen including Albert D. Elledge, France and was bought by John Hawk- Golden Hinde through the treacherous president of a tugboat and harbor tour ins, Drake's uncle. waters of the Strait of Magellan and line, and Art Blum, public relations Norgaard was greatly influenced by harassed Spanish ships along the Chilean consultant. Nuiio da Silva, the Portuguese pilot and Penivian coasts before arriving in The idea to build such a ship for San captured bv Drake, who became his California. The replica of the ship, en- Francisco germinated in the mind of na\igator, He had a high opinion of the route from England where she was built. Art Blum, at least 10 years ago. Pre- ship and wrote: "The Capitana (flag-

The Panama Canal Review 3 It was reported that she was also used and transfer it to the hold of the Golden The replica was as a restaurant and Pepys wrote of Hinde while the ships stood off the coast visiting the ship in 1662 and noting that of Peru. When Drake released the cap- built to the timbers were rotting. About this tain, he gave him a number of gifts in- 1 time the decision was made to break up eluding a gilt corselet and 600 pounds commemorate the ship. The only relics remaining of iron as well as a letter of safe conduct ^ today are a chair of polished oak made in case he should encounter other |

from the ship's timbers, which is in the English ships. Drake's landing Bodleian Library at Oxford, and a table Drake's cabin is the most uncomfort- in the Middle Temple in London. able part of the ship during rough on the coast of From the information concerning the weather. Beneath it is the Great Cabin, Deptford berth of the original ship, complete with a beautifully carved oak California Norgaard estimated the Golden Hinde's table capable of seating 10 people. Since dimensions to be 75 feet on the water- the furniture was recorded as being the line; 102 feet overall (not including the finest of the period, hand-carved replicas in 1579 bowsprit); maximum breadth 20 feet; in English oak were commissioned for extreme draft 13 feet, her mainmast the ship. 80 feet tall, her foremast 71 feet and On the poop deck is a "round house" her mizzenmast 36V2 feet. The replica in which Drake spent many hours paint- ship) is in a great measure stout and carries a total of 4,150 square feet of ing with his young nephew, John Drake. strong. She has two sheathings, one as sail and displaces 290 tons. The main deck, in front of the Great ' perfectly finished as the other. She is fit for warfare and is a ship of the French pattern, well fitted out and furnished with \er\' good masts, tacke and double sails. She is a good sailor and the rudder

governs her well . . . She is. water-fast when na\igated with the wind astern

and not \-ioIent but when the sea is high she labours ." and leaks not a little . . It is interesting to learn that the new Golden Hinde had the same problem. (From the Captain's Notes a short time after leaving England: "We have been pestered with small leaks at bow and stem, only apparent when the ship is in a heavy sea.") Since no detailed records of the de- sign of the original ship existed, Nor- gaard relied to some extent on the ratios of lengths to depth and width, which is the way shipbuilders of the 16th century worked. Matthew Baker, an English shipwright, working some years after the supposed date of the construction of Drake's ship, explained the process in a The planning of other aspects of the Cabin, where Drake was knighted by unique manuscript preserved in the construction also required much atten- Queen Elizabeth I following his circum- Pepys Library at Magdalene College, tion to detail. The lower deck has 14 navigation of the world, has a crucifix Cambridge: long-barrelled cannon, typical of a ship and a grog cask and on the fo'c'scle Proportiones for shippinge of the period, complete with loading forward of the main deck are two small and priming gear at station. cannon. The hredth is arbitrarie, ye depth must never each gun

be more then 1^ ye bredth, nor less then 1/^, Lanterns and small arms racks are also Carving on the ship is limited to a The length never less then double ye bredth fitted on this deck. In the hold are shot gilded figurehead representing a hind

nor more then treble . . . and powder-kegs along with a store of (hind is spelled with an e in the name of The size of the Golden Hinde was small arms, cooking utensils, barrels, the ship because research revealed that

determined to a certain extent bv the and tools of the period. was the way it was spelled in Elizabe- known size of the dock at Deptford, Beneath the afterdeck of the ship are than times) and a gilded lion mounted England, where the original vessel lav two cabins. First, Drakes, where he on top of the rudder-post. for almost a century before she rotted "entertained" San Juan de Anton, the Once the designer had completed his awav. A brick wall was built of plans, around her captain the famed treasure ship, the search began to find someone ^ on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I to Nuestra Sehora de la Concepcion (Our to build the ship. The owners finally help preserve her as a piece. Lady of the settled Hinks Sons, of museum Conception) which was on J. & Appledore There was a somewhat whimsical called bv the crew the Cacafuego. Drake in North Devon, England. Hinks had proposal at that time that she be hauled treated the captured captain in a gentle- recently built a replica of the 17th cen- to the top of the tower of the old manly manner while he held him aboard tury ketch Nonsuch, the ship of the St. Paul's Cathedral and kept there per- the Golden Hinde for the 3 days re- Hudson's Bay Co., which is now in a manently as a "reminder and treasure quired to remove a fortune in gold, museum in Canada. The Hinks family for all Englishmen." silver, and jewels from the Spanish ship has constructed wooden sailing ships

Spmng 1975 since 1844 and the policy of the ship- south coast of England and the Great yard has been to continue the methods Lakes of Canada. Chris Daniel, the first of wooden shipbuilding that have been mate, of the National Maritime Museum used for hundreds of years. in London, is an expert in old naviga- They used old fashioned tools includ- tional instruments and carried out a ing chisels, augers, and adzes for much number of experiments with old period of the work but they also used modern instnmients during the voyage. saws and electrical tools on some Talking with the captain and crew of structural features. the Golden Hinde about their crossing For rigging the ship, Hinks called on of the Atlantic and walking through her two retired craftsmen, Joe and Oswald narrow low passages one can well Bennett. Both are over 70 and had imagine what life was like on the original worked on some of the last square-rigged ship when Drake and at least 80 other ships sailing out of Appledore, the last men were packed aboard her during the port in England to operate commercial circumnavigation. Records show that sailing ships. they negotiated the Strait of Magellan It was decided that the timbers used in a raging storm with at least 90 men in the original ship were probably aboard since they had collected crew English oak, elm, and pine and a search members from other of Drake's ships. for right visits Most of the men together , the timbers included to huddled timber yards throughout the country. in complete darkness below deck while Finding the tree for the mainmast of others lay on deck between the cannon the Golden Hinde involved visits to with the icy sea sloshing back and forth estates as far afield as Scotland before a o\er them with every roll of the ship. suitable one was found on an estate in They were a discontented lot, having Oswald Bennett, who is 77 years old, Devon. already spent more than 7 months away one of the riggers for the "Golden Hinde, keel from home and found no treasure, only The was laid September 30, 1971 binds a rope-end. with the keel bolts driven home by the half naked nati\'es who ate bloody raw Mayor of Plymouth and the Earl of seal meat. They had resorted to eating Mount Edgcumbe, the present owner of penguins themselves. Buckland Abbey, Drake's countiy home. The stout little ship, however, was a Two months later, the Duke of Edin- match for the raging storms in the Strait burgh came by to watch the men at work and was able to make its way around the on the laying out of the ribs of the ship. world, after the historic landing on the The launching, by the Countess of coast of California, and return to Ply- Devon with a bottle of mead, took place mouth September 26, 1580, with what April 5, 1973. During the ceremony an some have estimated at today's valuation engraved Devon cider flagon containing as .$50 million in silver and bullion taken water drawn from the River Tavy near from Spanish ships. An exact accounting Drake's former home was presented to was never made public so no one can be the owners to be carried to California sure of the value but all historians agree

on the ship. it was a fortune. r After being on display in England, Sixteenth century ships, like the the ship, with Capt. Adrian Small as Golden Hinde, were not built with the

, comfort in mind. master, sailed from Plymouth, Septem- of the crew The men A shipwright tightens a clamp on the ber 29, stopping at Falmouth, England; were expected to find places to hang planking near the stem. Lisbon, Portugal; Bridgetown, Barba- their hammocks among the guns and the dos; Cartagena, Colombia; Nombre de cargo. Dios and Portobelo, Panama; before The new Golden Hinde has narrow

. arriving at the Canal. wooden bunks built-in but because of Drake's ship sailed out of Plymouth, the dark cramped quarters below many December 13, 1577. She was at that of the men prefer to sleep on the deck. time named Pelican, but Drake changed A few other modem additions in- the name to Golden Hinde at the eastern clude a generator to provide electric entrance to the Strait of Magellan to lights and a radio as well as a small honor his patron and good friend, Chris- auxiliary engine for maneuvering in and

^ topher Hadden. The figure of a hind or out of harbors. Living conditions aboard deer was a part of his crest. (While the ship, however, are Spartan and

( transiting the Canal, a Panama Canal everyone must be capable of performing launch carrying a photographer ap- all the necessary tasks including climbing proached the ship, the crew noted with the rigging.

amusement that the name of the launch There is little leisure time for the crew was Pelican. ) while at sea. Much of the time during • Most of the crew of 18 are seasoned the crossing of the Atlantic was spent square rigger seamen, having sailed with in maintaining the sails and wood ritthing the seams to make "> Captain Small on the replica of the structures. them watertight. Nonsuch during her voyages around the One of the worst jobs on a sailing ship

The Panama Canal Review I

Keeping alive

sailing ship

traditions

is tarring down the rigging. Along with this hot and dirty work, there was also the chipping off of old varnish and the revamishing of masts and other wooden parts. Although food on the ship includes much of the type that Dralce carried such as salt pork and beef, corned beef,

and dried fish, this is supplemented by canned food. A crewmember holds "Snatch" who joined

Throughout the voyage it was the cus- the ship in England as a newly bom kitten. tom of the master to muster all hands on the quarter for "divine services to Gov. and Mrs. David S. Parker deck on the Golden Hinde. The log will be give thanks to the Almighty for a safe turned over to the owners at the end of welcome the ship's owners and officials of passage." This was also a custom of the trip just as Drake presented his log the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Drake, who was a devout Lutheran. to Queen Elizabeth I. Unfortunately that Bureau who, accompanied by Captain Small noted that on the ship log, which covered the voyage of circum- a group of other California businessmen, they are trying to keep alive sailing ship navigation, a great historical document, flew to the Isthmus to transit the Canal traditions, not specifically those from was never seen again. aboard the ship. Left to right are: Albert Elizabethan days. Because the Golden Hinde required

Elledge, co-owner, Mrs. Parker, Dick It is not possible to reprint the log, the service of a tug throughout the tran-

Buxton, Governor Parker, Harry Orchard, which is beautifully written in Captain sit of the Canal, she paid $6,000 in tolls. and Art Blum. Small's Spencerian script, but these brief After spending almost 2 weeks in Bal- notes (printed at right) which he hur- boa, she left December 20 for Acapulco, riedly made for the Review while he arriving there January 5. The ship will was in Panama give a first hand account be opened to the public in San Francisco

of what it was like crossing the Atlantic sometime in the spring.

Spring 1975 : .

Cio^Hn^ the ic on A I6tlt Cmi U1U Gail con

Captain Small's notes

Sailed Plymouth 29 September. Aboard the ship. Captain Small, Put into Falmouth as did Drake's dressed in Elizabethan costume, talks small fleet of five ships. Sailed Fal- with Rev. Edwin C. Webster, Dean mouth 1 October with fresh northerly of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Ancon. wmds increasing to gale force. Vessel Dean Webster is recognized ran before the gales and made very as an good time, 130-150 miles per day. authority on Drake's local exploits. Reached Lisbon in 6 days and 3 hours (a total of 824 miles). Anchored at Cascais Bay at mouth of Tagus River as Drake had done on earlier voyages. W'e spent 5 days in Lisbon taking THE MASTER OF THE "GOLDEN HINDE" on provisions and water. Sailed Lis- bon October 1 1 for the Atlantic cross- One of the few experienced sailing ship captains still active today, Capt. Adrian ing for Barbados. Took the southern Small, with his full red beard and pipe, dressed in Elizabethan costume, looks route towards the Canaries and Cape the part of a 16th centurj' sea captain. Verde Islands as the winds were still Captain Small, who is 44 years old, began his career as an apprentice aboard strong from the north. Blew strong the Finnish four-masted Passat during her voyage around the world from 1946 to gales as we approached Palma about 1948 which included an eastward rounding of Cape Horn. After brief service in 12 days out. the British Merchant Marine, he spent se\'eral years employed bv the film in- Palma is the westernmost of the dustry, sailing the ships featured in "Billy Budd," "Damn the Defiant" and Canary Islands and was our last Hawaii" among other productions. He was introduced to the movie business by sight of land for several weeks. It Capt. Alan Villiers in 1954 and served with him aboard the Pequod, the ship served to establish our position from used in the Hollywood version of "Moby Dick." He also served with Villiers in which point we steered westwards. 1957 as his second mate on the Mayfkuver replica. Heavy seas and strong winds con- At the time that he was selected as captain of the Nonsuch, the replica of the tinued putting a great strain on the Hudson's Bay Co. ship, he was already one of the most experienced square-rig hemp rigging and wooden masts. sailors in the world. About the 18th day, the weather im- proved and the ship settled down to When it was time to choose a master for the Golden Hinde, Captain Small, of a steady 3-4 knots in the northeast Brixham in Devon, was the obvious choice. In addition to his other qualifica- trade wind. Everyday progress was tions, some insisted he even looked like Drake and the British thought it was made towards our destination. Had appropriate that he came from Drake's own part of the country. only two days of complete calm and even so made about 40-50 miles. Towards the West Indies, the trade Sea. Coasted the Spanish Main and Half a day's sail took us to Porto-

winds increased in strength and we after 10 days put into Cartagena . . . belo. We fell in love with the place

sighted Barbados 33 days out from a short visit of 'IVz days . . . incredibly and did explore the town and ruined Lisbon ... all hands in good health, ancient walled city with modem forts. It reeks of history—the ghosts of ship undamaged, still plenty of Miami-type city spreading around the Spaniards and heaps of silver bars. drinking water left. shores of the Bay. After Admiral Anchored off the town, we used our The water ration started with \'emon's attack, the Boca Grande was boats to explore the shore. about 15 gallons per day for all hands closed with a submerged breakwater. Regretfully we weighed anchor

and for cooking but was later in- We went in by Boca Chica . . . same and stood out of Portobelo on the creased to 20 and 25 as we were as Drake did. morning of December 5. Carrying a making good time. It was Novem- Three days after leaving Cartagena fresh east wind we sailed along the ber 13 when we arrived Barbados. we dropped anchor at Nombre de coast and shortly after noon were off The only port is Bridgetown where Dios. It was not a safe anchor- Cristobal harbor. We sailed through we tied up along with the luxury age and I can well understand why the breakwater in fine style with all

cruise liners. The island is green and the Spaniards shifted their base to sails set and Elizabethan banners beautiful. Watered ship and took on Portobelo. flying (also Stars and Stripes) fresh provisions (including 100 co- The shore looked inviting, green On the 7th of December we were

conuts) and sailed after .5 davs. hills and thick jungle I suppose, but towed through the Canal to the Pacific Enjoyable visit, very friendly people. we had not time to explore. We shores. Sailed approximately 5,300 Next day we sailed close bv St. Lu- anchored at dusk and sailed at dawn. miles from Plymouth, England to cia Island and into the Caribbean No one, I think, Jiad seen us. Panama in 53 days.

Fhe Panama Canal Review .

Drake's Golden Hinde Visited California Almost 400 Years ago

The replica of the Golden Hinde was built to commemorate Drake's landing in THE n^^^^ m THE ^^ACE DfCoDAnD .n California, June 17, 1579, where he spent 5 weeks overhauling his treasure-laden ship. Several historical reports state that he ordered "a plate of brass" (one report said

it was lead) to be engraved with a record of his taking possession of the land for England

and naming it Nova Albion. Albion, white land, was a Roman name for England. novf\ALffiforT., vrrm ah men As While the extraordinarily friendly natives t jrnawnE watched, the plate was nailed to a post along with a sixpence placed so that Queen Elizabeth's head, which appeared on the coin, showed through a hole that had been made in the plate. r

In 1936, a brass plate that fits this de- scription was found near San Francisco but The "Plate of Brass" now displayed near the entrance to the Bancroft Library although studied by many ex'perts, its at Berkeley. A facsimile hangs in Drake's ancestral home, Buckland Abbey. authenticity has never been fully proved or disproved. tempted to solve the problem. The sites con- anchorage and the authenticity of the plate A subject of controversy also is the exact sidered most likely are the areas now known continue. Probably onlv Drake's long-lost location of Drake's anchorage. Historians, as Drake's Bay and San Francisco Bay. logs of the circumnavigation could settle the geographers, and anthropologists have at- Heated debates on the location of the arguments.

Exploration of Drake's Burial Site Planned-

This spring, the Marine Archaeological In the course of this exploration, Sydney cil for Nautical Archaeology of Great Project Panama will begin a search at Porto- Wignall, the leader of the expedition, a his- Britain and will operate in Panamanian belo for several shipwrecks of great his- torian and marine archaeologist from CoKti waters for 6 months with permits issued by torical importance. Bay in North Wales, will also search for the Panama. lead coffin in which Sir Francis Drake was The M.A.P.P. will search for a caravel reported to have been buried. possibly abandoned at Portobelo in 1503 Drake's burial has been described as by Christopher Columbus, two Elizabethan follows: ships, the Delight and the Elizabeth and "His interrment was after this manner: several Spanish frigates scuttled by Drake's His corpse being laid into a coffin of lead, men following his death. he was let down into the sea, the trumpets The expedition will work under the super- in doleful manner echoing out this lamenta- \ision of the Panama Government. A con- tion for so great a loss, and all the cannons servation laboratory, the first of its kind in in the fleet were discharged according to the Central America, will be set up by the ex- custom of all sea funeral obsequies." pedition and after completion of the project, Wignall believes it is possible that the it and all recovered objects will be turned senior surviving officer, Col. Sir Thomas over to Panama. Baskerville, scutded English and Spanish The project is designed for scientific and ships in the area where Drake was buried in historical investigation only, with no interest the bay and that the expedition, while in treasure wrecks. None of the ships the searching for these ships, might locate his expedition seeks contained treasure. Wignall coffin. Wignall savs that he knows the exact .said that the goal is: "To strive to enrich the weight of the lead sheathing and the loca- sum of man's knowledge of his great mari- tion of the Drake burial site within a margin time historical heritage." of error of not more than 300 meters.

Sidney Wignall holds the Duke of If the coffin is located and it contains He will produce a series of documentar\' films for international distribution wi'l Edinburgh Gold Medal awarded to him human remains, a detailed anatomical exam- and ination write a book which will be published simul- by Prince Philip for his expedition's will be carried out b\' Professor R. G. Harrison, of Liverpool University. taneousK- in England and the United States. excavations of Spanish Armada ships. He is one of Europe's leading anatomical scien- With staff members from eight different His current expedition will work tists, whose examinations and blood tests of countries, including a nmiiber of leading off Portobelo for 6 months. the Pharaohs, Tutenkhamen and Smenkare, scientists, Wignall regards the project as recently aroused great interest. an opportunity for international cooperation The expedition is supported by the Coun- in the fields of history and science.

8 Spmnc 1975 Some Fancy Shirts

From Far-Off Shores

(and some prefer the local product)

By Vic Canel FROM THE PHILIPPINE BARONG tagalog to the Paraguayan ahoi toi to the African dashiki and the \'enezue- lan Hquehque, you're apt to see them all in this tropical crossroads of the world. Of course, there are also the classical guayabera and Panama's own camisilla and montuno, along with shirts from China, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Nica- ragua, and many other lands. Social gatherings in the tropics often tend to be informal and men wear fancy or distinctive shirts instead of coat and tie. And Panama's centric geographical location and heterogeneous population

make it a great place for shirt watching. Most often seen here and throughout the Caribbean area is the guayabera or \'ariations of that four-pocket shirt with vertical pleats at front and back. Derived from the Spanish word "guayaba" (gua- va), the guayabera originated in Cuba, where it was worn chieflv by the "colo- nos" or gentlemen farmers. The original guayabera was made of fine linen and was worn hea\ily starched and impec- cably ironed. It had long sleeves and a collar that could be buttoned and worn

with a black bow tie, which made it acceptable dress at places where coat and tie were required. The price of a guayabera was deter- mined bv the number, size, and work- manship of the tucks and the quality of the linen. Even back in the late twenties and early thirties, when prices were so much lower than today's, affluent colo- nos paid as much as $2.5 or $30 for a fine guavabera. In the Philippines, the barong taga- log, an elaboratelv embroidered, long- sleeved shirt with French cuffs and no pockets, is worn as formal attire. With open collar, it is equivalent in elegance to wearing a dinner jacket, but button the collar and it ranks with white tie The elegant barong tagalog conies from the Philippines, while the sophisticated version and tails. of the guayabera, below it, is a product of Puerto Rico.

The Panama Canal Review 9 ,

"Where did your

shirt come from?'

is often asked

*» -> ' question on the

Isthmus.

Traditionally, the intricate embroi- serves as the country's national emblem

dery on the barong tagalog is done by and lends its name to the unit of women in the outlying towns or "barrios" currency. of the Philippines. Embroidering the The Nicaraguan version of the pop-

pre cut lengths of cloth is an exacting ular guayabera, produced in many col- chore, for the women must know exactly ors, usually features embroidered pas- where to place the embroidered designs toral scenes paralleling the vertical tucks so that they are symmetrical when the in front. The embroidery is most com- shirt is ultimately cut out and assembled. monly done with thread several shades The finer Philippine shirts are made darker than the shirt material. to order. The customer buys the embroi- Increasingly popular on the Isthmus,

dered material and takes it to a tailor as with young people everywhere, are who turns out the finished product. the embroidered, light cotton shirts and Some shirts are entirely covered with blouses from India. Made in short, long embroidery. These are referred to simply and three quarter sleeves, they are worn as "all over shirts" and the material alone by both men and women. Most are em- may cost close to $200. broidered with floral designs, some have Similarly, the Paraguayan ahoi toi tiny mirrors sewn into the embroidery.

( which in Guarani means fine cloth ) Hindu shops in Panama report that they was originally embroidered in private are currently among the fastest selling homes, then made into shirts or dresses. items. At first they were made mainly as wed- Also available in Panama shops are ding shirts, with a similar design for the richly embroidered shirts from Hong bride's gown. Today it is a big industrs'. Kong. Like the Philippine and Para-

Shirts and dresses, made of new syn- guayan shirts, embroidery work is done thetic materials, some even equipped on lengths of cloth and the shirt assem-

with the adhesi\'e Velcro closures, are bled later. In this case the cloth is hand now being exported. embroidered in China. The Hong Kong

Typical of Venezuela is the liquelique shirts, still another variation of the gua- which is not really a shirt, but a com- yabera, ha\e only two pockets below plete costume consisting of a Mao-type and no breast pockets. Made mostly of jacket with metal buttons and matching polyester and cotton, they come in trousers. The name is belie\'ed to be a u'hite and a variety of pastel colors. corruption of the French word liquette, The advent of black consciousness in a synonym of shirt. recent years has contributed to the pop- From Guatemala come brightly col- ularity of the West African dashiki, a ored homespun cotton shirts with bold loose fitting pullover shirt with a deep and distinctive designs woven into the slit neck and flowing sleeves. The bold cloth. A favorite subject is a stylized prints and brilliant colors of the dashiki version of the quetzal, the bird that made their first appearance in the West-

At left, from top: Somewhat less formal than the barong tagalog is the short sleeve model, also from the Philippines. From India, a high collared, intricately embroidered long sleeve shirt which is available in Panama's Hindu shops. A stylized version of the quetzal, Guatemala's national emblem and imit of currency, dominates most designs

from that country. .\ touch of distinction added to this guayabera is an embroidered Aesculapian staff to proclaim the profession of its owner, Dr. R. R. Pierson, of the Panama Canal Veterinary Medicine Division.

Above right: Made of unbleached muslin, Panama's montuno shirt is decorated with / a variety of cross-stitch designs.

10 Spring 1975 em Hemisphere when they were adopted At right: From West Africa comes this by blacks in the United States, but are colorful dashiki worn by Edmund F. now a common sight on the Isthmus and Johnson, an employee of the are worn by all races. Balboa Heights Post 0£Bce.

The shirt industry in Panama produces Below left: The traditional Panamanian variety of original designs under a wide camisilla is correct attire for internationally known labels. Famous the partner of a women wearing brands such as Arrow, Jayson, Manhat- the classical pollera. tan and Christian Dior are designed and Below right: Matching shirt and dress manufactured locally under franchise. embroidered with local scenes is the The Jayson and Christian Dior fran- pride of this square dancing couple, chises are held bv a firm headed by .\1 and Anne Richardson, voung Victor M. Azrak, whose late fa- ther, Moises Azrak, founded the com- of Gatim. pany in 19.58. His mother is the chief de- signer. The factory employs nearly 200 people and turns out more than 1,000 shirts a day. Specialized seamstresses work on various components of the shirts—some models requiring up to 4.5 separate operations. Azrak obtained the Christian Dior franchise about 2 years ago. Some of the finer Dior models retail for as much as $50. Manhattan shirts are turned out in a neighboring factory which also produces about 1,000 a day. Here too, though advice and technical assistance is pro- vided by the parent factory, shirt designs are exclusive. Though Manhattan also has a line

.Popular for Work or Play.

\,-\^'^:-'%''^"'"'H^

William Bennett, control house operator at Miraflores Locks, Guavaberas for boys also are available locally. Wearing styles wears the tj-pical Panamanian guayabera, considered by in white and blue, Larry R. Rogers and his son, Larry, Jr., many ideal for work in the tropics. go for an outing in Balboa.

The Panama Canal Review 11 attractively packaged by the manu- facturer. At left: Busy seamstresses turn out more Many locally manufactured shirts are than 1,000 shirts a day at sold in Canal Zone retail stores today. this Panama factory. In the early days of the Canal, com- Lower left: Expert cutters follow patterns missary customers did not have a very to produce the components that will wide selection of styles, though the later be assembled by the seamstresses. prices were considerably lower, as indi- Left below: Buttons are the specialty cated by this notice in the Fanama of this operator. Some shirt models Canal Record of July 7, 1915: "Cata- require up to 45 separate operations. logue and samples of shirts from Yama- Below: Attractive packaging is an toya Shirt Co. in Yokohama, Japan, important factor in modem shirt received. Shirts made to order are of marketing. Each garment is carefully pongee, silk and crepe, and can be ironed and placed in cardboard-backed ordered through the Depot Commissary, cellophane sheaths. Cristobal, at catalogue prices plus a sur- charge. The listed price: 27 yen ($13.80) per dozen and up."

Shirt styles vary widely. Collars of women's wear, the local factory pro- change in size and shape, sleeves may be duces only men's shuts and trousers. short, long, puffed or snug. But Pan- Materials are imported from Europe, ama's two traditional shirts, now worn Japan and the United States. As pro- only on special festive occasions such tection for the local industry, manu- as carnival, have remained constant facturers are exempt from import duty through the years. on thread, buttons, snaps and other The most elaborate and colorful em- accessories. broidery is found on the montuno. The During his most recent visit to the intricate cross stitching and distinctive Panama factory, Herb Kay, technical designs require many months of pains- manager for the International Division taking work. Bands of embroidered of Manhattan, who travels the world figures, sometimes animals, sometimes over to oflFer advice and solve technical flowers, adorn the front of the shirt on problems, provided a preview of things each side of the collar opening. These to come in men's shirt fashions. Solid are called pintas. Below the collar open- colors are in for next year, he says, and ing is a large central design called "el ties are on the way out. The trend, he coraz6n"-the heart. A straight, almost says, is toward longer shirt collars, to knee-length shirt with wide sleeves and

be worn open and overlapping tlie jacket snug, embroidered cuffs, the montuno is collar. made of unbleached muslin. It ends in

a fringe raveled from the cloth itself. Packaging, Kay says, is among the The full montuno costume consists of most important phases in shirt market- the shirt, calf-length trousers of the same ing and techniques have changed radi- material, a hat woven from wild palm cally through the years. Shirts used to fronds and a straw bag with shoulder be delivered to the retailer in bundles strap, called a chacara. and it was up to him to make the mer- Somewhat chandize appealing to the customer. more formal if less color- ful is Panama's camisilla, a Now, each shirt is carefully ironed and long sleeved, r%s^ pleated shirt of white linen with a man- darin style collar and gold buttons. This

shirt worn with black trousers, is con- sidered to be the correct costume for a man accompanying a woman dressed in Panama's elaborate pollera dress, a multi-tiered, elaborately embroidered gown enhanced by such accessories as heavy gold necklaces and shimmering head adornments called "tembleques." Pictured on these pages are just a few of the shirts from many lands collected and worn by residents of the Isthmus, where, along with the ships and the

products of the world, there is a constant parade of fashions from afar.

12 Spmng 1975 ANYONE WILL TELL YOU THE Isthmus is a fisherman's paradise, but of late local aquarists have given the old sport a new angle. Not content merely to keep the freshwater "tropical" aquarium fish that are available in any well-stocked hobby shop from New York to California, more and more Isthmian fish fanciers are going out to capture lenizens of the deep, both freshwater and marine, for their tanks. Dr. Horace G. Loftin (Assistant for Environment-Energy to the Chief of the Executive Planning Staff) noted in his Ph. D. dissertation, "The Geograph- ical Distribution of Freshwater Fishes in Panama," that in the 18.50's a "Capt.

|. M. Dow, captain of the old Panama Railway Co.'s steamer Guatemala, was apparently the earliest serious collector of Panamanian fishes." Many others, both scientists and amateurs, have fol- lowed his lead. Carl Chapman, a music teacher at Curundu Junior High, makes frequent

TKe A^^ of AcjMatUi*

By Pandora G. Aleman

trips to the interior and sometimes takes Other zealous collectors can be found mosquitos will have a hard time finding students snorkeling up the as yet un- at monthly meetings of the Canal Zone a target. tamed Bayano River. Since arriving in Aquarium Society, headed this year hv Dr. Kramer suggests that the novice Panama, Chapman has kept only native Robert E. Daisev. The group, which will be more comfortable starting out in fish. "Here I was, in the tropics," he boasts a membership of some 137 adults clear streams where he can slip on face- says, "so I thought I'd set up a real and about an equal number of children, mask and snorkel and study the fish in tropical aquarium." last year sponsored expeditions to a rive" their natural habitat. He adds that in The enthusiasm is contagious. Gilber- near Chepo and to Portobelo. swift-running streams, especially in un- to Young, a systems analyst with the The group has heard various speakers inhabited areas, there's little danger of Systems Division, used to go regularly including Dr. Donald L. Kramer, a disease. to rivers and streams near Chepo with biologist with the Smithsonian Tropical There mav be more danger of snake- a friend who liked to catch and breed Research Institute who is studying the bite in the dry season, when the bush- his own fish, which he then sold in order feeding and air-'breathing behavior of master and fer-de-lance come down to to buy more equipment. Young cauu;ht freshwater tropical fish. He recommends streams to feed on frogs, he says, but the bug too, as a glance at his 50-gallon walking up a river or stream as one of adds that his expeditions here have tank will show. the best ways to see the jungle. There netted him nothing worse than muddy are no ants and no bushes to clear, and feet and some mosquito bites. the sandy or granite stream bed makes Chapman, who perhaps goes a bit for easy walking. farther afield than most, has in the past His wife, Vanessa, who assists him in 9 years seen one fer-de-lance and two catching fish and in keeping records, bushmasters— all verified, as he broiight wears long pants and a long-sleeved back the heads for identification. Once, shirt as well as sneakers and socks, so out around Huile, he was passing his net

At left: This redlip blenny, perched in his favorite clump of lettuce coral, is the clown of Dr. Melvin M. Boreham's saltwater aquarium. Above: This scene, difficult to capture, features Dr. Boreham's large queen angel, at left, and a smaller one, at center.

At the base of the featherdusters, right, is a four-eyed butterfly fish. A dark stripe

camouflages its eyes and the dark spot toward its tail misleads any would-be predators. The angelfish like to peck at the coral and at the "Caulerpa" plants, left foreground.

The Panama Canal Review 13 under the overhanging roots of a tree personalities they are no less fascinating sloping forehead gives rise to the nick- when a hissing sound alerted him that to watch. Through careful breeding and name "humpbacked tetra." The fish he was the unwelcome intruder in a crossbreeding, more colorful strains can seems to ha\-e a lot to offer the aquarist— crocodile's home. be developed—a challenge that a few but it's murder. Roeboides has a nasty But none of this seems to disturb the local aquarists have taken up. habit of ramming other fish with spikes dedicated ichthyophile greatly. David The collector will find it easy to pick on his snout, knocking loose a scale or Carlson, a student at Curundu Junior up the wild molly, several of its near two which he then dines on at his High, isn't much bothered bv the pros- relatives, and other live-bearers in his leisure. seine. pect of running into snakes. After all, he Another family of fish commonly This family of fish has long fascinated once had a pet boa. found in Panamanian streams is the, aquarists because of its unique manner Luckily, not all the exotic fish are cichlids. Innes says that "high-strung" of breeding. male fertilizes fully found in exotic places. About the only The cichlids change colors rapidly, and this formed eggs in the female's duct; place that isn't good for collecting fresh- egg is borne out by Chapman's observation the eggs hatch and the young grow in water fish is Gatun Lake, which since of color change after feeding—or even the protection 1967 has been taken over by the of the mother's body. when excited by a finger being wiggled are peacock bass. This beautifuUv marked, Thev delivered one at a time, folded in water at the top of the aquarium. head to tail, and soon straighten and delicious fish—not a bass at all, but a They have the most personality of all swim for refuge. plus for the aquarist species of cichlid—was brought in from A local freshwater fish, he says, being tem- is that these promiscuous fish multiply Colombia to stock a small man-made peramental and moody to the extent of rapidly without lake. During the rainy season, the lake his having to play eating well one day and, the next, letting overflowed and the fish found their way Cupid. Chapman says a cross between even live baby guppies go unmolested. to Gatun Lake, where they fed voraci- Chapman says he found his fish liked ously on the small native fishes, now all to dine on slivers of corbina roe. But but extinct in those vast waters. Sid, a blue cichlid (also known as blue You don't need much in the way of Aspirin may acara or chogorro) belonging to friends equipment to enjov the sport. Besides a of the Kramers, has a predilection for facemask and snorkel— Chapman says cockroaches. There's no accounting for the "ping-pong ball" tvpe is best in swift- help to tastes. running streams—and a net of some Dave Carlson has some zebra cichlids, kind, it's a good idea to take along a which he also calls "striped convicts," cooler or a bucket or two, with a battery- calm the that have dark spots by day and stripes operated aerator if you are far from by night. The female of the species has home. To transport his catch. Chapman most of the color, an oddity among puts water and fish in large plastic bags catch aquarium fishes. and adds a quarter of an aspirin to each Dave is rather proud of having caught bag. This, he savs, tranquilizes the fish, two of the elusive knife fish. TTiese which then require much less oxygen graceful fish, relatives of the so-called than thev normally would. the native molly and the more colorful electric eel, propel themselves backward Dr. Kramer has a variety of nets at "store-bought" hybrid molly produces or forward with equal ease, by the ripple his lab in an old bunker near Naos offspring with the hardiness of the Pan- of a fin. Island. It takes two people to work the ama molly and the fanciness of the Chapman reports finding three mem- seine, a net stretched between two hybrid. bers of the broad-sole family, those poles—basically like the common min- In the wild, several of these little fish peculiar fish that lie on one side and in now seine, but with heavier weights perform the very useful function of maturity have both eyes on the upper along the bottom. eating the larvae of mosquitoes that side, in the Ipate River. When these He also has a large square-bottomed carry malaria and yellow fever. In relatives of the flounder imdulate the dip net on a long handle and an A-frame "Exotic Aquarium Fishes," William T. fins at the edges of their bodies they net. a sort of scoop-like aff'air that works Innes notes that "success in building and glide horizontally like, as Innes savs, "a like a one-person seine. He sometimes maintaining the Panama Canal de- pancake being propelled through the uses the metal minnow traps commonly pended partly on the solution of the water." used to catch live bait. fever problem" and credits one member The long, slender, delicate pipefish Chapman uses an apron of mosquito of the Gambusia genus with helping to is a marine specimen that here in the netting to go after his fish. The apron make Panama habitable to foreigners. tropics has moved into freshwater. Dave ties around the neck and has elastic at The "mosquito fish" found here takes Carlson found a small one, along with the wrists and lead weights along the its name not from its dietary habits but what seems to be a freshwater eel of bottom— another one-man seine. Using from its size. According to Innes, it is the respectable size, in a Corozal drainage mask and snorkel, he crawls upstream. smallest of the aquarium live-bearers, ditch. Looking at the slim pipefish, one If he picks up a rock, anything hiding with an overall length of about half an would never guess that it's related to imder it or clinging to it finds it<;elf in inch. that marine charmer, the seahorse. In the net. When he stands and brincrs his The aquarist usually learns the hard both, the male carries the eggs in a arms up. he usually has a variety of fish way not to tangle with one member of pouch until they hatch, and both have from which to choose. the characin, or "tetra," family found difficult-to-please palates, preferring Most fish captured locally are not as here in abundance. Members of the live food of just the right size. colorful as their South American rela- Roeboides genus are nice to look at, Even the hobbyist who doesn't fill his tives or those which have been specially with their silvery body, reddish fins, and aquarium with fish he has caught him- bred by aquarists, but with their varied black spot at the base of the tail. Their self makes room for the local catfish.

14 Spmng 1975 a

Coral and plants provide hiding places

Di-. Boreham readies his camera and movie light and waits for a fish to swim into range. His 83-gallon marine aquarium, which he buih himself, is set up to resemble a coral reef in miniature. valued as peaceful scavengers that help an assertion that most collectors are ing in the waters of Gatun Lake are a to keep the tank clean. reluctant to verify. boon to the aquarist. Hydrilla and horn- wort provide good hiding places for The graceful Pimelodella, commonly Two types of whiptail catfish are small fish, and duckweed, a small float- known as the striped catfish, and its found in Panama. In the smaller Lori- ing leaf, gives needed shade where an larger relative Rhamdia abound in Pan- caria, common in the Canal Zone area, aquarium gets too much overhead light. amanian streams. Hidden in the dorsal the "whip" appears only at the top of Water lettuce, another floating plant, (or back) and pectoral (or breast) fins the tail fin. Appropriately enough, the has fluted, velvetv, light green leaves of the innocuous-looking Pimelodella are male has a "beard" of short bristles. which add to the tank's beauty. And the three venomous spines that can leave David Carlson has one of the much floating water hyacinth, which because the unwary collector's finger smarting larger but still peaceful Sturisoma genus, of its rapid propagation is probably a for an hour or more. which has "whips" at the top and bottom greater threat to navigation than any The Plecostomus and the whiptails of its fin. It is found farther away, in the other plant, not only produces a beauty- are well-known local suckermouth ar- Mamoni River of the Bayano basin and ful white, blue, or violet flower but has mored catfish. (No catfish has scales; the Anton River, Code Province. blue-black bushy roots that according to the armored catfish are covered with Anyone who wants to can populate Innes are ideal for breeding fishes that bonv plates. ) These fish use their sucker- his tanks with freshwater shrimp. Those drop adhesive eggs near the surface— like mouths, located on the underside of with small foreclaws are less likelv to group that includes goldfish. the head, to scrape algae and other annoy or damage the fish, though all are Fascinating as it can be, an aquarium material from the aquarium bottom and fascinating to study as they scavenge, freshwater fish is to the sides, plants and ornaments. picking up miniscule particles and trans- filled with local aquarium filled with marine, or salt- Plecostomus, light brown with dark ferring them from claw to claw until water, fish what black-and-white is to spots, tends like most catfish to hide or they end up in the shrimp's tireless technicolor. lie quietly during the day. Dr. Kramer mandibles. says it is much easier to catch at night. Even the aquatic "weeds" proliferat- Many are those who head out to en-

The Panama Canal Review 15 Fish fanciers find field

trips are half the fun

Above: David Carlson goes after a native cichlid in one of several tanks he has in his hobby room. At right: Face down with mask and hand net in a well-shaded stream near Gamboa, he demonstrates one of many techniques used by hopeful collectors. Fish captured go into the cooler at water's edge. joy for a brief while the wonders of the age. Secondly, he should thoroughly un- per hour, and harmful bacteria and Panamanian seas—particularly the Carib- derstand the importance of using the free-swimming stages of protozoan bean coral reefs-but few attempt to right type and quantity of gravel and parasites are killed. bring the beauties of those waters into a subgravel filter. A book by Stephen In addition. Dr. Boreham tries to pro- their living rooms, and rarer still are Spotte, "Marine Aquarium Keeping," is vide his fish the hiding places and "terri- the individuals who succeed. highly recommended by Dr. Boreham as torial space" they need. Overcrowding Dr. Melvin M. Boreham of Coco Solo, it covers setup of the tank in detail. puts the fish under psychological stress, the medical entomologist with the San- After having trouble with his 20-gal- making them more prone to disease. itation Division who works on mosquito lon aquarium. Dr. Boreham built an 83- Because marine fish have a strong control research, might be called the gallon all-glass tank. (The metal com- sense of territorial rights. Dr. Boreham dean of local marine aquarists. His monly used to strengthen freshwater makes a practice of either rearranging aquarium is an outstanding e.\ample of tanks corrodes readily in the presence the coral when adding new fish or add- what can be done in creating a miniature of salt water.) On top of the subgravel ing the new fish at night, when the coral reef in the living room. filter is 4 inches of 3/16-inch to Ji-inch others have eaten and are ready to retire After coming here in 1966 he visited gravel coral. to their chosen niches. the coral reefs and was fascinated by the The importance of such a setup lies He uses a timer on his aquarium lights fish. He had previously had a 15-gallon in the fact that if the aquarium is prop- to control the day-night cycle, giving freshwater aquarium, and decided to trv erly seasoned before a large number of the fish 12 hours of each. He says the his hand at the marine variety. He be- fish are added, beneficial bacteria col- period of uninterrupted darkness is cru- gan with a 20-gallon tank and soon real- lect on every surface of every piece of cial to the well-being of reef fish. They ized that keeping salUvater fish was gravel. As the aquarium water is drawn get fidgety and squabble just before the quite different from maintaining a fresh- through the gravel, the bacteria act on lights go out, as thev get ready to set up water aquarium. the highly to.xic ammonia which consti- for the night. The smaller, more defense-

For one thing, freshwater fish are tutes the major waste product of the less fish, ever alert, ever wary, move much more adaptable than marine fish, fishes, transforming it first into nitrite from their daytime hiding places to since they must adjust to variations in and finally into relatively nontoxic different ones to elude potential enemies. nitrate. water quality caused by the annual Proper food is important too. Dr. rainy season-dry season cycle. On the Even with all this. Dr. Boreham ad- Boreham, like many others, makes his other hand, the environment provided vises the marine aquarist to change own, using gelatine, raw shrimp, water, by Panamanian seas has remained rela- 10 to 25 percent of the water in the tank a good commercial flake food, and tively constant since the Isthmian land monthly, either bringing new water from spinach. bridge between North and South Amer- the ocean in plastic 5-gallon "jerry cans" By speaking to the Aquarium Society ica emerged from the ocean three or or making up a new solution from syn- and other local groups about marine four million years ago. According to thetic sea salts. This is to replace trace aquariums, using slides and movies some e.xperts, the coral reef is probably elements and to reduce the nitrate level, taken of fish in his aquarium to illustrate the most stable environment on earth, both of which benefit the fish. his points (he titled one talk "Under- while the qualitv of seawater in an An aid to the aquarist, freshwater or water Photographv Without an Under- aquarium is subject to rapid and drastic marine, who wants to keep his pets free water Camera Housing"), Dr. Boreham changes. of disease is an ultraviolet sterilizing has interested others in the hobby. To combat this, the aquarist should unit. Water is pumped through Dr. His neighbors, George and "Bobbie" begin with the largest tank he can man- Boreham's unit at the rate of 200 gallons Egolf, were given encouragement on

16 Spring 197.5 the idea by Dr. Boreham who lent a helping hand. Now they have built and are operating a 112-gallon aquarium and their son, Bruce, is becoming an accom- plished collector and photographer of coral reef fish.

The Daisey family of Corozal is an- other example. Robert E. Daisey, a ma- rine engineer with the Ports Division, his wife Lori, and daughters Cheri, Cindy, and Rena like doing things together and are alwa\'s ready to take up a challenge. The Daiseys' collection of saltwater fishes started with Amigo, a damselfish captured near San Carlos, on the Pa- cific side. (Incidentally, they keep Pa- cific and Atlantic specimens together in water they get from the Pacific Ocean at Fort Amador. ) Now. not onlv do thev haxe two successful 30-gallon saltwater tanks, but Cheri plans to get an A.S. degree in marine biology at Canal Zone College and may go on for further de- grees after that. She would like to be a crewmember of a seagoing laboratory like Jacques Cousteau's. The Daisevs have not hesitated to innovate. Instead of gravel they use crushed shell from Farfan Beach, which they say helps maintain the water's alkalinity. They siphon off and replace about 10 percent of the water each week. Using sea water in a special con- tainer, they raise brine shrimp to adult- hood to supplement their fishes' diet.

Bob Daisey installed an air com- pressor with storage tanks that hold enough air to keep the filtering-aerating units going for 6 to 8 hours in the event of electrical failure. Because the com- pressor goes on and off automatically and runs only about 10 minutes out of A local suckermouth armored catfish of the popular "Plecostomus" genus, shown every hour, he figures the unit both clinging to a plant leaf, shares one of the Daisey family's tanks with sa\'es them money and conserves energy. some aristocratic black angelfish.

The marine aquarist is rewarded with more beautiful hunting grounds and he knows of no unprovoked attack on more spectacular quarry than his fresh- man in clear water, though in murky water counterpart. No local dealer water they may possibly mistake the stocks marine fish, so he must don mask, flash from a ring or a bracelet (so keep snorkel, and flippers or tennis shoes and jewelry covered with gloves) for fish. either embark for or wade into his His wife, Kathy, developed an aversion chosen area. He can take along a copy to eels after an encounter with a 3-foot of the "Fishwatcher's Guide to West specimen with a nasty temper. Dr. Atlantic Coral Reefs," which is p^inte^ Boreham reassuringly notes that local on plastic pages so he can study the fish eels are neither poisonous nor electric, he sees while submerged. though thev can bite. The closest call Tennis shoes are important to the the Daisevs have had was when a shark waders because they offer some protec- moved in between Lori and daughter tion from the long, sharp, venomous Cheri. A friend yelled, "Shark! Freeze!" spines of the black sea urchin. The col- lector soon learns also to shun the in- nocuous-looking fire coral and bright- Dr. Boreham demonstrates inner workings orange fire sponge, both capable of of an ultra\iolet sterilizer which assists in inflicting nasty 'TDums." disease control within a saltwater or As for barracuda. Dr. Boreham says freshwater aquarium.

The Panama Canal Review 17 )

Uninvited guests IN THE SPECIAL COLOR SECTION

The Saltwater Aquarium often add interest A royal gramma, left, and a queen angel are two of the 15 brilliantly colored, darting fish supported bv Dr. Boreham's miniature coral reef. to the aquarium Another, a four-eyed butterfly fish, can be seen behind one of the finger corals. To create a natural as well as beautiful environment. Dr. Boreham uses several types of aged coral and living plants such as the bush-like Penicilhis seen in the foreground. This photo and that of the seahorse on hut to her mother's dismay, Cheri kept the fourth page of the center section are by Arthur L. Pollack. moving in for a closer look.

^V'ith all of this, there isn't a marine On The Coral Reefs fish fancier around who won't tell you The undei-water photographs in the centerfold, all taken on the local it's all worth it when he gets his prizes coral reefs, show the diversity of spectacular fish, corals and marine crea- home. Dr. Boreham's two brilliant blue and gold queen angelfish are the pride tures available to the saltwater aquarist. The barracuda (5) was photo- of his tank. His two redlip blennies are graphed by Dr. Greg Quick and the other subjects by Dr. Phillip Akers. clowns, playing games with the other Both practice at Gorgas Hospital. creatures and posing for him in a clump of lettuce coral. The rock beauty, bright The diagram, below, will help to identify the various specimens: gold with a large dark spot, and 1. Yellowtail the spectacular black-and-white spotted Damselfish drum, with its graceful, high-flying 2. Rock Beauties dorsal fin, are among his favorites. 3. Juvenile Grey Angelfish Adding to the beautv of his miniature 4. School of Pacific Wrasse reef are the featherdusters, a type of tubevvorm attached to the no-longer- 5. Atlantic Barracuda living coral he uses in the tank. Its deli- 6. Secretaiy Goby in a coral head cate, feathery tentacles rise from the tube in a spray of splendor, searching 7. Neon Gobies near their burrow in a polyp-covered rock for tiny food particles and delighting the 8. Flamingo Tongue Snail on a Gorgonian (soft coral) eye of the obser\'er. 9. Anemone colony. Unin\'ited guests sometimes come in with his coral: sea urchins, crabs, bright- 10. Flower coral colored sponges, sea stars, and once a 11. A Crinoid charming little fish known as a secretary 12. Serpulid Wonns on brain coral goby. Tlie goby lived in a tinv cave in a hunk of coral, and except at feeding L3. Queen Angelfish being cleaned of parasites by a smaller fish, a time only his alert little head could be common health practice among marine fishes which also occurs in saltwater seen. Unfortunately, the little fellow aquariums. mysteriously disappeared when a babv octopus made his entrance, unobserved, in a later batch of coral. The Daiseys are particularly proud of ® ® their pair of red-and-white candv- ® ® striped banded coral shrimp, their orange starfish, and their adult seahorse, Duke. (Mrs. Daisev's account of their ® adventures with Duke follows on p. 19. The male shrimp sometimes posts himself in a protective position above his mate, and at feeding time, he carries ® ® food to her. He also performs a valuable service for ® the fish in the tank, including the seahorse, by periodically removing any microscopic parasites they have picked up. ® The rivers of Panama are many and the oceans are wide. If you think you'd like to join the fun, you'll find lots of ® room and plenty of helping @ hands along the way.

18 Spring 1975 ,'»ll^ ^^^^ ±^

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WE HAVE A HORSE IN THE specimen. A friend had given him to the tiny brine shrimp but will eat baby house!" Busy at work in the Cheri. When the temperature of the guppies or small shrimp. We released kitchen and hearing that call from the water in the ice chest matched that of se\"eral baby guppies into the tank, li\ing room, some mothers might have the aquarium, we gently released him hoping Dynasta would take them. He been stunned, but not me. My husband. into the aquarium. We kept a close ne\"er had a chance; the other fish got Bob, and daughters, Cheri, 17, Cindy, watch on him for the ne.xt 12 hours to them before he even knew they were 15, and Rena, 6, are aU extremely active be certain that no other specimens in there. and full of pranks. Nothing amazes me the tank molested him. During this time, we had made it a anymore. We did not know that as beginner point to place our hands in the tank, Entering the living room and not marine aquarists we had taken on per- handle D>'nasta, let him curl his tail coming eve-to-ev'e with a hay-and-oats haps more than we were ready for. around a little finger, and teach him that eater, and hearing the laughter of my Dwarf seahorses are relatively eas^' to the hand was not to be feared. This husband and Cheri, I laughed also—from raise, as they feed eagerlv on brine helped us solve the first stage of our pure, honest relief! shrimp. Adult seahorses are another feeding problem. Cheri took a live gupp)' Then 1 saw the ice chest at their feet matter. and, holding it by its tail, slowly lowered with the batter\'-operated aerator going Although Dviiasta (as we called our it to Dvnasta. He looked it over very and caught on to what they meant by seahorse) appeared happy in his sur- carefully, and then—Snap!—he ate it. "horse." roundings, he refused any and all forms She offered another, and again he ate it. A vear ago at Christmas I had given of food we offered him. After the third The next feeding time I offered the my husband one aquarium. During the trv. we knew we were in trouble. guppv, and he took it. He had accepted past year the number had grown to 21. We searched our libran.' and dis- us, and he was now accepting food— At first we had been strictly freshwater covered that adult seahorses cannot see live—so long as we hand-fed him. But

AHciH m inc ti cuyc

By Lori Daisey

fish raisers and breeders. When Cheri began snorkling and developed an in- terest in scuba diving and marine life, we began going as a family on field trips to the beaches and reefs. We discovered a whole new world. After joining the Canal Zone Aquarium Society and hear- ing talks and seeing films presented by Dr. Phillip Akers, and Dr. Mel Boreham, a medical entomologist, and being the kind of family we are, we were well into the challenges of marine aquarium keeping. Looking into the ice chest, I saw my verv first live adult seahorse. He was a beauty, 6)2 inches long and a perfect

At left: Duke, the Daisey family's adult seahorse, enters the net to feed on tiny shrimp as the other inhabitants of the tank investigate the proceedings. At left in

the aquarium is a French angel, to the rear, a rather shy flame cardinal, and in the right foreground, a pair of banded coral shrimp.

At right: Neither Duke nor Frenchie shies away as Cheri's hand invades their domain.

The P.\nama Canal Review 19 'More, please.

I didn't like the idea of having to do this 3 to 4 times a day. Who wants to feel like a murderer that often? I felt we should find another source of food for Dynasta. I telephoned Dr. Boreham, who suggested I try seed shrimp. I had none and they are avail- able only near the Tarpon Club at the Gatun spillway. Dr. Boreham, a real friend in need, came all the way across the Isthmus to bring me a supply from his freezer.

I thawed out a very small portion of the seed shrimp. Taking one,- 1 offered it to Dynasta. He looked at it, flipped his tail and swam off. Well, I said, that's that. However, as I took the seed shrimp out of the water I noticed one of the eyes was missing. Also, I realized that the dead seed shrimp had naturally made no movement. The guppy, of course, always wiggled. I took another, making sure it had both eves and no disfigure- Duke looks the tiny shrimp over well before deciding to dine while the banded coral shrimp below move in to see what's going on. ment, and this time I moved my fingers in a circle, making the shrimp appear to be rolling and thrashing. Snap! Dvnasta hour later, they returned with two very over the new seahorse (which we now ate it. I repeated the process. Snap! thin seahorses. My heart sank when called Duke). It would be his first "net

Again he took it. I was delighted. I saw them. They had both turned feeding" experience. Would our trick At this stage you would assume we black—a sure death sign. work on him as it had on Dynasta? would have been satisfied. But Dynasta, Going by our previous experience with The net was lowered, complete with one animal, was requiring at least an Dynasta, we placed our hands in the ice seed shrimp. Dynasta was into it like a hour a day to feed (seahorses eat slowly), chest and gently massaged their leathery shot. Duke followed along and for a few and after every feeding mv hands and backs, racing against time, hoping thev minutes just sat there, his tail hooked on arms were soaking wet. I decided to tr\' would quickly realize that the hand was the rim of the net, his body only barely something else. a friend. inside. Dynasta was happily eating At the next feeding, I placed Dvnasta's Sadly, we lost one, a female, within an away. Duke just looked things over. food in a long-handled net. I waited until hour. The other, however, let us pet his I could see once again several months of he was close to the front glass and back and showed no signs of panic. We feeding problems ahead. Just when I was slowly lowered the net on the other side then offered, by hand, a live guppy. about to give up, he stretched further of him, so no fish could grab his food. Weakly, he looked it over, while we held into the net, looked the shrimp over— it He gave a good look, but he made no our breath. Snap! He took it, swallowed I gave the net a tiny wiggle—and he move towards the food. I then gave the it, and raised his little crown up towards struck! Down one went. He struck again, net a slight back-and-forth movement, us as if to say "Thank you. More, please." down went another. Evidently Duke had causing the seed shrimp to appear to be We offered him another, he took it, and decided, if it's good enough for my boiling around. Before I knew it. we began to have hopes of saving him. buddy, Dynasta, then I'll give it a try. Dvnasta was in the net and eating For the next 24 hours we hand-fed About a week later, I made a deadly greedily, and I was not soaking wet! him in relays. As soon as he began to mistake. We had gone snorkling at About this time we received a phone move around on his own and show Galeta Island and brought back some call from another friend. He had a strength enough to protect himself, we finger coral, I put it in with Dvnasta an'l couple of adult seahorses, both refusing gently put him in the aquarium with Duke to enhance the beautv of the tank. to eat. Would help? we Bob and Cheri Dynasta. They were like two long-lost That evening I found Dynasta with grabbed the ice chest, the battery- friends. I have never seen such a beau- his head caught in the jagged openings operated aerator, a 5-gallon jug of salt tiful water ballet as they put on together of the coral, thrashing and trying to free water (we keep gallons 40 on hand for that day. himself. While I held Dvnasta, Bob emergencies) and rushed out. About an At the next feeding, I was concerned gradually applied pressure to the coral

20 Spring 1975 Duke snaps up a seed shrimp as Frenchie tries to figure Now accustomed to net feeding, Duke shies away from the out how he can get his share. The proximity of food handheld baby guppy offered by Cheri. The French angel, brought even the normally nocturnal flame cardinal, left at right, shows no interest in the proceedings. foreground, out of hiding.

until it broke. I immediately released Dynasta, who swam to his usual tree plant. We looked him over closely, and could see no external injury at all. But, sadly, Dynasta refused his next feeding. He never ate again, and he died. Any of you who may consider keeping seahorses, please learn from our own heartbreaking experience. Never place

anv decorati\e item that has holes in it in the aquarium housing your seahorses regardless of how pretty you might think it will make the aquarium look. It's not worth the price you'll pay.

I am happy to say that Duke and our other species are still thriving. We hope in the near future to locate a mate for Duke. Who knows? We mav just end up with an entire familv of "horses in the house!"

Guest writer Lori Daisey is married to Robert E. Daisey, a marine engineer with

the Ports Division. Her article "Can I Have

a Horse, Daddy?" ahmit the family's paso Lori Daisey watches as daughter Cheri moves Duke from one part of the tank fino horses appeared in Horse Lover's Maga- to another. The Daiseys say almost all of their fish will allow zine. themselves to be handled.

The Panama Canal Review 21 Hore Than

By Dolores E. Suisman

THE PANAMA CANAL telephone But many of the names in the 60- will repeat the number. If the party fails directory is a gold mine of infor- )ear-old book are well known today. to answer, the operator will say, 'They mation. It's an almanac, a history, and, Gen. George W. Goethals, office phone don't answer'." if one wishes to be prosaic, it can even Balboa 230, residence phone Balboa The section entitled "To Make a Call be used to look up a telephone number. 300, is one. to a Distant Exchange," included direc- For 60 \ears, its size and content Other names in the 1915 book have tions for calling such "distant" ex- have reflected the growth and organiza- been in every edition from that day to changes as Pedro Miguel. tion of the Company. The buildup of this. Cross-referencing became more com- services as thev became necessarv and One is Benny, W. E., Foreman, plicated as the Panama Canal telephone the decline of services as they became Paraiso Shops, Mechanical Division, directory grew in size and scope. available in the Republic of Panama and whose son, Benny, W. L., and grand- LogicalK- enough, in 1915 you turned through mail and freight service from the son, Benny, W. L., Jr., are in the 1974 to T to find "Telephone Branch, Elec- United States are quickly visible. The book. trical Division." But bv 1916, in the big, increase in personnel during wartime There was a Hummer, C. D., Wreck- new 80-page directory, when you turned and the decrease with the return of master (Hercules and Ajax), Mechanical to T \ou found "Telephone, see page peace are shown in its pages. In a very Division; the father of Hummer, C. W., 28," and on page 28, under E, you real way, it tells the story of the Panama whose name appeared in the 1925 found "Electrical Division, Telephones." Canal. directory, and the grandfather of Looking under C for the number of The first edition, published Decem- Hummer, C. W., Jr., Assistant Chief of the Corral, \ou were referred to B for ber 1, 1915, by the Panama Canal Press the Dredging Division. Balboa Corral, G for Governor's Coach- at Mount Hope, was a modest 59-page In 1915, De La Mater, W. W., Audi- man, N for New Corral, or O for Old pamphlet-type publication bound in tor's Office, Fortifications Division, was Corral. Government-green paper. listed. After he died, the '32 book added Suggestions played a minor part in It was divided into two sections: a De La Mater, Mrs. Ann, secretary to actually changing the directory. But list of departments and divisions of the the Superintendent of Schools. Today, that didn't stop suggestions from flood- Canal organization and branches of tlic their son, William L. De La Mater, is ing in, often the same suggestion year Army, and an alphabetical list of in- listed as Aide to the Governor. after \'ear. There were suggestions that dividuals. Out of a workforce of 26,897 Although telephones had been in use maps be included, and that thev be emplo\ ees, the 2,000 who had occasion in the Canal Zone since 1910, an official deleted; that tide tables be included, to use a telephone in the performance directory provided a golden opportunity and that thev be deleted; that vertical of their duties were listed. Of these, to tell residents how to use a telephone; index tabs be used and that horizontal onlv 343 rated a residence phone. which it did in great detail. index tabs be used. There were sugges- The first name in the alphabetical "To Make a Local Call," it read, tions for looseleaf notebook directories

listing was Abston, J. M. and the last "Place the receiver to your ear and when and for directories with wood covers was Zunder, F. F. Neither a familiar Central answers with the expression (from a man who made a wood cover 'number' give the number. The operator for his phone book every year). And for

22 Spmng 1975 60 \ears, including 1974, there were suggestions that every hsting include a post office box number.

But it was the cross-referencing that elicited more suggestions and complaints than any other subject.

One: "To find the number of the Cen- tral Labor Office, it is necessary to know that it comes under the Personnel Bu- reau, and to know that it is not listed at all under Central Labor Office, the name bv which it is ordinarily known, 60 but under Chief, Local Rate Employ- ment Branch."

Another: "To locate the telephone number of the Administration Building Years Janitor, vou have to look under Housing Di\ision, Balboa Heights; Housing Office, Janitor Foreman; Basement, Administration Building."

And from the most persistent sug- gester: "It is suggested that in the future editions of the phone directory that credit unions be listed together in a bunch. There are quite a bunch of them bv now and it would simplify matters somewhat for subscribers. They don't always know the exact name but they do know the species of animal."

If suggestions did not change the di- rectory, they convinced the Executive Secretary there was a problem. In 1917, he wrote to the office in Panama Canal With the onlv complete collection of Panama Canal directories Washington, for a copy of the Washing- stacked high on his desk, James W. Riley, Communications ton, D.C., telephone directory "and in- Manager, Central Office, thumbs through the latest edition.

These odd-looking telephones in use when early Panama Canal directories were published would be collector's items today if any could be found.

The 1919 directory in this busy office meets original specifications which included the requirement that a hole be punched in the comer and a wire loop provided for hanging it on a hook.

The Panama Canal Review 23 for a fire, 113 for police, 114 tor in- with steamship Alsace between Le formation or for an ambulance or the Havre and Chilean Ports." emergency operator. The additional pages of information Instmctions for using the automatic and the needs ot the employees in- phones began with ttie exclamation creased the size of the telephone direc- CAUTIONII! CAUTlONIl! centered at tory. the top of the page. Under this warning There were soon 17 retail commis- were listed all ot the things you coula saries listed, 9 clubhouses, 6 churches, do wrong. The list ended with the dis- and 4 private clubs. quieting thought that "You will prob- There was an abattoir, a bakery, a ably discoimect your telephone it you coffee roasting plant, two ice cream hang up the receiver before you finish plants, and farms— the Corozal Hospital talking." Farm, Mindi Chicken Farm, Mount Once an item was in the directory, Hope Hog Farm, New Chilibre Chicken it took a declaration of war, subterfuge, Farm, New Chilibre Truck Farm. retired Canal Adrien M. Bouche, or a drastic budget cut to get it deleted. in the 1975 And a cattle industry with eight Ust- employee, finds his name The warning that you could disconnect telephone book just as he did 60 years ago ings—Caimito Pasture, Mandingo Pas- your phone by hanging up the receiver when the first edition came out. ture, Frijoles Plantation, Juan Mina was reprinted in every issue for 27 years. Plantation, Miraflores Pasture, Mount It wasn't long before the information Hope Pasture, Paraiso Pastures and obtained with- pages included rates for long distance formation which may be Summit Plantations and Pastures. ( all calls Darien out expense relative to the procedure telephone calls beyond hours, The book continued to grow bigger, followed in collecting and compiling cost 25 cents); hospital visiting the listings more numerous, the cross- telephone directory data." business hours in the Administration complex. But nothing Building to 1 to 4, except Sun- referencing more The result was a 110-page "big-city" (8 12 and increased so much as the cost. days and holidays ; business hours for type telephone directory with Panama ) 16 post offices, a complete restaurant The price of printing 2,000 copies of Canal activities, military activities, and schedule and departure and arrival times the first directory in 1915 was $145. By individuals in one alphabetical listing. of a launch service to Taboga Island. 1918, that figure had doubled. The But if the problem of organization Then the tide tables that were to be- Army picked this unfortunate time to was solved, cross-referencing was still come so controversial appeared, the reply to the annual request for updated in its infancy. telephone listings with a request for The tollowmg year, an announcement Panama Railroad timetable, hours of business for commissaries and club- three Army lists—one alphabetical, an- in The Panama Canal Record re- houses; and later, hours of operation for other classified, and a third to be in- ported a new directory in print and gasoline stations, serted in the regular Panama Canal list- tnat "cross references are used exten- banks, storehouses, libraries and schools. ing. And, they asked, please print each sively to assist in finding a number with There was to the vital inform- list on a different and distinctive colored a minimum of research." no end ative material that year paper. "Used extensively" was an under- was added after year. there statement. Soon were moonrise When apprised that this special treat- and moonset tables, sunrise and sunset decided to Now to find a militaiy number, you ment would cost $600, they tables, passenger connections from the let well enough alone. had to know you were to look under M Canal Zone by ocean or air, an airmail for "Military" where you were advised By the time the book was 5 years old, schedule (to Miami and Brownsville to see A for Army, B for Bands, Army, the cost of printing had increased to four times weekly), sailings of the Pan- C for Camps, F for Forts, G for Guards, $1,435 for 4,000 copies, and a commit- ama Railroad ships. N for Navy, T for Troops, or U for tee was formed to study the matter. For U.S. Army. And warnings. Subscribers were urged 2 years there had been an edition in The situation didn't improve with age. to keep social calls on residence phones January and July. This luxury was the Thirty years later, you could find four to a minimum during business hours first to go. But when the committee were told they must a and five consecutive listings, all fol- and not use Pan- found that telephone expenses were in lowed by a reference to another listing ama Canal telephone in any manner excess of revenue, they decided that 154 where you might or might not find a whatsoever to request or transmit in- pages for a directory of a telephone sys- telephone number: Terminals Building formation concerning lottery numbers or tem with only 2,518 subscribers "seems (see Port Captain); the Texas Company tickets, or any other business pertaining larger than necessary." to lotteries. (See Texas Petroleum); Ticket Offices Although anxious to economize, com- (see Railroad Division); Time Inspec- There were directories within the di- mittee members were unanimous in tion (see Accounting Division); Time rectory—a Directory of the Panama their decision that employees could not Keepers (see Division concerned); ad Canal, a Directory of Officials of the take their old phone books with them infinitum. Panama Government, and a Directory when they moved because "it is not con- Every year the original little pamph- of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps sidered sanitary to carry the old books let grew as personnel increased and Accredited to the Republic of Panama. along with the phone to new quarters." pages of information were added. There was even an 11 -page alpha- After many meetings, the committee The 10th anniversary edition, pub- betical list of every steamship line that wrote a report that ended: "The ques- lished in January 192.5, introduced the had a representative on the Isthmus tion is largely whether the Canal wishes new and sensational automatic tele- with capsuled information about the to issue a first-class book, such as the phones. services it offered for subscribers who present one, or to issue a less attractive- Now instead of jiggling the hook for had to know that "The Societe Fran- looking book." They compromised by the operator, you were told to dial 112 caise d'Armement has a freight service keeping the first-class book and adding

24 Spmng 1975 to revenues by selling the book to subscribers for 40 cents and allowing subscribers to the Panama and Colon of the Telephone Book 197S telephone service to have their names inserted in the Canal directory upon payment of $1.

Since just about e\'er\'one wanted his name inserted, this brought about the problem of what type of subscriber could be listed without offending the user of the directory. Liquor companies were among others not considered proper for inclusion in the Canal directory. It was 30 vears before a realistic Governor penciled the note "no objection to any legitimate business" on a memo and that ban was lifted. One of the few events that could and Albert Farrell tj-pes card strips for new Mrs. Judith Holder, did reduce the information pages of the Electrical Division entries and removes the old ones to Administrative Canal directory Officer, delivers page was the ad\-ent of \\'orld produce up-to-date pages for reproduction panels of the 1975 directorN' to Juan War II. at the printing plant. Fernandez, left, and Rafael Camargo, "Perhaps enemy countries should not right, who make the plates for be listed as having diplomatic and con- printing the directory. sular officials in Panama," someone sug- number except to find that what they gested. Someone else wTote, "In view were looking for was directly under of the existing international situation it the staple. is e.xtremely difficult to determine just The trusty old staples were thought who should be included in our telephone of almost fondly in 1974 when faulty directory." And the diplomatic and con- glue caused the directory to come apart sular lists were never seen again. page by page after it was used a few The Army worried that "non-secret times. telephone directories in general use For the most part o\er the past 20 constitute a perfect means for enemy years, the telephone book went unmo- agents to acquire complete information lested. Few people thought about chang- concerning military units," and the ing it. In 1963, emergency numbers were military disappeared from the directory. nio\'ed to an inside page and there was Now changes often meant less rather an illustrated cover. A few years later than more. The farms, the pastures, the photographs appeared on the cover, and markets were long gone and, in 1952, a contest in 1970 resulted in a t\yo-color the directions for using automatic co\er. telephones were at long last removed. In 1972, the last big change: eveiy But the tide tables, which had stirred page of information was printed in both more controversy than anv other sub- English and Spanish. ject—pro and con—seemingly were to go Roy Goreng checks uncut pages of A collection of the directories—and on forever. Then, in 1965, a daring deci- townsite maps as they come off the press. there is only one— is an invaluable sion was made, and a memo worthy of source of information. war plans written: "Cleared with Gov- \\'ithout it, we might not know that Crede Calhoun was first ernor. He was informed of possible re- the Civil Affairs Director. That the sun rose percussions. Following is decision. Re- in Balboa at 6:11 a.m. move from telephone book. Put notice on .\ugust 26, 1926. That the tide was in new directory. No Spillway or any high in Cris- tobal at 2:22 other notice." a.m. on December 7, 1941. Some changes were more dramatic This might have been lost forever if, than others. After the military was listed on September 25, 1914, the Executive in the directory for a few post-war vears, Secretary' hadn't scribbled a note to the they were notified that the Canal could "Supt. Telephone and Signals," asking no longer afford to carry their listings, that "as soon as practicable, please get and a joint military-Panama Canal fea- up and have printed on cards a tele- sibility study of a uniform format for phone directory for this building." military and Panama Canal directories That was yesterday. Today it is a resulted in the large book that first modern, color coded book with a 2-year appeared in 1958. calendar, a map showing time zones and Staples became a big issue in 1959 area codes in the United States and an when townsite maps appeared. If letters explanation of civil defense warning After the famous faultj'-glue fiasco of 1974, from subscribers are to be believed, no signals. And tomorrow—who knows. Jose Aguilar makes siu'e the stapling job one ever looked for directions or a house Maybe tide tables. on the 1975 book is done to perfection.

The Panama Canal Review 25 Culinary

26 Spring 1975 IT HAS BEEN USED TO PAY poultry or meat, with vegetables, and as and cook for 14 minutes. (Do not stir or taxes, debts and wages, and to a dessert. disturb while it is cooking.) Remove pepper the bride for good luck. It has An important staple in the Panama- from heat and serve. For a fluffier rice saved millions from starvation and today nian diet, rice usually is served twice a leave cover on an additional 10 minutes provides half of the world's population day and in large quantities. Per capita and let it steam. with 80 percent of its calories. More rice consumption averages 320 grams a day

is consumed throughout the world than which amounts to about 220 pounds a Sauteed Rice an\ other food. year, and, in comparison with other Latin American countries, only Surinam Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy pot. The tin\-, but mighty, little grain has and Guyana, with a per capita Saute 1 medium chopped onion over been around for a long, long time— about daOy con- sumption of 600 grams, eat more rice medium heat until golden. Add 1 cup 5,000 \ears— and it has had an important than Panama. rice and stir until each grain glistens. role in the history of mankind. Early From 100,000 to hectares of Add 2 cups water or chicken broth and Asian historical records show that, in 110,000 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil Panama's soil is devoted to the cultiva- and China, in 2,500 B.C., it was so highh- tion of rice the 1973-74 crop pro- continue as for boiled rice. regarded that onh' the Emperor was and duced approximatelv 3,574,600 quintals One of the most delicious rice dishes privileged to grow it. It had a place in (hundredweight) of unhulled rice, vield- made in Panama is rice cooked in coco- religious rites, as a temple offering, and ing 60 percent of this amount in poHshed nut milk. was a svmbol of happiness and abun- dance.

The cultivation of rice spread slowly to the Mediterranean civilization. Tfie Eg\ptians were growing it in the 4th centurv B.C. It was cultivated by the Greeks and the Romans and much later

the Moors took it to Spain from where

it was introduced into the New World with the conquest.

In the United States, South Carolina was the first to grow it and after the Civil War, Louisiana became the rice center. Now it is grown also in Missis- sippi, Arkansas, Texas and California By Fannie P. Hernandez with Louisiana and Mississippi produc- ing mainh' the long-grain tvpe and Cal- ifornia growing the round-grain, known Arroz con Coco rice. The province with the highest also as Japanese rice. vield is Ghiriqui, where 46 percent of (Coconut Rice) According to a 1964 studx- bv the In- the entire crop is produced. Code Prov- ternational Rice Research Institute, I'i cups rice ince ranks second and Veraguas, third. there are more than 9,779 varieties of 1 coconut, grated The three principal varieties produced rice and many different types, shapes, 1 cup boiling water in Panama are: Nilo 1 and Nilo 2, the and colors cultivated throughout the P/i teaspoon salt extra-long grain rices which constitute world. The two main types are upland 1 teaspoon butter from 70 to 80 percent of the crop, rice, which is grown in ordinarv soil, and 3 ctips water which originated in Surinam and were aquatic or lowland rice, grown in hot Pour boiling water over the grated developed in El Salvador in Central marshv regions or irrigated fields. It is coconut, let it set a few minutes. When America; and a varietv known as GIGA prepared for sale as brown, unpolished, it is cool enough to handle, squeeze the 4, developed in Colombia. polished, or coated. What we call wild coconut to obtain the milk. Add the Though there are many theories on rice is not a true rice at all, but the grains 3 cups of water to the grated coconut the methods of cooking rice, two simple of a perennial grass native to North and set it aside. Put the milk in a heavy methods which produce fluffy well- America. pot and let it cook down until coco cooked grains are boiling it in water or The lowlv grain has been assimilated butter forms and is a little toasted. Add other liquid and sauteing raw rice in into the cooking of nearly every region the rice and stir until it is golden color. butter or oil and then steaming it. Two again on the globe with manv countries pro- Squeeze the grated coconut and things should be remembered in cooking with the salt ducing at least one rice dish that has add this water to the rice rice: It should be cooked in only as much been become imiversally known. and butter. When the liquid has it preserve its liquid as can absorb to absorbed, turn heat to low, cover The Spanish have combined rice with valuable vitamins and a heavy saucepan tightU' and cook from 15 to 20 minutes. seafood and vegetables to give us paella; or pot with tight-fitting cover is a must. sweet rice that is not a dessert is in Italv, where surprising^' more rice A rice with raisins, often cooked in coco- than pasta is consumed, rice is cooked in Boiled Rice milk, but water will do fine. Delici- chicken broth to produce the delicious nut ham. risotto; the Mideastem countries saute To make 3 cups of rice, put 1 cup of ous with rice in butter, olive oil and onion (often raw rice, 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon adding slivered almonds) and produce salt and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy, Rice with raisins, one of Panama's pilaf. And so it goes, each countrv eating 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over favorite rice dishes, is shown at left. heat turn heat to low. Stir it rice plain, boiled or sauteed, in soups, as high and The recipe appears on the next page. a main dish combined with seafood. once with a fork, cover with a tight lid

The Panama Canal Review 27 and when it has melted and almost dry, Arroz con Camarones cover, lower heat to as low as possible, (Rice With Shrimp) and cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat. 1 onion, chopped With a big spoon stir up from bottom of pan and mix carefully. 2 tomatoes 2 cloves As t\-pical of Panama as the Panama garlic 2 pounds shrimp hat is rice with guandii, a pea which resembles a small bean and has a unique 1 small can tomato paste flavor. Guandu, also called pigeon peas, 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 rice are available in bunches or shelled at cups 4 the market when in season or in cans at cups water the supermarkets. olives and capers to taste Fr\- the onion, tomatoes and garlic in Arroz con Guandu oil. Add the cleaned raw shrimp. Add {Rice With Guandu) 4 cups hot water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp. Add the rice to the % cup guandu liquid and cook until rice is tender. Add 1 cup rice the shrimp, capers and olives and mix 1 teaspoon salt carefulK- with a fork. Cover and remove 1 coconut, grated from heat. Serve after 5-10 minutes. 4 cups hot water Rice is used in Panamanian desserts, The cooking of rice, basis for many dishes, Put the grated coconut in water. Let too, in either a rice pudding, similar to requires careful measuring and a heavy it set a few minutes, then squeeze to our old-fashioned rice pudding, or a pot with a tight fitting cover. obtain the milk. Cook the guandii in favorite rice dessert made with coconut the liquid until it is reduced to 2 cups. milk and chocolate. Add rice and salt. Cook over high heat until liquid is absorbed. Cover and Arroz con Cacao J steam for 14 minutes. (A delicious aroma ' will permeate the kitchen.) (Chocolate Rice) Arroz con Polio came from to Spain 'i cup rice Mexico, then Peru, Colombia and Cuba, 1 cup water and each countrv has its version. own 1 cup coconut milk Panama has several. Here is one: 4 sticks cinnamon Arroz con Polio 1 can condensed milk 1 small can chocolate syrup (Chicken With Rice) '/i cup sugar 1 3-lb chicken, cut up Soak the rice overnight in enough la cups rice water to cover. Add coconut milk and a olive oil cup cinnamon sticks to rice. Simmer until it I'i teaspoon salt has dissolved, adding more coconut pinch of pepper milk to maintain a soft consistencv. Re- 3 pimientos cut in strips move cinnamon sticks. Add sugar, con- 2 large ripe tomatoes, cut up densed milk and s\Tup. Cook stirring 1 clove garlic constantl\- over low heat until custard 1 teaspoon oregano like. Cool. Serve with coconut cream. Rice with guandii, one of Panama's 2 peppercorns Not a Panamanian recipe, this ver- traditional rice dishes, has a flavor all its hot water or hot chicken stock sion of rice pudding comes from Brazil. own. While cooking, guandii exudes a 1 teaspoon capers pleasing bouquet, made even more 12 black olives Arroz con Cafe appetizing when coconut milk is used In a mortar, pound garlic, salt, pepper- for the liquid. (Coffee With Rice) corns, pepper and oregano in a little oil. Rub chicken pieces with this mix- a cup rice

Arroz con Pasas ture and let it season a few minutes. In 2 cups strong coffee (made with instant or brewed) (Rice With Raisins) a heavy pan (or paila), brown chicken in the oil. Add tomatoes, capers, olives, 3 talAespoons butter 2 cups rice 2 of the pimientos. Cook until chicken 3 eggs, well beaten

4 cups water ar !'j coconut milk is almost tender. Add rice and hot liquid cup Kara (dark) 1 cup raisins to cover about an inch. Cover and 'i cup sugar % lb butter simmer until the liquid has been ab- 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 sticks cinnamon sorbed and rice is tender. Garnish with a teaspoon salt teaspoon 1 salt remaining pimiento strips. Some cooks I'i cups milk 1 cup brown su^ar (not packed) add a cup of cooked peas just before Cook the rice in the coffee for 20 Cook raisins in butter until plump. serving. minutes. Add butter. Combine the eggs Remove with slotted spoon. Add rice to With an abundance of seafood avail- with remaining ingredients and add to butter and stir until grains are golden. able in Panama, there are dozens of the rice and coffee. Pour into a buttered Add li(|uid, salt and the raisins. Boil recipes combining rice wth one sea- baking dish. Set the dish in a pan of brisklv until is liquid just about all ab- food or se\eral. Here is one that is water and bake 30 minutes. Serve warm sorbed. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top served in man\' Panamanian homes. wifli milk or cream.

28 Spring 1975 .

The Santa Mercedes and her sister Shipping ships, the Santa Mariana, Santa Maria, and Santa Magdalena, make regular visits to the Isthmus on their sailings from west coast ports to Canada, Mexico Central America, the Caribbean and around South America every 14-16 days throughout the year.

Trans-Canal Cruises

More and more cruise ships are fea- turing trips through the Panama Canal. During 1975, approximately 8,000 passengers will sail with Royal Viking Line on 16 Trans-Canal cruises, originat- ing from both coasts and including one from Xew Orleans. In its promotional material, Roval \'iking Line writes of the Canal: Notes "Time was, a trip through the Panama Canal suggested banana boats, steaming ADMIRAL SAMUEL E. MORISON, In his book "The Southern Voyages," jungles and small bands of intrepid

L. Pulitzer Prize winning author, best he points out, for instance, that Magellan travelers determined to reach a distant known for his books "The European Dis- put to sea on the first vovage around the port in farawa\' South America, or even covery of America: The Northern Voy- world with the full knowledge that three points bevond. Todav. things are differ- ages" and his latest book "The European Spanish captains on his fleet planned to ent, passengers ha\e a front-row seat for Discovery of America: The Southern murder him. the trip, in a choice of air-conditioned Voyages" was aboard the SS Santa Mer- It was on Palm Sunday at St. Julian lounges." in Patagonia that the mutineers finallv Roval Viking ships offer all first- cedes this year when she sailed from Los attempted to put their plan into effect. class accommodations (with 94 percent Angeles around South America. Morison Thev seized three of Magellan's ships having an ocean \iew) for approximately was selected by the Prudential Lines to and demanded his surrender. Magellan, 500 passengers with spacious staterooms retell the adventures of the famed na\'i- however, through audacitv and extra- and public area. The decor is Scandi- gator, who first discovered the Strait of ordinary seamanship managed to recap- navian, with artwork by the area's finest Magellan in 1520. The Santa Mercedes ture his fleet with only one loyal man artists. Dining is international with na- took only 2 days to transit the Strait com- injured. Since mutiny was a capital tive specialties from some ports of call pared to the 37-day voyage of Magellan. offense, Magellan had one captain drawn included in daily menus. As on the During the cruise, the ship called at and quartered, the second hanged, and Prudential trip around South- Amer- Balboa, Manzanillo, Acajutla, Cartage- the third one was marooned. ica, guest lecturers provide information about the various ports of call. na, Curacao, La Guaira, Rio de Janeiro, As cruise passengers relaxed in com- fort thev could One of their lecturers was Irving Santos and Buenos Aires before transit- dining on choice foods, not but be awed by the accomplishments Stone, author of "The Agony and the ing the Strait at the height of what is the of Magellan under such hardship con- Ecstasy," "The President's Lady" and summer season in that area. ditions. Morison reported that food be- "Lust for Life." He was on the Royal Morison, who is now 87 years old, is came so scarce on the first long haul Viking, Sea when she transited the Canal a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at across the Pacific that rats were sold for on January 12 during a 96-day around- Har\ard and winner of everv prize for food at $1.16 gold and sailors often the-world cruise. histor\' and belles lettres in the United resorted to eating the leather chafing Although the Royal X'iking Line is States (among them the Pulitzer Prize gear off the yards. onlv a few years old, its three ships, the twice and the Emerson-Thoreau medal)

He is also a mariner who has recon- noitered and often duplicated the well known voyages made in the age of discovery.

Morison could add another dimen- sion to the trip through the Strait be- cause of his vast knowledge concerning Magellan's original voyage.

The "Royal Viking Sky," one of the three cruise ships of the Royal Viking Line, passes through Gaillard Cut.

The Panama Canal Review 29 —

CANAL COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC BY NATIONALITY OF VESSELS First Half Fiscal Year

197S 1974 1965-69

No. of Tons No. of Tons Aug. No. Avg. tons Nationality transits of cargo transits of cargo transits of cargo Belgian 71 535,377 78 279,717 39 100,725 British 638 7,030,475 638 6,924,670 679 5,072,872 Chilean 68 828,951 43 665,614 60 406,198 Chinese Nat'l 80 1,050,329 104 1,146,805 57 443,818 Colombian 70 148,780 94 230,816 117 225,971 Cypriot 136 911,080 107 649,689 7 50,000 Danish 151 1,204,269 175 1,362,868 198 1,137,816 Ecuadorian 50 419,881 46 509,732 33 41,799 French 123 733,936 113 663,295 107 421,446 German, West _ 379 2,303,193 378 2,516,863 590 2,063,139 Greek 633 9,410,121 701 9,478,162 255 2,606,268 Italian 116 743,403 135 1,025,817 110 743,021 Japanese 646 6,042,448 643 6,923,312 468 3,431,691 Liberian 950 17,812,491 894 15,417,105 674 8,920,295 Netherlands 207 921,077 229 1,334,531 257 1,086,592 Nicaraguan 42 75,266 37 68,318 36 55,717 Norwegian 428 6,815,866 518 7,636,929 739 7,171,883 Panamanian 509 3,825,363 505 3,256,365 261 1,215,812 Peruvian 97 1,012,647 90 838,128 79 387,875 Polish 45 288,509 20 92,909 7 56,174 South Korean 56 384,599 50 302,761 14 87,421 Soviet 76 487,638 132 822,350 27 207,691 Swedish 171 1,753,471 163 1,248,731 225 1,462,003 United States 538 4,649,986 616 5,045,671 823 4,602,063 Yugoslavia 43 468,751 34 448,961 12 134,854 All other 434 3,399,216 425 3,332,238 368 1,435,550 Total 6,757 73,257,123 6,968 72,222,357 6,242 43,568,694 TR.\FFIC MOVEMENT OVER PRINCIPAL TRADE ROUTES First Half Fiscal Year

Trade routes-darge commercial vessels, 300 net tons or over) East coast United States-Asia Europe-West coast South America East coast United States- West coast South America Europe-West coast United States/Canada Europe— Asia Europe— Oceania East coast Canada— Asia United States Intercoastal (including Hawaii) East coast South America— Asia West coast South America-West Indies All others TotaL gallon shipment originated in Tacoma, Wash. PRINCIPAL COMMODITIES SHIPPED THROUGH THE CANAL It is being shipped to the Middle East (All cargo figures in long tons) for a billion-dollar desert reclamation Pacific project financed by Arab oil money. to Atlantic First Half Fiscal Year Plans are to mix it with pulverized wood chips, spread it on the desert sands, and 5-Yr. Aug. plant grass to build soil and prevent Commodity 1975 1974 2965-69 wind erosion. The two Arab states have Manufactures of iron and steel 4,832,370 3,401,890 1,816,926 Petroleum contracted for 50,000 metric tons a year, and products 4,385,673 5,843,529 643,782 Ores, various according to an official of Worldwide 3,117,063 3,074,279 2,957,624 Sugar l'842',260 1,832,808 Brokers, of Galliano, La. The North- 1,460,243 Lumber and products 1,674,555 2,640,783 2,196,431 west quota is 2.50,000 gallons a month, Pulpwood '919!416 809,518 374,817 according to a local contractor. Coal and coke 881,163 297,038 95,051 Metals, various Since the dairy business is suffering 834,817 475,767 651,078 Bananas from the recession, this new project is 789!980 764,270 623,764 Food in refrigeration (excluding bananas) 714,949 813,758 499,550 considered a life saver for the industry. Sulfur 686,437 401,777 103,009 As one farmer said, "We have been Fishmeal 537,532 232,146 754,400 operating $3,000 a month in the red. Autos, trucks, accessories and parts 509,580 461,982 38,594 Now we can make up to $4,000 a Paper and products 353,146 244,083 141,696 Chemicals, unclassified month on manure. It seems like a fairy 245,251 153,874 118,463 All other 6,377^983 tale." 5,583,155 4,354,577 Total 28,702,175 27,030,657 16,830,005 The Use of English

New value has recently been given to Atlantic to Pacific

English by its official adoption by the First Half Fiscal Year

International Maritime Consultative Or- 5-Yr. Aug. Commodity ganization as the common sea language, 1975 1974 1965-69 Coal and coke 13,019,920 according to a report in Fairplay Inter- 8,262,531 4,483,207 Petroleum and products 7,577,168 8,749,089 7,382,958 national Shipping Weekly. Corn 3,392,113 5,675,008 1,339,076 In commenting on this, Fairplay Phosphate 2,826,222 2,545,084 1,911,363 noted: Wheat 2,738,492 3,301,650 621,073 Soybeans 1,911,300 2,065,802 1,165,254 "In a world in which a misunderstood Ores, various 1,232,583 1,250,883 816,530 message or order could result, say in Sorghum 1,183,903 1,458,630 N.A. the destruction of most of the beaches Manufactures of iron and steel 1,050,553 805,054 907,176 of north-west Europe bv a wrecked verv Metal, scrap 1,036,239 1,994,046 1,458,047 Sugar 756,192 large crude carrier, the importance of an 715,768 406,555 Fertilizers, unclassified 636,954 642,653 218,304 internationally accepted means of com- Metals, various (excluding scrap) 503,338 362,340 661,758 munication is clear enough, and the Chemicals, unclassified 466,329 712,419 428,399 English speakers of the world may well Paper and products 378,770 383.702 349,756 feel grateful that it is their language All other 5,844,872 6,267,041 4.589,233 which has been chosen. Those who be- Total 44,554,948 45,191,700 26,738,689 lieve that they speak the tongue of Shakespeare, however, may well raise an eyebrow at some of the words which CANAL TRANSITS-COMMERCIAL AND U.S. GOVERNMENT are said nowadays to be theirs— doppler, First Half Fiscal Year mach number, coriolis, isogriv and VOR- Aug. No. TAC, for example, the latter being transits 1975 1974 1965-69 defined as "a co-location of VOR and the distance-measuring element of a TACAN Atlantic Pacific to to ground beacon." Pacific Atlantic Total Total Total Commercial vessels: Largest Ship Afloat Oceangoing 3,335 3,422 6,757 6,968 6,231 Small! ^94 jgQ 354 ggg 276 The American Bureau of Shipping Total Commercial 3,529 3,582 7,111 7,333 6,507 has recently classed the largest vessel ^ afloat. It is the 476,292 dead weight U.S. Government vessels: Oceangoing tonnage Globtik London. The vessel, of 53 54 107 95 447 Small' 24 33 57 58 63 British registry, is approximatelv 1,181 feet long, 203 feet wide, and 118 feet Total Commercial and in height from the keel to the main deck. U.S. Government 3,606 3,669 7,275 7,486 7,017

EXiring 1974, the ABS classified seven 1 Vessels under 300 net Ions or 500 displacement tons. 2 Vessels on which tolls are credited. Prior to July 1, 1951, Government-operated ships transited other tankers of over 250,000 dead free. weight tonnage.—WKF

The Panama Canal Review 31 But in 1938, when Compariia Pa- namefia de Alimentos, S.A. (Panama

Foods Co. ) established a milk processing plant there, Nata and the surrounding areas gradually were revitalized from a centuries-old lethargy. The plant's tall chimney, visible from a distance, signi- fies that Nata has entered the industrial era and once more is playing an impor- tant role in the destiny of her country. Beginning modestly with an annual production of 519,000 liters of milk, Panama Foods has experienced a pro- gressively increasing rate of growth. Todav's annual milk production of 20 million liters is evidence of the com- pany's tremendous impact on farming and cattle raising in the Central Pro- vinces of Panama. In addition to pro- ducing evaporated and condensed milk, the companv has expanded its activities to include the processing of other foods

that are produced in the area and is today the most important commercial canning industry in the country. In 1947, the farmers of Nata wit- nessed the beginning of a new project that would soon make possible their entrv into the modem marketplace. The company, using new technology, began experimenting with the growing, processing, and marketing of toma- toes. Two years later with the fruition of much research and development, 408,611 pounds of tomatoes were pro- cessed bv the companv and the well- known Maggi products, including paste, sauce, juice and catsup were produced in Nata and sold on the local market. Company agriculture experts advise tomato growers on the control of dis- Pastoral But Progressive eases in tomato plants, a major problem in the tropics, and teach them how to improve the quality of the product. The By Jose T. Tunon company has established a 50-hectare experimental field near Rio Hato in EARLY 1520, MORE THAN 100 later part of the 16th century they lived IN Code Province, where these experts are mainlv from the profits of corn sent to years before the Pilgrims landed at continuosly experimenting with irriga- Plymouth Rock, a small of Spanish Panama for feeding the mules and slaves group tion methods, various insecticides, fer- colonials founded Nata de los Caballe- that carried goods between Panama and tilizers and herbicides in their efforts to Dios. ros, the oldest city on the Isthmus. Its N'ombre de produce the best quality tomato varieties For years Nata remained a predecessors, Santa Maria la Antigua many for industrial purposes. Plans are to Darien, sleepy, interior rural community. Its in- and Nombre de Dios, in were attempt to increase production to 80 habitants eked out a living using primi- burned bv Drake in 1595 and Morgan million pounds a year, and to export tive farming methods. With the excep- destroyed Old Panama in 1671. these products. for con- tion of the ancient church with the Nata served as an outpost the At another experimental tomato field quest colonization of the western colonial facade and the old tower, and and in Rio Grande, an area about 40 kilo- silver rem- part of Panama and for 300 years, until a sterling pelican, a treasure meters from Rio Hato, technicians are 1820, was the capital city for western iniscent of past glories, which attracted experimenting with tomato varieties tourists who ventured to the interior, Panama. resistant to fungi, bacteria, and other Its inhabitants in farming Nata had little impact on the remainder engaged soil-born diseases that cause tomatoes to and cattle raising activities and in the of the Republic after the coloiiial era. wilt in unfavorable environments such as that caused by flooding in that area. Tomato wilt has been one of the most Above: Showing the ravages of time is one of the two bells that called worshipers problems to tomato growers. to mass at the old Church of Nata during colonial days. The bells, which were bothersome of cast in Lima in 1690, are currently displayed at the Museum of Colonial Religious Art Experimenting with a variety seeds at the old Santo Domingo Chapel in Panama City. brought from all over the world by the

32 Spring 1975 National Agriculture Institute, the Min- with the farmer planting his own guandu istry of Agricultural Development and fields, then selling the yield to the com- by Panama University, several varieties pany, it has so far been economicallv ha\e been developed that seem to be successful. resistant to wilt. Benefitting from the industrialization At harvest time, as many as 150 to- of this legume are approximately 400 mato pickers are emploved and there families, mainly in the areas around are plans to mechanize the operation to La Atalaya in Veraguas Province. They reduce the high cost of production and are supplying Panama Foods approxi- ultimately benefit both the growers and mately 1,600,000 pounds of guandu a the company. year. The company would like to triple In addition to processing milk and to- guandu production in the next 2 years, matoes, Panama Foods cans guandu, a with hopes of obtaining a market for small pea-like legume which grows on this product in the United States. vines about 6 feet high, often referred to Although the Panama Foods installa- as "pigeon peas" by the English speak- tion at Nata processes products grown ing population on the Isthmus. The only in that area, the impact of the in- guandu's distinctive flavor and pleasing dustry extends to the provinces of Code, aroma while cooking make it a favorite Los Santos, Herrera and Veraguas, with food of Panama, where erroneouslv it is a total population of about half a often considered a product grown onlv million. in this country. Actually, guandu is In 1970, now producers of Nestle, popular in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Maggi and Libby products in Panama, Republic, Jamaica, Brazil, Trinidad and the company extended its sphere of in Kenva and Uganda in Africa. A chemist tests the purity of Panama acti\ities to the fertile lands of Chiriqui In the past, Puerto Rico Food Company products at a modem was one of Province and took over the manage- laboratory in the Nata installation. the main producers, but due to the high ment of the Chiriqui Milk Co. in Boque- cost of harvesting, its cultivation has ron. Here it processes powdered milk, fallen off and today the Dominican fruit juices and vegetables that are Republic is the main exporter. grown in the cooler areas of that Aware of the nutritional value of province. guandu, the United Nations has dis- But one of the principal functions Revitalized from patched dietary experts to India and of the Boqueron installation is found Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) to 41 kilometers northeast of there, at San inform the inhabitants of these famine- Andres, more than 400 meters above sea a centuries-old plagued areas of the merits of guandu level, near the Costa Rican border. It is and to encourage its local cultivation. a pineapple plantation of the finest in- In general, the main problem in the dustrial quality and constitutes one of lethargy cultivation of guandu, which requires the company's most important projects. very little care in the field, is the high The fertile volcanic soil of the region and cost of har\'est and the shelling of the the infrared rays of the sun at that par- pods, which is done by hand. In Panama, ticular altitude give the pineapple the where it is largely a home production. ideal flavor for industrial use, according

A field of grain and a dairy herd that supphes milJc to the Chiriqui Milk Plant in Boqueron form a scene of tranquil beauty. rHi; Panama Canal Revizw 33 -, \

1 "^'<^

k Employees of the Boqueron processing A smiling employee operates a machine Cans are manufactured at the Panama plant check beet slices prior to canning. which extracts juice from the delicious Foods Company plant at Nata. These Fruits and vegetables of the area are oranges grown in the Boqueron area. will be used for evaporated milk. processed at this plant.

to Juan Wintgens, head of the Agricul- ture Department of the company. Com- menting on the excellent quality of another variety of pineapple produced in Panama, the delectable "water pine- apple" grown in Taboga, Wintgens ex-

plained that it is perhaps the most tasty

fresh pineapple, but it is not suitable Cans of diced beets are for canning. packed in cartons at the The San Andres pineapple field covers 22 hectares, each hectare containing Nat^ plant. Also shown are 40,000 pineapple plants. Slips have been cases of maracuya juice. imported from Martinique and Hawaii, with superior results from the "smooth Cayenne" variety from Hawaii. Pineapple cultivation requires a large investment, extensive fumigation, weed- ing, fertilizers and constant care. This

project is in its infancy and large scale production will depend on the ability of individual growers to supply the com- panv with sufficient fruit. Located at the pineapple plantation, and appearing a little out of place in

this environment, is a row of stables housing several dozen high-grade calves. They are part of 2,000 purebreds that the companv is planning to distribute among its milk suppliers to improve the qualitv and quantitv of milk with result- ing benefits for the company and the suppliers. The calves will be sold to the cattle raisers at a nominal cost, which

Shown are two varieties of tomatoes

that seem to be resistant to wilt, one of

the most bothersome problems to tomato fc-^^'i^ growers coping with the tropical ^ environment.

34 Spring 1975 Agriculture expert Alberto Delgado, at

right, discusses the characteristics of the

pineapple that make it suitable for canning

willi Jean P. Robert, left and Juan

Wintgens, engineers working with the

Panama Foods Company.

Passion fruit is

popular neiv

local product

A field of maracuva, a can be deducted from their payments for supplying milk. Dairy experts also species of passion fruit, in will continue to offer technical assistance ft.- San Andres, Chiriqui in matters of feeding and disease control.

A short distance from the pineapple Province. Juice of the plantation, the has 2-hectare company a maracuya is in great demand plot planted with granadilla, one of internationally. several varieties of passion fruit, com- monly known as maracuva. The fruit, about the size and shape of a small pear, has a tough hull and the inside contains small black seeds surrounded by aro- matic, yellow pulp. Its taste somewhat resembles the peach with a tinge of apricot and the exotic tang of guava.

A little juice goes a long way as it has a l^enetrating flavor but it is ideal for mixing with pineapple and other fruit, in cocktails, punch and for flavoring fruit

desserts. Since it is said that the taste

lingers like a happy memorv, it is in great demand. The plant, a vine, needs \er\' little care and hardlv an\' in\'est- ment. It is a matter of planting, putting Part of the herd of 2,000 a stick in the ground for it to climb on,

and waiting for the fruit to fall when purebred calves to be it is ripe. Because of these attributes distributed to their milk Panama Foods is encouraging the cul-

tivation of maracuva. suppliers by the Chiriqui The o\'erall economic impact of Pan- Milk Company to improve ama Foods on the fi\e provinces where

the company operates is difficult to the quality and quantity determine. However, in purchases, ser\- of milk. ices and salaries, the company's output is approximately $15 million a year.

.'Vnd benefits derived from its numerous experimental projects and the technical assistance offered to the hundreds of dirt farmers and cattle raisers are incal- culable.

The P.^n'ama Canal Review 35

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