HE^ ^^^X^i"'^^"^'"^ Canal Museum "^^£E^^i^ Vol. 8, No. 7 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, FEBRUARY 7, 1958 5 cents South To Tierra Del Fuego ; igh Level BRIDGE Approach allignment set, consultant board named Connections with the high-level bridge across the Canal at Balboa will be pro- vided on the east side for both the Canal Zone and Panama City street and high- way systems at points of the boundary line near the Limits. A decision on the bridge approaches and the appointment of a Technical Board of Consultants to serve during the design and construction of the bridge were important steps taken last month on the $20,000,000 Treaty proj- ect, which will directly or indirectly affect most residents of Panama and Design of the bridge over the Canal was discussed last month by officials or the Zone. the Canal and the design contractors, Sverdrup & Parcel. Left to right, around The alignment selected for the east the Governor: Lt. Gov. H. M. Arnold, E. J. Shields, project manager, H. L. approach to the bridge, subject to minor Magee, highway design engineer, and Lt. Col. R. D. Brown, E. & C. Director. modifications, will provide a two-way connection for Panama traffic with Ave- been received from all but one at the Ofliice of the Chief of Engineers; and ida de Puertos (2Sth of November Ave- end of last month. The Board will be William A. Bugge, of Olympia, Wash., nue) near the boundary. Some means composed of two structural engineers, highway engineer and Director of the of ingress and egress will likewise be pro- a geologist, a bridge architect, and a Department of Highways of the State vided to the Canal Zone, although the general highway engineer. The five of Washington. location for this connection has not been members are: Of this group, definite word that they finally determined. The alignment of the Roland P. Davis, Dean Emeritus of will serve has been received from all bridge and main approaches recommended the University of West Virginia, nationally but Mr. Bugge. Both Mr. Tudor and by Sverdrup & Parcel, Inc., design con- known expert on structural engineering; Mr. Burwell are well ac(juainted with tractors, provides no important change in Ralph A. Tudor, of the Canal's Board conditions on the Isthmus through visits the locations previously announced. of Directors, from Atherton, Calif., here in the past. The latter has made The selection of a group of five prom- whose specialty is structural engineering several trips to the Canal Zone in past inent technical experts to serve as con- and bridge design years for consultations on problems in sultants on all phases of the bridge proj- Aymar Emburv II, Architect of New his field. ect from design through construction has York City; The east side bridge approaches were been approv'ed by the Canal Company's Edward B. Burwell, Jr., of Upper- discussed in detail early last month when Board of Directors. Acceptances had ville, Va., retired Chief Geologist in the two representatives (Ste page i9) Health agencies start drive Feb, 24 Discussing plans for the National Health Agencies drive are, left to right: R. K. Erbe, Cancer Committee,- D. P. Paolucci, Tuberculosis Association, and R. R. Sfampfer, CARE. cially those health agencies which could not lie a part of the l',).")7 I'nitcd I'und cam|)ai;,'n lu'cjiuse of agreements with their national organizations. The two major health agencies in the Canal Zone the local chapt<'r of the National Tui)erculosis A.s.sociation and the Canal Zone Cancer Connnittc(> Plans are ncaring completion for the deadline for agencies to apjily'fnr inclu- have already indicated their intention of campaign to be conducted, starting late sion in this year's drive. taking part in the drive which starts this this month, by health agencies operating No over-all goal is to be set for the month. in the Canal Zone. This is the second campaign. (Contributions will l)e either Their chairmen. Dr. 1). .1. I'aolucci, and last major campaign to be conducted in cash or by check as no payroll deduc- of the Tuberculosis A.sso( iation, and R. here this fiscal year under the White tions will be made for this drive. The K. Eriie, of the Cancer Commit tee, will House directive for fund-raising in fed- campaign will be conducted through the serve as ji.int chaii men for the <anipaign. eral agencies. Keymen of the Governor's Council for Each agency will supply it>s own cam- The Governor'.s Council for Voluntary Voluntary Giving. This will give all who paign literature and will handle its own Giving has set the six-week period from desire the opportunity to support finan- publicity. February 24 to April 5 for the health agencies' campaign. February 15 is the THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW February 7, 1958 STEPS are already under way to imple- ment actions taken by the Canal Com- pany's Board of Diroctors at their meet- ing here last month on the occupancy of Coco Solo as a civilian townsite and on the Canal capacity problem. The two projects, which will be of con- tinuing interest for a long time to come, were among the major items under con- sideration by the Board at their annual meeting in the Canal Zone. The Direc- tors also spent most of one morning at Gatun Locks to see the new L?Tourneau towing locomotives in action. The first order of business for the Board was a visit to Coco Solo for an inspection of quarters and community facilities transferred to the Canal by the Navy. Folbwing this inspi>ction on the morning of January 14, the Board gave formal approval of tentative plans for placing these facilities in service. An important step in line with the Board's action to expedite further stud- ies on plans to increase the Canal ca- pacity was taken less than two weeks after the meeting when a contract was signed for a study on marine traffic control procedures. The New York en- gineering firm of Gibbs & Hill will con- duct this study which will cover the degree and timeliness of control of ship movements throughout a Canal transit. Following approval of the contract with Gibbs & Hill, Governor Potter said: "This is only one of many avenues cur- rently being explored in our endeavor to determine what we can do with existing facilities to expedite Canal traffic." Funds for initiating the short-range plan of Canal improvements, which will cost nearly $20,000,000, are included in the President's budget sent to Congress early last month. An initial appropria- tion of $1,000,000 for the coming fiscal year has been requested. The short-range plan of improvements was described in detail in The Review last August. It includes widening two reaches of Gaillard Cut north of Pedro Company Directors saw the new and the old in the Zone last month. The new Miguel Locks, installation of a lighting were the LeTourneau locomotives, the old was 350-year-oid Fort San Lorenzo. system in the Cut, new lights for the Locks, and mooring facilities north of the elementary school, junior and senior formal session the same afternoon in the Pedro Miguel Locks. high schools, commissary, service center, Board Room of the Administration Build- Because of the continued increase in this session a management Canal traffic and the increasing number and other community facilities. One of ing. During of "super" tankers and ore carriers being the iirst of these jobs to be started after review was presented and the Board con- Directors Meet Here For Sixth Time handled, the Board believes that these funds are made available will be the sidered problems of a fiscal and budget- plans may be too conservative and di- alterations of the large building which ary nature. rected the Governor to expedite addi- will be used for an elementary school. It The Directors left the Pacific side early tional studies. is hoped to have this building ready for the following morning by Panama Rail- The occupancy of Coco Solo began use when schools reopen next September. road car for Gatun Locks where much of the day after the Board visited the Although Coco Solo is still months the morning was spent seeing the new area, .\lthough less than 20 families away from an integrated community', its locomotives in action. Board members had moved up to the end of January, present and future residents already are were impressed by many features of the the moving schedule was to have been taking the first steps to place it in the new devices, which will be in the testing speeded up this week with the assign- forefront of Canal Zone towns. A Civic stage for several months, particularly ment of an additional moving van. Council, complete with officers, has al- their ability- to start and stop rapidly, The rate of transfers to other quarters ready been formed. Approximately 100 and their improved maneuverability over (all U. S.-rate communities on the At- future Coco Solons participated in the existing locomotives. lantic side are affected) was to be first election. After inspecting the LeTourneau ma- stepped up this week to about four a day. While the Board's meeting last chines, the Directors and top officials of Housing Division officials expect the month was one of the shortest since the Canal organization attended a barbe- "musical chairs" program to be com- the annual Canal Zone meetings were cue at Fort San Lorenzo. As on previous pleted the end of May.