UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA LIBRARIES Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/panamacanalrevie155pana Special: Z)he M^tta Stanch Vol. 15, No. 5 MAY 1965 >^ D. Kerr, Robert J. Fleming, Jr., Governor-President Robert Press Officer Publications Editors David S. Parker, Lieutenant Governor Richard D. Peacock and Julio E. Briceno Editorial Assistants Frank A. Baldwin Official Panama Canal Publication Eunice Richard, Tobi Bittel, and Panama Canal Information Officer Published quarterly at Balboa Heights, C.Z. TOMAS A. CUPAS Printed at the Printing Plant, La Boca, C.Z. Review articles may be reprinted in full or part without further clearance. Credit to the Review will be appreciated. Distributed free of charge to all Panama Canal Employees. c4bout Our Cover Index THE PASTORAL SCENE on the cover was taken from Twin Pilots 3 the veranda of the main house atop a hill on the ranch The Motta Ranch 4 of the Motta brothers. Easter in Panama 7 From this vista, the vast ranch spreads out in all direc- Port of Los Angeles 8 tions. As far as one can see, the land is Motta land, and The Boquete Orange 10 one can see the distant Shipping Charts 12 dots and clusters of brown Notes on Shipping _^ 12 and red and white cattle— Journey Into Past 14 13,000 altogether. All About Cargo Container^ 16 Cattle from the ranch Anniversaries 17 supply meat to the market Playwright Recognized 17 in Panama City, so the next The Father Cooper Story 18 time you cut into a steak or Pedro Miguel Slide 19 roast, there is a good pos- Shipping Story, Quarterly Graph 20 sibiUty that it was devel- Canal History 21 oped on the Motta Ranch. Oldest Stamps 22 Raising cattle is becom- 50th Anniversary Stamps 22 ing more scientific each year. It's not simply turn- ing an animal out to graze and packing him off to ij_ „ j:. __i_i_ SpiUway, Subdcrlptiond market when he's grown. Dinnertime at the Motta Ranch. Those who are not employees of the Panama Canal To stay in business, e.vperienced management is needed. organization can now subscribe to the Spillicay. And in the case of a huge ranch, the complexities are multiplied. But apparently the Motta brothers have the Though it's still free to all PanCanal employees, right touch, because the big place runs along very others may receive the weekly publication under a smoothly. And then when problems develop, the experi- subscription arrangement. The cost is $2.60 a year. ence of many years in ranching is called upon to solve This includes mailing—by regular mail—to anywhere them. in the world. Later in the year, The Review will carry a story on the Checks for subscriptions should be made to "The cattle industry in the entire Republic. But for a close Panama Canal and be sent by letter to: look at how a large, modem ranch in Panama operates, Company" may turn to page 4. Spillway Subscriptions Box M Balboa Heights, Canal Zone. Be sure to include the clearly printed name and address of the person to whom the Spillway is to be sent. Cash for subscriptions will be accepted during office hours at the desk of the Property and Supply Clerk, Administrative Services Division, Room 14, in the basement of the Administration Building at Balboa Heights. May 1965 Twin Brothers Have Twin Careers As Pilots For The Panama Canal TWO SHIPS with the same pilot aboard Since high school days they had enter- 8 \'ears, traveling between New York at the same time? You're right. It tained with guitar, mandolin, and and South Africa. Both served 6 years can't be. acrobatic acts. Their instruments were as captain. Albert was master of the He may look like the same pilot in replaced in Russia, and some of their second ship ever to dock in the port of tvvo diflferent places but there really are songs were recorded and later rebroad- Monrovia, Liberia. two of them—identical twin Panama cast over Moscow stations. Captain Albert and Captain Arthur Canal Pilots Albert L. Wilder and Arthur Then one day, after several wartime Wilder live in Margarita, about 5 min- T. Wilder. months and no word from the twins, utes' walk from one another. "I'm the original," explains Capt. they appeared back at their homes in Albert has three daughters and one Albert Wilder. "Arthur's the twin kid the States, mandolin and guitar in hand, son: Alberta, Joanne, Penny, and Tom. brother. He's a half-hour younger." ready for a day of reminiscent music- Arthur has two sons, Larry and David. making together. Occasionally the twin Panama Canal Albert is active in Masonic work and They take adventure in their stride. is Senior Warden in the Sojourners' pilots are on the same ship, and both Arthur's wedding date was postponed Lodge, Cristobal. He plays golf, and is are qualified for supersize ships. But by a torpedoing, his wife recalls. He a do-it-yourself man about the house. they say there's no confusion. The ship's was due home in March to be married, He has ingeniously air conditioned his captain usually looks only to see if but his vessel was hit in the Caribbean home, building his own plant; there's a pilot aboard, according to the he's and went down. one Wilders. By of those strange expert at refinishing, practically remark- quirks of fate, the German submarine ing pieces of furniture, and the trans- Arthur, the half-hour younger brother, that had torpedoed his vessel picked mission of his car holds no mysteries is senior to Albert in Panama Canal him up and put him on a raft, from for him. He also is manager of the Coca service by about a year. He was skipper which he was rescued a few days later. Cola Little League and is owned by a on a Farrell Line vessel when he became The wedding took place in April. boxer dog named Cali. interested in a Panama Canal employ- The wartime adventures of the twin Arthur is strictly a boat man, and ment application form a passenger was brothers enthralled States' magazines. always seems to be building a new one. working on. He borrowed a form and Look called upon Arthur. Some of He's built four boats since residing on sent in his application, too. He joined Albert's war experiences were related the Isthmus, and now is putting the the Panama Canal organization in in a feature in the September 1959 issue finishing touches on a catamaran, 1951. Albert followed him to Canal of True magazine. which is just about ready to be put into employment the next year. Both worked for the Farrell Lines for the water. They were born in Dorchester, Mass., and grew up in Mexico, Texas, and Massachusetts. They attended the Mas- sachusetts Nautical School, and while on the school ship took pity on their puzzled classmates and were tattooed "for easier identification." The work was done at Norfolk, Va., by Artist Coleman, who is represented in the maritime museum exhibit at Newport News. The announcement of their tattooing was greeted with huzzahs by their shipmates who never knew whether they were talking to Albert or Arthur. But the tattooes were of no use for identifiying the twins—Albert and Arthur had iden- tical nautical tattooes on identical arms. The two brothers ser\'ed as able sea- men on the same ship, but their sub- sequent promotions ran close together and prevented them from later serving together. During World War II they were on different ships in the same convoy. Arthur's ship was torpedoed one day. Albert's went down the next. One was picked up by a rescue ship; the other GUESS WHO? TATTOOS ARE NO HELP in identifying identical twin Panama Canal Pilots Albert L. Wilder and Arthur T. Wilder. Each has the same tattoo in the same place by a tanker. Both met again in a Russian on the same arm. That's Capt. Albert Wilder on the left and Capt. Arthur Wilder, right. camp in the timber town of Archangel. Or is it the other way around? This is a photo of the twins when they were in Nautical School. The Panama Canal Review RANCHING IS BIG BUSINESS ON TREMENDOUS MOTTA SPREAD IN SOUTHEASTERN Chiriqui Prov- ince, where the green hills roll gently toward the Pacific Ocean, the vast Motta Ranch spreads over 22,000 acres of the best cattle land in the Republic of Panama. If it has to do with making good beef, sou'll find it here. There is a breeding herd, thousands of fat steers, a national grand champion bull and a champion yearling, a scientific program of expe- rimental crossbreeding, and none of the "scrub pasture" that manv cattle graze upon. All the land is planted in cultivat- ed grasses, of several varieties, and over the landscape there are 13,000 of the finest cattle in the Republic of Panama. Owners of the ranch-a $2,500,000 in\estment—are the Motta brothers: Jorge, Felipe, Roberto, Alberto, and Arturo. They also have various other business interests in Panama. They have owned the ranch for 17 years, constant- ly improving the land, equipment, build- ings and introducing the latest features of good management. Running a ranch of this size isn't easy. The movie image of cowbovs and vil- lians, fair maidens in distress, and the hero sitting around the campfire play- ing a guitar in the evening may be good A vaquero on the Tole section of the Sintta Hanch.