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April 27, 2000 - A man, a plan, a return to Panama6A • The Suffolk Times • April 27, 2000 A man, a plan, There's a chance we might be taking a trip through the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and then up to California. With this in mind I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at my writings over 50 years ago when I was in the service. At that time 1 recorded my passage through the canal on board an FS 255 that eventu- ally wound up being sunk in the inva- sion of the Philippines So Focus travel with me as ON verbatim relate that trip verbatim down NATURE along the East by Paul Coast and even - Stoutenburgh tually through the canal. I wasn't long out of high school at the time and the world was at war. Here are a few pages out of my old journal, 1944. THESE DAYS OF LEISURE sailing when troubles are a thing of the past will never be forgotten. Sunsets in which everyone from the captain down to the lowest mess boy had to stop work and look. When it was all over and the stars began to appear it would be time for "bull sessions." These talks were never heard except at this time. Even the sailors' harsh lingo was left out as the topics of wives, sweethearts, home politics, experiences, etc., unrolled. These ses- sions always brought out the real per- son. There were no false faces here and sincerity was the password. Then aft r hours of such sessions, which so=imes ran into the small hours of the morn, the cots were bro- ken out for sleep. Some of the fellas thought they had to be real sailors so they brought hammocks with them. But the majority had the old standby GI Army cots and I can assure you unless I became too involved in the stars, I woul be asleep in no time. It always cam-also easy out on deck as if the air was drugged by some rare sleeping potion. I can't remember the number of days it took us to reach Panama for there was no major excitement along OlbiMUTORS OF .S /s�lft��ili� u�veca•a •� waraoMo Thermo Pride' 'e� Photo courtesy of Vantage World Travel No matter whether 56 years ago or today, the great gates of the Panama Canal locks open and close to lift the ships of the world between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. the way. Instead of an occasional palm tree as we had seen in Key West there was literally now a forest of them. Then under these tall, slender giants was a mammoth lawn of tan- gled and twisted jungle. Here any size, shape and shadow of green was to be found. To enter some of these matted areas would have proved dif- ficult for even a snake, no less a hu- man. Again my mind runs back to previous readings of the early Spaniards when they hauled their looted cargo from the Pacific to the Atlantic. They were not only ha- rassed by tribes of bandits but had to make their way through this green hell. And hell it must have been be- fore the mosquito of death was con- trolled. Now as we drop the hook in the outer Bay of Colon we were fairly sure we would not be pestered by mosquitoes. But since this game of life requires draw- ing low cards, one never knows. [Later in New Guinea I contracted malaria.] Now as in every port I made my way to the bridge to get hold of the glasses. Usually there'd be someone using them so you just pestered the person with questions until he be- came disgusted and handed them over. Every inlet was searched. Ships would be given a thorough going over and native canoes would receive special attention. But now my eyes came in contact with what looked like a big canal. This proved to be the entrance of the Old French Canal. It was started and restarted many years ago but now lay idle, a few miles of useless waterway. What hardships and heart- breaks went into those idle waters. How many millions went into its construction, to say noth- ing of the thousands of lives lost, but it was a failure. Utterly and com- pletely. Now as the pilot boat made its way out we broke out the lines that had been lashed for sea and prepared to moor ship. Under way to the pier I remembered seeing the white range markers up on the hills that were to lead us in later through the Panama Canal. Liberty in this town I'll never `How many millions went into its construction, to say nothing of the thousands of lives lost, but it was a failure. Utterly and completely.' AGLRLGS RJEtLO C"T "ON .,,LM BURNERS ,.r.io aw.0 taouw... Now is the ideal time to upgrade your old, inefficient boiler, furnace or hot water heater. Call today for a free estimate. !, sUPERSter Indirect, Oil Fired and Storage Water Heaters 0BtaTrth vii r J forget. It was here that I saw for the first time in my life the "red light dis- trict." I'd often read books with refer- ence to such and I've heard fellas talk as only sailors can of such but now I was actually seeing it. This was only a small section and later in Panama City I was to see a larger district. A few steps brought you into the modern, such as it was, shopping dis- trict. Here were plain sidewalks and streets and cars buzzing about with men and women at their daily work. There was always a beer joint at hand, which in this hot climate was doing quite well. As you made your way out of town the shops became more and more shabby. Souvenir shops were everywhere. We made the rounds and I picked up a few trinkets to send home. Sluggish natives were everywhere and the Americans soon thinned out the further we went out of town. Now the shops were for the native popula- tion only. Big two -story apartment houses took the place of the stores and bars; probably 20 to 30 families lived in these. At least that's what it sounded like. What with the mixed cries of children, the beilows of an outraged parent and the occasional twang of a guitar, all added to make this a truly native district. A heavy downpour found us taking shelter under one of these structures and with the rain came the birds, what kind I'll never know, but I do know they came by the hundreds, thousands and perhaps millions. They literally dropped out of the sky into the nearby trees. You could actually see the tree sway or sink as the flock settled upon them. Just when you thought the tree could take no more, another flock would descend. Where they found footing you couldn't tell for it was now dark. I guess they came in to roost. As the rain eased we took off in search of some entertainment. A small nightclub afforded this, "The Native Club." What I remembered most of this place was not the drinks or the Spanish waitresses but the three -piece band with no music what- soever before them that turned out song after song. Bass fiddle, guitar and piano were never played so well. We stayed just listening until an MP reminded us of the curfew. We left in high spirits. Songs, etc., accompanied us to the ship h la vocal. Next week we'll continue our pas- sage through the Panama Canal taken from the pages of my old service log of the 1940s. BIRTHS SHERMAN —On March 31, 2000, at University Hospital at Stony Brook, to Brian and Gina Sherman of Shelter Island, a daughter, Isabella Danielle. SMITH —On March 29, 2000, at NYU Medical Center, to Andrew and Jennifer (Moore) Smith of Orient and New York City, a son, Nathaniel Raynor. 6A The Suffolk Times • April 27, 2000 A man, a plan a return to There's a chance we might be taking a trip through the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and then up to California. With this in mind I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at my writings over 50 years ago when 1 was in the service. At that time 1 recorded my passage through the canal on board an FS 255 that eventu- ally wound up being sunk in the inva- sion of the Philippines. So Focus travel with me as ON I relate that trip verbatim down NATURE along the East by Paul Coast and even - Stoutenburgh tually through the canal. 1 wasn't long out of high school at the time and the world was at war. Here are a few pages out of my anam Photo courtesy of Vantage World Travel No matter whether 56 years ago or today, the great gates of the Panama Canal locks open and close to lift the ships of the world between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 1MSE DAYS OF LEISURE sailing when troubles are a thing of the past will never be forgotten. Sunsets in which everyone from the captain down to the lowest mess boy had to stop work and look. When it was all over and the stars began to appear it would be time for "bull sessions." These talks were never heard except at this time. Even the sailors' harsh lingo was left out as the topics of wives, sweethearts, home politics, experiences, etc., unrolledAbese ses- sions always brought out the real per son. There were no false faces here and sincerity was the Dassword. Then aft r hours of such session , which so=imes ran into the small hours of the morn, the cots were bro- ken out for sleep. Some of the fellas thought they had to be real sailors so they brought hammocks with them. But the majority had the old standby GI Army cots and I can assure you unless I became too involved in the stars, I woul� be asleep in no time. It always came so easy out on deck as if the air was drugged by some rare sleeping potion. I can't remember the number of days it took us to reach Panama for there was no major excitement along the way. Instead of an occasional palm tree as we had seen in Key West there was literally now a forest of them. Then under these tall, slender giants was a mammoth lawn of tan- gled and twisted jungle. Here any size, shape and shadow of green was to be found. To enter some of these matted areas would have proved dif- ficult for even a snake, no less a hu- man. Again my mind runs back to previous readings of the early Spaniards when they hauled `How many their looted cargo from the Pacific to went into it the Atlantic. They constructiol were not only ha- nothing of rassed by tribes of g t bandits but had to thousands( make their way lost, but it 1 through this green hell. And hell it failure. Utte must have been be- completely.' fore the mosquito of death was con- trolled. Now as we drop the hook in the outer Bay of Colon we were fairly sure we would not be pestered by mosquitoes. But since this game of life requires draw- ing low cards, one never knows. [Later in New Guinea I contracted malaria.] Now as in every port I made my way to the bridge to get hold of the glasses. Usually there'd be someone using them so you just pestered the person with questions until he be- di and handed them over. Every inlet was searched. Ships would be given a thorough going over and native canoes would receive special attention. But now my eyes came in contact with what oked like a big canal. wmn,=� This proved to be the entrance of the Old millions French Canal. It was started and restarted many years ago but now it to say lay idle, a few miles of 1e useless waterway. What hardships and heart - f lives breaks went into those ►as a idle waters. How many �I and millions went into its y construction, to say noth- ing of the thousands of lives lost, but it was a failure. Utterly and com- pletely. Now as the pilot boat made its way out we broke out the lines that had been lashed for sea and prepared to moor ship. Under way to the pier I remembered seeing the white range markers up on the hills that were to lead us in later through the Panama Canal. Liberty in this town I'll never forget. It was here that I saw for the first time in my life the "red light dis- trict." I'd often read books with refer- ence to such and I've heard fellas talk as only sailors can of such but now I was actually seeing it. This was only a small section and later in Panama City I was to see a larger district. A few steps brought you into the modern, such as it was, shopping dis- trict. Here were plain sidewalks and streets and cars buzzing about with men and women at their daily work. There was always a beer joint at hand, which in this hot climate was doing quite well. As you made your way out of town the shops became more and more shabby. Souvenir shops were everywhere. We made the rounds and I picked up a few trinkets to send home. Sluggish natives were everywhere and the Americans soon thinned out the further we went out of town. No the shops were for the native popula- tion only. Big two -story apartment houses took the place of the stores and bars; probably 20 to 30 families lived in these. At least that's what it sounded like. What with the mixed cries of children, the bellows of an outraged parent and the occasional twang of a guitar, all added to make this a truly native district. A heavy downpour found us taking shelter under one of these structures and with the rain came the birds, what kind I'll never know, but I do know they came by the hundreds, thousands and perhaps millions. They literally dropped out of the sky into the nearby trees. You could actually see the tree sway or sink as the flock settled upon them. Just when you thought the tree could take no more, another flock would descend. Where they found footing you couldn't tell for it was now dark. I guess they came in to roost. As the rain eased we took off in search of some entertainment. A small nightclub afforded this, "The Native Club." What I remembered most of this place was not the drinks or the Spanish waitresses but the three -piece band with no music what- soever before them that turned out song after song. Bass fiddle, guitar and piano were never played so well. We stayed just listening until an MP reminded us of the curfew. We left in high spirits. Songs, etc., accompanied us to the ship A la vocal. Next week we'll continue our pas- sage through the Panama Canal take from the pages of my old service log )f the 1940s 6A The Suffolk Times • April 27, 2000 A man, a plan a return to There's a chance we might be taking a trip through the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and then up to California. With this in mind I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at my writings over 50 years ago when 1 was in the service. At that time 1 recorded my passage through the canal on board an FS 255 that eventu- ally wound up being sunk in the inva- sion of the Philippines. So Focus travel with me as ON I relate that trip verbatim down NATURE along the East by Paul Coast and even - Stoutenburgh tually through the canal. 1 wasn't long out of high school at the time and the world was at war. Here are a few pages out of my anam Photo courtesy of Vantage World Travel No matter whether 56 years ago or today, the great gates of the Panama Canal locks open and close to lift the ships of the world between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 1MSE DAYS OF LEISURE sailing when troubles are a thing of the past will never be forgotten. Sunsets in which everyone from the captain down to the lowest mess boy had to stop work and look. When it was all over and the stars began to appear it would be time for "bull sessions." These talks were never heard except at this time. Even the sailors' harsh lingo was left out as the topics of wives, sweethearts, home politics, experiences, etc., unrolledAbese ses- sions always brought out the real per son. There were no false faces here and sincerity was the Dassword. Then aft r hours of such session , which so=imes ran into the small hours of the morn, the cots were bro- ken out for sleep. Some of the fellas thought they had to be real sailors so they brought hammocks with them. But the majority had the old standby GI Army cots and I can assure you unless I became too involved in the stars, I woul� be asleep in no time. It always came so easy out on deck as if the air was drugged by some rare sleeping potion. I can't remember the number of days it took us to reach Panama for there was no major excitement along the way. Instead of an occasional palm tree as we had seen in Key West there was literally now a forest of them. Then under these tall, slender giants was a mammoth lawn of tan- gled and twisted jungle. Here any size, shape and shadow of green was to be found. To enter some of these matted areas would have proved dif- ficult for even a snake, no less a hu- man. Again my mind runs back to previous readings of the early Spaniards when they hauled `How many their looted cargo from the Pacific to went into it the Atlantic. They constructiol were not only ha- nothing of rassed by tribes of g t bandits but had to thousands( make their way lost, but it 1 through this green hell. And hell it failure. Utte must have been be- completely.' fore the mosquito of death was con- trolled. Now as we drop the hook in the outer Bay of Colon we were fairly sure we would not be pestered by mosquitoes. But since this game of life requires draw- ing low cards, one never knows. [Later in New Guinea I contracted malaria.] Now as in every port I made my way to the bridge to get hold of the glasses. Usually there'd be someone using them so you just pestered the person with questions until he be- di and handed them over. Every inlet was searched. Ships would be given a thorough going over and native canoes would receive special attention. But now my eyes came in contact with what oked like a big canal. wmn,=� This proved to be the entrance of the Old millions French Canal. It was started and restarted many years ago but now it to say lay idle, a few miles of 1e useless waterway. What hardships and heart - f lives breaks went into those ►as a idle waters. How many �I and millions went into its y construction, to say noth- ing of the thousands of lives lost, but it was a failure. Utterly and com- pletely. Now as the pilot boat made its way out we broke out the lines that had been lashed for sea and prepared to moor ship. Under way to the pier I remembered seeing the white range markers up on the hills that were to lead us in later through the Panama Canal. Liberty in this town I'll never forget. It was here that I saw for the first time in my life the "red light dis- trict." I'd often read books with refer- ence to such and I've heard fellas talk as only sailors can of such but now I was actually seeing it. This was only a small section and later in Panama City I was to see a larger district. A few steps brought you into the modern, such as it was, shopping dis- trict. Here were plain sidewalks and streets and cars buzzing about with men and women at their daily work. There was always a beer joint at hand, which in this hot climate was doing quite well. As you made your way out of town the shops became more and more shabby. Souvenir shops were everywhere. We made the rounds and I picked up a few trinkets to send home. Sluggish natives were everywhere and the Americans soon thinned out the further we went out of town. No the shops were for the native popula- tion only. Big two -story apartment houses took the place of the stores and bars; probably 20 to 30 families lived in these. At least that's what it sounded like. What with the mixed cries of children, the bellows of an outraged parent and the occasional twang of a guitar, all added to make this a truly native district. A heavy downpour found us taking shelter under one of these structures and with the rain came the birds, what kind I'll never know, but I do know they came by the hundreds, thousands and perhaps millions. They literally dropped out of the sky into the nearby trees. You could actually see the tree sway or sink as the flock settled upon them. Just when you thought the tree could take no more, another flock would descend. Where they found footing you couldn't tell for it was now dark. I guess they came in to roost. As the rain eased we took off in search of some entertainment. A small nightclub afforded this, "The Native Club." What I remembered most of this place was not the drinks or the Spanish waitresses but the three -piece band with no music what- soever before them that turned out song after song. Bass fiddle, guitar and piano were never played so well. We stayed just listening until an MP reminded us of the curfew. We left in high spirits. Songs, etc., accompanied us to the ship A la vocal. Next week we'll continue our pas- sage through the Panama Canal take from the pages of my old service log )f the 1940s 6A The Suffolk Times • April 27, 2000 A man, a plan a return to There's a chance we might be taking a trip through the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and then up to California. With this in mind I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at my writings over 50 years ago when 1 was in the service. At that time 1 recorded my passage through the canal on board an FS 255 that eventu- ally wound up being sunk in the inva- sion of the Philippines. So Focus travel with me as ON I relate that trip verbatim down NATURE along the East by Paul Coast and even - Stoutenburgh tually through the canal. 1 wasn't long out of high school at the time and the world was at war. Here are a few pages out of my anam Photo courtesy of Vantage World Travel No matter whether 56 years ago or today, the great gates of the Panama Canal locks open and close to lift the ships of the world between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 1MSE DAYS OF LEISURE sailing when troubles are a thing of the past will never be forgotten. Sunsets in which everyone from the captain down to the lowest mess boy had to stop work and look. When it was all over and the stars began to appear it would be time for "bull sessions." These talks were never heard except at this time. Even the sailors' harsh lingo was left out as the topics of wives, sweethearts, home politics, experiences, etc., unrolledAbese ses- sions always brought out the real per son. There were no false faces here and sincerity was the Dassword. Then aft r hours of such session , which so=imes ran into the small hours of the morn, the cots were bro- ken out for sleep. Some of the fellas thought they had to be real sailors so they brought hammocks with them. But the majority had the old standby GI Army cots and I can assure you unless I became too involved in the stars, I woul� be asleep in no time. It always came so easy out on deck as if the air was drugged by some rare sleeping potion. I can't remember the number of days it took us to reach Panama for there was no major excitement along the way. Instead of an occasional palm tree as we had seen in Key West there was literally now a forest of them. Then under these tall, slender giants was a mammoth lawn of tan- gled and twisted jungle. Here any size, shape and shadow of green was to be found. To enter some of these matted areas would have proved dif- ficult for even a snake, no less a hu- man. Again my mind runs back to previous readings of the early Spaniards when they hauled `How many their looted cargo from the Pacific to went into it the Atlantic. They constructiol were not only ha- nothing of rassed by tribes of g t bandits but had to thousands( make their way lost, but it 1 through this green hell. And hell it failure. Utte must have been be- completely.' fore the mosquito of death was con- trolled. Now as we drop the hook in the outer Bay of Colon we were fairly sure we would not be pestered by mosquitoes. But since this game of life requires draw- ing low cards, one never knows. [Later in New Guinea I contracted malaria.] Now as in every port I made my way to the bridge to get hold of the glasses. Usually there'd be someone using them so you just pestered the person with questions until he be- di and handed them over. Every inlet was searched. Ships would be given a thorough going over and native canoes would receive special attention. But now my eyes came in contact with what oked like a big canal. wmn,=� This proved to be the entrance of the Old millions French Canal. It was started and restarted many years ago but now it to say lay idle, a few miles of 1e useless waterway. What hardships and heart - f lives breaks went into those ►as a idle waters. How many �I and millions went into its y construction, to say noth- ing of the thousands of lives lost, but it was a failure. Utterly and com- pletely. Now as the pilot boat made its way out we broke out the lines that had been lashed for sea and prepared to moor ship. Under way to the pier I remembered seeing the white range markers up on the hills that were to lead us in later through the Panama Canal. Liberty in this town I'll never forget. It was here that I saw for the first time in my life the "red light dis- trict." I'd often read books with refer- ence to such and I've heard fellas talk as only sailors can of such but now I was actually seeing it. This was only a small section and later in Panama City I was to see a larger district. A few steps brought you into the modern, such as it was, shopping dis- trict. Here were plain sidewalks and streets and cars buzzing about with men and women at their daily work. There was always a beer joint at hand, which in this hot climate was doing quite well. As you made your way out of town the shops became more and more shabby. Souvenir shops were everywhere. We made the rounds and I picked up a few trinkets to send home. Sluggish natives were everywhere and the Americans soon thinned out the further we went out of town. No the shops were for the native popula- tion only. Big two -story apartment houses took the place of the stores and bars; probably 20 to 30 families lived in these. At least that's what it sounded like. What with the mixed cries of children, the bellows of an outraged parent and the occasional twang of a guitar, all added to make this a truly native district. A heavy downpour found us taking shelter under one of these structures and with the rain came the birds, what kind I'll never know, but I do know they came by the hundreds, thousands and perhaps millions. They literally dropped out of the sky into the nearby trees. You could actually see the tree sway or sink as the flock settled upon them. Just when you thought the tree could take no more, another flock would descend. Where they found footing you couldn't tell for it was now dark. I guess they came in to roost. As the rain eased we took off in search of some entertainment. A small nightclub afforded this, "The Native Club." What I remembered most of this place was not the drinks or the Spanish waitresses but the three -piece band with no music what- soever before them that turned out song after song. Bass fiddle, guitar and piano were never played so well. We stayed just listening until an MP reminded us of the curfew. We left in high spirits. Songs, etc., accompanied us to the ship A la vocal. Next week we'll continue our pas- sage through the Panama Canal take from the pages of my old service log )f the 1940s