CHAPTER 5: IC - At Sea > NYC to Panama

[Job]

Morning, Tuesday, September 19, 1933

The lush green shores of Panama close in on either side of the Gabrielle, studded here and there with buildings and gray fortifications. The city of Colón, where the Canal enters the Caribbean Sea, seems small and sleepy at the edge of the jungle. Fishing boats float in the waters of the bay, and the grim guns and walls of the forts on either side seem out of place.


Pictured above, the breakwater near the entrance to the Panama Canal, near Colón


Pictured above, Fort Portobelo near Colón


[sup]2[/sup]Above, a bird's eye map of the Panama Canal, with Colón on the left
Direct link to canal map to view greater detail

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Job. (the tortured one)

[sup]2[/sup]Copyright National Geographic Society

[Mr. Handy]

As the Gabrielle waits for her turn to enter the Panama Canal, Katie Wright flies her Lockheed Vega out from shore over the line of ships at a low altitude. When she passes the Gabrielle, she executes an Immelmann turn and comes out of it facing towards Colon. She waggles her wings as she passes back over the Gabrielle to attract attention and then pulls into a steep climb, testing the limits of both the aircraft and her body. Though she is highly skilled, she finds the maneuver a little difficult.

[Mr. Handy]

As Katie reaches the top of her climb, she pushes the plane just a little too hard and the engine briefly stalls. However, she expertly restarts it and levels off with barely a hiccup. Waggling her wings again, she heads back towards Colon. From there she plans to fly back to Panama City and rendezvous with the Gabrielle when she docks.

[BenTheRat]

Knowing we are going to dock soon, Martin finishes up a fascinating story on life at sea aboard a ship heading for adventure.

Upon docking he will find a place to ship the pictures and story to the National Geographic.

[Job]

As the Gabrielle waits for her turn to enter the Panama Canal, Katie Wright flies her Lockheed Vega out from shore over the line of ships at a low altitude. When she passes the Gabrielle, she executes an Immelmann turn and comes out of it facing towards Colon. She waggles her wings as she passes back over the Gabrielle to attract attention and then pulls into a steep climb, testing the limits of both the aircraft and her body. Though she is highly skilled, she finds the maneuver a little difficult.

From the bridge of the Gabrielle, Captain Vredenburgh shouted "Come look at this!" down the stairwell that led to the owner's suite where Starkweather and Moore were working. Henry Vredenburgh saw that an oncoming aircraft was flying too low and was headed directly for the Gabrielle.

The aircraft roared right over the flying bridge of the Gabrielle, causing many crew members who were on deck to duck and point. Even Captain Vredenburgh ducked reflexively, although he could tell by the attitude of the craft that it would miss the ship's superstructure--but not by much!

James Starkweather and William Moore were rushing up the stairs as it went overhead, and James shouted, "Bloody hell! What in blazes is going on?"

The three men bolted outside through the door to the bridge's deck to watch the plane fly a quarter mile straight away from the ship, then pull skyward and loop directly back towards the Gabrielle, ending this manuever while flying upside down. The pilot then executed a quick flip to right the aircraft.

"A perfect Immelman," whispered Starkweather.

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Job (the tortured one)

[Job]

As Katie reaches the top of her climb, she pushes the plane just a little too hard and the engine briefly stalls. However, she expertly restarts it and levels off with barely a hiccup. Waggling her wings again, she heads back towards Colon. From there she plans to fly back to Panama City and rendezvous with the Gabrielle when she docks.

As the three officers looked on in astonishment, the pilot once again buzzed past the Gabrielle with a wave of the wings.

"Showing off..." muttered Captain Vredenburgh.

"Yes, absolutely," remarked Professor Moore.

"Splendidly." commented James Starkweather

The pilot then pulled the aircraft upwards once again, but rather than performing another loop, the individual directed the craft straight upwards towards the clouds until the onlookers saw it reach its peak--when they suddenly heard the engine quit.

"Oh..." said Moore as he watched the tiny silhouette of the plane, high above, flip and begin falling back towards the water. A moment later, they heard the pilot successfully restart the engine and watched the craft pull out of the dive and zoom off towards land.

"Remarkable," said Starkweather, "I wonder what the devil that was all about."

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

watkins will open the door and investigate further. "Excuse me Sirs, but i heard shouting. Being the doctor nearby, i felt it imperative to investigate, discovering the shout originated from here. Is everything as it should be?"

As Wade opened the door, the conversation in the room abruptly stopped and he saw half a dozen heads swivel to face him, including those of James Starkweather and William Moore.

After a moment, recognition crossed James Starkweather's face, and he smiled and stood and said, "Ah, Doctor Watkins! Everything is fine, my good man. I suppose that we were getting a bit over-enthusiastic about our expedition?" He extended his right arm towards you in a welcoming fashion and said, "Come in, come in. Moore and I have actually been meaning to talk to you about your First Aid class. First rate work there, I must say!"

The tension in the room eased. William Moore offered you an empty chair and asked the steward to get you coffee, eggs, and a sweet roll. The men all welcomed you to their breakfast and warmed to lively conversation about expanding the objectives of your class.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

Knowing we are going to dock soon, Martin finishes up a fascinating story on life at sea aboard a ship heading for adventure.

Upon docking he will find a place to ship the pictures and story to the National Geographic.

Professor Moore plans to dock the Gabrielle for resupplying when you reach Balboa on the morrow.

The Professor announces to the crew (and writes it on the chalkboard in the ship's mess) that all classes are cancelled while the ship is travelling through the canal. He said that he believed it important to allow the team a bit of liberty before the long journey to Australia. Classes will resume once the SS Gabrielle leaves Panama and begins the trip across the Pacific to Melbourne, Australia.

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Job.

[Job]

Captain Vredenburgh holds the vessel offshore for most of an hour inside the breakwater in the still depths of Colon Bay, as the Canal pilot is brought aboard in a small customs launch flying the American flag. The pilot, a tall black-skinned Jamaican in his thirties named Quentin, inspects the ships documents with First Officer Turlow and then proceeds to the bridge, where he remains with Captain Vredenburgh throughout the crossing.

Passing through the Gatun Locks takes almost an hour. The ship's engines idle, and off-duty crewmen lounge on the rail, watching as the gargantuan water gates approach. There are two sets of these, each set one hundred and fifty feet wide, looming seventy feet above the water. A long wharf thrusts out between them hundreds of feet into the channel, decorated along its length with rails and overhead power lines for the squat electric "mule engines" used to pull vessels through the locks. Small stout tugs urge the ship into the gaping steel mouth, then the gates close, and there are shouts from the crew; lines are tossed to men on the pier.




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Job. (the tortured one)

[royya]

Impressive, a nice maneuvers indeed.
Remarks Father Paul Rucker as he joins the viewers on the deck as he prepares himself to the Morning Prayer before breakfast begins.
Rucker will be on deck, to watch the pass of the gates. It is a once in a life time for him to be on a ship that passes that Panama Canal.

[Anatomist]

Øyvind standing near Father Paul with one of his dogs in a leash nods with his head. 'Impressive indeed, think on the effort to make this thing in this heat and humidity. 'Im starting to miss the cold and dry weather' 'my dogs are quite affected by it' 'you know if this crossing take much time?'

[Job]

'Im starting to miss the cold and dry weather' 'my dogs are quite affected by it' 'you know if this crossing take much time?'

The trip through the Panama Canal is expected to take the better part of a day.

Passing through the Gatun Locks near Colón takes almost an hour. Great tow cables are secured to a squat, powerful-looking red locomotive waiting to one side of the deep concrete channel. When the inner gates open and the water of the lake swirls by, the locomotive thrums and roars and surges forward along steep crooked tracks, holding the SS Gabrielle steady against the current and drawing her along. When the gates close behind, the engine rests, only to surge forward again when the water has risen and the next set of doors opens.

It takes fifteen minutes to raise the ship thirty feet above the level of the sea before she can slide forward a thousand feet into the next basin of the lock. The doors behind her close, and the water rises again. The process is repeated three times before the Gabrielle completes its journey through the Gatun Locks and is released with a whistle into Lake Gatun.


Pictured above is a nearby ship, just ahead of the Gabrielle, being towed by electric mules and ready to be raised up through the last lock into Lake Gatun
Here is a link to our map showing the path of the Gabrielle through the Gatun Locks. I recommend that you open the map and zoom in to examine the canal. You will be able to see detailed images of cargo ships that are passing through.

Once out of the locks, the Gabrielle begins its peaceful trip across Gatun Lake. The Gatun dam and spillway can be seen, as well as heard, far off to the right.


A day's slow measured progress follows through the lake's still waters, surrounded by thick jungles, passing other ocean-going giants headed in the opposite direction for the Atlantic. Brightly coloured birds flash in the dense foliage, alligators sun themselves in great numbers on the shore, and the heavy sweet smell of decaying plants is strong in the fitful breeze. Signs of man are few: here the thin tall tower of a radio transmitter, there the fort-like clearing of the Canal Zone Penitentiary.

There is a brief torrential downpour late in the afternoon, causing all the explorers out on deck to scramble inside, but the rain lasts for only twenty minutes and the skies clear quickly.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

At last the Culebra Cut comes into view, a huge deep slice carved through surrounding hills. These hills mark the continental divide. The rough-cut rocky walls ghost past for miles, festooned with vines and clinging shrubs, seemingly inches away on either side.





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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

As the edge of the Cut nears, the ship enters another set of locks.



This time, she descends once, crosses Miraflores lake, only a mile end to end, and is lowered again through the final two locks toward the sea. Roads and houses are visible in increasing numbers. Pleasure craft dot the edges of the expanse of water, and black-haired children wave at the Gabrielle as she passes. The jungle is cut back, replaced by stretches of green open lawn and careful swaths of brilliant flowers. When the ship moves at last out of the channel and slips into Balboa Bay, investigators on the upper decks catch glimpses of the curve of Panama City to the south and the dark restless expanse of the Pacific beyond.

Pictured above, Panama's port town of Balboa. C.Z. = Canal Zone
Here is a link to our map showing the path of the Gabrielle through the Panama Canal into Balboa. I recommend that you open the map and zoom in to examine the canal. You will be able to see detailed images of cargo ships that are passing through the canal and also the Balboa docks.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

Early Evening, Tuesday, September 19, 1933

The Gabrielle anchors for the night in Balboa Bay. The lights of the millitary reservation and the town beyond glimmer brightly over the water, red tiled roofs surrounded by careful lawns and trees. Panama City is much larger than Colón.


A number of small ferry craft come alongside during the evening, with fresh fruit and fresh water, and a few luxuries for sale. Those who wish can purchase souvenirs, cigars, candy, clothing, and a few other items from the grinning locals.


Anyone who doesn'’t wish to spend the night and next day aboard can take a short train ride into Panama City, but James Starkweather warns the team that he is eager to move out on the morning of September twenty-first. "Be back tomorrow evening because we leave at first light on Thursday morning, with or without you. I will not wait for any lollygaggers!"

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

Katie waits on the Balboa docks as the Gabrielle comes into port. She still wears her flight suit and leather flying helmet, as she wants it to be obvious that she is a pilot, but not so obvious that she is female until she is close enough to talk to Starkweather. She keeps an eye out for boats bringing anyone ashore from the Gabrielle, looking especially for familiar faces. She has seen several of the expedition members in newspaper photographs, and she knows Douglas Halperin personally as well.
.

[royya]

Øyvind standing near Father Paul with one of his dogs in a leash nods with his head. 'Impressive indeed, think on the effort to make this thing in this heat and humidity. 'Im starting to miss the cold and dry weather' 'my dogs are quite affected by it' 'you know if this crossing take much time?'

Hello to you, I have not introduced myself proper to you as there are many who joined the expedition. My name is Paul James Rucker and I'm a scientist and a priest.
The father extends his hand forward to shake Øyvind's hand and pets one of the dogs.
Look at the area around you, and the jungles that controls the area around here.
Rucker says as he leans forward on the rail.
Imagine the wildlife that denizens the area.
.

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Upon reaching to Balboa, Father Rucker intends to disembark and feel the ground. His intentions are to travel for a one day trip to Panama city, taste the local food and to visit a nearby chapel or a church for impression. Maybe there is a chance to visit a local museum or a market where the wildlife of the area is exhibited. Whoever wants to join him is more than welcome.

[Anatomist]

Øyvind standing near Father Paul with one of his dogs in a leash nods with his head. 'Impressive indeed, think on the effort to make this thing in this heat and humidity. 'Im starting to miss the cold and dry weather' 'my dogs are quite affected by it' 'you know if this crossing take much time?'

Hello to you, I have not introduced myself proper to you as there are many who joined the expedition. My name is Paul James Rucker and I'm a scientist and a priest.
The father extends his hand forward to shake Øyvind's hand and pets one of the dogs.
Look at the area around you, and the jungles that controls the area around here.
Rucker says as he leans forward on the rail.
Imagine the wildlife that denizens the area.

'Hello hello father' 'carefull with the dogs they arent pets' 'this one is quite calm, but the others might bite your hand of if you try to pet them' 'these are work dogs and are quite jealous on who touches them' 'its not for no reason we where whips'

Øyvind will use the time the Gabrielle is docked to air his dogs and take long walks with them four and four, trying to avoid the dock crowds but staying on some road.
.

[BenTheRat]

Martin stands on the deck taking pictures of the canal and the surrounding countryside. A new story already forming in his head.
.

[Job]

Katie waits on the Balboa docks as the Gabrielle comes into port. She still wears her flight suit and leather flying helmet, as she wants it to be obvious that she is a pilot, but not so obvious that she is female until she is close enough to talk to Starkweather. She keeps an eye out for boats bringing anyone ashore from the Gabrielle, looking especially for familiar faces. She has seen several of the expedition members in newspaper photographs, and she knows Douglas Halperin personally as well.

A ferry makes its way to the Gabrielle shortly after it drops anchor in the bay. Some of the crew board it to go to town, those who Professor Moore calls "non-essential personnel".


Upon its return to the dock, Katie sees Douglas Halperin get off, joking with a heavyset, mustachioed teammate.


Above, Douglas Halperin


Douglas' teammate

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Job. (the tortured one)