Photo of the Week

This week's photo is by far one of the best I have come across in a long time!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw it. This is a picture of the brand new town of Gamboa. There is no date on the photo. I have provided a larger view of this photo for those that would like to study it better. (Click Here for Larger View).

Highlights of this photo are:

1. At the bottom of the photo you can see the gravel railroad cars from the Gamboa river rock pit. This is where Ole 299 used to work before being moved to Balboa as a display.

   2. The Club House, Gym, Theater and Commissary can be seen down in the main part of town. The pool hasn't been built yet. I am not sure what the building is across from the Club House. The roof of the school can be seen behind Building 100.

   3. Building 100 (Bachelor Quarters) is seen in almost in the middle of the photo, but Building 102 the other Bachelor Quarters that stood next to Building 100 isn't there yet. It must have been built much later. I lived in the little cottage (103) at the end of the street and to the right of Building 100 until I left Panama. Building 102 was torn down in 1994 because it was so badly eaten up with termites. Building 100 was all shot up during "Operation Just Cause" as it was the Panama Defense Forces - Forest Unit barracks. When I left in 1996, the building was still standing with all the bullet holes and other battle damage.

   4. The way this photo was taken made the terrain look almost flat throughout, but of course, it isn't. It just looks a little strange.

I am sure all you Gambodians will really love this photo!!

I can't read the name of the ship in transit, but is a large passenger liner for the era. The actual photo is 14" X 11" and a real classic....

Lance Terrell submitted the following comments in regards to the ship:

In regard to your photo of "Young Gamboa" on your CZ Images page, the ship in question in the Canal is one of the passenger liners of the Canadian Pacific Lines, which at the time was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway of Canada. Canadian Pacific named all of its liners beginning with "Empress of ...", such as Empress of Britain, Empress of Japan, Empress of Canada, Empress of Australia, Empress of Scotland, etc. Although the name of the liner in the photo cannot be read, it is probable that it is the Empress of Britain (built 1931), which transited the Canal just before World War 2 and which was later severely damaged by aerial bombing by the Germans on 26 October 1940, some 70 miles northwest of Ireland. While being towed to Britain after the attack, the damaged liner was again attacked, this time by a German U-boat, which sunk her with two torpedoes. The Empress of Britain was the largest Allied merchant ship lost by enemy action during World War 2.