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Show Biiaiiicsiiri isssiiim$Hi , ESI 'r THE NE.W ADMINISTRATION BUILDING HAVING acquired a narrow strip of land through foreign territory terri-tory and built therein the great Panama canal, Uncle Bam quite naturally felt that, as the work neared completion, there also should be a capital city from which the strip could be governed and the canal mnnaged. Therefore he built Balboa. Balboa is the permanent town at the southern end of the canal, is the seat of government, the residence of the governor and the headquarters of canal ca-nal construction and management. In short, it is to the Canal Zone what Washington is to the United States. Balboa was named in honor of Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who, "silent, upon a peak in Darien," first saw the distant dis-tant waters of the Pacific ocean and thus became known to history as its discoverer, writes II. H. Updegraff, in the St. Louis Republic. The town of Balboa is not the first village that Uncle Sam has built along the route of the canal. It probably will be the last, however. But, uulike these others, which were no more than wooden construction camps, Balboa is permanent In character. It is to last as long as the canal, which, indeed, is as long as time itself. There is another an-other difference between this new town, this capital of the Canal Zone, and the other canal villages, and that is that much more money has been and is being spent to make it the most attractive place of residence on the entire isthmus. In fact, it Is Uncle Sam's model town. An American Community. Notwithstanding its wholly unamer-can unamer-can name, Balboa is a thoroughly rVmerican community. Its Inhabitants are all American, for it was built with the intention of giving the American canal workers and operatives an ideal spot In which to have their homes, in which to rear their children under proper American surroundings, and where it would be possible To have a wholesome American atmosphere. The only foreigners who are part of the life in Balboa are the West Indian negro servants, most of whom, however, live elsewhere. While Balboa is wholly American, it is yet quite unlike any American city or town of its size "back home" in the states. It has absolutely no political atmosphere. It is difficult to conceive an American town, no matter how small, that has no mayor, no city council, coun-cil, no political boss and hence no politics. Balboa has none of these. The Canal Zone is prohibiton territory terri-tory and, therefore, Balboa has not a single snloon within its limits. In this respect it also is different from a majority ma-jority of the cities and towns "back home." The "poor man's club" is wholly unknown, not only because there are no poor men on the Canal Zone, but also because they are prohibited. pro-hibited. The occasional tippler must either maintain his own private little bar In his own home or journey to the neighboring city of Panama, where the "cantinas" are both numerous and well stocked and where everything is wide open and the bars never close. In place of the "poor man's club" )f the cities "back home" there Is the spacious building of the Young Men's Christian association which fills all the leeds of club for the men, meeting place for the women's societies and playhouse for the children. A separate, as well as general, room or rooms is reserved for each. Not far away is the 25-acre athletic field which is now under construction with a lavislmess and detail such as no politically self-governpd self-governpd city in the United States can boast of. It was all done without expense ex-pense to the population for there are no taxes to be paid in this model town of Uncle Sam's. Site Was Once a Swamp. The site of Balboa, between Ancon and Sosu hills, originally was a swamp jvhich was filled in. It was chosen he-cause he-cause of its proximity to the huge machine ma-chine shops and other canal activities at the southern end of the waterway. It also was chosen because it would be near the capital city. Panama, of the Republic of Panama and would, therefore, place the two capitals into quick communication. This was necessary neces-sary because of the varied interela-tinnsbip interela-tinnsbip netween the two countries due ta the building and operation of the 'p.naina canal. Only a small portion, however, is built on the former swamp and this is made up of what might be termed the civic center. On Ancon hill, behind be-hind the handsome new administration building, is really the best and prettiest pret-tiest section. Here are the official residences resi-dences clustered about the governor's house around which the social life of the community in time to come will revolve. re-volve. Across the former swamp toward to-ward the west in Sosa hill on which many of the new concrete two and four-family houses have been built. At the foot of Sosa hill and facing the administration ad-ministration building are the huge T. M. C. A., the new commissary and its companion refrigerating plant. When the town was planned it was the intention to so construct the Buildings Build-ings that all would harmonize in architecture. archi-tecture. This has been carried out with so rigid a resolve that perhaps the uniformity in a measure spoils the effect of the whole. There is nothing noth-ing along the Prado, for instance, to relieve re-lieve the eye of the sameness of the eight concrete houses that face the central parkway. They are all alike, in design, in size and interior furnishing. furnish-ing. They were cast in the same concrete con-crete mold. There is a stilted formality formal-ity about them that jars, but which undoubtedly prevents the jealousy which would be aroused were there a possibility of choice. Balboa Heights Attractive. The town of Balboa is virtually divided di-vided into four sections. East of the new administration building, which naturally dominates the business life of the town, on the sloping side of Ancon An-con hill, is the official residence quarter. quar-ter. This section is frequently referred to as Balboa Heights. It is here that the real beauty of the village is to be seen. In time, no doubt when nature has completed Its work, the other sections sec-tions will equaV and, perhaps, surpass it In attractiveness. Its present advantages ad-vantages are due to having been planned and constructed first and its natural advantages regarding location. South of Balboa Heights is another flat hilltop which ilas In recent months become known as Quarry Heights, or sometimes Military Heights. The latter lat-ter is used because it is the site of the large and handsome home of the commanding general of the United States troops and his staff officers. Farther south still is the permanent camp of the provost guard or military police. At the foot of the hill on which the new administration building stands, and also near the bottom of the hill on which Is the governor's house, which overlooks the tract, there is a large flat bottom land that, too, formerly was a huge swamp. It comprises about 1,000 acres and was filled in by the spoil from the dredges excavating the inner harbor of Balboa. The salt water has killed all .the vegetation, which, however, how-ever, was neither plentiful nor valuable. valu-able. A top dressing of rich soil will eventually be given this tract and then it will grow anything. When mouey is available it is planned to transform this bottom land into a large, handsome hand-some park. Between Ancon hill nnd Sosa hill is Balboa Flats, so called from the fact that it was built on the only level part of the new town. A part of the flats, however, is on the slope of Sosa hill and overlooks the Prado and flats proper from the west. The central feature fea-ture of the flats is the Prado, which forms a wide double roadway down the center. Ou It are the commissary, tlie Y. M. C. A., the dispensary, Are and police stations and the high school. Also there are eight four-family houses. A large part of the flats is to be utilized util-ized for the magnificent new athletic field now under construction. Why Orchestras Tune Up. "Why." asked a visitor to the theater the-ater the other day. "do members of the orchestra always worry people possessing nerves, like myself, by tuning tun-ing up their instruments?" It Is nil a matter of thermometer, according to a musician. The temperature tem-perature in different parts of the building is different and the Instruments Instru-ments have to be tuned in which they are played. As a rule, the air in a theater becomes warmer as the performance per-formance progresses and so the instruments in-struments have to be mned several times. |