Page 2. 
THE BLUE BONNET 
— : THE BLUE BONNET 
A weekly publication of the ship’s com- 
pany of the U. S. S. Houston, Captain 
G. N. Barker, U.S.N., Commanding and 
Commander C. A. Bailey, U.S.N., Execu- 
tive Officer. 
Editor Lieut, (jg) E. A. McDonald 
Assistant Editor: Ensign J.P.M. Johnston 
Associate Editor: Stefan Sivak, Jr., SKlc 
Associate Editor: W. J. Bannen, Sea. lc 
Cartoonist: W. C. Ridge 
Circulation : A. M. Partridge, Flc 
- ia l - 
With all the interesting things 
happening to the ship and comple- 
ment each and every day of this cruise 
a booklet depicting the events graphi- 
cally with a log, and illustrating with 
pictures should be a treasured souven- 
ier of every hand aboard. Such a 
cruise booklet is now in the making. 
The Chief Engineer, The Chaplain, 
the Editor of this sheet have been 
appointed as a committee; they with 
the assistance of DeBri, Thompson, 
Ridge, the printers and others are 
now actively engaged in assembling 
and publishing the book. 
Some other ships have heretofore 
published cruise pamphlets which told 
of the happenings on their cruises, 
but it is being planned to far outdis- 
tance their attempts. 
These publications will be made 
available for all hands by the time 
of our return to Long Beach (Prob- 
ably a slight charge will be made to 
help with expenses involved), and if 
it is found later that the response 
merits more copies, a second edition 
will be run off. 
HE SMILED 
He Smiled - and his home was a place 
of happiness. 
He Smiled - and the children ran out 
of their way to greet him. 
He Smiled - and his co-workers in 
business worked better than in any 
other place of employment. 
He Smiled - and followed the smile 
with a brotherly handclasp; and 
those who were discouraged and 
downcast went out and took a new 
grip on life and their work. 
He Smiled - and while the years rolled 
on, he grew younger, because - HE 
SMILED. 
THE PANAMA CANAL 
Of rapturous interest to every 
young Navyman is his first trip 
through the Panama Canal or “Big 
Ditch” as it sometimes is called. Sit- 
uated in the midst of the tropics amid 
luxuriant tropical jungles, haze-filled 
valleys and high mountain peaks to- 
gether with the lazy indolent air of 
the natives, makes this monstrous 
engineering feat one of the super- 
attractions for any world tourist. But 
thousands of U.S. Navymen travel 
through this canal each year, with 
stopovers at the scenic cities of Colon 
and Balboa, where traces are still 
visible recalling the conquest by the 
Spaniards in the fifteenth century and 
the later ransacking of Old Panama 
by ‘Morgan the Pirate.’ 
The Panama Canal is considered 
the world’s greatest engineering feat. 
The cost of construction was $338,000, 
000. The first survey for an Isthmian 
Canal in Panama was made by the 
Spanish in 1543. Two French com- 
panies made an attemp to build the 
Panama Canal but both failed, one 
in 1869 and the other in 1902. 
The United States took over the 
construction of the Panama Canal in 
1904 and the first ship passed through 
it in 1914. The United States has 
use and occupation for all times of 
a strip of land five miles on each side 
of the center line of the Canal. For 
this the United States paid Panama 
$10,000,000 in cash and pays annu- 
nally the sum of $250,000. The cities 
of Panama City and Colon are with- 
in the five mile limit but are excluded 
from the agreement. 
The distance by airline from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific side of the 
Isthmus is 34 miles, by railroad 47 
miles and through the Canal 51 miles. 
The Canal runs north-west by south- 
east. The Pacific entrance to the 
Canal is 27 miles east of the Atlantic 
entrance which causes the sun to rise 
on the Pacific and set in the Atlantic. 
There are three sets of locks in 
the Canal which are flooded and emp- 
tied by gravitation from water fur- 
nished by the Gatun Lake which, 
prior to the construction of Boulder 
Dam at Boulder City, Nevada, was 
the largest artificial lake in the world. 
The overflow from this lake also fur- 
nished the power by which the locks 
and the electric mules tow the ships 
through the locks are operated. 
DIVINE SERVICE 
DIVINE SERVICE 
All hands are cordially invited to attend 
on Sunday. The ship’s orchestra will 
furnish splendid music as usual. The 
Chaplain will discuss problems of impor- 
tance to everyday living. 
“I was glad when they said to me 
Let us go unto the House of the Lord.” 
NO GOLD UNCOVERED 
AT COCOS ISLAND 
(From Page 1.) 
be shipped, the ease with which wild 
foul could be taken, the abundance 
of coco-nuts, and the absence of 
human inhabitants sufficiently ac- 
counts for its popularity. 
In 1793 and 1795 Colnett came to 
the Island on an investigation cruise 
to determine its suitability as a stop- 
ping place for whalers in that region. 
As long thereafter as whaling was 
profitable in nearby waters the Island 
was used by the British and American 
whalers. 
In 1818 and 1819 Benito, alias Ben- 
nett Graham, was reported to have 
secreted treasures there rifled from 
the churches of Peru, and later aug- 
mented these from other raids which 
brought the total to eleven million 
dollars. In 1826 William Thompson 
who learned his trade from Benito 
hid twelve more millions on the Is- 
land. 
There have not been less than a 
dozen organized efforts to find these 
treasures. It is rumored that one 
company recovered a few hundred 
thousand. All the rest have ended 
in heart-breaking failures. This trea- 
sure hunting started as early as 1841 
and has continued to the present day. 
Costa Rico, the owning country, has 
on hand a waiting list of would be 
searchers. If the treasures were hid 
near the water in those early days 
it is estimated that they would be 
now fifty or sixty feet under water. 
All one has to do to undertake the 
search is to obtain permission from 
the Costa Rican government and pay 
for the help of ten soldiers and an offi- 
cer from Costa Rico. How about it? 
THE BLUE BONNET 
Page 3. 
Let us take a look at the stuff from 
the Contribution Box this evening. 
One about Nicolette but it is rather 
out of date so we’ll let it go. Here’s 
one from topside around the Carpen- 
ter Shop: Someone please name the 
Three Musketeers of the D&R (Des- 
truction and Repair) Gang!!! They 
are generally spoken of as the Jeep, 
the Woodpecker and Strapiron. Who 
could they be? Little Ocko says; 
“I wonder too.” 
* * * * 
A die-hard pollywog puts in his oar 
to tell us that the Royal Mackerel, 
box and all, went over the side in true 
seamanlike manner. Footnote: It 
was odorifous too!!! L. O. says how 
about those Eggs ? ? ? 
* * * * 
“To the BLUE BONNET: (appar- 
ently from the radio shack) After 
listening to the band ‘swing it’ like 
they do I think that most of the ship’s 
company would like a dance on board 
once in a while. The hangers and 
quarterdeck provide ample space for 
it so why not put it up to the crew; 
if one went well why not have more 
of them ? It would help raise the 
ship’s spirit and all hands would have 
a good time of it ” Thanks feller, 
but what are you going to dance with ? 
Mermaids ? ? 
Now I’ll tell one: Owens, pudgy 
Bunting Tosser rang eight bells the 
other afternoon and no sooner had 
he done so than Garrett, busy and 
not hearing them the first time, ran 
over and struck them again. Sixteen 
bells for sixteen hundred---somebody’s 
bell-happy around here!! 
* * * * 
J. K. Saucer, seaman bossman of 
the Div. 2 motor launch, is really 
home sick for good old L. A. Won’t 
be long before we get home lad, and 
you can start making the first liberty 
boat ashore once more. 
Bos’n Mate second with three hash 
marks, a fellow named Red Clymer 
gets sunburned feet scrubbing down 
last week ending up under the Doc- 
tor’s care in the Sick Bay. There’s one 
for you; you’re never too old to learn. 
Xusta been thinking of something 
back around Long Beach, eh Red ? ? ? 
* * * 
Cochrane, SK2c is all burned up. 
It seems that Thompson, Storekeeper 
and photographer extraordinary, fail- 
ed to bring him back a penguin from 
Hood Island. Flossy had Sivak all 
talked into keeping it for him in the 
ice box but as the bird didn’t come 
the lad is now singing the blues. Gives 
him a change from his many love 
affairs anyway. 
A couple of busy lads recently have 
been our friends Barnett, CCStd. and 
Floyd, the Ship’s Butcher. Cleaning 
and stowing all that fish has become 
some job, with Vendetti busy getting 
it in the cooler. Keep it up lads, the 
fish are good eating. 
* * ^ 
Many’s the lad minus his locks of 
dark or blond, curly or straight hair, 
as the case may be, these days. The 
Royal Barbers did a lot of unnecessary 
work that caused a lot of extra 
‘regular’ haircuts in the Ships Service 
Barber Shop. Too bad you don’t get 
a commission Curly, a feller’d almost 
think you did after Monday! ! ! 
* * * * 
It seems the main attraction of 
the day is when the boat of our Good 
Shipmate is hoisted to the rail, and 
the fish are laid out for weighing 
and inspection on the quarterdeck. 
If there was room for all hands it is 
quite sure they’d be out there, quiet 
of course, but nevertheless enjoy- 
ing the fun. Many’s the beauty that’s 
been hoisted aboard these past days. 
Catches that make any true fisher- 
man’s heart leap with pride, and envy 
too perhaps, if someone else got it. 
Well, Fisherman’s Luck.!!!! 
SMOKER WELL RECEIVED 
(From Page 1.) 
the limit, the last between Bud Adams 
and Harris going even an extra round. 
All in all everyone enjoyed the 
smoker very much. The supply de- 
partment and the ship’s welfare were 
very popular at the end when they 
treated all hands with refreshments. 
Conestoga (617 tons), commanded by 
Lieut. E. L. Jones wth a crew of 56 
Officers and enlisted men 
The tug left Mare Island, Califor- 
nia, on March 25, 1921, bound for 
Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. 
A search covering several months 
was made in which all available ships 
and aircraft forces were utilized, but 
no trace has ever been found as to 
the fate of the vessel or her crew. 
* * * * 
When pumping water out of a dry- 
dock, water is pumped in! 
SfC S5< SjS 
Cadets at West Point are not in the 
regular army. 
% sfc % 
Midshipmen in the Naval Hospital 
at Annapolis get a lower grade of 
milk than they do in the Academy 
mess hall. 
Navy Regulations forbid cheering 
any officer of the navy. 
Judge: “The officer states that he 
found you two fighting in the street.” 
Seale: “That’s wrong your Honor. 
When he arrived we were trying to 
separate each other.” 
Old Lady: “Does this bus stop at 
the Pier?” 
Driver: “Well, ma’am, there will be 
a terrible splash if it doesn’t.” 
New Resident: “I stopped over in 
San Juan.” 
Old Resident: “Pardon me, but you 
should say San Huan. In California 
we pronounce our J’s like H’s.” 
New Resident: “Well, you’ll have 
to give me time. You see, I’ve been 
in this state only through Hune and 
Huly.” 
