Document 7OorB0a6NoBZ6GyGM5K88dDXa

PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT, HUMBLE OIL & REFINING COMPANY Vol. 8, No. 18 September 22, 1966 Bombay and Beyond By BILL E. TYRA, AB, Esso Miami Our story continues (from the Aug. 25 issue, telling of the Esso Miami's Atlantic crossing, Suez Canal transit and arrival in Bombay Harbor) as we leave anchorage and slowly make our way to and through the locks of the Alexandra Docks. The water level is equalized, the gates swing open and we are skill fully maneuvered between rows of ships moored all along the busy dock sides to the grain pier. Even before we put out the gang way, the native work parties began lugging their equipment aboard and setting it up. Contrary to what we expected, the Indians made use of the latest and most modem equip ment, making the discharge of grain easier and even more simple than the loading. Parked on the dock alongside the ship were several massive machines called Vacuvators. These are really huge vacuum clean ers with a system of hose and tub ing interconnected and inserted into the tank openings through which the grain is sucked into the Vacu vators. The Vacuvators clatter and chatter as the chaff and dust sepa rates from the grain and clutters the ground beneath the machines. Grain is whisked on conveyor belts to a storage bin inside the grain shed. On the lower floor of the shed, several workers fill burlap bags with grain from these bins, stitch the tops of the bags and put them into piles. You are sort of reminded of an industrious colony of ants by an other group of workers who trudge and strain under bags of grain car ried on their heads and shoulders as they load trucks and box cars for transport to distribution centers throughout the country. India is a land of mystery and enchantment and there are many wonders to see. Bombay itself is an unforgetable sight, being both a very old and very modern city but its inhabitants retain their ancient ways. Some of the people, due to the many years of British rule and influence, dress in Western styles but most wear their traditional clothing. Some men wear what would pass for a nightgown and a loosely-fitting diaper, called a dhoti. The Sikh always wears a turban, a beard and never cuts his hair. He usually dresses Western style. In dian women usually wear a sari, which is made from about 6 yards of cloth that is draped over their bodies in any of many styles or fashions. Advice on Shopping, Sightseeing, Etc. The stores and shops are stocked with many fine things for you to buy and there are some real bar gains to be had here. Instead of spending your money on trinkets and trivialities in transiting the Suez Canal, wait until you get here. You will be glad you did. In Bom bay, good buys are made in small shops but better buys are made at the government - sponsored handloom and handicraft emporiums. Architectural contrasts -- the mas sive, ornate Central Railway Build ing and the Central Library, in classic Grecian style. EXX- M O R-006445 7 Some of the places we stopped at and things we saw were: A dirty, old and smelly Kolis fishing village, the inhabitants of which are descendants of the first known fishing tribe -- with prac tically the same conditions and way of life. An itinerant snake charmer who failed to make an impression on the cobra or us with his weird off-key flute playing. Some of these snake charming shows are pretty good but unfortunately the one staged for us wasn't. Visited a Hindu Temple that has many jewels, treasures and even solid silver doors. There is a Moslem Mosque that appears to float in the waters surrounding it and can only be reached at low tide or by boat. We refused to visit it because of its commercialization -- there is a big bright neon sign on top advertising locally-made tidbits. (To be continued) A snake charmer pipes to his hooded cobra in the basket. If you plan to make a tour or do any sightseeing, it might be a good idea to pick up a pamphlet on Bom bay, or "Bombay Guide," which is free for the asking at any hotel or Government Tourist Office. It con tains a number of interesting places to see and lists the rates and prices of admission, guide rates and cab fares. The Seaman's Club is where most everything begins and ends for the visiting seaman here. It houses a church, refreshment stand, postal service, restaurants, gift shop, the ater, etc. This is the place where you will seek solitude and rest be tween your shopping and sight seeing forays, during which you have spent part of your time evad ing the fakirs and inhaling odious odors. After you have recovered your strength and courage, you may venture out again. To avoid dis appointment, remember that Bom bay is an unbelievable place that simultaneously appears amazing and disgusting. Our group hired a cab in order to visit some sites we wanted to see. Our driver-guide showed us build ings and places of interest that, to us, were vague and blurred by the taxi's weaving and wobbling through traffic-congested streets. We con cluded that while a cab is no way to see city sights, for sheer thrills and excitement, there is nothing like a ride in a Bombay taxi. You will marvel at the accuracy and skill of your death-defying, dare devil driver as he deftly dodges pedestrians, honking cars and holy cows. And it's no bull about these sacred cows being free to roam where they please. We drove along Marine Drive and made several stops on the way to the Hanging Gardens on Malabar Hill on the outskirts of Bombay. Bombay -- City of Striking Contrasts By GLENN E. MILLER, AB, Esso Miami A densely populated (2,839,270 in 1960), sprawling metropolis even by our standards, Bombay is a city both modem and ancient. For ex ample, there is evidence at every ton of ultra-modem architecture. Consisting chiefly of simple designs and straight lines, these monuments to man's progress (the Esso Build ing is one) are purely functional. Outnumbering these glass and con crete structures are old and stately buildings erected a century or more ago and built with an eye to lasting beauty. In Bombay, as in other major cities, there is "millionaires' row," skirting the seaward shoreline. Sev eral miles of swank apartment houses in pastel shades mark the elite part of town. The opposite end of the city contains what is prob ably one of the sorriest, most un sanitary slum areas in the world. Here the housing shortage is so acute that entire families sleep in the streets. Inhabitants of this sec tion are unbelievably poor, relying heavily on alms to keep body and soul together. Wherever we went we were ac costed by scores of beggars ranging in age from those barely out of the crawling stage to the wizened and infirm. They insisted that as Ameri cans we were wealthy and could well afford to part with our "small money" as they quaintly put it. Strangely enough, the well-to-do native is not harassed by beggars and panhandlers. Pitchmen, ever hopeful for a sale, spread their wares on the sidewalk and assume the eternal squatting position. These open-air shopkeepers entreat the prosperous - looking passers - by to stop and purchase. How they man age to eke out a living remains a puzzle. Even transportation has its sharp contrasts. The city abounds with small European-make taxicabs yet the horse and buggy survives along with oxcarts and various other odd looking contrivances. The sacred cow, of course, always has the right of way and for obvious reasons is given a wide berth. In dress, the traditional sheet is a favorite or possibly a must with some of the men, and most women wear saris. Even so, it is not un common to see a man or woman in Western dress. Some dockside lafcor- A row of modern apartments on Marine Drive. Photos by AB Bill E. Tyra via \ K '5 EXX- M O R-006446 ers make do with gaudy shorts which serve as underwear for us. It is interesting to note that in India an umbrella is a status symbol of sorts, or so it appeared to me. It seemed that anyone carrying an umbrella commanded a bit more respect. India, with its aura of mystery, lends itself well to extremes in reli gion. Much of what is practiced would be termed barbaric in Amer ica. The Parsi* custom of disposing of their dead is to let vultures re duce the body to bones, which are then swept into a well, pulverized and pumped to the sea. The not-sodrastic Hindus prefer to speed their deceased to the hereafter by crema tion. This ritual is carried out in public pits known as Burning Ghats. There are many religious fanatics who regularly perform incredible feats of endurance and self-torture in the hope of attaining salvation. To this I say --"to each his own." All things considered, Bombay is a fascinating city, richly endowed with an intriguing past and well worth touring. My one regret is that I did not get to see the Taj Mahal. To have viewed this re markable memorial would have rounded out an enlightening visit. *"Parsi -- an adherent of the Zoroastrian or ancient Persian religion, descended from. Persian refugees settled in India, mostly at Bombay, whither they fled in the 7th and 8th centuries to escape Moham medan persecution; a fire wor shipper."--Webster's Dictionary. A Good Man at Work We've said it before and we'll say it again -- it's always a pleasure to watch a good man work, be he Messman, AB, Engineer, Master, ballplayer, golfer, or whatever. Our latest experience in this line occurred during a recent visit to the Roy J. Merritt Esso Bangor at Baytown. Chief Mate Roy J. Merritt was loading the ship and, as you know, the Bangor is one of our super specialty carriers. Roy, in neat khakis, sits at a desk in the ship's cargo office part of the time and is like a military commander conducting a battle from field headquarters. "Lieutenants" (ABs, Mates, dock men) come and go, giving loading rates, starts, stops, product samples, ullages, and relaying instructions. Roy is up and down, keep ing a running score on the progress of the loading on a blackboard cargo layout and checking with the previously prepared "battle plan." It's a rather complicated business, loading the Bangor. On Aug. 27, for example, they started at 0510 with Diol 90 and before that parcel of 2,047 bbls. was finished at 0720, seven other grades were coming aboard. There was a little slack around 0900 when the number of grades loading dwindled to 4 but it w'as up to 8 at 1000, 9 at 1130 and 10 at noon. The last hose was disconnected at 0025, Aug. 28 and the Bangor sailed at 0111. That's something of a long and busy day -- 26 grades loaded in 21 hrs., 31 min., all fast to all clear. In addition there was a back-haul cargo of methyl ethyl ketone discharged between 0450 and 1100. Nevertheless, Roy handles the job as though ESSO FLEET NEWS is published for the seagoing em ployees of the Marine Department, Humble Oil & Refining Co.: Joseph Andreae, General Manager; Sydney Wire, Assistant General Manager. W. E. Gardner, Editor. Contributions and suggestions are invited and should be addressed to The Editor, Esso Fleet News, Humble Oil & Refining Co., P. O. Box 1512, Houston, Texas 77001. he invented it. Perhaps the fact that he's been Chief Mate and Master in the Bangor since May 1963 has something to do with it -- that and his nearly 25 years in the Fleet. Esso Scranf-on Sails for India The grand old lady of the Esso Fleet arrived in Houston Sept. 15 after repairing at Tampa. She has 300,000 lbs. of new steel in her hull and her sides, from light load line to rail, were sand blasted and coated with Rust-Ban 191 and 2 color coats. She was checked out on her second Ameri can Bureau of Shipping Special Survey No. 3 (the 24-year inspection) and her machinery was SERVICE EMBLEM AWARDS ^ 20 YEARS Donald E. Delozier Third Mate May 13, 1966 Charles A. Laratta Chief Engineer December 7, 1962 Anthony Pefryk First Asst. Engineer October 21,1965 William J. Williams Radio Officer May 21, 1964 Daniel G. Fernandes Chief Steward June 22,1963 Fred E. Engelman Pumpman July 11,1966 NOTE: Occasionally we hear murmurings zbojt some of these Service Award photos being not exactly current. Mostly the reason is that if takes a while for Ye Photog to catch up with some of these men-on-the*move and even then, the timing may not be propitious, for one reason or another. {If I'da known you were acomin' I'da shaved.) Be informed, therefore, that we shall be glad to receive any photo you care to send us for publication in this dept., if you have 20 or 30 years' service and such has not been duly recognized herein. reported "as good as new," which speaks well for the builders and operating engineers. The Scranton loaded part cargo at Houston, part at Baytown and the balance at Baton Rouge, sailing Sept. 21 for Bombay and Calcutta. Independent Unions at Bayway Seek to Oust Teamsters Tw'o new independent unions have been formed at the Bayway Refinery and Chemical Plant. The Bayway Employees Salary Union and the Bayway Refinery & Chemical Workers Union have been soliciting pledge cards from the approx. 165 sal aried and 800 hourly wage employees in order to petition the NLRB for representation elections. The salaried workers' union filed such a petition on Sept. 16. The BR&CW union promises monthly dues of $3 (instead of the new Teamster minimum of $6 a month) and "a truly democratic union that will be run by Bayway workers and whose only objec tive will be to work for the interests of the Bayway worker." Only about half of the membership of Teamster Local 866 is made up of Bayway employees. mmmummm TAFFRAIL TALK m. - " " AB Bill Tyra's advice for sailors in Bombay (elsewhere in this issue) came too late to be of any help to the men in the Esso Newark -- and they had 3 w'eeks in port (Aug. 26 to Sept. 16) discharging lubes and loading a return cargo of naptha for Bayway. However, there will be an other chance. The Newark has been chartered for another voyage to Bombay, starting mid-October. *** Sure'n they had some foin sons of Erin in the Esso Gloucester recently. There was McCartney (Captain Howard G.), Corrigan (Chief Mate John H.), Donovan (2nd Mate Daniel F.), Riley (3rd Mate John F.) and Kellahan (Chief Engr. Joseph J.). ** * Three more men have donated blood for Chief Cook Caesar Burgo, who is still in the USPHS Hospital, Staten Island. The three are: Chief Cook Joseph M. Francis (who received blood donations himself in Nov. 1964) and Messmen David V. Ladner and Jose L. Lopez. ** * MM/2P Michael Bujno, Esso Bangor, spent most of his last paid leave on a grand tour of the United States with his 11-year old daughter Linda. They drove 11,000 miles in 46 days and "saw everything." mmmm RECENT RETIREMENTS Chief Steward Louis J. Tor- . , . . . res. "It was a pleasure to work ' ' with such wonderful people," Mr. Torres said in thanking the crew' of the Esso Lexington for a retirement gift. He be came an "early" annuitant, Sept. 1, after 29% years with the Company. Mr. Torres started to sea 42 years ago, sailing with the Bull. American South African and Mun son lines. He joined the Company as Messman in the Cerro Azul on Dec. 26, 1930. advanced to Steward in 1942 and then resigned to serve with the WSA. Returning to the Fleet in April 1947, he advanced to Chief Steward again and attained over 15 years in this rating. Bom in Puerto Rico, Mr. Torres lives in West- bury, N. Y. with his wife Virginia. A HOUSE OF BRICK --BMX brick, that is -- a new building material made from soil and a petroleumbased binder. The house was built by Esso Research & Engineering Co. as part of 5 year's development and testing of the material. BMX brick can be used instead of concrete blocks or clay brick. The / - .V;i material has greater strength per unit weight, lower moisture absorp tion and better freeze-thaw proper ties than conventional materials. In addition, because of its smooth sur faces, one coat of plaster is all that is needed to obtain a finished interior. Raw materials for BMX are pefro- 'h leum asphalt and natural soils that are generally not useful for agri culture. BMX is expected to have lower manufacturing and end-use costs in many locations. Two mortar systems are possible with the new material -- conven tional trowel-and-mortar and apply ing the mortar, at a great saving in time, with an ordinary paint roller. Esso Research is licensing the process for making BMX blocks and bricks to companies in the building materials industry. The Sayre and Fisher Co., of Sayreville, N. J., is the first U. S. licensee. That company is now producing market development quantities of the products. j vyv-. V-.VJr. v- ->< - ms linisllHlll$i'rl.2i *?'} A jV ' EXX- M O R-006448