Document QknaJmxYwqmjaZN0ekzeYqaxR

OFFICERS' CONFERENCES A series of two-day Officers' Conferences will TO BEGIN FEB. 17______ begin in New York on February 17 for Masters, Chief and Second Mates, Chief Engineers and First and Second Assistants. The conferences will give the officers an op portunity to discuss their problems with the Marine Department's Management and to learn something about the shoreside organization and operations. Officers' attendance at the conferences, which will be held at intervals of two weeks, will be scheduled to coincide with paid leaves. The men will be on fleet reserve while at the meeting and will receive travel expenses to and from New York and subsistence pay. The first day's schedule will cover activities of the Operating, Traffic, Finance and Accounting and Marine Services Divisions. The second day will be devoted to the Port of New York Office and Repair Division operations. Lunch will be served in the Esso Building on both days and a dinner on the evening of the second day will conclude the conference. DRAW CHECK PROCEDURE Draw checks provide seagoing personnel with an easy method of banking, a convenience for send ing money to dependents and a means to avoid the hazards of carrying large sums of money. Under the new system one draw check order for a specified percentage of earnings (10% to 100%) will remain in effect until a change is desired. Previously, a man wanting to have money sent home had to make out a draw check for each pay period. Draw check applications may be obtained aboard ships, at Agents' offices or in the Seagoing Personnel Section at 156 William Street, New York. Effective February 15, men who sign draw check orders to have more than 50% of their wages and allowances sent home or to a bank account will receive one-half of their earnings in cash on the payoff prior to going on paid leave. The balance for that pay period will be a 50% draw check. At all other payoffs the amount of the draw check will be the specified percentage of earnings. P/PM AWARDED $2,500 The largest Coin-Your-Ideas award ever voted by FOR CYI SUGGESTION the New York Headquarters Offices CYI Committee has been granted to P/PM Delbert D. Heller. Mr, Heller received $2,500 for his recommendation that payroll funds be de livered to Masters at loading ports and distributed enroute to all payoff ports. The new system eliminates the need for calling men away from their I duties during the start of discharging, permits more time ashore for men off watch and enables those going on paid leave to go ashore as soon as they have been relieved. EXX- M O R-006652 MEDICAL SERVICE With the closing of the Marine Medical Offices FOR SEAGOING PERSONNEL at 156 William Street on February 1, medical PROVIDED AT REFINERIES service for seagoing personnel is being ren dered by the Bayway and Bayonne Refinery Medical Departments. A circular letter has been sent to Masters explaining the procedures for securing medical service for personnel on arrival in New York and for crew members disabled while the ship is in port. Licensed officers may now obtain their periodic health inventories at Bayonne (HEmlock 6-6000, Extension 466) and at Bayway (WAbash 5-0100, Ex tension 2577), in addition to Baton Rouge, Baytown and Everett. At the last three ports officers may make an appointment by presenting their physical examination notification forms to the Company Agents. Unlicensed employees will continue to receive their periodic health in ventories at their respective home ports, as in the past, and at the Bayonne and Bayway Medical offices. SAFETY EQUIPMENT TESTS As part of its continuing search for improved safety equipment, the Company is currently conducting tests of several items aboard ships of the fleet. A lightweight, synthetic fire hose has been under test aboard the Esso Chattanooga since April, 1958 and two new types of fire extinguishers are being evaluated aboard other ships. One extinguisher, on which tests began four months ago, is stainless steel and the other is a pressurized dry powder extinguisher, which has been under study for a year. Three different types of fresh air breathing apparatus are also being tested aboard the 37,800 dwt. ships and a sound powered telephone for use with the breathing apparatus was recent ly placed aboard several vessels. The telephone eliminates the need for rope signals between the deck and the man below. IMPROVED LIFELINES Lifelines made of covered galvanized steel chain have been supplied to the fleet's 27,300 dwt. vessels. They will be rigged across the forward corners of the poop deck in heavy weather. The new lines were selected to replace manila lifelines be cause they are stronger, provide a better gripping surface and do not sag when wet or icy. UNUSUAL SIGHTING REPORTED On January 26 the Esso Huntington witnessed the BY "ESSO HUNTINGTON"______ crash of an unidentified object in Lat. 2755'N, Long. 7944'W. According to Captain Edwin Wright's report, the Esso Huntington was enroute from Ostrica to New York when an explosion was heard at 1150 and a brightly burning object was seen about 60 above the horizon, 1 1/2 mi. NNE of the ship. Burning "fiercely" and trailing dense black smoke, the object fell into the sea about 2 mi. from the Esso Huntington. It exploded on impact and continued to burn for 4 or 5 minutes. Captain Wright notified the U. S. Coast Guard of the incident and, after assuring himself that the fire was completely out, investigated the area. Debris, odor of kerosene and a thin oil slick were found where the object entered the water. Further search disclosed nothing and the Esso Huntington resumed her voyage at 1308. rj I I "WINTER NORTH ATLANTIC" is something more than a load line, as illustrated by this portrait of an ice-coated Esso Gettysburg in Boston on January 7. The big ship was "well lathered" when she docked after battling one of the most severe storms of the winter. Captain Johannes Boje reported that the vessel was hove to for 18 hours on January 5 and 6 in the face of Force 10 winds, a blinding snow storm and heavy confused seas. OFFICERS' ASSIGNMENT Officers returning from paid leave after Janu- MESSAGES SIMPLIFIED ary 29 will receive information about their next assignment in a "streamlined" telegram that needs no acknowledgment. The telegram will contain only the ship to which assigned, port of joining, date and time due and rank. It will look like this: ESSO LEXINGTON NEW YORK FEB 10 1330 SECOND ASSISTANT. No change is planned in the assignment procedure for unlicensed men. JERSEY DIVIDENDS The Standard Oil Company (N.J.) Board of AND EARNINGS Directors has declared a $.55 dividend for the first quarter of 1959. The dividend, payable March 10 to stockholders of record February 9, equals that paid in the first quarter of 1958. Earlier, Board Chairman Eugene Holman announced that esti mated consolidated earnings for 1958 totaled $564 million, or $2.73 per share based on the average number of shares outstanding during the year. Consolidated earnings in 1957 were $805 million, or $4.08 a share. EXX- M O R-006654 VISUAL SIGNALS FOR CALLING In order to improve launch service and reduce STAPLETON LAUNCH____________ whistle signals at Stapleton anchorage, the international code flag "T" should be dis played by day and an all-around green light at night when a launch is wanted. Further information is contained in Circular Letter M-14, dated December 11, 1958. LAUNCH SERVICE The Company investigated the possibility of AT OSTRICA, LA. providing launch service for vessels anchored at Ostrica, La. The only launch available there is chartered to the Production Dept, of Gulf Refining Company on a 24-hour basis. It is not used by Gulf seamen, except when necessary for company business. Satisfactory arrangements could not be made with the launch owner to serve Esso ships and it is not economically possible to provide service from other sources. "ESSO SUEZ" TO BE The Repair Division has issued specifications AIR CONDITIONED and will receive bids from shipyards on Febru- " ary 24 for the annual overhaul of the Esso Suez plus the installation of air conditioning equipment to serve all the living spaces. The work will be similar to the Esso Florence and Esso Chester installations. Specifications also call for "Dimetcoting" a number of cargo tanks. March 1to 25 are the tentative dates of the Esso Suez1 repair period. The Esso Gettysburg will be in a Gulf shipyard for four days, begin ning February 25 for annual boiler inspection and necessary voyage repairs. THRIFT FUND LOAN INS. On Thrift Fund loans made after February 1, RATES INCREASED_______ insurance to pay off the loan in the event of the borrower's death will cost $.57 per month per $1,000 of loan outstanding. Thrift Fund loan insurance was started in 1953 at the rate of $.75 per $1,000. This was reduced several times until in 1957 it reached a low of $.39, which has since proved in sufficient to cover costs. The maximum amount of insurance is $5,000. NOTES Requisitions for ships' stores, formerly handled by the Materials Control Section at 156 William St., are now processed by the Marine Services Division at Bayonne. Circular Letter M-38, dated 2/2/59, gives further details. The non-business hours telephone number of R. H. Boyce, of the Norfolk Agency, has been changed to HOward 4-2357. PERSONALITIES Captain FRANK I. SHAW, Company Agent at Boston since 1952, will celebrate his 40th anniversary with Esso on February 26. Joining the fleet on July 19, 1918, Captain Shaw was promoted to Master in 1926 and came ashore in October, 1945 as a Group Captain.......... J. S. KAVANAGH, Assistant Manager of the Operating Division, retired February 9 after more than 42 years with the Company.....March 1 re tirements from the fleet include Bos'ns CONSTANTIN PACUNSKI and BERNARDO G. SOLANO, F/WT LEONCIO MUNOZ and Officers' Messman FRANK MC COY. i EXX-MOR-006655