TALES FROM THE FIELD: THE DARIEN GAP
jaguars, and monkeys. Snakes were commonly found in camp and in the field, including boa constrictors and lethal varieties such as the fer-de-lance and bushmaster. There was even a fresh water eel that plugged up the camp water supply sys- tem after it crawled into the plastic pipe feeding the drinking water supply from the creek. The project continued for two campaigns but ultimately Texasgulf ceased work and optioned the property to another company.
Figure 3. Bedraggled Field Crew Back in Camp Author Third From Left, Harry Williams Fourth From Left
Figure 2. Cana, Panama Field Camp, 1973
Foreground From Left to Right: Leo Miller, Harry Williams, and the Author
The champion and proponent of the Cana Project was Harry Enrique Ruiz-Williams, a Cuban-born mining engineer who believed the area had potential for large placer gold resources. He was project manager, responsible for camp construction, local labor hires, logistics, and legal matters. Harry was a jack of all trades, and as a young geologist I was impressed with his abilities to organize, coordinate, and efficiently manage an exploration project in such a difficult and remote location. After working with him for a while, a connection between his abilities and his past career emerged. Harry was one of the planners for and a participant in the failed Bay of Pigs inva- sion of Cuba during the 1960’s. He was wounded, captured, and eventually released by the Castro regime. Leo Miller and Harry Williams were both strong figures and natural leaders, but with contrasting styles. Leo was an advocate of the rug- ged individualist model as being more central to exploration success, as opposed to the team concept stressing cooperative efforts. Leo was an avid runner, tennis player, and skier who insisted that geologists working under him be in excellent physical condition. Harry, on the other hand, was a very social person and a good networker with important political connec- tions in Latin America stemming from his early career. He loved his Beefeater martinis and “café con leche bien caliente”.
This part of the Darien Province is currently off limits to mining and mineral exploration. It has been a National Park since 1980 and a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1983. Apparently it is now visited by eco tourists who pay to be flown into a modernized version of the same camp which Harry
Williams and his loyal indigenous workers carved out of the jungle back in the early 1970’s. Twenty first century visitors to the camp can view and photograph flora and fauna from the comfort of their cabins and short guided excursions. I look fondly back on my experience in this special place under more demanding and primitive conditions before the existence of modern computer and satellite technology. My recollections include slogging through mud, drizzle, and murky jungle canopy day after day on machete-carved grid lines without benefit of GPS or handheld digital data collection devices. We were working in a very different world at that time, pre- Internet and prior to the concept of global resource sustain- ability. We considered ourselves to be explorers, innovative thinkers, and professionals first, and subordinately as agents to enhance the corporate bottom line. I am fortunate to have spent time in this fascinating place and to have worked with such an interesting and dedicated team of people.
Figure 4. Cana Camp Cook With Dinner
David Brown graduated from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology with an MS in Geology. He has spe- cialized in volcanology and economic geology, and has worked in exploration for metallic commodities in southwest USA, Alaska, Mexico, and South America for various companies including Texasulf, Billiton, Newmont, and Lowell Mineral Exploration.
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