The Alaska citizen., 1912-10-14
THE PERSONAL
 SIDE OF THEM

afternoon the railroad commission left for the government experimental station and Cinema in the electric auto of the Panama Valley railroad. i They travelled as the guests of Mr. i Falcon Joslin. In the party were Major Morrow, Dr. Brooks. Lieutcn- Commander Cox. Colin H. Inger- soil. Delegate Wickersham, Martin | Harrais, J. l.. Sale. F.. W. Griffin. A
 ii. Heilig. Tony Nordale. Falcon Jos i lin. Dan Driscoll. Charley Joynt. and 2 representative of the Alaska Citi- zen. A splendid opportunity was given at this time 10 ascertain how thoroughly the commissioners studied the things they saw, and how eX- tromely interested theT were in the country in general There was
 not a moment on the entire trip thai the undivided attention of each and
 every member of the commission WIS not centerrI Cr. sonC object that could be used as point that might tend to encourage or to disCoura. .c the building of the railroad. Thcy questioned the members of the parN on anything that was the least bit strange to them. and manifested a keen interest in the details that uc who live here are apt to overlook Lieutenant Cox. who has been a railroad man all his life, was eX- tremely interested in the smooth riding of the auto car Questions as to the length of life of the ties and the rails, the difficulty of construc. ton, and the cost of maintenance, were hurled at MT. Joynt by the members of the commission. Mr. Cox being particularly anxious to ascer tain the exact cost f the main tenanCe.
 At the gove"l.ree't farm tnc mem bers of the commission were indeed surprised at the sight that met their eyes. Mir Neal showed them all hat he could with the poor light of . lantern. and 10 say that each ant every member of the commission was impressed with the agricultural possibilities of the Panama valley is putting it mildly. When asked by Major Morrow the amount of wheat produced to the acre MT Neal re. piled, It's too much.'
 Have you really threshed any of l, out yet?" asked the maior
 "Oh, yes. sir" replied Mr. Neal "It averages about siXty-seven bush els to the acre.
 "Sixty-seven bushels to the acre." exclaimed the major. "Tll bet a lot of farmers in Idaho and Montana wish they could raise such crops.'
 The commissioners were taken through the barns. and shown the var ious grains and wheats by the light of a lantern They then went through the storeroom for the potatoes and the roots. and here MT Neal eX- plained the various kinds of potatoes that were successfully raised in the country. He spoke of the success he had had with barley, of the wheat many other things that astounded the commissioners. It was apparent to all present that the trip to the farm had made a deep impression on them as to the agricultural possibilities O. the country around Fairbanks.
 The trip was then continued to Cinema. Hydes ranch was pointed out to the commissioners as the first one in the country. At Cinema they examined the locomotive with the blow attachment that keeps the Panama Valley railroad tracks clear in the winter time. When they saw the size of the locomotive and the blow they were thunderstruck. Does that little thing really keep the track clear in the winter?" asked MT Ingersoll.
 "It surely does." said Mir. Joslin. We have very little snow here. It is nothing like the heavy fall that they have on the other side of the coast range"
 At Cinema the party walked around for little while and then were talk, an through the warehouses of F. w Griffin. When they reached the room in which the Cinema merchant keeps his whiskey. one of the Fairbanks ans referred to it as the 'HootCh Room" MT. Ingersoll immediately wanted to know what hootch was and was much amused at the increase in his Alaskan vocabulary.
 On the return trip some points of the journey so far were explained to he listeners. MT. Ingersol told story of how in one of the roadhouses in which they stopped. the ventilation