The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-03-31

oae extremity of the American con- unest almost to the other. It is just one year ago today since left home. and in that year have tray. elei 40,000 miles: crossed the Equator 2 times. made eight trips thru the Panama canal. visited almost every Pacific South American country as well as the canal zone. have eaten Ait. ska strawberries near the North pole. bananas on the equator and frijoies toward the South pole, and here l am going to the land of the blue nose. mackerel and Big Alex Mcdonald.
 Buk to get back to the Ship log" We had to wait several days at Ta4npico for ship orders before we loaded up with oil for Halifax, and for the first time I got permission to so up to the city proper. You see, short time ago some American sailors trimmed up a bunch Of greas. azs good and some were killed in the row. so since then the appearance of an American bluejacket is the sign os a carving bee and the captain is very sparing with his shore leaves, but aa this is probably our last trip he ioosened up and We took a chance. went ashore with three petty of 6cers in c launch. We were about four miles out and it took us about Aa,f an hour to run in.
 This vas my first visit to Tampico city :n our four trips there for oil, SC l was surprised at It's size and
 modern conveniences. Tampico is a sity cf over 100000 population and is t1. largest and most thriving city in Mexico today. There are big build. ines, almost skyscrapers. paved streets. ard all things like a big city ia rSe states. Down town there is a hig plaza with fine garden, and benches to ait on. Right over from sLe plaza is the public market and it is surely . big place. Here one can buy any kind of fruit or vegetable. Tnsre are long rows of stalls roofed in and then hundreds of push carts aud booths. Every one buys from the market. so all do thriving business. Fruit ia very cheap, the oranges especially. and they are riue--bigger than Florida grapefruit aud very juicy. The little Japanese oranges are fine too. Oysters are on board and had fresh oysters galore. Fish is also very cheap. We have a lot of Red Snappers oL board and it 's as tiue a fish as 1 ever tasted. We'll, to continue my story. There are a lot Of dancehalls, so we finally concluded to take them in. and then began the real sport The dancehalls au have fine floors and big orches. ,ras. and as for girls, well, l almost concluded Mexico was my home for Afe. Outside of one or two Fair. banks girls they have the world beat at dancing. We never have struek the real Spanish senorita in any quantity until now. but the old moving picture La Paloma type ex- ists all right. in Tampico at least. It was surely @ real pleasure to dance to real orchestra music. with late sonss. on a decent floor, after hop. ping around to fandaugo music in Chile. The girls are fine at one. stepping. but when they start one of those dreamy Spanish waltxes-well right then l could see why boys run away from home and join the navy.
 Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. finally tore myself away ahout midnight and returned to our noble craft and my downy bed. The next day l sat In all morning waiting for orders to come by wireless. but &sO SSOoAO So4AA0s <ACoS cAI4u& t0o usual biz Sunday dinner of chicken and accessories. four of us beat 1t for town. This time we went ashore right opposite the boat and walked . mile over to the trolley line. We had to walk across the mud flats. which gre the slums of Tampico. Hero there are hundreds of grass huts. juat frames with grass thrown over them. Each shack Is staked of by < .eues of sticks stuck in the ground. Tie fence wouldn't stop anything and no one would jump the land on . pet, 30 1 couldn't ses the use of 1t, but 1t was there anyhow. The men spend all their spare time down at the river cutting up drift wood for fire wood. Of all the low down forms of living ever saw these Noxmud fiat aristocracy took the cake. Why. . ashwheel sQuaw com btnatioa looks like . million dollars alongside one of these sow-feed pal. aces. Further over toward the ear 4sacm there were better houses frame. most of them. AS we got out os the muddats we ran into nice orchards and houses with flocks of