The north Mississippi herald., 1922-08-25

got on board and found how far apart
we were, and also how far up, we
were little more at home, but still
we were grateful.
The ship did not sail until next
day at p. m, so we had two won-
derful drives all over Seattle while
waiting and were up in our rooms
at the hotel that nigh until past
midnight, packing, writing our fare
wells and making final preparations
before turning our faces to the land
of icebergs, glaciers, wild animals,
snow and mystery.
After getting on board our ship,
the Queen, we were assigned our
staterooms, and there being one va
cant berth in mine, we had Jennie
assigned to that, Margaret was
placed with lady and her daughter
from Shreveport, La, and as she had
formerly lived in Louisiana, herself,
they became fast friends from the
start.
The officers on the "Queen" were
as courteous anr kind to all as they
were on the Colonial" the vessel
on which we sailed from NV Orleans
to London in 1913, but there was
no need on this trip of the efficient
services of Captain Chadwick and
first officer Haywood, for we had
none of the terrific storms we ex-
perienced on that trip. In fact,
the oiean was like great pond all
the way, and was so calm that not
one on board was sick; thus making
a wonderfully pleasant voyage.
The two days up to Ketchikan were
quiet and the mountains and island
scenery moderate and rather disap-
pointing after the wonderful noun
tains from Banff on through the
Rockies. / do not yet think / have
ever seen anything in Europe to sur
pass that stretch of railroad from
Banff to Vancouver. 1t is not simply
beautiful, but it is grand and awe
some.
At Ketchikan, we saw our first
Alaskan Indian and pioneer town.
It was our first totem pole place, and
right there l determined to buy you
one, and carve my own when / came
home. However, everything from
moccasins, baskets, trinkets of all
kinds to totem poles, seemed rather
high. We went to see Chief john
ston and his totem pole in front of
his cabin. He insisted on selling it
to mo for three thousand six hundred
dollars, but thought might need my
change at other places! So, l put
Satan behind me till a more conven-
lent season.
The houses at Ketchikan range
high up on the mountain side, and are
up-to-date locking and well built. The
canneries are large for town of its
size. It's population is made up of
Indians, who work in khaki "nickers''
and swagger quite like the American
girls in theirs. At all the towns we
saw children-girls in overalls and
the khaki "nickers" and blouses.
The fish are taken through pro-
cess very much like the cattle at
Stock Yards in Chicago. You see
the fish forked out of boat into a
room into a water trough, up on a
platform or counter, where the head
is removed by hand, then thrown on
moving strip, down a place where
one man removes the fins, another
the entrails, another the tail. Others
open one side, and the last takes the
bones out and it all keeps moving on
this slide to a last vat of running
water, and from this into a mincing
machine, into cans. The cans pass
down on a moving chain where wom-
en- press them down and add bits to
make them perfectly full. Then
they go into a great steam cooker
and after a certain time in there
where they are cooked, they come
out under a piece of machinery, which
clamps a cover on tight and soldiers
it all at once. These sealed cans are
put on great track loaded for the
refrigerator. Then they are labeled
and packed for the warehouse. One
cannery was enough for me, though
we will see the Columbia River plant
at Portland on our return.
At Ketchikan, / feel sure thous
ands of cards were mailed back home
/ learned by eating lunch on ouI
boat with the man who built the frs
house in Ketchikan thirty-five year!
ago, that the Government is building
-. n..k1 I~.sxva oil aw0Y1r1 khs