The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-02-07
w. Guy Pencil Writes Home

Many will be interested in the fol-
lowing letter which was recently re-
ceived by Mr. and Mrs. F. P. Pennell
from their son, w. Guy Pennell of
Seattle, Wash, formerly of Skowhe-
gan. Mr.. Pennell and his family are
planning to return home for the sea-
son next summer.
Seattle, Jan 13, 1924.
Dear Father
Your letter came Friday and we
were glad to know you missed the
bulk of the storm which was bad
throughout the middle west and east
ern states. We got the wind here
and it showed while Dorothy was on
her snow party at Snoqualmie, and
the papers told us it was centering
on the eastern coast. 1t Is more
fun to look on and see the other fell
low inundated than to be buried one
self, is it not?
That is one reason we rather hate
to leave Seattle, 1.-The weather Is so
good comparatively speaking. In
fact only by comparison Is anything
or anyone good or bad. But Seattle
suffers no extremes of heat or cold,
and few gales, no earthquakes, mala-
ria, mosquitoes or cyclones. Our
disagreeabe alternative Is the fog and
rain in winter, but as the surround
ing territory is denud6d of Its forests,
the rain becomes more infrequent and
the rainfall less each year Seattle
is coming ahead very fast as COM
mercial city too, every week new in
dustres are locating or deciding to
locate in or around the Sound coun-
try, and every year the state Is be-
coming more settled up and prosper
Gus.
The farming and dairying are fast
assuming large proportions and
much farm produce besides apples,
is yearly being exported. l did not
realize the immensely of the water
bourn commerce until last winter
when | was employed at the docks OF
! the Pacific S. S. Co. and saw the
large ships from California. Alaska,
and Canada loading and discharging
But these are among the smaller
vessels, as far as freight tonnage goes,
as the Oriental liner, and east coast
lines, whose vessels ply through the
canal, carry immensely more freight
and are much larger ships, some,
amongst the largest in the world.
( There is also a large and growing
commerce with South America.
/ Stora will say that | must be in
/ the employ of the Chamber of Com
merce, but I am not, am only trying
1 to give you an idea of what kind of a
place we live in, and something OF
an idea of what Seattle will some day
be, and what we may be tempted to
return to If the east doesn't look so
good to us on our return as 1t does
from distance.
We can buy potatoes here for $1.5C
to $175 per hundred. Bushels and
pecks are not employed as standards
! here at all, even oats and corn are
ordinarily spoken of in terms of tons
Meats of all kinds are much cheap
err than in the Maine markets. and
our large municipal markets where
the producer and consumer meet en-
able us to buy almost everything al
a very reasonable price, which has
been a great advantage to us. Eggs
are 40 to SO cents and butter so tc
So cents. One thing we miss very
much here is the privilege OF taking
a jug to the grocery store and getting
a gallon of molasses. We can buy
it only in tin cans and they are Of
course, quite expensive; a can hold
ing about a quart and half costs
SO cents. Sugar costs little less
than cents, pounds for 70 cents
Love to you all from your son,
GUY