Evening star., 1936-01-12

Continued from Third Page)
great solar luminary begins to flicker
once again. 50 that by the third week
in February the Wamcats stationed
in that neighborhooG enjoy about five
hours of daylight out of every two
cycles of the clock hands. The daily
daylight duration continues to in
crease until June and July, when
Point Barrow experiences perpetual
daylight for six-week period. Tenn
peratures at Point Barrow, located on
the coast, are not so radical as at in
land locations. 1t is rare for the mer-
| curry to drop lower than 40 degrees
/ below zero. while the Summer maxi
mum is about 10 degrees.
Why do the WamcatS, skilled radio
| operators. who could qualify for i'm
| portant commercial work, cling to
Alaskan isolation and re-enlist time
and again? Why is there always a
big waiting list for service in that
| particular ramifcation Of Signal Corps
service? Why do these Government
communicators continue their resi-
dence in a land Of hardship frsught
constantly with pioneering perils7
The Wamcats alone can answer
these questions. Most Of them are so
modest and publicity shy that they
veer from any interviewer.
Some SO years ago this unique COM
munication service between Washing
| ton and Alaska came into being. A
cable was extended from Seattle 10
Seward. Ketchikan. Cordova and
Juneau. Alaska. with supplemental
limited telegraph service on land. 1t
was the pioneer "mouthpiece" which
enabled mainland business, COM
merce and industry TO barter and
! trade with the Alaskans. A splendidly
! equipped cable ship was at work con-
tinuouSly. maintaining the submerged
artery of communication in tiptop
shape for day and night service.
The advent and popularization of
radio backed the cable and telegraphic
service into discard, in so far as
Alaska was concerned. This came
to pass because of the impracticability
of pole line maintenance in that
spacious terrain Of huge distances and
climatic drawbacks.
AT PRESENT there are 35 Signal
Corps radio stations in Alaska
operated by the Wamcats, each
equipped with the newest and best
transmitting and receiving apparatus
which the wizardy Of the Signal Corps
researchers have been able to devise.
During Summer some 125 small radio
stations. in addition to the perma-
nent Signal Corps stations, are in
full function in the Far North. They
serve the salmon canneries and re-
lated industries which employ over
$4,000 helpers. These smaller SIS
| tions transmit their messages to the
nearest Signal Corps station or to
Seward, whence Uncle Sans radio
men relay the news, business orders
or Government messages to Seattle.
The newest local developments in
communication In Alaska are the use
full radio telephone outfits purchased
and installed by various towns and
small cities, which previously had no
talking outlet" with neighboring mu-
inequalities during the "marooned''
period Of snow-interrupted travel.
Local citizens have clubbed together.
installed radio telephone sets and use
them daily to keep in touch with the
nearest Wamcats. Hence the latest
news from New York, Chicago and
San Francisco hurtles through the
air to remote and isolated Alaska
constantly by night and day. North
4 ern newspapers publish the latest
flashes from the mainland almost as
soon as do our big metropolitan dailies.
And vice-versa. spot news races as
fast from Alaska to the United States.