Show Modern Alaskan Town Has Climate Like Lile Virginia Temperature Seldom Falls Much Below Freezing I Washington Ketchikan Alaska Is II going Into the public c utility business The city has arranged to buy up local electric light power water and telephone tele- tele telephone phone hone properties This Is only another Indication that Is a strictly modern city cUy with very few of ot the characteristics popularly attributed to Alaskan towns says nys the National Geographic society Its Its population of ot would scarcely rate ate It a metropolitan standing In the tales states but In Alaska It Is II second only to o the capital Juneau More Rain Than In Panama Situated at the very southernmost tip Ip of at the long Alaskan panhandle that hat reaches down the coast cout of ot British Columbia Ketchikan Is first port of ot call all for tor all steamers entering All Alaska through the Inland passage It Is perched on a rocky hillside that falls tall abruptly Into the waters of ot Ton ass Narrows farrows Around It rise rille steep wooded hills green the year around for tor win win- tera ers In are arc as IlI mild as 88 In to Richmond Va a The temperature tem seldom sel eel dour dom drops drop much below freezing and there here Is practically no snow The winding sea channels and swift mountain moun- moun tale aln streams never freeze But theres there la Is s rain plenty of ot It over 13 feet a year ear which Is worse than tropical Yellow oilskins are the prevailing pre lire veiling fashion In all seasons The bare rock foundations of at the city provide neither soil nor level space 8 for tor roads so the streets street are built of ot wooden planks The business dia Is set Bet on piles pills close to the long longIne line Ine of ot whorls wharfs Stairs and winding board roads lead up to the residential part of ot town There almost every home lome has a bit of ot lawn or garden probably planted on Imported earth larth Is la Busy Place Business Is good In Ketchikan It ItIs Its Is II s shipping center and supply base balle for tor fora tora a large district The shops and stores are stocked with foods and merchandise merchandise dise fresh tresh from the states slates After all Seattle Is only roo tulles mills away with regular steamer service winter and summer Huge salmon canneries canneries are are frantically busy during the short season season sea sea- son when salmon are running Often Otten the little river that rushes through Ketchikan Incidentally supplying II It with electric power Is packed picked solid with pink and silver fish The chinook or king salmon Is 18 the principal variety variety vari varl ety of ot the district Halibut hail Hali but fishing Is 19 another big Industry and there are great cold storage plants where the fish are frozen before they are shipped south Although there are several sawmills saw laW mills 5 lumbering has hns not been developed devel devel- on 00 a very large scale But Dut Ketch Ketch- kan has flea all the potential resources for tor a great pulpwood Industry Industry unUm ted year round water power and Ind almost almost al al- at- at i m most ost Inexhaustible timber The forests tor for ests cite which are mostly spruce and hemlock hemlock hem hem- lock mired mIxed with some elder willow and cottonwood are controlled by the United States forest service |