The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-06-21

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Ihose men sHbsisted entirely upon the produce
Of The chase, The animals being securcdby the rud,
and se.f-con'iructed lrcopons, lone boo and ar
ro,Os and hoo spears.)
cONTINUED.1
IT is we'll known that sea- -laring people are
extremely subject to the scurvy, and it has
been observed, that this disease increases in
proportion as we approach the Poles, which
must be attributed other to excessive cold or
to some other cause set unknown. However
that may be, our mariners, seeing themselves
quite destitute of every means of cure In case
they should 10 attacked with so fatal dis
order, judged 1t expodient not to neglect any
regimen generally adopted as preservative
against this impending evil. Ivan Himkof,
one of their number who had several times
wintersd on the coast Of West Spitsbergen,
advised his unfortunate companions to swal-
low raw and frosen meat broken into small
bitsi to drink the blood of reindeer warm, as
it flowed from their veins Immediately after
killing them to use as much exercise as pos
siblc, and, lastly, to eat scurvy grass (Coch-
lcaria), whichgrsws on the island, though not
in great plenty,
| leave the faculty to determine whether
raw frozen flesh, or warm reindeer blood be
proper ahtidctes to the distemper; but exer-
else nnd the use of scurvygrass have always
been recommended to persons of a scorbutc
tendency, whether actually afflicted with the
| disorder or not. De this as It may, experience
at lesst seems TO have proved these remedies
to bo elIectual; for three Of the sailors, who
pursued the above method, continued totally
free from all taint of the disease. The fourth,
Theodore Wcrogin, On the contrary, who was
| naturally indOlent, ayerso to drinking the
reindeer blood, and unwilling to leave the hut
| when he could possibly avoid 1t, was, soon af-
ter their arrival on the island, seized with the
scurvy, which afterwards became so bad, that
he passed almost six years Under tho greatest
suiIetingsl In tho latter part of that time he
became 50 weak, that he could no longer sit
erect, nor even raise his hand to his mouth;
SO that his humane companions were obliged
W fecQ and tehd him, like IA new born infant,
to the hourof his death.
1 have mentioned above, that Utir sailors
brought small bag of -four with them to the
island. Of this they had consumed about one
half with their meat; the remainder they en-
ploycd in a different manner, equally useful.
They soon saw tho necessity Of heopihg up a
continued fire in so cold climate, and found
that if it should unfortunately 60 out, they
had no means of lighting It again; for though
they had steel and fints, yet they wanted both
match and tihder.
In their excursion through the island, they
had met with Shiny loan; or kind of clay,
nearly in the middle of it. Out of this they
found means to form utensil which might
serve for lamp, and they proposed to keep il
constantly burning with the fat of the animals
they should kill. This was certainly the most
rational scheme they could have thought of
for to be without light in u climate where
during winter, darkness reigns for several
months together, would have added much tC
| their other calamities Having, therefore
| fashioned q kind of lamp, they filed it with
reindeer's fat, and stuck in it some twisted
linen, shaped into wick. Eut they had the
modification to find, that as soon as the fat
melted, it not only soaked into the clay, but
fairly run through it on oil sides. The thing
therefore, was to devise some means for pre-.
venting this inconveniency, not arising from
cracks, but from the substance of which the
lamp was made being too porous. They made
therefore, new one, dried it thoroughly in tn,
air, then heated it red hot, and afterward:
quenchcd it in their kettle, wherein they hat
boiled q quantity Of -four down to the con.
sistence of thin starch. The lamp being thus
dried and filed with melted fat, they nov
found, to their great joy, it did not leak. Bu
for great security, they dipped linen rags il
their paste, and with them covered all its out
: side. Succeeding in this attempt, they immc
diately made another lump, for fear of an acc
dent, that in all events they might not be des
titute Of light; and when they had done So
much, they thought proper to save the re
mainder of their -four for similar purposes.
As they had carefully collected whatever
happened to be cast on shore to supply then
with fuel, they had found amongst the wrecks
of vessels some cordage, and small quantity
of oakum Ia kind Of hemp, used for calkine
ships), which served them to make wicks fol
their lamps. Whom these stores began to fail
| thair chirts md tbnir Irax (,uh
by almost all Russian poasahts) were employed
to make good the deficiency. By these means
they kept their lamp burning without inter
mission from the day they first made it Ia worl
they set about soon after their arrival on the
islnnd), until that of their cmbarkation fo
their native country.
The necessity of converting the most essen
} tial parts of their clothing, such as their shirt
and drawers, to the use above specified, ex
. posed them the more to the rgor of the eli
mate. They also found themselves in want 0
shoes, boots, and other articles Of dressy and II
winter was approaching, they were agail
obliged to have recourse to that ingenuit,
which necessity suggests, and which seldom
fails in the trying hour of distress.
They had skins of reindeer and foxes il
= plenty, that had hitherto served them for bed
ding, and which they now thought of employ
ing in some more essential service; but tn
| uuSotiOh Nuo uOW " hlloI utllDOT
ating on this subject, they took to the follow
ing method They soaked the skins for severa
days in fresh water, till they could pull Off tn
hair pretty easily; they then rubbed the we
leather with their hands till it was nearly dry
1 when they spread some melted reindeer ia
over it, and again rubbed it we'll. By thi
process, tho leather became soft, plant, an
supple, proper for answering every purpOs
they wanted it for. Those skins which the
/. designed for furs they only soaked for one day
to prepare them for being wrought, and the
proceeded in the manner before mentioned
. except only that they did not remove the hail
! Thus they soon provided themselves with th
i necessary materials for all the parts of dre'
they wanted. ..... .r .
But here another difficulty occurred. The
had neither avis for making shoes or boot
nor needles for sewing their garments. Th
/. want, however, they soon supplied by mean
of tho bits of iron they had occasionally col
lected. Out of these they made both; and, b
their industry, even brought them to certai
degree of perfection. The making eyes I
their needles gave them indeed no litt
trouble; but this they also performed with th
| n qsietoncc of THAR knifa, for HAVING prounl