The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-05-26
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Esou1MAuX CARPENTRY.

AASNS " OAIAAA " - N&AANA AAAN a w
The builder selects snow Of the proper
consistency by sounding drift with a
cane made for the purpose, Of reindeer
horn, Strengthened by steaming and
worked down to about half an inch in
diameter, with ferule of walrus tusk or
the tooth of bear on the bottom. By
thrusting this into the snow he can tell
whether the layers deposited by success
sive winds are separated by bands ofsoft
snow, which would cause the blocks to
break. When the snow is selected he
digs a pit to the depth of eighteen inches
or two feet, or about the length of the
snow block. He then steps into the pit
and proceeds to cut out the blocks by
first cutting down at the ends of the pit
and then at the bottom afterward, cut
ting little channel about an inch or two
deep. ma king the thickness Of the pro.
posed block.
Now comes the part that requires
practice to accomplish successfully. The
expert will, with few thrusts of his
knife in just the right places, split off the
snow block and lift it carefully out to
await removal to its position on the wall.
The tyro will almost inevitably break
the block into two or three pieces utter
ly unfit for the use of the builder, When
two men are bull ing an igloo, one cuts
the blocks and tn other ereCts the wal.
When sufficient b oCks have been cut
out to commente work with, the builder
marks with his eye or perhaps draws a
line with bis knife describing the cir
CumferenCe of the building, usually a
circle about ten or twelve feet in dame
ter. The first row of blocks is then ar
ranged, the blocks placed so as to incline
inward and resting against each other at
the ends, thus affOrding mutual support.
When this row is completed, the builder
cuts away the first and second blocks,
slanting in from the ground upward, 30
that the second tier, resting upon the
first row, can be continued on and
around spirally, and by gradually in
Creasing the inward slant perfect dome
is constructed of such strength that the
builder can lie fat upon the outside
while chinking the interstices between
the blocks, The chinking is, however,
usually done by women and children as
the building progresses, and additional
protection secured from the winds in
very cold weather by banking up, with a
large wooden snow shovel, the snow at
the base often being piled to the depth
of three or four feet. This makes the ig.
loo perfectly impervious to the wind in
the most tempestuous weather. When
the house is completed the builders are
walled in. Then small hole about two
feet square is cut in the wall on the side
away from where the entrance is to be
located and is used to pass in the lamps
and bedding. 1t is then walled up and
the regular door cut about two feet high
and niChed at the top. 1t would bring
bad lnCk to carry the bedding into the
igloo by the same door it would be taken
out. Before the door is opened the bed
IS constructed of snow blocks, and made
from one to three or -four feet high, and
occupies three.fourths of the entire space.
The higher the bed and the lower the
door the warmer the igloo will he.-
From an Arctic Explorers Reminiscent