Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-03
ESKIMO IGLOOs.
How the Inhabitants Of the Arctic Zone
RutId Their Winter BOuses,

RuJId Their Winter BOusss,
Mr.. Frederick schwatka furnishes to
Science some account of the snow used by
the Eskimo in constructing their ''iglooe."
He says;
"Tbe irst SHOWS that fall are not used
by the Eskimo OF my acquaintance to
build snow-hOuses, the preliminary igloos
being Of ice for three or four weeks, until
the deep drifts OF snow have been sub
jected 10 very low temperatures and the
! packing influences Of strong winds. The
winter weather of the summit Of Mount
Washington is essentially Arctic. The CO.
hesion Of snow in our latitudes and the
early snow Of the Arctic) is OF plastic
wet, or 'pasty' character, as shown in the
making OF snOwhalls, the formation OF
huge balls Of snow on the ground as they
roll along, falling on the hOrses' feet, etc.
This is essentially unfit for snow build
Ing. The snow tit for igloos is OF Dry,
almost stone-Iike character. The cutting
OF thin portion from the side OF an Arc
TIC snOW-b block, instead OF giving sheet
OF plastic snow, as from "A snow ball, pro-
duces shower OF fine powder, exactly
the same as from large lump OF l0al-su-
gar In short, the Arctic building snow
block stands in about the same reiaJlon
TO those we would make here as the brick
bears to the same object when burnt IN
the kiln and ready for use. The Arcuc
snoW-blocks ring like a well-burnt brlck;
and this is especially noticeable during
intensely cold weather, when ! nave
heard a snOw-block, as it was struck win
a knife, give forth clear, metallic, musl-
cal sound, not unlike the striking OF
highly -tempered bar of suspended steel
with he hand or other non-metalllc SUB
stance. ] remember, when my natives
were building a snow-bouse on the h1gn
divide between Backs Great Fish river
and Hudson's bay-the thermometer be-
ing In the minus 60 degrees-a block OF
snow rolled down the hill for fifteen or
twenty feet. and doubt il a rolling gui-
tar would have given forth many more
confused musical tones than the humping
block, as ii struck and sounded along
down tue hard sfone-like bank of snow.
Yet it must not be inferred that this dry
compact snow has any of the characters
tics OF ce about IL. It's not only much
lighter than ice. but, believe, lighter
than tie plastic snow we have: certainly
not so dense as when made into the Ordi-
nary SNOWFALL. In fact. the least quanti-
" OF ice in the snOw-which sometimes
happen s-renders IT more or less worth
less for building, according to the amount.
In the late spring, banks OF snow having
southern exposures, and thawing slightly
about noon, only TO freeze again, and 9th
ers subject to drainage-and few other
causes-often have Ice permeating the
mass, sometimes in fine little needles,
which make the mass worthless; and now
and then in little crystals scattered
through il. Ifthese crystals are much
larger than pea, and more numerous
than one TO about every four square inch
es exposed by a section, the bank Is re-
jected by an Eskimo snow-builder unless
others cannot be found. The packing of
the wind and low temperature are needed
to produce the true building-snow; and IN
the absence of either one OF these condi-
lions the action of the other seems to be
worthless. AS to temperature, this is
shown by the snow not being good-as
Judged by the Eskimo-untll IL is it-bee-
OO-dd-tO livery cold J, despite the fercest
gales having occurred. 1t is shown, as to
the wind, by not finding good building
material in deep gOrges, and other places
where the wind cannot get at the snow to
pack it down, long after it is perfect Ia
other localities. My information on these
points did not come from much ObserVa-
ton, however, but directly from Eskimo
explanations: and ] add these TO cOrrObo-
rate them. do not believe-thOugh do
not positively knOw-that both wind and
low temperature must come together; but
both must have happened before the Eski-
mo VIII use the SNOW lOI DullulnRs buOuSn
possibly the two may be independent in
time. When say the Eskimo will not
use it, mean as a usual thing and In a
general way, for in his cheerless country
he is often driven to dire expedients, and
does many things under sort OF polar
protest. have learned in several ways Of
attempts to reproduce these domiclles in
our country having ended in failure. OF
course, the main reason of such failures
was in the lack OF knowledge TO construct
the igloo-the manual deXterity needed
it being an art which requires no small
amount Of the early life OF an Eskimo to
acquire TO that perfection we often see
among them. Yet the builders who failed
in their undertakings may console them
selves with the fact that it is only in rare
cases that the snow will be of the right
texture in so low latitude. The Alpine
districts-as Mount Washington in the
winter, and similar places-might do. Ed
lerbing Eskimo Joe, as be was known in
the United States) }, my interpreter, told
me that be had built few iglOOs in the
United States for the edifcatiOn Of curl
Gus crowds, but he was only too glad not
TO see them tumble in, and ruin his reputa-
tion as we'll as the house; but as to liy-
ing in them, he would never have thought
Of IL