Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-20
MOST NORTHERN TOWN.
ODD WAYS OF LIFE IN NO3WAY'S
REMOTEST VILLAGE.
Under the Midnight Sun-A Place Where
the Only Grass That Grows Is Found
on the Housetops-A Drunken lap

Under the Midnight Sun.A Place Where
the Only Grass That Grows Is Found
on the Housetops-A Drunken Lap
| lander.
| There is in mailing letter at the northern
most town in the world sentimental feeling
of satisfaction which has nothing to do with
desire that it shall arrive sooner at its desti-
! nation. This epistle will accompany me on
| the eight day journey south, and l might
| write it at any time during the voyage, but !
shall take it ashore this morning and l shall
hope that the Hammerfest pOstoffice authori-
ties will find time to stamp it with their own
postmark. To do this it will be necessary for
them to be awake. / remember that when l
was last in Hammerfest, at s O'Clock yester-
day morning, not soul was stirring in the
place. The long arctic day had tired them
out, and they slept late. l myself was tired,
for l had remained up until 4 to see the
scenery of the coast; but when the ship
dropped anchor in the harbor an admirable
curiosity had urged mo to secure a solitary
boatman, who rowed m6ashore for the sum
Of two and a half cents
As walked along the main street l found
myself endeavoring to fasten on my mind the
features of Hammerfest by comparison
with Tronsoe, the other city of this Ultima
Thule, where l had passed the day before
Tromsoe was a cheerful place, lying ON the
slopes of green, billy island by the blue
waters of long sound. Even within the
arctic circle 1t was very hot day; there was
a luxurious growth of dwarf birches and
wild cherry trees. and at the end of every
lane there was the background of green hill
do tr.h 10
to run down all over the place, covering the
doorsteps and the walks.
Had it not also been sunny at Hammerfest
/ should have been ready to SILVER. The
town seemed to be banG of little wooden
houses built in long hall circle round the
harbor under wall of cliffs from which
many stones had fallen. If the grass was
everywhere at Tromsoe, the rocks were every
where at Hammerfest, for l was made con-
scious Of them at every turn. When the sun
presently went under a cloud and it grew
chilly, l was reminded whenever I looked
that was standing under the cold and frown-
ing brow of precipice. Hammerfest, l was
told, had West End, where the finest houses
and the hotel were, and I proceeded thither
along the middle of the silent street. On
either side ran rows of houses on a raised
bank; in front of them was a narrow side
walk.to which one might ascend by occasional
flights of steps; but the stones of the walk
were Jagged and dangerous, and the little
square windows were too jealousy high in
any case for passer-by to look in. Among
the many white painted signs hoped to have
found at least one 'Bageri' open, where l
might get some coffee and bread, but iii vain;
there was not soul in Hammerfest awake
l pinned my faith on that hotel in the West
End of which / had heard, and went further
l have never been i'll place SO forbidding
and destitute of soil for verdure as this The
only grass grew on the housetops forced by
the warmer air from beneath.
Taking a turn, however, to the left I ar
rived at the theatre-a low, wooden building,
forty feet long, where performances were to
be given once week in the season." so
notice read. Behind the theatre there was an
expanse of sward strewn with blocks of
stone, close under the cliff. Part of it was
used as a cemetery overlooking the cold
Arctic sea, part was pasture ground fer
geese anG goats. As stood there gazing the
Silence was broken by hoarse crOak, and |
perceived hopping about upon a housetop,
and III and out of chimney, where he pre-
sumably kept hoard, large Norwegian
crow, with black back and gray breast and
legs, like respectable gentleman in black
coat and sIualls On the same roof little
kid was eagerly pasturing. In the road at
my feet one of the fox like, sharp cared rein
deer dogs Of the Lapps was gnawing bone.
After q half mile walk / arrived in tho
West End, where l observed that no grass
grew on the roofs Of the houses One palace,
indeed, had two rows of seven high windows
on its side and two windows at its end. Tho
mayor of Hammerfest must, fancy, have
resided here Opposite to me was place OF
greater interest, the Hotel Of the North
Pole" Its door was open, and hunger COM
PEELED me boldly to intrude myself upon its
sleeping inmates. In a room on the right,
hung with furs and Lapp costumes for sale,
on a large bed lay a cat surrounded by five
blind kittens newly born. On another door
read "Spisestue," which took to mean eat
ing room. In an apartment beyond this
found the landlord and landlady and four
children in all stages OF undress. They gave
ne some very good coffee, and they advised
NE in broken English to return to the boat
stage BY new way along the wharves, where
l might see the ships. The ships were mostly
Russian, from Archangel and the White Sea,
and experienced a strange sensation OF re-
noteness when I found that / was unable
even to read the letters OF their names
On the counter Of diminutiye bookshop
where stopped 10 buy some stamps was as
tonished 70 see a book entitled Fra Civilisa-
tionens Overdrsv at Mark Twain / took
this to mean From excess OF civilization"
and as | left the shop was racSing my brain
to imagine what book this could be, when I
made an acquaintance whose condition ex-
planned to me that the book was certainly an
unheard OF tract by the hunorist, distributed
about Hsmmerfes. in the interest OF the tenn
perance cause Civilization had led my friend
into excess Of ~finkel- and he WAS drunk; but
unlike Russian. ne was good nat1red, for be
was Lapp, one Of that outlandish race OF
noulad dwarfs whose figures give such strange
and marked character 20 the street corners
OF Haus-nerfest and Trouusoe IN the summer
time. when they come down from tae Iaoun-
tains 10 fish He was very friendly. and
gave him cigarette. which be Was unable 70
manage until showed him how !. was 70 be
LIT and smoked he pulled away with de-
light III grin upon bis wien ape Ike face CD
I'll finding that il DISAPPEARED very fast ard
that il was not as strong as hss pipe, be threw
the cigarette On the ground and, Lighting his
pipe, staggered off along the wharf De had.
Ike ether Laps. Moagolian cast q feat
ures. with small almond SHAPED eyes and Exh