Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-23
IN THs FAR NORTH.
A GLANCE ar THE COLD EXIST
EAcE oF THE EsQUIMsUx.
Home Comforts in a Freezing Tenn
perature-Undresse Babies
Playing in the Snow.

Existence in the far North. especially
through the long winter, is attended by
conditions very peculiar, says the st. Louis
Giobe-Demoordt. There is nothing particu.
larry calculated to inspire ideas of comfort
in the thought of eternal ice and snow
Yet the Esquimaux find much that is
cheerful in them. A foot of snow is as
good as a blanket, in their estimation, and
they figure TN the warmth in certain thick
nesses of ice as Missourian counts on the
caloric to be extracted from ton of coal
A native of the Arctic regions, bundled uE
IN fur, with the temperature at 500 below
zero, can see in big snow-bank packed
almost like marble by the sweeping winds
a coy hut in which his little stone lamp
filled with walrus oil, will make an
agreeable warmth for himself and family
The reader of the Globe Democrat who find.
it chilly to sit down and read unless the
thermometer marks about 700, might fancy
otherwise, as in the home of the Esqui-
maux it must not be much above freezing
or the walls of ice-houses will melt. But
when out day after day the year round
with cold SO intense that mercury freezes
to crawl into place where water will
skim over with ice is as pleasant change
as stepping from the street on a nippine
January day into well-heated residence
in an American city.
The Esquimaux men, women and chill.
dren all wear double suits of reindeer
skin clothing, with additional garments OF
white bear skin if subjected to extraordi-
nary exposure. In putting on the clothes,
the first is worn with the fur inside and
the other with it outside. When going
into hut, the outside suit is removed on
the same principle that overcoats are
taken off when going into the house in
the more temperate countries. The tenn
perature of a snow or ice hut is never
above point that would benumb the fin
gers of stranger, but the native women
sew the skin clothing with sinew thread
and the men carve walrus ivory without
the slightest inconvenience.
The first American explorer to the
frozen regions towards the north pole was
DR.. Kane, who first went out in 1858.
For several centuries the English had
been sending expeditions in that direc-
ton, but little came of them The re-
suits of DR.. Kane's initial trip was pro-
ductive of more information concerning
the frigid zone and its inhabitants than
before known, and following American ex-
plorers have added materially to it. The
researches go to show that in the ninth
and tenth centuries adventuresome Nor
wegians penetrated as far north as Green
lands coast, but no detail of their discov-
cries was ever made known The social
life of the Esquimaux begins when the
so-called winter of six months sets in.
In the summer life is not so bad in tents
of sealskin but when the blasts of winter
commence to howl, and the spots of clear
water are tightly closed then the abode is
changed for one of blocks of ice. The
native women are as robust and enduring
as the men, and the children, even to the
babies, withstand the cold wonderfully
The little ones play on the skins of bed
In an Ice hut not above freezing in tenn
perature, with no more on than common
with American children when ready for
sleep, and many times not even with that
The skin of their naked limbs is said by
explorers to feel like slab of iron OF
stone when exposed to severe cold, but
they seemed thoroughly Injured to it. II
is related that urchins just beginning to
walk, toddle outside the huts into tenn
perature of 500 below, with not enough
clothing on to deserve the name and enjoy
il heartily
The children are always in for frolic
and take advantage of every opportunity
10 engage in sport of any kind One ia.
VoriIe pastime is shooting at the dogs that
are always sticking their heads in the en-
trance to the huts. This is entered into
by those not big enough to 60 out with the
older ones. Toy bows and arrows are fur
nishei the but little more than babies, and
they let fly whenever a canine target is
presented. The larger boys attend to TIC
feeding of the dogs, which is no easy duty
The regular diet Tor the dogs is walrus
skin, from one to two inches thick, cut in
strips from ore to two feet long. Whel
dog has worried down half a dozen Of
these strips he gets along two or three
three days without anything more. Ir
summer weather. when fish are caught
frequently, several will be cut up and dis
tribnie6 among the pack. 1t is customary
to huiid a low wall in a semiciIcle, and be
hind this one boy will chop up fish, while
another keeps the dogs outside by vigor
orously using his whip and shouting at the
top Of his voice. Even then the hungries
dogs will bound over the wall and try tC
steal some of the food being prepared
The arctic dogs are larger and stronger
than any seen further south, and whel
right hungry viii get square meal out o
piece of seal skin or reindeer hide, NJ
matter how old and dry
Playing hunting the musk-ox is in
dulged in by the grown boys, and earnes
fun it gets to be at times. One will dor
an old skin, and the rest will go at hin
with bows and arrows and other weapons
until the make-believe will be used up il
reality by his bruises and fatigue.
Among the delicacies INDUCED IN, one o
the choicest is reindeer tallow. One of tn,
water fowl of the arctics is the doyekie. |
is about the size of duck and has feet ant
legs Of a brilliant red The skin is peelet
from the flesh and bone and blown up
then when dry is filled with tallow. Thi
makes a bright-colored package and is a
eagerly longed for by the children as cand,
by those of warmer countries. The mar
row from the shin bone of reindeer i
also highly priced, and is eaten frozel
without being cooked. A rude sort of bal
game is popular with the young girls
The ball is made Of sealskin filled Will
sand, and the play is to keep it in the ali
by striking il with the palm Of the hand.
The adult Esquimaux are among tn,
most patient and persevering people il
the world They have been known t.
work for years in fashioning knife o
Ratchet out of a piece of stray iron b,
rubbing it with fragments OF stone. Th'
needles used by the women often demand
months of toll. The sinews of the reindeel
make the thread, and it is braided int
fish lines, howstrings and whipchord. For
merly walrus tusks were carved into varl
Gus implements for household use, such a
spoons and forks, but the visits of whit,
men in late years have led to a supply o
more modern utensils.
A very important factor of life is tn
dog. Every family has from six 10 twenty
and they are used for hunting as well a
dragging sledges Trained dogs scent tn
reindeer when they are hidden from sigh
by hills of snow, and the game is then shot
either with bow and arrow or gun. Oh
pleasant DAYS some of the women will har
ness up the dog team, and, taking tn