Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1891-11-04
A Smyrnian on the Borders of the
Arctic Circle.
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF LIFE IN
THE POLAR REGIONS, A THOUSAND
MILES BEYOND CIVILIZATION.

INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF LIFE IN
THE POLAR REGIONS, A THOUSAND
MILES BEYOND CIVILIZATION.
The following very reable narrative
is from the pen of DIR. John B. briggs,
written to his parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
S. B. briggs, residing near this town.
The letters were written for their in
formation alone, but at our request
they have given us the points of gen.
eral interest, which will no doubt
greatly interest our readers, especially
the younger portion. DR.. briggs prac-
ticed medicine in Dover n good part
of the year 1889, but at the request of
Bishop Coleman he went to Alaska
where the Episcopal church waited to
establish mission the chief feature of
which should be medical station. He
left Smyrna April of last year reaching
his destination in July. In that far
off region they have but one mail a
year, unless by chance whaler) that
brought by the U. 5. Revenue Cutter
Bear and the letters which made up
the following were forwarded by it on
its return trip:
POINT HOPE, July 9Th, 1891.
Although the Arctic Ocean is yet
full of ice, anticipate that a good
southeast storm will shortly drive it
all north and allow the vessels to enter
from the Behring straits.
The only ships that come so far north
are the whalers, also the U. S. Rev
enue Cutter Bear" Point Barrow is
probably less than two hundred miles
north of here, but requires a trip of
three hundred miles to reach it. | am
nearly as far north as the mouth of the
Mackenzie river, the probable differ
ence being about thirty miles. l send
you a small sketch so you can see lust
where l am.
The winters here are not nearly as
severe as l expected to find them.
Our coolest weather was when the
thermometer varied from 90 to 80
below zero. Zero arrived in the latter
part of October, and left in April. Our
usual weather in winter is a variation
between 10o and 800 below zero.
A few miles from here on the main
| land, it is much cOlder-the summer
weather averages somewhere in the
forties. But once have l seen mosqui.
toes, and that was yesterday. Last
summer they did not appear, as it was
too cold and rained almost perpetually
Last August it showed four times and
ice formed Taking the cold weather
on the whole do not mind it, but like
1t. Often | have taken long tramps
over the snow, of from fourteen to six,
teen miles, with the thermometer way
down below zero, and rot feel the cold
in the least, but on the other hand the
ice would be forming on my mustache
and eyebrows, while my body would
be perspiring freely. l would feel as
if dressed to warm.
Here we dress all the year round in
furs. My pants are deer-skin; nv
shirts squirrel skin; my summer wat.
er-proof boots are made of seal-skin
In winter, my feet are first covered
with my regular cotton socks, ther
over them a pair of deer-skin socks
hair turned in, over that another pail
of deer-skin socks, hair turned in, and
then comes my deer-skin boots with
my pants tucked in. My coat is oil
heavy deer-skin, and is put on over my
head, and has hood attached. The
hood is trimmed around the edge with
long fur, which meets over the face
and breaks the wind. Over all this
comes my long white drilling "Ahtee-
gee" which covers me from the tor
of my head, down to my ankles, and
serves to break the force of the wine
as we'll as to keep the snow out of my
furs.
The women all dress in deer.skiI
pants, and at first it was rather puz
cling to distinguish the boys from thu
girls. The men are beardless. Thu
natives / like very much, as far a!
their dispositions are concerned. They
are q.iet and peaceable and we'll dis
posed, but are very dirty and covered
with vermine. They never wasl
either themselves or their children
Infants are born in snow houses ant
often remain there for weeks or a 70
a few months.
The tribe of Eskimos that 1 am liV
ing with are called "Tigara Muter.
During the winter they live in under
ground houses, and to gain admission
to their houses, you first have to elm
on top of mound, then lower your
self down through hole about sevel
or eight feet deep, then drop on you
hands and knees and crawl through
dark underground passage, abOu
twelve or fifteen feet long, when yoI
arrive at a depression about a foo
deep, then looking upwards you see I
hole in the floor, which you force YOU
body through. You are then in
room nine or ten feet square, in whic
room all the family dwell. There ar
no windows, but hole is cut through
the roof, and a thin piece of seal-skiI
is tackled over it, which admits a yer,
dim light. Further the room is heate
by sort of seal-oil lamp, constructe
by scooping out a stone about a thir
of an inch deep, then putting a littl
moss at the edge, and filling the d.
preston with seal.oil.
] have had sixty eight pupils, whic
comprise all the children of the place
between six years of age and twenty
one. The children are very Obedien
and not at all mischievous, and l Xix
teaching them as they are quick t
learn. Some of them can already rea
very well, although when 1 commence
they could not speak one word
English.
The language of these EskimOs
not an easy one to acquire, especial
as it is not a written one. The go'
eminent has published vocabulary {
about two thousand words, but it
very incorrect and the history is Y,
worse, have probably learned abOl
five hundred words, but do not pr
tend to speak the language, neithl
have / yet met with any white ma
who could do so, although some
them have lived with native wives fl
three or four years. I feel I knO
enough of the language to travel an,
where among the true Eskimos
Alaska,
,. have lived entirely alone here, m
9 nearest white neighbor being six and
4 half miles from the Mission. Abol
half a mile beyond is the second wha
ing station, where there are thr,
whites permanently located. Tn