Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-26

| 7 W nov ieature VI tue WOrh,
! never before attempted
has consisted in preparing descriptive reports
on the savage peoples Of the United States and
Alaska These are exhaustive sthnologic
treatises, profusely adorned with plates illus
trating the manners and customs Of the races
discussed The quarto on mines and mining,
which is the only one as yet issued contains
many fash-light views Of scenes in the bowels
Of the earth.
TIE NATIVES OF ALASKA
The most picturesque feature of the census
picture books will be that portion which relates
i to the natives Of Alaska. In the region drained
/ by the Kuskakwim river and its tributaries
numerous villages exist in purely aboriginal
condition, and Thousands Of people beheld in
| the official enumerator the first white man they
bud ever seen. That official while ascending
the kuskakwfm river, subsisted chiefly on the
eggs of wild fowl, which he purchased with
needles. Needles are a negotiable medium in
that country, and he carried his supply of them
In bis waistcoat pocket. On one occasion, while
passing through a swamp the natives who pad
died his boat robbed the nest Of q mallard duck
OF its eggs. For joke the enumerator drop
ped three needles into the nest as il in pay
ment Taking the matter quito seriously tho
natives spread through all that district tho re-
port that here was a man anxious to trade
| that he paid ducks for their eggs, and the news
| was carried for hundreds Of miles, causing the
census agent good deal Of trouble and annoy
ance.
INvETERATE TOBACCO CHEwEns AND sNogERs
These Eskimo of the Kuskakwim arc extrava-
gantly fond of tobacco, in the use Of which
they are obliged to exercise a remarkable
economy, owing to it's rarity with them. On
this account the tobacco il mixed with large
proportion OF wood ashes, and the quid for
In aad frnv
social way. When not in use the uuid ia usually
| placed behind the owners ear. Tobacco in 80
| pure condition this is considered too good
for the women, and they only too happy to
receive the nsed-up guilds. These they dry
| powdering them and mixing them with wood
ashes, 80 as TO make a snuff, to the use Of which
they are greatly addicted. The men will cheer
fully exchange the proceeds OF weeks of labor
and hardship for few leaves of tobacco The
census agent speaks Of having seen a person
work for hours, carefully taking to pieces all
the pipes of the household and scraping the in
side of the tubes, only to consume in three or
four whiffs the result-a fine dust Of wood i'm
pregnated with nicotine.
HUNTING WHITE WHALES.
The sandy shore of the Kl-changamiut lagoon
is great hunting place for white whales. This
arm Of the SEQ is very shallow. with one deep
and narrow entrance. When the tide is high
schools OF the cetaceans sometimes turn into the
lagoon, and the natives prevent them from e.
Gaping by forming a line with their canoes
across the opening. splashing with their oars
and shouting. Thus hemmed in the whales are
left stranded by the retiring tide, and numbers
Of them are killed as they founder about on the
muddy bottom. Their skulls are placed in lines
along shore as trophies, the jaws pointed land.
ward and the backs toward the lagoon, The
round back OF the skull Of the white whale has
three apertures, resembling in shape and posi-
ton the eye and nose holes in q human skull.
Thus the effect to the eye at little distance ia
as Of the skulls Of giants arranged in lines. To
an unprepared stranger this is quite startling.
The Eskimo migrate in summer to the hills In
search OF ground squirrel skins for undergar-
ments. and at the same time they indulge in
their annual custom Of physicking themselves
with diet Of green weeds boiled in OIL
WATER USED IN DIFFERENT CITIES.
Even figures are sometimes picturesque.
Those put together by the census bureau seem
to indicate that the people of Chicago are
cleaner than those of New York, inasmuch as
the average person in the windy CITY uses
nlnety-oDe gallons of water daily, whereas the
consumption of the same fluid on Manhattan
Island is only seventy-four gallons per capita.
Residents OF Buffalo mnstbe remarkably clearly,
inasmuch as each Of them expends 196 gallons
OF water per diem. However, they are not in
it as to this point with the citizens Of Hoboken.
n. j., who use 2S9 gallons apiece every day.
The people Of Waco, Tex, would appear to be
the largest consumers Of the same element,
their average being 519 gallons for each indi-
yidual, but the greater part of this is employed
for purposes OF irrigation. On the basis Of
reckoning above adopted the residents Of Fall
River are unapproached in their economy Of
water, inasmuch as they utilize only twenty
FIVE gallons daily per capita.
CITIES WITH FOUNTAINS.
Philadelphia ought to be called the city of
fountains. 1t has GAG Of them, Baltimore COM
ing next with 1877 and Boston third with
seventy-four. The water supply of Milwaukee
is largely consumed in the shape of beer. II
may be presumed that the people Of Milwaukee
drink more beer per capita than those of any
: other town, inasmuch as the beer gardens OF
the city have seating capacity for more than
one half OF the population. The town which
can boast OF having the greatest number Of
saloons in proportion to its inhabitants is At
lantic City, N. j. 1t possesses fifteen such re-
sorts for every 1000 people, Butte CITY.
Mont, which long held the reputation Of being
the wicAedest town in the United States. has
only thirteen saloons per 1000. Chicago has
more dogs than any other city in this country,
licensing Ii, 1000 Of these animals annually Of 81
each.
DENSITY OF CITY POPULATION.
The census returns give a very interesting
picture of the relative density Of population in
the great cities Of this country and abroad.
Taking the average. Chicago has only thirteen
Inhabitants to each acre of ground. People are
much more crowded in New York. ninety-four
OF them being packed into each acre. But in
Paris there are 162 persons to each acre. and
Berlin stands at the head Of the list Of Euro
pean cities with 255 individuals per acre II
seems rather curious to learn that New York
averages eighteen people for each dwelling,
whereas London figures out only eight persons
Tor each house. This is because London is very
much spread out and most Of the dwellings are
small. In Paris. where the houses are mostly
big and the people live in fats, the average Il
twenty-seven for each house, and in Berlin for
like reason, it is fifty-one. No other city in
this country has SO large o graveyard area a.
New York, its fhirty-nine cemeteries contain
ing at present the remains Of 1858, 872 dead
people. The metropolis on Manhattan Island
is also the best-lighted city, having forty-scven
street lamps to each mile of streets. Boston
comes next with thirty-four lamps to the mile
and Providence next with thirty ismps. New
Haven is the town which has the greatest area
OF parks in proportion to its size, New York be-
ing close second
MAPS SHOWING RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS
One Of the novel features of the eleventh
census is a series Of colored maps showing the
comparative prevalence Of the $50 different
forms of religious faith held in the United
States. No Partially has been shown to any
sect or denomination in preparing these graphic
cal representations, equal show being given
to the "Mudhead" and ''Old Two Seed" Bap-
lists, while careful distinction has been drawn
IA fho xvro1 - ~. ~.