The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-09


A plague of the spot is the legion OF
mosquitoes that are native to the soil
These pests of the forest and river tracts
are of that abundance which has made
famous in letters of gore the Middle A.
lantic tracts of the Eastern limited
States: nay. more. the torment is that or
the topics or of the true Arctic regions
for II is in the hottest and coolest regions
OF the earth's surface that the melodious
tones of the little piper are banded to-
gether in most powerful orchestra II r.
a no uncommon thing to see the human
head completely encasei i'm a mosouitn
netting. a condition which has in MANY
parts become a necessity-a necessity ex-
tended from the face to the hands.
There is as vet no positive record of The
lowest range of the Thermometer in the
Upper Yukon region but II is safe "a as
sumo that this range extends YEARLY 10 The
80 degree or-GO degree line with n not
Improbable occasional descent to a some
what lower level This would be approNi-
mately the low-level temperatIlre of the
true Arctic regions. and vet by no means
the lowest that has ever been recorded
Thus Kane, in his Arctic service has seen
Is degrees. aud the officers of the British
polar expedition Of 1876 recorded an almost
equivalent temperature of y degrees. on
the other hand the lowest registry of Mr.
Peary's thermometer was only So degrees
Compared with regions iyihg 10 the furth
err south the winter climate of the Klon-
dixie does not a. fer in severity very mate
rally from that of many parts of The more
thickly inhabited portions of British
America, as Manitoba or Alberta or even
from Dakota or Northern and Central
Minnesota. where almost annually the
mercury freezes in its tube. While posi-
blv sufficiently low 10 meet all the require
ments of human happiness or discomfort
this freezing cold is yet far from equalllng
what is a regular occurrence in many
parts of inhabited Siberia, AT the govern
mental town of Yakutsk. which is situated
a short distance without the Arctic realm
a spirits-marking of rs degrees is no infre-
quent event. and even so degrees is hard
" sufficient TO disturb the equanimity of
the Inhabitants. In the winter of 1895
the low record of 81 degrees was estab-
lished. At Verkoiansk, lust beyond the
Arctic circle. the Thermometer i'm a single
day in January. 1896 marked 80 degrees
This is the lowest natural cold that has
ever been recorded but the region which
il marks has long been recognized as one
of the poles of cod" of the earth. Incl
dental reference TO a cold of so degrees
has been transmitted from the Klondike
but there can be little question that this
is an exapgera lion of the actual severity
of the climate. the result of careless OBJ
servation or of observation of instruments
whose rating is imperfect
With an extreme temperature 80 TO 40
degrees warmer than that of regularly
inhabited sites in Siberia. the condition
NAV carry conviction TO many that no
particular hardship arising from cold
need be experienced in the region of Klon-
dixie: but it is Just this supposition which
will bring suffering to a very large num-
Der of those who have hastily betaken
themselves to the new Eel Dorado. 1t is
not the matter of cold alone. but that of
how to meet the cold which is the de-
termining factor in the DISPOSITION of suf-
ferng or of semi-comfort The Russians
are masters in the art of adapting them
selves to the varying conditions of ex-
IRENE northern temperatures Both by
clothing and habit they have met the eli
matte exigencies Of their special sur
roundings to the extent. indeed. of har-
boring no ilI-viu toward the particular
god from whom they receive their winter
blessings. 1t is certainly fact that the
Argonauts of the northwest are not equip
ned in the Way to proDerly meet the me-
neurological conditions which prevail
there. and II is Just in this circumstance
rather than in a specially rigorous eli
mate that a terrible hardship in endur-
ance is invited
1t is not little remarkable what hazy
notions prevail regarding the overland
journey TO the region of the gold diggings.
To many the Chilkoot and White passes
appear to be the termini of this journey,
whereas, in reality, they still leave an
interval Of some 500 or GOO miles between
themselves and the camps of the miners
The traverse of this region through win
ter SHOWS is a no ordinary undertaking,
and one of extreme severity to those I'M
accustomed to travel except in regions
of mild contour 1t is here even after the
perilous passage of the mountains, that
there will be the fan by the roadside. for
the conditions of transport are not such
as to insure security, or even a modicum
of comfort. Yet it is certain that by
those who are thoroughly familiar
with the art of sledging, especially with
dog teams, the journey could be made
rapidly, and with nearly full security.
under almost any stress of weather. The
dogs required for this purpose should
however, be of the Esquimo breed and
similarly the sledges should be construct
ed more or less of the Esquimo pattern.
Recent dispatches from Sitka announce
the early fall of snow on the Chilkoot
pass, and the beginning of the impending
snow blockade There is little reason TO