Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-03-31
SNOW EATING MANIA.
A PECULIAR HABIT THAT OEvEl-
OPS I'M THE KLONDIkE.
The Appetite. When Once Acquired. is Ex-
tremeIy Difficult to Control. and to Indulge
in II Means Short Cut to the Grave.

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Cleveland PLAIN Dealer.
Every great discovery i'll the worlds
history has brought with it an accom-
panying afiliction, and it remained for
the klondike to develop Il peculiar
mania that threatens to outrival
opium eating. Among the residents
of the far north it is known as the
"snow habit" and it is said to be in
durable. A returned Klondiker tells
the strange story.
There are many strange things in
the klondike," said the narrator, "but
perhaps the strangest and that about
which nothing has been written so far,
is the dissipation caused by eating
snow. In the north, when the ther-
mometer reaches 80 to 40 degrees be-
low zero, a mouthful of snow is like
moulten metal 1t brings an inflam-
nation to the palate and tongue and
it is impossible to quench the thirst.
The first advice an old timer offers
newcomer in the region is Don't eat
snow.' There are men in that coun-
try, once hearty, robust miners, now
weak, etfeminate creatures, whose fall
can be traced directly to the time
they began munching snow.
"Ihe matter has been but little III
vestigated, but the scientists who have
examined the subject say that the
waters of tic north are rich with min
eral deposits which are being con-
stantly washed down from the noun
tains. A certain per cent. of this min.
eral is taken into the air when vapor
rises, and the snow becomes impreg-
mated with it. There have been seve-
raj falls of red snow near Point Bar
row, the deposit being of a reddish
brown color, due entirely to minerals.
Thus it can be seen that a person eat
ing large quantities of the snow takes
into his system corresponding
amount of minerals"
While coming down the Copper
river last spring the narrator came
upon a party of miners where one was
dying from the effects of eating snow.
He had been hard drinker, but had
run short of whisky. His thirst be-
came uncomfortable and as water was
scarce in mid-winter he had taken to
eating snow. Soon he claimed it re-
lieved his appetite for the liquor, but
his companions noticed that his appe-
tite for the snow increased until he
was consuming enormous quantities.
Gradually his skin, which was dark
bronze, grew light, his rugged stature
became bent, and even his harsh voice
changed to the effeminate squeak OF
an old woman. His strength gave
way, and his companions tried to
break him of the habit. He would lie
on his pallet and moan pitifully for a
of snow and when opportu-
nifty offered would steal unobserved to
the doorway and gulp down huge
handfuls. At last, seeing death was
inevitable, his companions allowed
him the snow, hoping to prolong his
life. 1t proved unavailing. however,
and one morning the man was found
dead.
There are some spots on the Copper
river where the snow, when melted
and strained through cloth, shows
perceptible signs of minerals. and
often gold is found plentifully inter-
mixed, but of course not in paying
quantities. Where this comes from is
a mystery, but it may be brought
from the far north by the heavy win
ter gales that sweep over this part OF
the country. 1t has been said that if
the snow could be melted away it
would leave deposits of millions of
dollars in gold dust on the ground.
The narrator had q close call him.
self from falling victim to the snow
habit. at was in the winter of 1885,
T." he said, "and l was new to the
country. An old miner near Dawson
had warned ME against eating snow,
but !, with my partner, had gone back
into the hills on prospecting tour
and had got caught in q blizzard.
We were shy Of provisions and OH our
way up lost the package containing
our cooking utensils. This we reme-
died by broiling our cooked foods, but
we had nothing in which to melt the
snow. 1t is claimed that melted snow
is harmless, as the metallic deposits it
contains sink to the bottom of the re-
ceptacle.
ave decided to try it raw and we
did. Whether it was the food or the
snow don't know, but during the
week we waited for a chance to get
out we had an ever increasing thirst,
until, when We were finally able to
strike the trail, we were consuming
snow at a frightful rate. When we
reached our companions, we attempt.
ed to assuage our thirst with water,
but it did no good. We had acquired
taste for the frozen water, and it
seemed to have invigorating qualities.
AT night we could not sleep unless We
took orr snow