The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-02-17
SNOW EATING MANIA.
"a PECULIAR HABIT THAT DEVELOPS
IN THE KLoNDIKE.
The Appetite. When Once Acquired.
Is Extremely Difficult to Control.
and to Indulge 1t Means q short
Cut to the Grave.

Cut to the Grave.
Every great discovery in tue worlds
history has brought with it an accom-
panying affection. and it remained for
the Klondike to develop a peculiar mania
that threatens to outrival opium eating.
Among the residents of the far north il
is known as the ''snow habit. and it
is said to be incurable. A returned
Klondiker tells the strange story.
''There are many strange things in
the Klondike," said the narrator. ssbut
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 Their
mometer reaches 80 to 40 degrees below
zero, q mouthful of snow is like molten
metal. It brings an inflammation to the
palate and tongue and it is impossible
to quench the thirst. The first advice
an old timer offers q con in the
region is Don't eat snow. There are
men in that country, mi hearty, ro-
bust miners, now weak. effeminate crea.
lures, whose fall can be traced directly
to the time they began munching snow.
1.-THE matter has been but little in
vestigated, but the scientists who have
examined the subject say that the wa
ters Of the north are rich with mineral
deposits which are being constantly
washed down from the mountains. A
certain per cent of this mineral is taken
into the air when vapor rises. and the
snow becomes impregnated with it.
There have been several falls of red
snow near Point Barrow, the deposit
being of a reddish brown color. due en-
tirely to minerals. Thus it can be seen
that a person eating large Quantities of
the snow takes into his system q CORE
spending amount of minerals.
While coming down the Copper river
last spring the narrator came upon q
party of miners where one was dying
from the effects of eating snow. He had
been a hard drinker, but had run short
of whisky. His thirst became unendur-
able and as water was scarce in mid
winter he had taken to eating snow.
Soon he claimed it relieved his appetite
for the liquor, but his companions no
ticed that his appetite for the snow in
creased until he was consuming enor-
nous quantities. Gradually his skin,
which was a dark bronze. grew light,
his rugged stature became bent, and
even his harsh voice changed to the
effeminate squeak of an old uni
His strength gave way. and his com
panions tried to break him of the habit.
He would lie on his pallet and moan
pitifully for a mouthful of snow and
when opportunity 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 pro-
long his life. 1t proved u~navailing,
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 a cloth, shows percep-
tible signs of minerals, and often gold !
is found plentifully intermixed. 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 winter gales that sweep over
this part Of the country. It 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 a close call. himself
from falling a victim to the snow habit.
1T was in the winter of 1867" he
said. land l was new to the country.
An old miner near Dawson had warned
me against eating snow. but I, with my
partner. had gone back into the hills on
prospecting tour and had got caught
in a blizzard We were shy Of pro-
and on u way up lost the
package containing our cooking uten-
sils. This we remedied by broiling our
cooked foods, but we had nothing in
which to melt the snow, It is claimed
melted snow is harmless, as the
metallic deposits it contains sink to the
Of the receptacle.
1--WE decided to try it raw, and we
did. Whether it was the food 'or the
snow I don't know, but during the
week we waited for a chance to get out
had an ever increasing thirst, until,
when we were finally able to strike the
rail, We were consuming snow at a
.rightful rate. When we reached our
we attempted to assuage
thirst with water. but it did no
rood. VIZ had acquired a taste for the
rozen water, and it seemed to have in
'igorating qualities. At night we could
lot sleep unless we took our snow.
1--WE were fast approaching the de-
stage when I reached a realiz-
ng sense Of our condition and under
ook to break of. I began by degrees
nd worked down. but up to the very
I left the country the sight Of
he snow always raised in me an inor-
craving. It cost me many sleep
ess nights and weary days to restrain
ayself. Had I given way to the habit
would. like many another poor fellow. {
ave lost all ambition and filed an un-
~v~ f,~r~v~ B. AA-A p. Z