Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-09-12

tural histories. | believe 1t was one
OF the advisers OF Alice in Wonder
land VINO suggested that the best
way to catch rabbit is to get be-
hind stump and make a noise IKE
a carrot. ana | learned with great sat
isfaction that the easiest way To catch
a polar bear Is to hide behind an Ice
berg ana make noise like the aur-
tame, and axe newspaper reporters
and some other people are gifted with
inqulring minds. when stranger
comes out on the ice they greet him
cordially and show Justihable curl
oslty as to his business and inten-
tions, which cause them to ran an
easy prey to the parlor rug trust.
You can buy polar bear skins at low
prices in this top part OF the world
Whalers and sealers bring them In
large numbers. | was told that more
than 800 We're sold at this little port
last winter. The best OF them. with
the meat OF the bear, are shipped to
England and Germany but few are
dressed by local tanners. and cost
here about one-tourth OF the price
that would have to pay in other ports
further from the source of supply
There are otner curiostties to be
found in the shops but few of them
are attractive. Sleeping bags. fur
caps, shoes, coats and other arctic
clothing may be had at nominal
prices, but While they may be
very useful IN the arctlcs, they are
not worth taking home because they
are made of reindeer skin. winch lis
warm hut not pretty.
People are born and die In the
arctic region Just as they do every
where else, and death, as the poet
| Horace says, visits the hovel and the
: palac wi,h impartial regularity. At
one OF the little arctic tishIng towns
the other day we saw a funeral. Herr
Pastor, In his long black robes ana "a
ruii1e OF white starcned muslin around
! his neck. came from the n,rle church
yard. followed by fearful process
sion. All the residents OF the place
who We're at home Joined in the
solemn, sacred duty and assisted MIN
to lay away the mortal remains OF
some useful member OF the com
munIty.
God ana not not forget to give these
people fuel lie never forgets any
thing. Inc hand that holds creation
up also marks the sparrows tall. Al
| though coal Is scarce and forests
cease to grow many niles southward,
the people oil the frlgid zones of Nor
way have an lneXhe ustlDle supply
| which O
into shape Tor fuel tnan either coal or
wood, and makes hotter tire than
either. Peat Dogs are found every
where In arctic Norway, on tine desc
late table lands, on the rocky sides
OF the mountains, In the bottoms OF
the valleys. in the lnhaD ed districts
inland, along the shores oil the fJords
and upon nearly all the islands. 1ney
| consist of what are called In Ireland
| high -moors," covered with sphag-
mum and other decayed vegetable
matter which lies in strata from three
to twenty feet deep. The peat bogs
\ of northern Norway. so Tar as sur
veyed, cover an erea of 1880 square
miles, or nearly per cent of the sur
face OF the entire country. and the
Official experts claim that TINS esti-
mate is much below the truth-that
the peat tuel they contain Is sufficient
tor all domestic and industrial pur-
poses Tor centuries to come.
The peat is taken out of the bogs
with spade In small bricks about
eight inches long and SIX inches VIDE.
and dries in the open air in few
! rh II
quality OF iuel kneed and press 1t In
boxes or by machinery, like pressed
bricks, when 1t burns longer and gives
a better heat and less smoke-Lne
same difference as between bltumln
Gus and anthracite coal. Every lam
lily In the country Is expected TO pre-
pare its own winter supply. and the
town market is furnished by men VINO
make a business OF 1t. The peat
harvest commences as soon as the
frost is out OF the ground and con
tinues until cold weather returns. a
wise and provident government Is
protecting the people against their
own tmprovidence by making regula
tlons Tor cutting peat upon pubic
land, and inspectors aie appointed to
see that tney are obeyed.
Extensive coal deposits have been
found in southern Norway, but 1t ls
of poor quality. On the Island oi
Ando. one of the Vesteraalen group
In latitude 90 degrees. bed oil GOA
was recently discovered in winch arc
evidences that the earth must nave
suffered violent commissions about the
period when the vein was formed
1t extends under the sea long dis
tance, with strata OF sandstone, clay
and slate lying upon 1t. biologists
say that the island must therefore al
one time have been larger than now
and tnlckly clothed with vegetation
For long period after IT must nave
been submerged again and then up
heaved anew.
! 1hat the North sea is gradual,
, subsiding has been tuliy demonstrated
by a series OF observations taken a
| IiamuIIrR bergen and other uOlutl