The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-02-15
THE FOOD FAMINE IN SVFlTi
People Are Sill on the Verge Of e.,
but Manage TO Live, ''''
CHILDREN ARE THE REAL sIFreo,,
Fathfuness Of the Mothers the on,..
Keeps Them Alive-cattl. 80 'A'na WI.
Have Been Slaughtered ''s
Especial to The Post,

Gellivare, North Sweden, Februarv :. :.
sledging broken every eight or ten bor-. Ivy "
have finally swung the correspondent. - ~
famine belt, and back to comparat,vo .,'u Y
Distress has been left behind and tba 'ul'ts
busting iron district town of Gelliye,, f.sps''s
striking contrast to the restitution ana ~. 'a |
woods and mountains. -S Y
The sledge route has zigzaepea 49,.
miles Of famine territory, the nortberr,.. ''4e
it well within the Arctic circle and tbron.h !, 'u'
of desolate yet picturesque Swedish Lsul.,a N
westward drive across the country hetra.- u
and Gellivare permitted the piercing Of mo,. J.,
distress regions through the valleys Of tha W.. ~
and the Tornea rivers, and the lowlands vhsr, ].
Of the most acute suffering exists.
The country is an endless waste Of vrs,o,., !,
and frs, poorly timbered hills and what n 80 6
must be soggy marsh and bog Human ,rb.h0a
are miles apart Only a forlorn crudely cons...
hay dryer now and then appeared to rem,,,
that life was somewhere in the vicinity.
The bark of dog, audible almost nrs :.
In the clear crisp air, made pleasant music WIN, II
CLEAN Of a lamp or candle in hut window -,
welcome sight. The sun rose and set each 4, n
fore it was possible to reach a human dvsrl,,
convincing idea OF the isolation in which tbs,s ~
ants live.
At Kompulisvarra Ullatti Tarendo and i'll
jayvi--all hamlets consisting Of an inn and w.
or thirty scattered homesteads-the informst,, d
ceived corresponds in detail with all heard and ~
in the east and south. Famine ratons for amin,
and people make possible a sort of existence tr
is hand to mouth struggle and no one dsres uu
with confidence on sustenance more than few al
ahead.
Most of the sufferers hereabout are almost Al
cessible by Travelled routes Of communication Ynf
Of them have been heard from during the last "a
months only at intervals of three or four Ea
pwhen supplies have been distributed by the rstx
authorities Often families have sent their mes d:
children ten and fifteen miles through the SNOW n
| brush to bring back all the food and fodder "a
could carry on their back because 1t Is trecusf
impossible for sledges to plow way to the dsri
where the sufferers live.
The raHons committees await these messsgsl
of hungry people anXiously at each relief period
at no time have provisions been given in eIcea
minimum actual requirements, and It is cOnssr0
feared that death by starvation may have besl h
rayages in the remoter districts.
In this center the cattle panic" ragged most 4
lently when the famine began last September, Va
COWS and heirers We're slaughtered ruhlessI
peasants in their desperation little realizing
they were literally starving themselves. for sh
this Arctic breed of cattle become extinct huml /
istence in these regions would be well night inht
Bile. Horses have been killed and eaten IN nuns'
cases and there have been instances where nasf
starving, fell sick and died and then were uulasa
human food.
Though voorhees, and foodess, the pecps
dure their mysery during these long, dark da5s Y
out complaint Women and children sometimes
into tears when questioned as to the condllol
family larder and the clothes chest, DuI uS
tears of shame and pride wrung from peops
normally prosperous in their primitive faslloa
become objects of public charity. The chlaIs Ia
the sad feature OF the situation They en-
swarms such as one sees in the tenement ~.
Chicago and New York. Their half clad rha +
appearance is. a sight not to be forgotten. MAJ
the younger tots of l. ? and years nave D WA
riously sick as a result Of impoversnea ~
ment. Medicine is in all cases luxury nv nv
children viii carry through life stunted deysOg1
from the effects Of the present famine iaa.
have not all persisted is due to the tes esq
and watchfulness of their faithful mothers