The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-02-13
Thousands of People Are Hun
dreds Of Miles From the
Relief Depots.
FAMILIES DIE OF HUNGER
Relief Expeditions in Interior Often
Find Cabins in Which Whole Fam
lies Have Perished of Hunger
and Cold.

ine conditions in North Sweden, Lap
lana and Finland, prove the famine this
winter is perhaps the greatest in a Sc
Tles OF like calamities that have visited
his region in the last six centuries.
FINLAND and Lapland are suffering
worst. Accurate statement is impos-
slble, blu 100, 900 people are certainly in
great danger Of death by famine, and
not Tar from a half million are already
great sufferers.
worse, because Finland is part Of the
Russian empire, but Russia is anything
but friendly. The determination of the
ears government to absolutely eX-
tlnguish the national feeling of the
country has caused intense hostility.
Finland was for many centuries part
OF SWeden;. its name is Swedish, it's
people have Swedish sympathies, and
Sweden is the country or which they
most rely in the present crisis.
F1nlands has been q history of sor-
row, ~comparably only to that of Poland.
In the wars of centuries between
Sweden, Denmark and Russia, it was
always a battle-ground. Gustavus
Adolphus of Sweden, having made 1t
part of sweden, gave it a parliament,
established schools, courts, ETC., n
did much for it. The great Peter Of
Russia Wrested a large part of it from
Sweden, in 1921; and in nearly a hun
'dled YEARS lalct SWGueI anu ILuSSld
fought a long war for recovery of the
provinces. Sweden was defeated, and in
1909 the whole of Finland went to Rus
STA, which has held it since.
The Present Conditions.
The meager crops of Finland, Lap
lane and Northern Sweden failed last
year. An immense rainfall converted
the country into a vast marsh, SO that,
always low and wet, it is worse than in
- Or = dJ1 fI0,1 G Io ,N@~~1> D-o. Il ,,,rol y,
dependent on their stock, for Which
there is almost no feed, and which are
dying or being slaughtered and eaten
by thousands. The governments have
positively forbidden further slaughter
ing, but it has produced no effect. Peo-
pie will kill their starving cattle rather
than see their children starVe.
There must be provided immense
quantities of hay and Of other food for
the stock, or the live stock will be all
gone before the winters end. Much Of
this territory is inside the arctic circle,
a ~boundless, frozen, ice and snow-cov-
cred waste. The main trunk railroad
from Stockholm extends far inside the
circle, but beyond it's terminus, where
relief headquarters are established,
supple must be carried by horses,
dogs and reindeers, into the remote
parts of Lapland, hundreds of miles.
In Finland also are some railroads, but
the sufferers are laf from THESE ana the
saine llelious OF railsportauo are re.
'Iuireu. because VI the great cost OF
transportation money IS the only use
full donation. The provisions needed
can be had in the lower peninsula; to
get them delivered is the problem.
The Long Winter.
Winter in this northern country be-
gins in early October in earnest and
lasts fully eight months. Then in the
short, hot, humid arctic summer the
moses, grass and small grains grow,
which provide forage for stock and food
~ .le peoEie. Ct.er iailufe o tne
olaSS Suppiy mas ioLceu lhe peopie ~
80 .ie -. aiiiiais pHch pdlk po!leu ~
n 80 80 heeps - aillila's ailVe lol
:. niiI ~ Icy i!lldlly SSl AeHef anu
uie uniess we dlet IS varied; Whlle peo-
pc tryihs 70 use tnelr milk also CON
tiact tne ieVef' 1et thls IS the pest
thousands nave.
Inc dellVer9 OIL provisions across
hundreds or miles OF the frozen, bleak
wastes where tnere are now no roads
because the moods nave DESTROYED the
poor ones previously existing, involves
great dll1lcultles and suffering. Every
thlng possible with the means at, hand
is being done. The people live to a
considerable extent in villages, and are
~congregating together in this way more
than usual in order to make common
use Of whatever provisions may reach
them. Yet in the larger towns, even,
there are daily, hourly deaths Of
famine. The animals are merely skin
and bone; the people, fever-racked and
emaciated, are no better. In one parish
where the census shows 1000 families,
over two-thirds of them nave applied
for relief. Investigation proves that
even more than this proportion need
1t. Practically all will require sub
stantial help before spring il their
lives are to be saved.
Provisions That Are Asked.
Flour FOR +ha naon1a how strow and
oil meaI for +ho pe - roaS+ a.
manaad Tha eo1irnnaan 80 of naoh AZ
5rict ave baina 10 h,,Iated b, 10 re1ie4
arthnritiaS 6na narisb ~ o .s ooo
tons ~ straw nnd 1nn +an Las of oain 49, ~
If is honed thst ~ ~; xina ~ +bosa 1si+h
the birch 1ea,sas ga ban15 4ha oa+tIa
NAV he kent aliVa A0 D'iA lNo "t'
In one sp,a1I' dis+ a.
The railroad onsSnna +hird &c - ~ a. ooo
families have alra, Nv ,eniiaa fon I,o ~
and All are fo,,,S ~ .,a5 {. ms. anoSr,ip'
munity IS NOT n1o,se tba., !, d 49, 81 49,,
for a reindeer team from ~ tbe aa rai : e,9