The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-08-02
ODD ARCTIC PEOPLE
They Are Not the Black Haired
ESkimoS.
Hint That Mystery of Sir John Frank
Inns Missing Men, or of Vanished
lceIandic Colony May Soon
Be Solved.

Pleasantvillc. n. "a letter from
StofanSSon, tho explorer, received by
a friend who lives here, hints at a
possible unraveling either Of the mys
terry which for more than go years
has envelored the fate Of Sir John
| Franklin's two ships companies or OF
the greater mystery concerning col
uries OF Tcelanders who long ago mi.
Grated to Greenland and then disap-
reared,
Stefansson's letter, dated Barrow
| Alaska. Feb L." and postmarked
Nome, Alaska, Arril D." in transit,
SAYS
"Herc | am. further west than you
probably expected me TO so in win
ter This is a whaling station, the
most nortberly one in America, the
rHst egstCrly one Of those whose
rar,es is by the Pacific ocean. There
. is iero also tho most northerly pos.
, office under American control and il
! has t"o outgoing reindeer mails ir
wiatgg, November and February Is
as we'll rs a ship mail in July or Au
/ gust am here 70 write letters and
rcrorts TO the museum.
My winter camp Is as planned or
! the lower Colvinc river left II abou'
1 he time the sun went away and have
ejHco wandered rs iar west as Vain
wright ia'ct about 10 milos southwest
( of Point Barrow and 500 from oui
I winter ramp. stopping at every Eski
/ mo settlement. an unpleasant thing ir
many cases. for the habits and dis
eases Of civilization arc everywhere
| evident: unhealthy people crowdo.
/ into nnNc0tilated and uncomfortable
houses a complete contrast to what i
was 20 years ago here, J am told, anc
to what ii still is to the eastward
where every house, no matter how
/ crowded. Is always warm and vel
ventilated.
AZ Point Barrow and west Of there
90 per cent. of the people have aban
doued tho warm, seml-eTcavated house
with its door IN the floor, the adYan
toees Of which are well known to you
for tiimsy o}erTouud structures mi
Eating white mems houses. The walls
Of these are so thin that even were
they air'isht as they often are very
heaflF). enough cold comes ID BY con.
cuetion through me BOARDS 70 form
No7Ftros' mere ana th're ana zee IN
Ire corners ana rhCet tAe oeaS. IN.
, t,'-a gu to'' anu 'eHtlia"ns
't'tH'F "t@ays oFen' tuese mousse
rave I'D It'''if''F. ''e aoor Is haa'IiS
''1'N "'e,e,e or -'eu "nu 49,
Us ''l.' VIVA d rag t'''o" q
''e4 .'.' A'''
~ doctor Who has been at Barrow
seroa wars. since .Sae-hc has had
raaau9nS-tcils ne that the death
rate fro tnboro"'oc's has more than
doubled in feG years, tho period OF
The change lunaor missionary end
ntfor Influences from TIE 'insanitary,
il'hy' native houses to the 'ndy, mcd'
crn' damp cocF'oshells that are muir
dcr'nE tho people,
"This has hscn a DEPRESSION It /
would t0Rc nary pages of print to
show up thoroughly the effects Of civ
ilizatiun at Point Barrow and west
of r.
IN three or -four DAYS | shall start
cyst for tho Colyil,e and spend a !
rnuth or two there at least Many OF !
~" rcopIo there he'd never seen q !
white man when We arrived, but they /
laFo associated for many years with /
TaEinos who are Christians etc, and |
lC.f Influence has been marked They |
are therefore, from my point Of view |
soI histica'cd.
"Tu C-'ohcr last We divided our |
,,tt IN two sections. Or Anderson. |
-r..s an Eskimo family. went into the |
mountains south of Barter island. |
about Is miles southeast from Flax. !
man island and l25 from my camp. |
Nv party consisted Of man,
-frr bary and enc NAN besides. /