Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-10-11
THE END.
SAILOR TELLS OF MIDNIGHT SUN
Steward of Engineers On Steamship
Talks of Visit to the White Sea.

| Mr.. Thornton, steward of engineers
recently discharged her cargo at the
columbus street wharf, talked inter-
estingly with q reporter for the News
and Courier concerning a trip made
by the Quart last July to the White
Sea. off Northern Russia. One of the
most interesting parts Of Mr.. Thorn
tons narrative concerned the Mid
night sun" which is seen in the White
Sea. In speaking of the phenomenon
Mr.. Thornton said:
I'VE were in the White Sea twen-
ty-five days. taking on load of lum-
| ber from the cars own saw mill at
Solombolo. just inside the Arctic cir
Gle. / cannot say every night, because
there was no night while we were
there, but every day after tea at six
there would be a severe drop i'm the
half hour or so that the sun disap-
peared While the chief luminary did
| disappear for a short time, it did not
get dark, but it reSembled our late af-
ternoon when it draws toward the
twilight.
THE people of the region around
| about eat black bread and salt fish.
They are Russians and. as none of us
could speak the cars language, we
held no discourse with them. We Of
ten went into the town of Solombolo.
| and there we saw many quaint things.
For instance. the houses were all of
logs and there were no public build
| ingS of any consequence. Even the
| Jail was of logs. Though il was a frail
structure, no one imprisoned would
dare to break out, because the officers
go armed with swords and pistols and
they do not fail to use their weapons
on the slightest provocation. One of
| the most curious things to me was the
| fire alarm system of the town. An old
man would go about through the
streets at night with a wooden rattle
| in his hand, and we We're told that in
| case of fire he was to rattle the in
Strumcnt. Just for fun, we thought
we would try the alarm system. We
persuaded the old man to let us look
at the rattle he carried and while eX-
lamining il, one of the fellows shook
! it; but the old man was too quick. No
| doubt he was anticipating trouble and
before we could test the alarm system
| thoroughly he was whacking us over
| the head.
| The expense of lighting the town
of SOlOmbOlo is not heavy, as it enjoys
so much daylight. do not remem-
| ber having seen a single lamp while
we We're there.
THE custom official who came
aboard our ship in his official capac-
| ity was queer sort of Il human. He
was a very nice fellow, as far as that
| goes. but the trouble was that his SAL
AIRY did not go far enough to prevent
| his personal appearance from being
| ludicrous, as touching the cut and fit
of his clothes. This poor custom Of
| fetal, | am told, earned the princely
sum of - cents per day. He told US
that he employed his spare time doing
carved wood work, and at this he was
certainly master. He carved a pair
of wooden shoes which were models
! for an artist.
THE black bread eaten by the in
| habitants of this region is baked i'm
| loaveS as round as a cart wheel and
nearly as large. being eighteen inches
in diameter.
| 'Thcre was one amusement i'm So
lombolO which | had almost overlook
ed, and that was a moving picture
show, which gave Il Very creditable
performance"