Evening star., 1916-12-10

is comparatively quiet During a
storm the passengers must wait out
side. and in sDring and fall the steam
ers have to nai,e their way through the
ice. AS wine comes on. the ocean
near the shore ts@ezes over, and along
about the first o. ovember the harbor
is ice-bound. and can look for miles
over a sea of ice From then on for
the next seven mon s the city is shut
out from the rest % the world by
ice and snow. The thermometer drops
to below zero and stays there through
out the winter. Sometimes il goes to
40 degrees below, and. further back
from the sea. still lower.
Many of the people leave Nome to
spend the winter in the states, return
ing the following summer. Those who
remain adopt n dress much like that
of the EskiEos. They have fur coats.
shoes and boots. and protect their
hands with fur mittenS. Most of the
citizens are confined to the town at
this time, but there are trips with
dog sleds across country. and except
during blizzards there is communication
between Nome and Council City by hot
air stages.
This letter is written in the heart of
midsummer. Just now the weather is
delightful. and il is as soft and warm
as New York or Massachusetts. The
air is loaded with ozone. and one seems
to be breathing champagne. Ii is light
all day long, and l can read my news
paper t midnight.
The people here enjoy life. They have
their social circles. their clubs and
fraternal organizations The Arctic
Brotherhood has Nome camp. and the
best men of the town belong to what is
known the Log Cabin Club. an in
sttution which is famous all over
Alaska The c1,,b tal leS tc
its house. which is one of the most
picturesque club homes of the time. II
is a cabin built of logs and furnished
to correspond with it's structure. The
main clubroom is of great size. and
the table which runs through its center
is five feet in width and about thirty
feet long. 1t is 50 made that the top
seems to be one thick slab cut from a
tree, and so smooth that you can sec
your face in it. The front door is Of
logs. and the great hinges are of
wrought iron, hammered out by q
blacksmith. The club is very hospit-
able, and strangers with good introduce
tions find it a most delightful place
during their stay.
l am told by the residents that the
Nome winter is the most interesting
time of the year. Then the people have
all sorts of entertainments They
have dances. socials, fairs and anna
teur theatricals. They engage in out
of-door sports, and especially in skiing.
1t is quite the thing to go from the
town to the creeks and mining camps,
across country on skis or long. sled
like. sharp-pointed runners. one of
which is fastened to each foot in such
a way that they can skate over the
snow. Nome has a ski club, and
tournaments are held, in which prizes
are awarded, both for jumping and for
speed. Sleighing with dogs is another
amusement. A common sight is mi
lady. wrapped in furs. sitting in dog
sled. with the driver running behind.
holding on to the handle bars. Such
sleds are used to go to dances held
in the neighboring camps. and the men,
run races with each other. carrying
their sweethearts in this way. while
they and the dogs do their best to
ou''ii* - i''rfr f'lous.
CARPENTER.