McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1919-03-07
New York Letter.

TO nang with GREATNESS absorption
unon the books of DR.. Elisha Kane,
McClintock, Greedy and other explo-
rers. The name Of Grinnell land,
Baffin Bay and Bootha used to have
a charm indescribable, and | longed
to get ont among the ice foes and
Eskimoes and live on walrus meat,
seals etc. and hunt the North Pole.
| have gotten bravely over that, but
the other night when | had an oppor-
tnnity to hear lecture by Wilbjal-
mur Stefansson, the explorer who
found the white Eskimo and some un-
explored regions near the North Pole,
| was glad to 60. 1t beat any lecture
have heard, here, and it would be
impossible to give more than a brief
outline of it.
Stefansson (name pronounced "Stef
fansson' accent on first syllable) was
in the Arctic for several years, and
was long given up for dead. But he
was literally living on the fat Of the
land, that is seal fat. and enjoying
life, more than thousand miles north
Of any fixed human dwelling, and
within few hundred miles of the
North Pole. He sketched briefly,
how the center Of civilization of man
had shifted northward through the
centuries, beginning with Egypt. and
winding up at New York CD This
last brought smile. He predicted
that the center of civilization would
eventually move farther north, and
he pictured those farthsrest Arctic
lands as having abundant grass, which
nourishas the musk OK, wonderful
and useful animal which is really a
sheep, as it has wool finer than that
of a sheep, as he was informed by ex-
perts OF wool to whom he showed the
musk OK fur. These animals weigh
700 to 800 pounds, their flesh is fine
their milk equal to that Of Jersey
cow, they feed themselves and keep
fat with no human help. One such
OK will produce as much wool as five
sheep, or more, and far better. Their
butter and cheese cannot be beaten,
and this explorer believes that before
long the musk OK OF Arctic America
willlbe helping to feed and cloth the
world. The so-celled Barren Grounds
Of North America, extending to the
Arctic Ocean, up around the Great
Bear Lake, Mckenzie river and Lab
Grader, cover FIVE times as much ter
ritory as Tennessee. and the fine, ricf
grass is everywhere. He saw herds
of these musk oxen standing in a cir
Gle. their heads out, and their calves
in the center Of the circle. defending
the calves against pack Of wolves
Mr.. Steifsnsson told Of how to keeI
warm In the Arctic, by living in snow
houses, He had pictures to show how
these were built out Of long fiat snow
bricks cut out with carving knife
and laid in circle, turning in at the
top like arching brick. Ten shea
and bearskins were laid on the ic'
one set with the fur down and th'
other set with the fur up, making
fine and comfortable carpet. Thel
the kerosene stove was lit and 500
the temperature rose till the insid
Of the snow. house began to melt
little; then he punched a hole in tn
top Of the hut, let in the cold air, an
tnat frozs the snow inside till it wa
one solid wall When the wind ont
side was 60 below zero, it was A
above inside and very comfortable
These houses took only an hour
build. Many Of them we're built. on
each night. and some of them on grea
floating fields Of ice over water mil
deep,
One night when they had kille
some seals and we're skinniDg then
they saw great white polar bea
making his way toward them, swim
under ice, smashing it and swimmin
under again, till he walked right upo
them. never having seen aman oefor'
Trey Sillel him, hut soon other bear
came auj they had to retreat indoor
with their seals. Mr.. Steffansso
told how Eskimo hunted seals, By |,
ing on the ice and rolling along lik
seal; hiding up one foot occasion
ally like the seal does its flipper, ii
faaliy sometimes the Eskimo coul
reach out and catch the seal by il
iipper and stabs it to the heart. Th
Eskipo lives on the seal meat an
riot with its fur. He said tha r.,