White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-05-30

efS SNAPPED themselves into q long fun
mel. from which burst immense sheets
OF living flames that stained both sky
and earth blood red-n spectacular dis
play never TO be forgotten, never sur,
passed and well worth all the discom-
forts of the polar night 10 witness.
I'm The morning, when The teacher
rang the ten o'clock ben Tor school,
and the babies who wouldn't stay at
home trooped up the school hill, the
mercury. by the light Of q match, stood
at 90 below zero. Two hours later the
Kerosene was frozen in the school
lamps. But the children laughed ct
the cold. Look, teacher. The sun |
The sun! 1t was the frst day Of Feb
ruary. exactly twelve o'clock. Through
the southwest window Of the school
glinted obiiquely a yellow radi-
ance that outlined the reflection OF the
window frame on the opposite wall and
lighted up the room.
Polar Night Ends.
with one impulse teacher and pu-
pills moved toward the window. blink
ing their eyes, shading them with their
hands. laughing h~elplessly as they at
tempted to look at the upper rim Of q
pale yellow ball just showing above the
edge of the horizon. After ~ days OF
darkness and duh gray daylight the
human eye refused to adjust itself
quickly to the sudden brightness. Put
on your things. children said the
teacher. Swiftly they obeyed. but be-
fore the foremost could reach the door
the light faded. Look, teacher. It's
gone. they cried regretfully, staring
at the spot where the yellow rim had
appeared TO rest but only a tightening
Of the gray clouds remained In eyi-
dence of the glad fact that the polar
night was over. 1t was IS below zero.
Three months Of winter yet remained.
but what mattered that2 Their souls
had thrilled once again to Gods
SMILE and hope. joy and expectation
mingled with the regret on every
youthful face.
Training untutOred minds is not a
teachers only duty In Alaska. Teach
er' There's a man hurt In the saw
mill. They want you quick painted o
youth n Sabbath day as he reached
the lone teachers ~csbin-higb above
and back of the camp. The teacher
stuffed her pockets with bandsges and
antiseptics and ran down the hill to
the spot where 4 soldier lay. the liga-
ments and arteries Of one arm severed
at the wrist, the biceps muscle gouged
ont, and a piece of dirty rope and o
rusty file fashioned into q tourniqaei.
holding back the life blood with which
everything was stained. Twenty min
utes later q long Yukon sled drawn by
seven powerful dogs and. guided by q
haifbreed who knew the river and It's
dangerous condition, carried the
wounded man toward the nearest hos
pital-75 miles away. A white miner
accompanied them. The going was
rough the surface water on the ice Of
the river In some places was two feet
deep; the ice bent and cracked. but
they never stopped until 60 miles were
covered and a relief sled from the
army hospital. summoned by another
soldier youth who "A ten miles to tap
q telegraph wire. was met. After 70
hours Of excruclating agony the hos
pital was reached.
The Only Trail.
THAT was the last day Of April. Had
the accident happened a few days Ia
fnr ratHfn. ,.utI have eaxaa fhA iffa
of the injured man the ice would have
gone. and the breaking lee on the river
was the only available trail at that
time of the year. The halfbreed was
the best man who dared TO make the
trip. His Indian mothers powers OF
endurance and knowledge Of local CON
ditions, coupled with his white fathers
intelligence and dominant spirit. gave
him q high degree OF efficiency FOR such
an ordeal.
Rendering medical aid Is a part OF
every teachers sworn duty In the
Alaska school service. Government
supplies are often the only medicines
o~btainable In cases of grave emcrgen-
cy. for whites as well as natives.
"A knowledge OF law doesn't come
smiss at times. In places remote from
the jurisdiction of courts, the teacher
is frequently the only lawgiver of the
community, as well as the only doctor.
She is census taker. keeper of vital
statistics. arbitrator of Quarrels.
health officer. peace officer, friend and
confdant of everyone In distress. The
teaching of sanitation. hygiene of a
practical nature. economy, thrift. do
nestle science suitable to environment.
manual training calculated to utilize
the products of each particular local
ity. and ciyics. to fit the natives for
future citizenship. are all included in
the work of the service.
Zach section OF the vast territory
presents a different problem each is
rich in a different way each must be
settled and seff-sustaining in the flu
ture."
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