July 8, 1000.
Natives of the
Cape
(Copyright, 1000, by F. S. Dellonbaugh.)
Never, probably, has tho Irony of fnto beou
moro distinctly exemplified thnn in tho now
fnnioitB Capo Nomo mining district and tho
contiguous regions from which for cen
turies tho natives have with great dlillculty
extracted a precarious living. Indeed, tho
traveler accustomed to lands abounding In
food plnnlH, and game, and timber, bowB to
theso pooplo with a kind of rovorenca a his
NATIVES AT POUT CLAItENCE Copyright,
through his courtesy.
eye runges across the vast desolation, and
his souses reallzo tho dllllcultlca which they
havo bo bravely surmounted. At llrat glance
It appears to bo an Impossibility to sustain
llfo thero even In summer, and the thought
of tho long, dark winter with Its frozen
sens and drifting snows and lack of fuel
Is appalling.
Yet theso natives llvo and are merry.
Their hard-won pelts they havo traded to
tho casual whaler for coveted steel articles
mode afar away In sutilands of which they
havo no conception, and for cartridges with
which to continue their arduous seal and
walrus hunting; and, alas! nlso for bad
whisky to add further terrors to the many
of tho cruel winter nnd nil the time these
poor peoplo havo been living, or Btarvlng
and dying, upon tho sea beaches whoso
gravels embrnco a fabulous wealth of gold
a wealth so easily acquired that had they
but known they might all have easily be
como millionaires and purchased comfort
and luxury. Hut that fato was not theirs.
Tho gold beneath their feet means rather
destruction than benefit to them. Should
they bo clover enough to grasp the situation
they could lay by numerous nuggets against
hard times and old ngc, but It Is not likely
that they will.
For, whllo tho Eskimo, or Innutts, who
mako up tho native population of Cape
Nome, aro a clover peoplo In adapting them
selves to circumstances, they nre slaves, like
somo whites, to whisky nnd nro always on
tho alort to purchaso It, so that with tho
advent of a grent mining population, when
whisky will bo readily obtained, in spite of
laws to tho contrary, wo may expect to see
tho Eskimo fado away till in a tew years a
llttlo of their language only will remain to
recall tho story of their long battle with
their fearful environment.
Hcforc (Solil Wn Found.
Neither Indian nor white cared for the
treeless land and tho Eskimo pitched his
tuplk, or summer tent, wherever it pleased
his fancy 'and his earth and driftwood win
tor home wns locoted with equal freedom.
At Capo Nomo now nil is changed and sim
ilarly at other points even further north.
Tho Eskimo sees tho lands ho considered
his own claimed and occupied by others,
who In a fow days oxtrnct moro wealth from
tho earth than tho wholo Eskimo trlbo
lias :ossesBcd In nil Its centuries of exist
ence. And tho Eskimo gathers driftwood
to Boll to tho new comers, tho women with
tholr customary laxity selling themselves to
tho desires of tho miners. On such terms
ns theso hnvo they becomo n part of tho pop
ulation of Noma City.
Whllo their original life wns terribly hard
amidst their awful surroundings, despon
dency had llttlo placo In tholr composition
nnd for them tho long night of winter, when
only tho Btars benm on tho Icy nlr, hold no
terrors, provided they wore nblo to sccuro
an abundance of seal nnd walrus. Songs
anil dances and other original amusements
pnBsed tho tlmo happily nwny. At times
of famlno thoy sulTorod greatly and moth
ers would lenvo their llttlo ones Bometlmos
out In tho biiow to die. Hungor Is a cruol
tlilnir and In tho barren snowlnnd Is moro
to bo drended and feared than anywhero
else. Tho Eskimos hnvo alwoys boon tho
most northerly peoplo of tho continent nnd
In forcing the frozen land to grnnt them
subsistence nnd shelter thoy havo shown an
Ingenuity that la extraordinary. From skln3
and bones nnd chnnco bits of wood thoy
have made excellent bonts, sledges, utensils
and numerous useful articles, whllo tho
vory cold Itself has brought Into bolng
houses that for Ingenuity of construction
stand unrlvnled In all tho world.
Whllo tho Eskimo, who aro scattered along
tho shoreB from I'rlnco William Sound,
Alaska, clear across tho continent to Green
land and Labrador, nro a wonderfully homo-
4
Nome Country
gencous people and speak practically tho
same langungu everywhere, thero tiro varia
tions In their customs due to local condi
tions. Tho Cape Nomo native, for example,
has a greater abundance of driftwood, nnd
has therefore never been bo dependent on
oil for fuel. For the smno reason his house
Is considerably different from that of thu
Eskimo In tho central continental regions.
Thero tho fumllnr dome-shaped snow house
1809, by 13. II. Harrlman and published
is common us well as In Greenland, and this
house Is n triumph of Eskimo skill. Blocks
of snow of oblong shape are cut out of a
convenient bank with a steel saw, or au
Ivory snow-kulfe, tho excavation thus be
gun forming tho beginning of the room.
Tho blocks are laid around in a circle,
tho first ono being beveled down toward tho
starting point, so that when the circle of
snow blocks arrives at this place they rlso
upon tho incline of the llrst block without
a break and thus Bplrally approach the cen
ter overhead, where a keyblock Is finally 'In
serted to hold all firm, and completing the
dome tho only dome or arch used on this
continent before the coming of the whites.
When thero is light thete houses do not
need windows, ns the snow Itself Is translu
cent, but windows of clear freshwater Ice
are usually added; while at night and
through tho long winter darkness both light
nnd heat are obtained from another clever
Invention of theso extraordinary people, a
lamp, and they nre the only people on this
continent who used nn nid of this kind.
lliiK" In (irent Di'iiiiiihI.
Near all the permanent houses n frame
structuro Is usually erected for tho storage
of nil but tho heaviest articles out of reach
of tho dogs. Last winter dogs were In such
demand at Dawson for tho purpose of reach
ing Capo Nomo at nn early date that In
somo enscs they sold for as much ns $100
apiece. Kino dogs of tho collie breed havo
been sent up to Alaska from tho United
States and havo been found to be admir
ably adapted to tho work. One colllo In a
team of Eskimo dogs Is of great value, ns ho
Is ablo to keep them In order. Tho Capo
Nomo anil other Alaska Eskimo do not as a
rule rldo on the sledges, but in the central
regions of tho continent tho driver usually
sits on tho load and urges his team forward
from that position. Variations of this kind
aro due, like tho changes nnd the stylo of the
houses, to local conditions. An nbuudauce
of wood and a milder climate, for example,
would probably booh completely do away
with tho lamp. In form this utensil is some
what llko tho half of a largo shallow saucer
and Is made generally of soap3tone, though
It la sometimes of burned elny.
Tho wick Is simply a bunch of dry moss,
nnd tho oil Is that obtained from the blub
ber of tho seal and walrus. In winter the
freezing brenkB tho vessicles of oil, bo that
tho fluid is easily extracted, but In summer
tho blubber la chewed, and tho chowo, opttB
tho oil from time to tlmo Info n receptaclo
provided. In was this practice, misunder
stood by early travelers, which gavo rlso to
tho reports of enormous consumption of oil
by these northern peoplo.
KnUIiiio .ViivIkiiIIiiii,
Tho Eskimo travel consldornblo dis
tances in tho umlnk, which is fitted with
a sail and somo from tho Siberian sldo of
tho strait como over to Port Clnronco nnd
tho shores down to Capo Nomo for tho pur
pose of trading. Tho Siberian Eskimo orig
inally sailed across to Alaska, so that It Is
ovldont thnt tho waters of tho strait have
boon no obstnelo to tho Joumoys of tho
Alnskn natives. Their customs nro full of
Interest to tho ethnologist nnd havo been
described by noas and Tumor nnd Murdoch
nnd other trnvelors In the fnr north. Tho
mnrrlngo relation Is vory loose Polygamy
is common nnd In somo districts tho reverse
Is practiced, two mon marrying ono woman.
Thoy seldom steal from each other, but
thoy will tnko odvantago of n stranger If nn
opportunity Is offered. Llko many Indian
tribes, tho authority of tho chiefs Is merely
nominal, Tho ofllco of tho chief Is soma
times horeditnry. Thoro Is nothing warlike
about tho E3klmo and thoy appear to ba
tractable, bo that tho missionaries who
havo gone to tho Alaskan Hold may yot bo
ablo to save thom from extinction,
Tho govornmont has established a reindeer
stntlon north of Capo Nomo about sixty
miles at Port Clarenco nnd It Is the Inten
tion to Instruct the unlives In the care of
and breeding of theso animals, which find
nbundnnco of food on tho tundra In the
shnpo of tho abundant reindeer moss. The
rolndcer, under tho name of caribou, Is
found wild In Alaska and It Is believed thnt
tho tamo variety will thrive, thus giving
tho Eskimo another source of f.od.
It would seem that one or two mining
claims' might Justly be reserved for theso
poor peoplo to work, under proper govern
ment superintendence, thnt they might dig
out a little comfort from the bnrren soli on
which they have struggled so long to main
tain their existence. With some money, no
whisky nnd ono or two de-voted white
teachers tho unlives of Cope Nomo nnd their
brethren north nnd south might yet be
como useful citizens of our Arctic province.
Forget Business
During Night
"Every business man of common sense
knows, whether he chooses to acknowledge
It or not, thnt tho farther away he gets in
the evening from his commerclnl associa
tions during tho day, so that his business
associates or thoughts of It or them cannot
get at him, tho healthier he Is, the wiser
life he leads; In short, the better off ho Is
In every respect, nnd tho abler for tho
duties of tho morrow," Bays n writer In tho
Ladles' Home Journal. "Now, what does he
get In tho city In tho evening, even If he
lives n carofully regulated life? Thero Is
no mode of life ho enn pcsslbly follow which
Is In any way recupcratlvo to his mental
or physical being. Ho hns never been out
of hearing of tho noises of the city or out
of the range of Its lights. Every night he
has slept In tho polluted air of the city, and
In tho morning has looked out on the gray
sldownlks which ho sees all day long. What
does such a man know of the exhilarating,
refreshing and blood-qulckenlng experience
of opening the shutters of his chamber
wind w upon a landscape of space nnd sun
shine? And what Is fnr worse, what do his
wife and children know of such n blessing?
Yet ho deludes himself Into the belief that
he must llvo In the city so as to he 'in touch
with things.' If you nsk him what those
'things' nro ycu Invnrlably discover that
they aro of a business nature, cither strictly
4usincss or somo social convention which ho
feels has a bearing on his business. Hut It
is nlwnys business, business! Now, a man
living under this pressure rarely does his
best wcrk, although he fully believes that
he Is doing It. Hut he cannot he giving out
tho best because he does not allow the best
to get within him."
Few Know How
To Drink Water
Prof. Sllkham says thero are fow people
who thoroughly reallzu the value of water
as a beverage or who know how to obtain
greatest ndvantnge from It. The effects pro
iluced by tho drinking of water vnry with tho
CAPE NOME VISITORS ON SHIPHOAUD
publlshcd through his courtesy.
manner In which It Is drunk. If, for In
stance, a pint of cold water ho swallowed as
a largo draught or If It bo taken In two largo
portions, with a short Interval between,
certain definite results follow effects which
differ from those which would havo followed
If tho snmo quantity were taken by Blpplng.
Sipping Is n powerful stimulant to the circu
lation, a thing which ordinary drinking Is
not.
During tho action of sipping the action of
tho nerve which Blows tho beat of tho heart
la abolished and, as n coiiBequonco, that or
gan contracts much more rapidly and th9
pulse bents moro quickly and tho circulation
In vnrlous pnrta of tho body is Increasod. In
addition to this, wo And that tho pressuro
under which tho hllo Is socroted Is rnlsod by
tho sipping of fluid. And horo Is a point
which might well ho noted by our rendors.
A glass of gold water slowly slppod will
produce a greater acceleration of tho pulse
for a tlmo than will a glass of wine or
spirits toteji at a draught. Tn this connec
tion It may' not bo out of placo to mention
that sipping cold wator will often allay tho
craving of alcohol In those who havo boon
In tho habit of taking too much of It and
may bo endeavoring to roform, the effect
bolng probably due to tho stimulant action
of the sipping,.
Dumb Pets of
A volume might bo written of famous peo
ple nnd their pets, nnd It would bo Interest
ing rending, says tho San Francisco Call.
Mnny hooks of hlogrnphy havo scattered
along their pnges tender romlnlsconcc of nn
nttuchment to somo dumb nulmnl, from Hoi
well's "Johnson" nnd Cowpcr's "Letters"
down to one of tho latest works of the kind,
"The Life nnd Correspondence of Charles
Klngsley." Johnson's cat, Hodge for which
' .
w . .
' ' .,..
CAPE NOME NATIVES IN CAMP-Copyrlght, 18'JK, by E. II. Hnrrlmau and pub
llshcd through his courtesy. .
ho used to go out to buy oysters "lest tho
servants, having that treublo, should lake a
dislike to tho poor creature," -and Cowpor's
hares, which used to amuse him In his dull,
weary liouih at Oluey, nro ns well known as
tho two men themselves.
Charles Klngsley seems to hnvo loved
every living creature around him, nnd ho
taught his children to respect even the most
loathsome Insects. Mrs. Klngsley tells how
n family of runaway toads made tholr home
In n hole of the green bank nt Eversley, anil
the scythe was never allowed to approach
their retreat. He hnd two llttlo friends In u
pair of sand wasps which lived In n crack of
tho window In IiIh drawing room, ono of
which ho hnd saved from drowning In a
basin of water and every spring ho would
look out eagerly for them or their young,
which came out of, or returned to, thu snmo
crack. He potted tho white stable cat nnd
tho black huuso cat, and sat up with a sick
dog during tho last two nights of Its suffer
ing life. Wherever ho went ho was followed
about the pariah by his faithful llttlo Dandy
Dlnmout, whose Intelligent face was always
to be seen at tho lectures and school les-
Copyright, 1899, by E, II. Harrlman and
sons, nnd was known to every cottager In
tho place, being almost ns much esteemed
by thom as by tho Klngsloy children, wheso
nttnehed friond ho was for ton years.
Dogs, perhaps, have been pets with a
greater number of fnmcus persons than nny
other animal. Everyono will remember Sir
Walter Scott's canine pets, of which he hnd
moro than a score. Tho most prized was tho
old Scotch hound Maldo, his companion for
many years, whose grave Is near tho gato
at Abbotsford, with tho monument nnd In
scription that ho designed fcr hor. Then
thero wero tho two put greyhounds, Douglas
und Percy, which attended him everywhere,
Thoy had a privileged place In his library,
ono of tho windows being loft open In all
weathers so that they might pass In nnd out
whon thoy pleased.
Lord Hyron had a famous dog, Boatswain,
whoso plcturo Is still to bo seen nt Now
stead abbey; and Hood's dog, Dash, will bo
romombored as tho ono that Harry Corn
wall said should have been named Ilovor.
Ho accompanied Charles Lamb In many of
his walks, nearly worrying tho life out of
tho gontlo essayist, who could hardly man
ago to keep In sight of his restless four
footed companion and was In constant terror
lost he should loso him,
Walter Savago Landor was another lovor
irP""fWTrMiiiii '
Famous
Men and Women
of dogs. Ho hnd a number of them Pnrlgl,
which followed him In all his tramps; (Initio,
given to him by the sculptor Story, whose
place was to Ho at his feet; and, most cele
brated of all, Potnero. the llttlo while Pom
eranian dug that wns sent to him from Fle
boIo to Hnth, where ho wan then living. For
twelve years l.uidur nnd his dog were al
ways together, noticeable figures wherever
they went, nnd Pomero was written about
and talked about nearly as much as his
master.
Mary IIusboII Mltford was surrounded by
dogs from her childhood. To relate her his
tory would bo to tell theirs likewise, for
they wore inseparable. Their qualities,
troubles and general doings have an Im
portant plncu In her letters and they have
tender mention that might lead one to sup
posu them to be human members of thu
household. " All our pets nro well," Is
hor UBiinl messago In closing and many of
them como In for special mention, like
"Mnrmlon and Modoo and Miss Trooper,
tho hounds," "Mnrls, with her black and
glossy puppies;" "Mlrnndu, from Stratford-on-Avon;"
Mayflower and Mid and Lulla,
from tho north couutrlc," und Dash, who
"sends his respects to Mrs. Hrownlug's
doves" and wiib so well boloved by his mis
tress that when alio was In London home
sick she wrote to her parents, "I am dying
for ujy DnBh and my lluwera."
Wordworth's companion on his morning
rambles was a dog, tor whoso death he sin
cerely mourned and to whoso memory lie
paid an exqulslto trlbuto In vorso.
Thoro have been other famous lovers of
dogB. Sir Edwin Lnndseor was especially
fond of them and many of his puts ho Iiiih
iimdo to llvo again on tho Immortal ennvas.
Mrs. Drowning was greatly nttnehed to
iv silken-haired, hazel-eyed spaniel that
Miss Mltford gavo to her. Flushlo lives In
literature na the subject of onu of his mis
tress's tondorcat poems.
Gootho hated dogs. Ills pet waB a llvo
snnke, which ho kept In a chlmuoy corner
a repulsive companion one would think.
Tho pet of Tiberius, tho Itomnn omporor,
wns also a Btiake, yet tho two mon wero
wholly unllko In every particular.
Jean Paul Itlchter's pets wero a mouse, u
squirrel and a whlto spider. Hogarth, tho
painter, was fond of cats and at his homo
at Chlswlck ho had a gnrdon whuro ho
buried his fnvorltes, placing llttlo tnblets
to mark tho spot and distinguish their In
dividual scpulchers.
Tho cat bus been a favorltu with n num
ber of well known pooplo. Popo mndo com
panions of several and ho Bhowod tho best
Bldo of his character to them. Dryden had
also a Btatoly favorite cat, with a tompor us
bitter as his own pun.
Orny, author of thu beautiful "Elegy In a
Country Churchyard," wroto an "Odo on tho
Death of a Favorlto Cat, Drowned In u
Tub of Gold Fishes." In this llttlo poom
ho bownlls tho fnto of tho demure and al
most historic Sellna. Danto mado a pot of a
largo black cat. Thoophllo Oautlor had a
whlto cat of groat beauty named Don Plor
rot do Nnvarro, of which ho was extrava
gantly fond. This nnlmnl dlod of consump
tion. Ho hnd a regular physician nnd was
fed on asses milk, hut ho finally succumbed
and tho poet describes his death In moving
terms.
Put Him in a Box
IndlnnnpollB Sun: "Did you ask papa?"
sho questioned, eagerly.
"Yes, and It's nil off," he respondod, ns
one In a dream.
"Why, did ho refuso?"
"No, but ho said when I asked to tako you
away from him I wns nsklng to take nwny
tho light of his life; that tho house without
you would bo n prison coll."
"Well, all papas my that, you big, tender
hearted fellow."
"I know," ho responded, huskily, "but It
Is not that."
"What Is It, then?"
"Can't you seo?" Ho expect mo to take
you away from homo and I wouldn't havo
tho nervo, after ho talked llko that, to stay
and cr well, don't you soo?"
"I see," sho nnswered, coldly.
