596 ALASKA INDUSTRIES, 



expedition up the river; liis long detention liad occasioned the rumors 

 of his death. 



On August 5 the Bear anchored off Point Hope. The village is 

 located on a narrow strip of land extending about 10 miles into the 

 Arctic Ocean. This gives it its native name, Tig e rach (finger). It has 

 evidently been formed by two great fields of ice grounding and pushing 

 up the sand in a ridge between them. Formerly the point extended 

 farther into the ocean, but one year the ice pack came along with such 

 force as to cut off the end of it, sweeping away a number of under- 

 ground houses. A bitterly cold north wind swept across the sand spit 

 as we landed upon it and made our way to the schoolhouse and mission 

 maintained here by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of 

 the Episcopal Church. 



The school was opened on the 1st of October, 1890. The day brought 

 with it a blizzard and snowstorm that lasted for nine days. During 

 the morning the teacher occupied the schoolroom alone, but as time 

 wore on and no pupils came he put on his furs and started for tlie 

 village to hunt up the children. Upon going outside the house he 

 found a boy walking the beach. Taking him into the schoolroom he 

 commenced school. At the close of the afternoon he presented his 

 pupil with a couple of pancakes left from his own breakfast. The effect 

 was equal to any reward of merit. That boy proved one of the most 

 regular in attendance during the entire winter season. The next 

 morning four presented themselves, and from that the school grew to 

 sixty-eight, A mixture of flour, molasses, and water made a sort of 

 cake, a little of which was given to the pupils each evening, proving 

 not only a very cheap and efficient method of securing regular attend- 

 ance, and promoting discipline, as they had to be both present and 

 perfect in their deportment and recitations to be entitled to cake. The 

 scholars usually arrived from 6 to 7 in the morning and remained all 

 day. The sun disappeared on the 10th of December and returned on 

 the 3d of January, giving them a night of twenty-four days. Lamps 

 were required in the schoolroom from November 12 to February 9. The 

 thermometer varied in the coldest weather from 27° to 31° below zero, 

 the average of the winter being probably about 15° below zero. Dur- 

 ing February and a portion of March a series of blizzards set in that 

 were beyond description. The ice was solid across the ocean to Cape 

 Prince of Wales, 200 ndles distant. The effect of the gales was such 

 that at times it seemed as if the schoolhouse must be blown away. 

 Snow flew in perfect sheets. The schoolhouse was located 2 miles 

 from the village, and yet, notwithstanding the storms and distance, 

 the attendance was good. For a few days the teacher hired men to see 

 the little ones safely home through the storm (the two miles distance), 

 but soon found that the precaution was unnecessary; that they were 

 accustomed to take care of themselves. 

 During the past year Dr. Driggs has had the assistance of the Eev. 



