i 9 8 



EXPLORATIONS IN THE FAR NORTH 



omiak 30 feet long does not exceed 6 feet in the beam. It is 

 covered with a single piece of light yellowish sealskin stretched 

 on without any seam. It is sewed to the gunwale, the ends of 

 which pass through holes in its edge near the bow and stern, 

 and are lashed with seal thong over the gunwale to the inside 

 streak along the sides. The keel is broader than deep, and 

 fastened with a scarf joint and tree nails to the stem and stern- 

 posts. The stem is bent upward in the knee, having a greater 

 rake than the stern. Both are broad and flat on the inside and 

 taper to a sharp edge, continuous with the keel. A short board 

 is lashed to the top of each, that in the stern affording a seat 

 for the steersman. The bilge-streak is deep and narrow and 

 lashed in an offset in the stern. The side streaks are inside 

 the ribs, and are 6 in number, and are lashed to the bilge streak 

 and gunwales, against which they rest with notched ends. The 

 gunwales are round, and project at the bow until they meet, 

 but without fastening. At the stern they project an equal 

 distance, and are separated by a space of I inch. There are 

 5 narrow floor timbers, and 3 thwarts. 



Scrapers. I obtained two skin scrapers, which had been made 

 at the Diomedes. No. 11,027 is a fair specimen of the type 

 most commonly used. The handle is of fossil ivory, 4 inches 

 long, 2.2 inches wide, and strongly arched. The upper surface 

 has two long and shallow grooves for the fore and middle 

 fingers. The left side is deeply hollowed to receive the thumb. 

 The right side is deeply excavated for the third and fourth 

 fingers, which are separated by a projecting ridge. The butt 

 is slightly flattened. It must have been recently made, for it 

 is nearly white, though smoothly polished. I have seen several 

 that were stained a dark brown with age and oil. This handle 

 contains several cracks which are bound with whalebone, and 

 prevented from extending farther by holes drilled at their ends. 

 The blade is of flint, .5 of an- inch long, I inch wide, tightly 

 wedged into a groove 1.6 inches wide. 



The other specimen, No. 11,026, is a wooden handle without 

 a blade. It is smaller and more roughly made than No. 1 1,027. 

 There are two circular depressions for the fore and middle 

 fingers; the third and fourth are not separated. A deep verti- 

 cal furrow crosses the hollow from the left side, perhaps in- 

 tended to prevent the thumb from slipping. 



