Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1898 — The Coldest Spot. [ARTICLE]

The Coldest Spot.

The coldest region of the globe, that of Werkojank, In Siberia, where the lowest temperature of 0.90 degrees Fahrenheit ha* been observed, and the mean of January is 0.48 degrees, is inhabited by about ten thousand five hundred people of the native races. In a large part of this region the air is so dry and winds are so rare, that the intensity of the cold is not realized. Further east there are sometimes terrible storms. In the summer time the temperature, sometimes rise* to 80 degrees in the shade, while it freezes at night The latter part of this season is often marked by copious rains and extensive inundations. Vegetation is scanty. There are no trees. The people hunt fur-bearing animals, fish, and raise cattle and reindeer. It requires about eight cows to support a family, four being milked In the summer aud two In the winter. The cattle are fed on hay In the winter, and are allowed to go out occasionally when it is not too cold, their teats being carefully covered with felt. Milk is the principal food, occasionally supplemented with hares, which are quite abundant. The bouses are of wood, covered wltfi clay, and consist of one room, in which the people and their animals live together. The wealthier classes are better provided with lodging and food. The people are very hospitable, but excessively punctilious concerning points of honor, such as the place at table.