The American Boy's Handy Book/Chapter 28
In "the land of the midnight sun," the far arctic regions where Jack Frost rules supreme, where the glistening ice and thickly packed snow covers the landscape almost the whole year round, the hardy inhabitants live in huts built of frozen
blocks of snow. The interior of these icy dwellings are not, as might be supposed, uncomfortably cold, but, on the contrary, are quite warm and cosey. Boys who are inclined to doubt this may make the experiment for themselves. After the first good old-fashioned snow storm has covered the play-ground, roads, and house-tops, and while the merry jingle of the sleighbells tinkles through the wintry air let them busy themselves rolling huge balls of snow after the manner described in the chapter on "Snowball Warfare," making the foundation of
the house exactly in the same way as that described for the snow-fort (page 258).
The roof is made of boards or planks covered with snow. A barrel placed over a hole in the roof, and surrounded by packed snow properly shaped, will make a very good chimney. A pane of glass can be set in the square hole made for a window; a heavy piece of carpet can be hung from the ceiling over the doorway, so as to act as a curtain; or if the young work-people choose to take trouble enough, they can put up a framework inside of the door-way and hang a wooden door to it by leather or canvas hinges. An old stove, or a fire-place made near the wall under the chimney, adds a finish to the house that will be found quite snug and comfortable as long as the snow lasts. The fire inside, if the weather be cold, will not melt the walls. The pictures of the house (Figs. 169 and 170) show so well how it is constructed, and how it looks when it is done, that very little explanation is necessary.
The walls are made of large snow-balls properly placed, with snow packed between them to make the surfaces tolerably even, and then the whole shaved down with a spade, outside and inside. It will be found impossible to put one tier of balls upon the top of the others by lifting them in place, but this difficulty may be overcome by sliding the balls up an inclined plane made of a strong plank, one end of which must be placed upon the ground and the other allowed to rest upon the top of the first or foundation row of snowballs.
The statuary may be of various kinds. It is very seldom
that pigs are sculptured in marble or cast in bronze, and it Image missingFig. 173.Making "Frenchy." would be well to make some of snow, so as to have statues not likely to be found elsewhere. An oblong mass of snow forms the body (Fig. 171); the legs, nose, and ears are made of sticks surrounded by snow, and a bit of rope nicely curled will make a very good tail. The various parts Image missingFig. 174.Frenchy in his Ulster. can be shaped and carved according to the skill of the young artist. A number of pigs, of different sizes, will give a lively and social air to the yard of a snow-house. Fig. 172 shows a finished pig.
A statue of a Frenchman in an ulster is also rather uncommon, and is not hard to make. The foundation of the body, head, and legs consists of several large snowballs, as seen in Fig. 173, and the arms are made of smaller balls stuck on two sticks, which are inserted in the body at proper angles. When the whole figure has been "blocked out," as the artists say, it must be carved, with broad wooden knives or shingles, Image missingFig. 175.Carving the Owl. into the proper shape, as shown in Fig. 174. The moustache should be made of icicles, which may be stuck in the face.
Arctic owls, which are very large and white, can also be made of snow, in the manner shown in the adjoining picture. These figures can be placed on snow pedestals if they are small, but if they are monster owls, like those in the illustrations (Figs. 175 and 176), they must be placed upon the ground. Image missingFig. 176.An Arctic Owl. In either position, if they are fashioned properly, they will look very wise and respectable.
When the snow is too dry to make a snowball it cannot be used to make statuary, but after a slight thaw or a fresh fall of snow it readily adheres upon a slight pressure, and can be formed or fashioned in almost any shape.
Many curious objects and figures may be carved out of solidly packed balls of snow. A lawn covered with a number of large snow figures presents a most grotesque appearance, and is sure to attract the attention of all passers-by. With practice not a little skill may be acquired by the young sculptor, and if the statuary be made of large proportions, they will sometimes last for weeks after the snow has disappeared from the ground and house-tops.