Americans Chilled to
The Marrow in Siberia. . . Stoutest Fur Coat Unable to Keep Cold Off. . . Ears,
Nose and Cheeks Freeze
Americans who spent the winter in Omsk, the headquarters of
the Kolchak anti-bolshevik government, say the winter was the coldest in the
history of western Siberia and caused great suffering among hundreds of
thousands of refugees from European Russia, who have found temporary shelter in
Moscow and other Siberian centers. They say that 500 persons froze to death in
Omsk and that thousands suffered frozen hands and feet. The temperature often
reached 57 to 60 degrees below zero. Fortunately little wind blew across the
steppes but when the wind did blow the cold was intolerable.
The stoutest fur coat could not stop it from penetrating to
the marrow. As if by magic the streets became (words omitted on the page) their
cheeks and noses frozen and their hands, despite woolen gloves and mittens,
were always stiff and aching. Reckless exposure of the ears were always
dangerous, sometimes resulting in the lobes freezing and falling off at the
slightest touch.
Despite the terrible cold, the visitor there feels buoyant and
strong, and usually feels like doing an extraordinary amount of work. The
exceeding dryness of the atmosphere the Siberian said, is conducive to long
life and a sure cure for tuberculosis. Despite the rigors of the climate the people
often live to be 80 or 90 years old. Nevertheless the average American who had
to spend the winter in the Omsk district, as did some of the assistants of John
F. Stevens, the American engineer in charge of the great Siberian railway,
suffered severely.
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