above the ground. If a higher house is needed the walls should
be thicker at the base and well up toward the middle.
The builder has no mortar for binding the blocks together, and
therefore he must make his joints smooth and even and force in
loose snow to fill up the crevices. A little experience will
enable one to do this work well, and the construction of the house
will proceed rapidly. The Eskimos build additions to their houses
by adding various dome-shaped structures to one side, and the
young architect can imitate them. Such dome-shaped structures are
shown in one of the illustrations.
A fact not well understood and appreciated is that the Eskimo
beehive snow house represents true arch building. It requires no
scaffolding in building and it exerts no outward thrust. In the
ordinary keystone arch used by builders, a, temporary structure
must be erected to hold the walls up until the keystone is fitted
in position, and the base must be buttressed against an outward
thrust. The Eskimo does not have to consider these points. There
is no outward thrust, and the top keystone is not necessary to
hold the structure up.
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