S E D doga to co M pfitz or y LY C J N conov I 1 s pw 0 a an 4 the T eail 9 az tow Z A L 4 k v braile r hii quebec leppala ZeP pala arld two of his husy les derby 41 4 by sy ELMO SCOTT WATSON T IS a far cry from the subzero sub zero tern tem pera tures and the snow covered hills ST surrounding lake placid in northern new york to sunny california and thi great stadium in los angeles where 4 the 1932 olympic games will be held this summer but there is a connection ICU between the t vo starting in greece more than 3 years ago olympic games have been held at more or less regular internals in many different countries during these 30 centuries but this year for the first time in history the games will in elude clude sled dogs races obviously it would be impossible for the sled 4 dog races to be held at the same time and place as the other branches of olympic competition so that is why lake placid N Y comes into the olympic picture it has one of the finest sled dogs racing courses on this continent and there on february 6 and 7 the teams of bus hus kles driven by their fur clad bushers will race 25 miles each dav to win olympic honors Whis thre lyd tison for the nations which they represent previous to the races at lahe lake placid elimination con tests are being held in various parts of the country notably in new england to determine the american representatives in the olymph finals so these finals will see in the entry I 1 ats the names of some of the greatest sled dog drivers and teams in the world pitting their speed and endurance against each other outstanding among these will be such drivers as leonard of alaska a native of nor way but now a naturalized american citizen the man who with his heroic lead dog balto thrilled the world a few years ago when they carried the diphtheria serum to stricken nome emile st godard of le pas manitoba a young french canadian mho ho has won three world championships frank dupuis another cana dian than arthur T walden of new hamp shire experienced alaskin sourdough and dog dogma master eter for commander byrd in the antarctic walter channing of boston who has twice defeated teams from both sides of the border in the annual races at lake placid charlie lyman the barber of laconia N 11 who vilio has defeated veteran bushers fur trappers and mall mail drivers of the northland norman vaughan E D goodale and fred crockett the three musketeers of the south pole and many others nor Is sled dog racing a sport in which only men compete although if successful in the trials will represent his adopted country rather than his native land norway will ably be represented by a former american the outstanding woman dog driver of the east she Is mrs kaare nansen who before her marriaga 6 to the son of the famous norwegian explorer was mrs 11 P richer ricker jr a formidable corn com petition to the men in many an exciting dog race and a competitor from the west may be miss lyd a wh lyd hutchinson whose tame fame is intimately associated with the fame of the annual american dog derby at ashton idaho what horse racing Is to the people of the more moderate climates in north america sled dog racing Is to the people of the north where the snows are deep the winds bite cold and the icebound ice bound trails defy man and his principal beast of burden the sled dog to conquer them part umber timber wolf part labrador husky the fierce shaggy male mutes won their place in history during the klond ke gold rush a third of a cen tury ago but their usefulness by no means ended with the end of the gold rush today in the land which lies north of 53 day in and day out these dogs haul provisions medicines freight and supplies they are an essential part of the fur trade for with their help the trappers patrol their mile trap lines and bring back to civilization the furs which fashion decrees milady must wear the sport of sled dog dg racing Is comparatively new but it has grown in fal favor or and in extent more than most people realize it began back in 1008 when the first of these picturesque sporting events was held ON 0 er the mile wil berness trail in alaska from nome to candle creek and back mans best friend had bad made it possible for the golden riches of alaska to be obtained so the first all alaskan sweepstake race was dedicated to the huskies the plan was originated by a nome lawyer albert fink a dog lover and experienced sourdough assisted by a company of friend he raised a fund of 10 OW to be awarded to the winners and they spread the word of race of the cen tury fury throughout the northland the result was that nome was packed with spectators and a long string of famous dogs and experienced bushers ready for the race it was won by john Il egness who ran the miles across the bleak wilderness and back after a steady grind night and day in hours and 15 minutes and most of the way he had to fight one of the most severe arctic blizzards known in the history of alaska entered in the second race was a youthful hardware clerk whose name was destined in later years to occupy a romantic place in the annals of the northland scotty alien allen in odd hours at the store had managed to assemble a team of dogs of doubtful value as racers his entry was regarded as a joke he was asked how he had got up the nerve to list them but scotty won the 1909 classic in 1910 he was de feared by iron man john johnson who es a record never duplicated over that miles thanks to an exceptional team bis his rare skill and a good break in weather john son sons s time was 74 hours and 14 minutes the fastest ever made in dog racing in the north but scotty alien allen was not discouraged back he came for another trial in 1911 and cut two tao hours off his previous record lie he Is the only man who ran in more than four all alaskan sweepstakes the first second third and eighth and final and he be won the distinction of always finishing a race irrespective of weather or condl condi tion of his dogs in 1915 scotty took alas kan dogs to france for distinguished service he was decorated by the french government with the croix de guerre the same world conflict that claimed alien allen drew the other men of alaska and the ranks of the racers became so depleted that it was im possible to hold the big race thus the 1910 1916 event became the last during that winter a company of sourdoughs met in le pas man dog race talk was vms revived it was suggested that le pas hold one and the date was set for late that winter over a mile course from le pas to flin flon mushroom mining town and back few preparations were made the drivers used ordinary dogs they themselves were unskilled uns killel in the art of racing and a bitter struggle fol lowed across that trackless snowy waste in quest of the prize and the title of champion but it turned out to be a singularly exciting race the winner had an accident that staved in two ribs but he hung on until the finish from prom that thit day to this le pas has staged each winter ow ont of 0 the t e most thrilling races and has developed some of the finest men and teams in the game most famous of whom is their own boy sa S godard since that thit time the growth of the dog derby idea has been rapid until now such races are held in different parts of the united states canada and alaska outstanding among them besides the one at le pas already mentioned mrs kaare kaaren nansen N ansen are the annual races at poland spring maine laconia N II 11 ashton idaho prince albert saskatchewan quebec and fairbanks alaska the american dog derby at ashton idaho Is 1 run each year on Washing washington tona s birthday over a 25 mile course and attracts a large crowd of spectators from all over the northwest perhaps the best known of all the dog races Is the eastern international dog derby held at quebec during the third week in february rebr uary each year where world championships are awarded the winners there assemble the winners of the other contests to race over a course of about miles run in heats of 40 miles a day quebec attracts the best drivers and teams from all parts of america and rivalry runs high during the three days attaining a fever beat heat on the last day of the race the winner of the world s championship in the first international was arthur T walden of new hampshire experienced alaskan sourdough who started trailing dogs across the frozen wilderness back in 1806 during the gold rush and who was dog master with commander byrd in the antarctic in 1923 the international was won by a french canadian jean lebel of quebec much to the elation of the canadians earl brydges of le pas took the next championship and into the arena of the 1925 derby stepped young emile st godard still in his teens to begin his nn un paralleled record in dog racing he ile Is now the only man who has won three championships frank dupuis won the 1920 1926 race over st godard by a margin so narrow as to make the race one of the most thrilling and to establish a new time on the trail st godard won the 1925 1927 and 1928 1028 races in 1 1929 2 leonhard entered with a string of seven wonderful dogs this was the third year he had made a deter mined bid to v win in the worlds championship and from start to finish ran one of the most spectacular races ever seen at quebec or any where else not only did he defeat st godard by about an hour but he broke st godard s own world s record and again put the americans into the game dupuis took second honors and st godard came trailing in third in the opinion ol 01 the judges Sep pilas s siberians completed the mile grind fresher than any racers they had ever seen and they were awarded the condition prize something unusual in the annals of dog races usually this award goes to some driver who trails in later and who has saved his dogs in the mad dash over the snow it Is such drivers and such dogs as these who will compete in the olympic contests at lake placid within the next few weeks the sled dogs are trained tor for their life work just as soon as they are able to walk they are tied up and soon acquire the habit of pulling at about sixty days of age they are given over to the care of boys who harness harnes them to small sleds or wagons the dogs appear to be willing to do this playacting play acting in the harness and come to enjoy the pastime any number of dogs may be used in a team although 15 Is about the limit 2 by cetera newspaper New peper T union