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Show INome-Camlle Dog Race, Is Held in Blizzards: Thermometer 30 Below. GRIFFITH LOSES TRAIL, DRIFTS OUT TO SB A His Pet Dog Frozen in Harness, $15,000 in Prizes Awarded. .Special to The Tribune ..; XOM1C Alaska, .April 10. In Iho "Land of the Midnight Sun'-' a 1. Nome, the metropolis of Alaska. 2500 miles northwest- of Seattle and hut a fow miles south of the Arctic circle, was begun Thursday, April 1, one of the most spectacular anl interesting contests con-tests of the use, when t ho gun tired and tho first, dog team shot down iho narrow, roped way, thickly lined with excited spectators, and so started the second annual All-Alaska sweepstakes, under the auspices of the Nome Kennel Ken-nel club. All of the features. of this race are unique, original and full of human iu-levesr. iu-levesr. Ami when one takes into consideration con-sideration rime, place and governing conditions, it causes tho Marathon and oven the great Derby to pale into in-s-ignificnuco. It is a race among teams of dogs. U is a supreme endurance test, for man and beast, as tho slrugglo against the fierce elements raging in tho wild north, cannot be considered sccondnr3 as important determining factors to speed, equipment, training, etc. It is over a course covering a distance of 202 miles to tho town of Candle and 202 miles back to Nome, this courso being Polcctcd because it involves travel trav-el over every sort of trail found in the country. Along tho narrow path, at rho edge of tho frozen Bering sea, down the coast miulo rugged by tho wind-piled mountains of ice hummocks; hum-mocks; over frozen rivers, wcakcucd in places hy the presence of hot springs; across mountain ranges, with the snow and sleet lashing liko myriads 'of circling cir-cling stool blades and onto the broad sweep of tundra, where tho wind and frost- compete to mnko it well-nigh impossible im-possible lor mere man to live, much Jess travel. I Tho first prize was 10,000 in gold and a very elaborate and bcautilully carved silver cup, presented by tho I Nome Kennel club; the second, $3000 in gold, and tho third. 2000 in gold. Somo of the -wealthier members of club enter the raco as a matter of sport and pride in their teams, while others suffer privation to purchase tho necessary dogs, sleds, etc., hoping the God of Luck will smile on them. For gold makes the same appeal to tho rivorage Alaskan, accustomed as ho is to handling tho glittering metal in its crude state and passing daily huge piles of $20,000 bricks displayed in tho windows of tho local banks as it docs to the 'man who seldom if ever sees a $20 gold piece. Tn order that one might understand how such a race could bo possible, practically in tho shadow of tho north pole, it will bo necessarv to explain ex-plain that among tho many sports enjoyed en-joyed by tho people of Alaska during what is termed by tho uninformed "the Jong and tedious winter." not least in interest is that of breeding, raisin"-, training and racing Alaskan' dogs. . Until last winter this sport was carried car-ried on in a desultory manner, -when on February 5, 190S. tho Nomo Ken- j nel club was organized by a number of-! dog fanciers "for tho purpose of developing de-veloping iho breeding of superior dogs by instituting and maintaining at regular reg-ular intervals such classes of races as would tend to induco tho greatest care in the future selection nndbreodinir of Alaska n (rail dogs. " ' To this end it was decided that the main event oi each year should be a race from Nomo to Candle Creek and return, a total distanco of 404 miles over a route that would develop the iastest all-round dogs capable of overcoming over-coming conditions existent and apt to arise, this great distance necessitating the drivers to nurse nnd care for their dogs and to prevent the natural cruelty resultant from racing a shorter distanco, where it might bo attempted to-press the animals through in one continuous nnvc,. without rest, often accomplished bv the aid of an iron chain whin. To further insure against any cruelty of over-taxation of the strength a no en-j en-j durance of the dogs, a very salutary i rule wns adopted, that, each driver must i return te the stnrting point, with overy t dog he started out with and none others, ) ri that (lie driver of each tea in was . forced to take tin utmost care of nnch dog. Members of the club can enter but one team. Tho proposed driver of each team must bo entered at. least ton I days before the race. Kneh team shall hn'vo not more than nine nor less than .five dogs. All animals must, be hitched to tho sled bv men mi of harness when the start is mnde. A certificate must be received from the .judge in Candle CUv that the owner has the same dogs ho started with, and be signed by tho Nonn judge on the return. Pacing is prohibited. Assistance of any kind is forbidden. At all stopping plaonn Ihe firs': team arriving has tho choice of stable room. No dog is entitled to run which is not bona fide the nolo and ex-ciifsivo ex-ciifsivo property of ihe member entering enter-ing and registering him. The driver must bo a. member of the club. As each team starts, or .just prior thereto, tho owner or driver is required to hand to one of tho three judges of the race, in writing, a lint and description of all dogs comprising his team, together with photographs and regis! ration numbers up.iu tho stud of the Kennel club. After tho raco has boon run and the pri.es awarded, the owner of tho dogs of tho winning tea in must put up each dog separately nl public auction, to be sold for ensh." Tho leader of Iho winning team of Inst year's race brought $000. It is aimeil, of course, to make the equipment as light as possible. Tho sleds used in these races arc a marvel of construction. The weight is not to exceed seventy-five pounds, but some have boon successfully made weighing a trifle over thirty pounds. They are built of seasoned hickory, about twelve feet iong and eighteen inches wide, with a beam of eight inches. Tho runners run-ners arc shod with the finest steel. K.ieh is provided with a brake, the only chock tjio driver has over his team, other than that of the voice, as reins are not used. "Mush'' means to start; "Gee" ;o the highl, and "Haw" to the left, while tho usual "Whoa" prevails pre-vails for stopping purposes. Tho animals ani-mals are quick to catch the spirit, of Iho trail, and as a rule respond readily to the "Mush" of their master's voice nnd are loath to stop. But the stubborn member of society is here, as in overy walk of human and animal life, ;md cannot, be coaxed, beaten or kicked into "mushing" until tho spirit moves. The harness consists of a leather leath-er collar, lined with Iamb's wool, not uuliko a horse's collar, with traces on cither side attached to short singlo trees. Tho dogs are driven in pairs, as distinguished dis-tinguished from the tandem style adopted bv the natives, always witli a single leader, who is responsible for his toain. Each animal is attached to the main tow line by a twelve-inch raw hide thong, snapped in n ring to tho tow line and to the singlo tree by a similar thong from the collar of tho dog to a thoiig; in the tow line. The eutiro weight of the harness is not more than three pounds. Tho tow lino is made of braided rawhide, with rings four and one-half feet apart, the length of the low lino depending upon tho number of dogs composing the team, as each pair is attached to one of the ring3 in the. tow line. Arrangements arc so well perfected for providing suitable quarters, food, etc., for driver and beast along fho route, that the driver is not compelled to carry anything on his sled but his sleeping bag. weighing four or fivo pounds, and a few articles with which to mako necessary repairs. Contrary to the belief of most people, peo-ple, tho drivers ride very little, but arc, of nocossityj kept running to hold the sled in position hy means of tho handlebars. handle-bars. They dress ver- lightly, but usually keep a fur garment to (Ion as soon as a stop is made. To enable the drivers to follow the courso of tho race, tho. club had stakes, six feet high, to which were attached red flags, placed in tho snow at intervals of 100 feet. rany theories have been advanced by the wise dog mushers and as many wor'o followed during tho first race regarding tho best food for the traveling beasts. The winning team last year was fed on ground fresh steaks, at S5 conts a pound, while tho second winners had the finest lamb chops, same price, the idea of this latter being that tho dogs would not bolt their food if they had a bone. But most of tho drivers fed their dogs tho usual ration, salmon trout wilh .seal oil. tho cheapest, food tho country affords 'and the lightest to carry for long trips, as tine pound a day suffices for a dog on the trail. The second race was run -(April 1, 1909, with twenty ontrios. The teams were started two hours apart, beginning begin-ning at 10 a. m., tho last, team leaving at 4 a. m. of the day following. Choice for position in the start was made by draw. Tho most desirable position was considered to be last, as it gave tho trails a chance to be beaten down. This position happened to bo chosen by the team which won. No racing center of tho world on its Derby day over witnessed such general enthusiasm and excitement as was seen ' . . ' kssts . "... j'".r- . MISS OSBORNE DRIVING HER NEW SIX-CYLINDER THOMAS PLYER. This is ono of the best all-around road machines built, and Manager Dodd says is so easy to manipulate that children 10 to 12 years old can learn to drive one of these earn in a few lessons. in Nome on tho day tho raco started, and which continued' throughout tho fivo days and nights. Books wcro made on tho race ana liberal odds were given on each entry. As tho time drew near for tho close of tho race tho bettiug be-camo be-camo furious. Business was at. a standstill. stand-still. Tho population had gone crazy to a man. Men, women and children turned out in gula costume, wearing tho colors of their favorites. Excellent telephone service was arranged, following the course, and most of tho pcoplo wore hanging on the wire or waiting for someone to get off. It was tnado tho occasion of goucral entertaining and the usual superb dinners and luncheons which prevail in the north were given, but rarest wines and daintiest, viands wero passed unnoticed when the telephone tele-phone rang. Although the actual facts came in only over private wires, as tho betting was so heavy and excitement so great, as ono conflicting statement followed fol-lowed another, the owners endeavored to suppress damaging details until the race was over. When tho first teams were less than forty miles from Nome, at Brown's roadhouso, they encountered one of tho most sovcrc blizzards of the winter. On tho morning of tho start, a clear, beautiful day, the thermometer registered regis-tered only 10 degrees below zero, with no wind, and in less than ten hours tho temperature dropped to 30 degrees de-grees below, with a gale blowing the snow and sloct across tho tundra at tho rate of fifty miles an hour. Six of the tcii teams finally reached this haven of rest, but the dogs refused re-fused to move a rod for twenty hours, in tho face of tho raging tempest. In this instance- the canine sagacity proved a guiding and controlling hand to man's impotuositj", for it would have meant certain death to continue, even had it been possible. As midnight, approached and morning crept on, the roadhouso bceamo a congested con-gested kenncL of man and beast. Each driver attoinpfed to got forty winks and at the same time keep a close watch on his noblo racers to sco they did not get into a fatal fight, or worse, fall tho victim of an unscrupulous hireling, who might, attempt to poison or weaken a doe, known to bo particularly good. One familiar with tho howl of the Alaskan malamute, or tho kindred cry of tho western coyote, will experience slight difficultv in fancing the tones of sweet music that, lulled tho exhausted men to sloop, in the none too fragrant atmosphere of tho two, 15x20, rooms, occupied by men and boast, on tho second sec-ond day of April, 1008. Hero the really tragic part, of tho contest devclopedv Although tho teams had started two hours apart, tho atorm had lasted sufficiently long to bunch them all together at the roadhouFe; the toain starting last, having gainod four teen hours in time, which had to bo made up, proportionately, for tho others to win. Tho trailers, now the leaders, had simply to follow the team which left first. The men discussed tho situation situa-tion in friendly a spirit. First one and then another hitched his unwilling dogs to tho sled and attempted to urge tho almost human loader from tho warm quarters into Iho tooth of tho storm, Ono failuro followed atfothor, until the veteran mu6her, Percy Blatchford, driving driv-ing for Morto Atkinson, succeeded in getting way with his toam of Irish setters. Ho was closely followed by two othor teams. It was at this point-that point-that tho real raco began. Four of the teams reached tho roadbouse 60 late and in such bad condition they abandoned aban-doned the race. So fierce was the j storrn in its blinding fury that "Bob" Griffith, -with his famous TL S mail dog team, easily favorito at start, lost his way over tho familiar trail, and was blown three miles out to sea". Ho was unable to get back for ten hours, during which time ho battled with the elements and did not realize ho had left tho trail, until he encountered encoun-tered the open water of Berins Sea. During this struggle ono of his largest and strongest dogs, thought to be immune im-mune from tho rigors of the climate of tho north, was frozen stiff in his traec3.' By reason of tho. rules o.f tho t.ico, he was obliged to load this now dead weight of 130 pounds upon his sled and carrj' him to tho end of the raco, a handicap ho was not able to overcome. So exhausted wns Griffith, he was obliged to discontinue tho race, whou ho reached Candle' and spout. thirty days in the hospital nursing his frost-bitten members. Despite tho various diflicultico encountered, en-countered, tho three lending teams reached Candle on the evening of the third day. Rested for six hours and made the uneventful return in loss than-two than-two days, with only a few short stops and practically no sleep. Of tho six teams that braved the storm and reached Brown 's roadhouse, four were composed of Alaskan mnla-muto mnla-muto dogs and two of acclimated Irish sottors. The face was won by u team of nialamides with a cross bred leader owned b' Albert Fink, driven by a Scandinavian, Paul llegncss. Time, days 1L hours. 12 minutes and 15 seconds. sec-onds. Tho team comiiig in second, owned by Jake Berger, was composed entirely of cross-bred inalamutc-New-foundland dogs and made the time in n days, 7 minutes and 52 seconds. This team was driven by "Scotly" Allan, who has carried mail for Uncle Sam for ten winters and is one of tho bset known "mushers" in tho country. He was several times a contestant in 100-mile 100-mile indoor races held in Nomo each winter. It. was to him and his never-tiring never-tiring little lender that tho victory of actual running timo belonged. But his team had lost, too much lime at the roadhouse to overcome fho lead gained by Fink's team of brave malamutes and he had to bo content with second place. Atkinson's team of Irish setters set-ters made it. in 5 days. 3 hours, 17 minutes and 57 seconds. Tho teams wero delayed, respectively, twentj-, twenty-two twenty-two and twenty-four hours by the storm. Yel. with all tho hardships endured, tho actual .traveling time made by tho teams averaged over eight miles an hour. Allan's team made the last fourteen miles of tho trip in the remarkable re-markable timo of 1 hour and u2 minutes. min-utes. It is a surprising fact that the dogs returned in better condition than the drivers. Tho driver of tho winning team handed in his credentials after his leader's nose had passed the judgo's stand and fell in an unconscious heap, not. recovering for eighteen hours, it. is of interest that of the three winning teams not a dog was injured by the race. After two days' rest they were hitched up and driven, and seeincd to bo in better condition than when they started on their 100-mile contest. The storm practically demonstrated ono of tho ob.ieets for which the kennel ken-nel club originated the rncc that is, tho breed of dogs best suited to tho trails in severe weather when the storms imperil human lives. |