OCR Text |
Show Friday, January 15, THE MIDVALE JOURNAL SLED DOGS to COMPE TE ./or LYMPIC ::>t--IONORS • - "''''··' ."·£. Seppala on t1'te Trail Colds are common because people are careless. Prompt use of aspirin will always check a cold. Or relieve your cold at any stage. And genuine aspirin can't hurt you. Take two tablets of Bayer A~pirin at the first indication of a cold, • and that's usually the end of it. If every symptom hasn't disappeared in a few hours, repeat. Boyer Aspirin does not depress the heart. Take enough to give complete relief. And if your throat is sore, dissolve three tablets in water ,, • I ~ r--.1 . ' and gargle away all soreness. In every package of genuine Bayer Aspirin ore proven directions for colds, headaches, sore throat, neuralgia, neuritis. Millions who used to suffer from these things have found winter comfort in aspirin. BAYER By ELMO SCOTT WATSON I '1 •r IS a far cry from tbe sub-zero tempe1·nturt:>s and the snow-cO\-ered hill~ eurronnding Lnke Plneid In northern NPw York to sunny CalifoJ:nin and the P'E'llt stadium in Los Angeles where the 1n~2 Olympic games will be llel~ this J;ummer, but there ts a connection between the two. Starting in Greece more than 3,000 ye-ars ngo, .Olympic games hnve heli'n held nt more or le!=is r~golnr Intervals in many dl.fferent eountries <lurln,::- these SO C('nturies, b~t this year tor the first time in history the games will toelude sled dogs races. Obviousl.v it would be Impossible for the sled d og races to be held nt the same time and plrice as the other branches of Olympic competition. So that Is wl1y Lake Placid, N. Y., comes into the Olympic picture. It bas one of the finest sled dogs rncing courses on this continent and there on 1-~ebruary 6 nod 7 the teams ot 11huskfes," drJvPn by their fur-·elad "mushers" wlll r ace 25 miles each day to win Olympic honor-; for the nations which they represent. PreYious to the races at Lake Placid, elimination con· tests are befog held ln various parts or the country, notably in New England, to determine the Amerlcnn representf!tlves ln the Olympi~~ finals, so these finals will see fn the. entry lists the names of some ot the greatest sled dog drivers and teams in the world, pitting their speed and endurance against each other. Outstanding among these will be such drl,~ers as Leonard Sepnala of Alaskn, a natlve ot Norway but now n naturalized A.rnerienn citizen, the man who with hls heroic 1E!ad dog, Batto, thrJlled the w~1·IU a few yenrs ag"o when they carried the d.Iplltllerln serum to stricken Nome; Emile St. Godard of Le Pas, :Manttoha, a young French-Cnnndlan, who has won three world championships i Frnnk Dupuis, another Cuna· dlnn; Arthur T. ""alden ot New Rampshire, experleneerl A1asl.;;nn sourdough musher and <logma.o;ter for Commander Bvrd 1n the Antarctic; Walter Channing or Bost~n. who bas twtce defeated tenms from both sides of the border In the annual races at Lal{e Placid; ChnrHe Lyman, the borber of Laconia, N. H.• who has defeated vPternn mushers-, fur trappers a nd mail drivers of the Northland; Norman Vaughan, E. Goodnle and Fred Crockett, "the three Musketeers of the South pole"; and mnny others. Nor Js sled dog racing a sport in which on1y men comprte. Althou~h Seppala, if successful In the trials, will represent bls adopted country r ather than bls nnth·e land, Norway will prob~ a bly be repre~ented by a former American, the outstanding woman dug driver of the East. She fa Mrs. Kaare !\ansrn, who before her marriage to the son or the famous Norwegian e..'t'Plorer, was 1\frs. E. P. Ricker, Jr., a formidable competition to the men in many pn exciting dog r sc('l. And a competitor from the West mny be l flss Lydia ("Whtsllin' Lycl'') Hutchinson whose tame Is int.lmntely associated with the fame of the annual American Dog det·by at Ashton, I dnho. What horae racing 1s to the people of the more moderate cllraa.te>s ln North America, sled dog racing is to the peo11le of the north whPre t he snows are dee11, the wlnds bite cold and the l ee-bound trails rtefy mao and his principaL beast of burrten, the sled dog, to conquer them. Part timber wolf, part Labrador husky, the fierce shaggy mnlPmute~ won their place in hlstorv during tbe Klondike gold ru!<:h a third of a ce.titory ngo. But their use!ulnt>ss by no means ended \Vlth the end or the gold rush. Today in tbe land whJcb lfes "north of 53." dny in nod day out these dogs haul provisions, medicines, trel:l!ht anti supplie~. They n.re an essential part of the fur tra(le for witb their help the trappers patrol tbE.'ir 2()(}.rulle trnp lines and bring back to cfvilizntfon the furs which fnsWon decrees mtlady must wear. The sport of sled dr~ mc1ng Js comp~rntiveJy new bnt lt has grown in fn. "·or and in ertent more than most people renlizE>-. It began back in 1008 when the nrst of these picturesque soorting events wns lwld over U1e 408-mlln wil· derne~s trail In Alaf.lkll from Nome to Candle creek und baek. "~fan's !Jest friend" bad made tt posslhle for the golden riches of Alnska to bP obrn1ned, so tbe first All-Alaskan Sweepstake r aca Wa..i dedicated to tlJe huskies. ~ pian ASP I Rl N AS SCIENCE VIEWS ADVANCE' OF MAN Erect Position Put Him Above Beasts. "Wh.tstlin' Lyd ... Hutch'mson Mrs. Ka.are Nansen. was originated by a Nome lawyer, Albert Fink, a dog lover and ex.verience<l sourdough musher. Assisted by a compa.oy of friends he raised a fund of $10,000 to be awarded to the winners and they spread the word of ' 1race of the century" throughout the n6rthland. The result was tha,t Nome wns packed with specto.tors and n long string of famous dogs nnd experienced mushers ready for the race. It was won by John Degness. who ran the 408 miles across the blE.'ak wilderness and back, after n steady grind, night and day, in ll9 hours and 15 minutes-and most of lbe way he had to fight one of the most seYere Arrtic blizzarU.s known in the history of Alaska. Entered in the second race was a youlhful hardware clerk whose name was destined, in later years, to occupy a romantic place ln the annnls of the northland. Scotty Allen, In odtl hours at the store, had managed to assemble n. team of dog-s of doubtful value ns racers. ills entry wns regarded as a joke; he wns asked how he lmd got up the nerve to list them-but Scotty won tile 1909 classic. In H)10 he was d~ tented by "Iron Man" John Jolmson, who es~ tahllshed a record never duplicateU over thnt 408 miles, thanks to an exeeptJonnl team, his rare skill and a good brP.ak in weather. John~ son's time was 74 hours and 14 minutes, the fastest e,·er made in dog raein~ 1n the north. But Scotty Allen was not discouraged. Back he came for another trl:\1 in 1911, and cut two hours off his previous record. He is the only man who rnn tn more than tour All-Alaskan Sweepstakes-the first, second, third and eighth nnd finnl-nnd he won the distinction or alwars fl.nlshin~ a race, lrrespecth·e of \~Cather or condl· tion ot his dogs. In 1915 Scotty took 440 Ala•· kan dogs to France; for distinguished sen·tce h~"' wns decorated by the French government with the Croix de GuNre. Thf' same world confHct thnt claimed Allen drew the other men of Alaska-and the ranks of the rncf:lrs becnrue so depleted that tt was 1mpossible lo hold the big rnce. Thus the 1016 event hecame the last. During that winter n company of sourdoughs met in Lc Pa~. Man. Dog race talk was revived. It was suggested that Le Pas hold one and the dnte was set for late that winter, over a 150-mile course from Le Pas to Flio Flon, mushroom mlnlng town, and back. :b~ew preparations were made; tbe dri"vers used ortlinar:r dogs; they themseh·es were uu..c;killetl in the art of racing, nnd a bitter struggle followed across that tracliless snowy waste in quest or the $.~00 prize and the title of champion. But tt turned out to be a singularly t:>xclting race. The winner had an accident that staved in two ribs; but be hung on until the finish. From tbnt tlay to lhis Le Pas has staged each wtntPr on•~ ot the most thrUHn.g races and has developed some of tl1e finest men nnd teams tn the game, most famous of whom Is th~ir own boy, St. Godard. Since that Ume the growth or tlle dog derb~· idea llns been rapld untll now such races art' held In di11'erent parts of the United Stutes. Canada and Alaska. Outstanding among them, besides the one at Le Pafl already mentioned. are the annual races at Poland Spring, Maine; Laconia, N. H.; Ashton, Idnho; Pl·Jnce Albert, SnE-ikntchewan; Quebec, and li"alrbonks Ala~ka. The Atmerlcnn Dog derby at Asllton, Idaho, Is run each year on 'Vnsltington's birthday over a 25·mile course, and ottrncts a large crowd of spectntot;s from nil over the Northwest, rerbaps the best known of all the dog races Is the Eastern Internnttonal Dog derby held at Quebec during tlJ.e t.hird week in February each year where ..world championships" are awarded the winners. There assemble the winners of the other coQ.tests, to race over a course of about 120 mllest run in heats ot 40 mHes a day. Quebec attracts the best drivers and teams from all parts ot America, nod rivalry runs high during th~ three days, attaining a fever heat on the Inst dny of the race. The winner of U1e world's championship in the first International wns Ar· thur T. \Vaiden, or New Hampshire, e..~perienced Alaskan sourdough musher, who started trailing dogs acro~s the frozen wilderness back In 1896, during th~ gold rush, nnd who was dogmaster with Cominander Byrd In the Antarctic. In 1923 t.he Jntt-.rnaUonal wns won by n French Canadian, Jean Lebel, of Quebec, much to the elation of the Canadians. Earl Brydges, of Le Pas, took the next cbaml>ionship, nod into the arena of t11e 19~5 derby stepped young Emile St. Godard, still in his teens to begin his unpnrelleled record in dog rncing. Be is now the only man " •ho bas won three championships. Frank Dupuis won the 102G race oYer St. Godard by a margin so narrow as to mn.ke the race one of the moSt thrlllfng, and to establish a new time on the trail. St. Goclard won the 1025, 1927 and 192S race~. In 1029 Leonhard Seppala entered with a sfring of sev.;-n wonderful dogs. TbJs was t11e third :rear he hall made a determined bid to win the world's chnmptonshlp, and from start to finish, Seppala rnn one of the most spectncular races ever seen at Quebec--or anywhere else. Not only did he de-feat St. Godard by about an. hour, but he brolte 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 of the jud~es. Seppnln's Slberlnns completed the 123-mile grind fresher than any racers they had ever seen; and they were awa1·Ued the condition prize, something unusual In the annaLs of dog races. Usually this award goes to some driver who trails tn later and who has F-a ved his dogs in the maa dash over the snow. It is su,-h drh.. ers and such dogs as these who wlll comvete In tbe Olympic contests at Lake Piacld within the next few weE>ks. The sled dogs are trn.lned for their llte work just as soon as they are able to walk; they are tied up "nd soon acquire the bublt of pulling. At about sixty days of nge they are given over to the care. of b(lyS, who barne~ th4?m to !mall sleds or wa!{otts. The dogs nppenr to be willing to do thls piny~actin~ In the lulrnes.~, aml come te enjoy the pastime. Any nuruber of dogs may be used ln a team, although 15 Is about the llrult. {(C) by Wt:stcrn Newlip&per Union.) From n single fossil skull discovered fn the desert wilds ot Central Austrnlla, Sir Colin MacKenzie deduces the fact-or nt lenst the con~ elusion-that "the erect posture dom· fnates man's fntelJectunl system, and shows that all lntellectnnJ development has a muscular basis." At first glance It Is a little difficult to perceive how a skull which Is not a whole sl-ull, but only a portion of one, and which Is supposed to be, and probably ls, a relic of a primitive kind ot human being, can teach the scientist nil that. It tnkes a good equipment ot lmnglnntlon to understand It We must first lmap:lne the creature from which man ts descended going on all fours. He had not He ~~et assumed the erect position. was then like any other benst or the jungle. Any bigger b~nst mtgl1t tread him to dentb under Its feet. Mnstery was n matter of si?.e. But one day, the beast. grovelinJ? In the tall grass, through some accident, or freak, or the help of a stump or a rock, gets npon hts hind leg!':. In that position he sees a hove the 1:rnsR. u e is en· ahled to observe the approach of t11e possl01e mnstodon who will grind blm to dentb, and to hid'' from him. With his Incident. this {.troveltng creature's relative ad\"ance begins. From that time on. he and hi~ ~pecles struggle toward the mafnt4?nance of u.n erect position. They employ cmft; they learn a superior mode ot physical progression, and thereby they nt· taln a supertortty over other crea· tures. A step surely re~ultlng from this point Is the llbernt!on of the creature's foreJegs from the functton of progression and the1r grndoally increased usefulness tn providing ea!';fer menns of subsistence. 'Vith practice, now, the creatures• front paws become hands. Ry development, one of t!Je pnw projections which once were mere claws becomes by repented a thumb, which use becomes opposed to the other claws-now finger~-so thnt the creature can seize nnd hold any article. Now the animal who Is on the rond to become a man bas nchieved a po!nt o! superiority to the ape, all of whose 11 flngers" are In n rowwho does not posse-ss the opposed thumb. Counting by thousands ot centuries. U1e new "man" now gets beyond the npe by leaps nnd bounds. Without the opposeod thumb the .,man" would .have remained In the half erected, or only occaslonnJTy erected position ot tbe ape. Together, the erect posture and the opposed thumb Pacific Salmon Unlike the Atlantic const salmon which spawn se\·ernl times, the Pa~ ciflc salmon p;pn wn but once ann die Immediately thereafter at the river spawning ground. All the five ,·arletles of Pacific salmon nre mem· hers of the same one fumUy (Onw corhynchus), hut t:~how Interesting differene<'S In leRgth of nnturnl ll!e span, The pink lh·~s only two years; the coho, three; the chum, four; the socl{eyP, :four to five, and the spring, Rlx or ~even. made mnn the master ot his own evolution. Of c<>Urse at the stage noted the "mind" is yet to come. But It ts now an l.nevitnble thing, for the i.&provement achieved makes the newlf developed specles gregarious. Superior indlYiduals learn to domlnute their Communlcntlon becomes fellows. necessary. Language Is <leveloped from grunts and squeaks. Society 1s organized. Thoughts are expressed. Thus from the bones nnd muscles of the Jegs, from the bones nnd museJes of the hands, an "Intellectual development" has been evolved. The great thlng was to get started. nnd the start was lhe erect posture. ~'Quod erat demonstranUum." sa~·s the professor. But of course all this is not a demonstration. It ts only a speculation. Sir Colin 'MacKenzie's notion about the dependence o:t Intellectual developmC'nt on muscle. ta pure Lamarcklanism. Lnmarck was a French naturalist who was born in 1744 and died In 1829. He wos the forerunner of Dnrwln, who accepted his doctrine of ••acquired charactera." 'Vhflt Lamarck taught Is concentered in his account of the manner to whlcb tile giraffe acquired his long neck. An ordinary nntPlope who l!ved In a South African region where, from Increasing aridity, tood for tile antelope on the earth's surface disappeared, could graze only at the tops ot trees. Such individual beasts as had the longest nerks could reach food and snrvh·e. Those lndivldunls survived wht'n their shorternecked fellows perlshe(l ; tt was they who propagated their species. whk:b became Increasingly long·necked. The primitive man, getting on his :teet in the tall grass, Is practically doing the s~me thing that Lamarck'& glrnlre did. Sir Conlin MacKenzie's deductions from the discovery of the skull In the Anstrn.Jlnn desert demonslTate that Lamarck Is coming to his own Jn the field of evolutionary .science. They demonstrate nothing else-that Is, as yet.-Boston Transcript Muddy Water The clty of Xew Orleans gets Its water supply from tbe MlsslsslppL ln filtering this wntoc an average of 3.6 tons of debris and mud Ill ' taken out of every 1,000,000 gallons. Yet niter thls is done and lt is chemIcnlly tr~ated the water Is made snfe for drinking and other domestic uses, thanks to modern sclence.Cnpper·s Weekly. -------Candle Fish A fish natiV'e to Alaska and known to Ala..~an Inclians as t11e "'candle fi!11h" Is use<l in the making of. a crude sort of lamp. This species of fish Is snld to he so oily that a pith or bark wick passed through Ita dried body and lighted at the exposed end will burn for a long time. Tidal Phenomena There is only one high tide and Cine low tide in the Gulr o:r: Mexico each day. Tho diurnal Inequallty has become exaggerated to such an extent as practtcnlly to extinguish the seml-cllurnal tide in the inner pnrts of the ~ulf, giving 111gb and low water only once dnlly. Normally t11ere are two high and two low tides every 2-1 hour<, hut there nre numerous variations tn tidal phenomena tn ;nrtons pnrts of the world. |