, 1888-01-01
DOCS AND SLEDGES.
toa TAG EXsio DRIVER MAN
ACES Ills TEAM OF DOGS.

pi,o Lang Io,s uf tho Kinnopatoos-rnt-
tcrns IN Ufo 10y the Traders of Kam-
ohatka apa Itasis:-Sorthern Siberia
TAG aIeonnto & Model.
Eskimo de- ave each a harness with
pops that la lround the neck and I'M
rlrach lee hitting on the back and
= ste lCd to n long trace of sealskin about
Al third Of an inch wide The traces are
~ various lengths, so that when hitchcd
~ The sled The dogs can spread out like n
fIn. They are guided by the voice of the
driver. whose commands are enforced
with n whip. the handle Of which is about
,i-hteen inches in length, and the lash
rom eighteen TO thirty feet long. Tho
dogs in Siberia are harnessed in pairs on
ci .lcr side of a long line Of walrus skin
and are trained to obey the drivers voice.
The driver controls the movements of the
Sled u'' n stout stick shod with iron,
which he asses rs Il brake,
In crossing rough ice the Kinncpatoo
Iseimus, Of hudson Bay, use n sled about
eighteen inches wide and from thirty to
forty fcct lnoE. This is utendcd to ride
across the Eummocks with n much stead
icr motion than n short sled, which is
constantly pitching about, and, under such
circumstances, very hard TO draw and cX-
trcmely difficult to handle. The long
SlGtiS OI INC hluiCpllbbS BIlt very
smoothly and rapidly over rough ice, and
arc easily managed. They are made with
solid plank runners, sometimes spliced to
secure greater length, and are shod with
1aoss and iced.
IN SIBERIA AMI ALASKA.
Tho Russian traders and settlers In
Knmtchathu end Alaska have several pat
terms of sheds. The one upon which heavy
loads arc drawn is n trestlework of strong
wood dashed with rawhido thongs. II is
Sery light, runs smoothly and is not easily
broken. Al petropaulovski, in KANT
cliutkn, 1 also procured n small sled OF
1sisketwo~k, which was mad somewhat
j. the shape of n large saddle, with very
ish ponImcl ana Group. Ii is designed TO
carry one person only, who sits astridc OF
H. tnd rests his feet ON the runners. This
can1c used only for light work and on
I, Grt rapid journeys, for it has no place,
y ierein To carry any load.
The sled used hy the tribes in Northern
Siberia combines the cxcellencies Of the
long sled OF the Kinncpatoos, the t~restle-
work sled OF the Russian traders and the
-icCliutock sled, used 10y mostly MI Brit
ia explorers. 1t is made with shin. broad
Runners of wood shOd with strips of jaw
one Of the whale or Il sort of hard drift
wood found on the northeastern coast of
Siberia. The bcd or platform is sup
l0Tlttl by upIlEfllS ltl mo anu lloIltu "
runners.
II N~'CLINToCK SLED.
The sled most approved by modern TX
ylurers Of Arctic North America is known
H. "the NcClintock sled, ~ and was de-
tjs,ned and used by Admiral Sir Leopold
~IicCuntock, of the Royal navy, on all his
-lretic journeys. 1t is made with runner
uf hard wood, with uprights and cross.
licccs Of the same material mortised and
1iyetcd, and the runners, shod with hoop
iron, IRE bent up front and rear so that
Iisj sled can Ire drawn equally well with
ol her end in front. My experience with
slrGs OF this pattern has been that though,
Ivtliaps, excellent where men are used in
rhe harness, they ARE not good dog sleds.
They arc also liable to break where the
lateral strain is great on the parts that are
are mortised together, therefore their use
is not advisable on long journeys.
Besides the various sleds already de-
srr.bed, l have seen musk OK. reindeer,
bear and seal skins temporarily used for
That purpose, and after the snow melted
and the floods subsidized in Central Siberia,
! have also enjoyed rest for my weary
limbs on heavy sleds drawn by bulls over
The muddy and slippery land. With such
u large variety TO choose from, / nave no
Hesitation IA expressing my unqualified
rtrfcrcueo for all purposes of hard work
IL Inc lAnA VI iIt anu SHOW lOT Iut
Tchouktchis' dr,ftwood sleds, both largo
AMI small which combine tho greatest
amount OF strength and elasticity with
the least weight, while ut the same timo
Ley are less likely to be broken, and
when broken, more readily repaired than
any others ! have used or seen. The
model can scarcely be improved upon, but
The driftwood used by those poor savages
ia the absence of other material might
al 80, "a nIraAYag1t- 1n rpyInpnl yritI fyY,ah
Young hickory or other woods from more
temperate climates.-William II. Glider,
u. S. N, in The Century.