Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-03-04

~ k"A
Chatka and Alaska-Nortueru Siberia.
The McCIintock Model.
Eskimo dogs have EACH q harness with
loops that pass around uhe neck and un-
der each leg, uniting IN the back and
fastened to "A long trace of sealskin about
IA third of an inch. :yide. The traces are
Of various lengths So that when hitched
TO the sled the dogs can spread out like q
fan. They are. guided by the voice Of the
driver, whos" commands are enforced
with a whip, TIE handle of which is about
eighteen Inches in length, and the lash
from eighteen to thirty feet long. The
dogs in.Siteria are harnessed in pairs on
either. Side Of n long line Of walrus skin
and Are trained to obey the drivers voice.
Tn driver controls the movements Of the
stcd with a stout stick shod with iron,
which he uses as a brake.
In crossing rough ice the Kinnepatoo
Eskimos, OF Hudson Bay, use a sled about
eighteen inches wide and from thirty to
forty feet long. This is intended to ride
across the hummocks with a much stead
Ter motion than a short sled, which is
constantly pitching about, and, under such
circumstances, very lard to draw and eX-
tremely difficult To handle The long
sleds of the kinnepatoos glide very
smoothly and rapidly over rough ice, and
are easily managed. They are made with
solid plank runners, sometimes spliced To
secure greater length, and are slod With
moss and iced.
n SIBERIA AND ALASKA.
The Russian traders and settlers IN
kamtchatka and Alaska have several pat
forms nf S1,ls Tho nt1n 1,n,n (which hpaNt.
loads are drawn is u trcstlework of strong
wood dashed with rawhide thongs. 1t is
very light, runs smoothly and is not easily
broken. At Petropauloyski, in KANT
chatka, ] also procured a small sled Of
basketwork, which was made somewhat
in the shape of a large saddle, with very
high pommcl and Group. 1t is designed TO
carry one person only, who sits astride Of
il and rests his feet on the runners. This
can be used only for light work and on
short rapid journeys. for it has no place
wherein TO carry any load.
The sled used by the tribes in Northern
Siberia combines the eXceilencies OF the
long sled of the kinnepatoos, the t|restle-
work Sled Of the Russian traders and the
McClintock sled, used 10y mostly all i'rIt-
ish explorers. 1t is made wiz thin broad
runners of wood shod with strips of jaw
one Of the whale or a sort Of hard drift
wood found on the northeastern coast of
Siberia. The bed or platform is sup
ported by uprights let into and dashed 10
runners.
THE M~'CLINTOCK T.
The sled most approved by modern OK
plorers Of Arctic North America is known
as ''thc McClintock sled" and was de-
signed and used 10y Admiral Sir Leopold
McClintock, of the Royal navy, N all his
Arctic journeys. 1t is made with me
of hard wood. with uprights and cross.
pieces Of the same material mortised and
rivcted, and the runners. shud with loop
iron, are bent up rOnt and rear so that
the Sled can be drawn equally well with
either end in front. My experience with
sleds of this pattern has been that though,
perhaps, excellent where men are used in
the harness, they are not good dog slices.
They are also liable TO break where the
lateral strain is great on the parts that are
are mortiScd together, therefore their use
is not advisable on long journeys.
Besides the various sleds already de-
scribcd, | have seen musk O x reindeer,
bear and seal skins temporarily used for
that purpose, and after the snow melted
and the floods subsidized III Central Siberia,
| have also enjoyed rest for my weary
limbs on heavy sleds drawn 10y bulls over
the muddy and slippery land With such
a large variety TO choose from, | have no
hesitation in expressing my unqualified
preference for all purposes Of hard work
in the land Of ice and snow for the
Tchouktchis' driftwood sleds, both large
and small, which combine the greatest
amount Of strength and elasticity with
the least weight, while at the same time
they ere 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 sayages
in the absence Of other material might
advantageously be replaced with tough
young hickory or other woods from more
temperate climates William III. Glider,
[. ;. n, in The Century.