Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-02-25
DOGS FOR ALASKA.
SEVENTY BROUGHT FROM BELGIUM
TO DRAW SLEDGES.

Mr.. Davies Will Take His Pack of CANNES
of Mixed Breed to the Klondike-They
Are Expected to Prove More serviceabls
Thar Eskimo Dogs.
The steamship British King, which
arrived at New York recently, found
tempestuous weather on her route from
Antwerp. The wild orchestra of the
elements was punotuated by the yelping
and bowling Of 70 dogs in little stalls
tween decks. Their bark was on the
sea almost from the moment they left
the English channel and got into the
turbulent open until they passed in at
the Hook. The dogs are Of mixed breed.
Some have a strain Of the sheep dog in
them, others are a mixture Of blood
hound, mastitf, collie and greyhound,
and others are just plain dog. They are
a hardy lot. They did not like the roll
ing and pitching Of the ship, but they
were not seasick, and every n was in
as good condition when it was put
aboard a special freight car for Montreal
a few nights ago as if it had just left
it's native heath.
G. r. Davies, a tall Englishman Of
cosmopolitan habits, owns the dogs. He
has been everywhere except the Klon-
dixie, where he is going to take the pack.
He wa a soldier in the Chinese service
against the rebellious Black Flags and
just missed filling u grave in China.
Two of his English comrades were
killed. Mr.. Davies is somewhat Of a
speculator. He observed, while in Bel
GUM, that much Of the drawing of
light vehicles was done by dogs Of the
mixed breeds that he has brought to
America. Mr.. Davies says that most Of
the dogs can easily draw a cart which,
with its contents, weighs about half a
ton. Farmers in Belgium, especially in
the neighborhood Of Antwerp, raise the
dogs just as a breeder of draft horses
in Normandy raises horses. The dogs
sell i'll Belgium for $40 each.
Mr.. Davies says that, with the cost
of transportation, they will be worth
about $50 each when they reach the
neighborhood Of the Alaska gold re-
gion. Each Of the dogs was chained in
it's little stall very much like a pony.
Dogs Of mixed breed and Of no breed at
all do not agree when they are permit
ted to run around as they please. Nj.
Davies says that if he had let these 70
dogs loose on the ship there would have
been only a few Of them alive. They are
not a bit savage toward man, but they
are not fond of each other.
The keepers Of the pack are julius
Berhelst, a Belgian, and Henry Love, q
cowboy Of the southwest. The dogs
have not quite caught on to orders in
the American language, and that is the
reason the Belgian was brought wei
with them. They understand Flemish,
or the kind Of Flemish that the farmers
around Antwerp speak, and Berhelst,
who knows q little English, hopes to
have them respond to orders in his yer.
sion of that language after a little train
ing and practice.
Three Of the widest of the pack slip
ped their collars OH a stormy day in
midocean and began prancing about the
ship. The sailors and the returning cat.
tlemen made a vain effort to catch the
dogs. They would not be caught. Then
Love, the cowboy, got after them with
his lariat. The rope whizzed through
the air and fell over the ample neck Of
q dog. The cog had never felt a lasso
before and did not like 1t. There was a
struggle which ended in less than two