The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-20
REINDEER AS NAIL CARRIERS.
THEIR VALVE PROVED M TESTS
MADE ~ ALASkt.
A sOo-suIe Race Through the SNOW B~-
ween Reindeer and Dog Teams
-Frirnd.hip ueiw eeu These Animals
and siberians american Efforts To
Introduce The Reindeer Into Alaska.

Introduce the Reindeer Into Alaska.
When reindeer were first proposed for
usc In the mail service In Alaska tho idea was
ridicuicd. Since then experiments have
demonstrated the animals value for this
purpose. The first test showed its Supen-
orty over dog teams for travelling through
the snow.
A reindeer team with a IApp driver
was selected to carry one Of the mail bags
over the Nome route. and to return with
the outgoing mail, ia. round trip icing
about so miles. Two days before tho
reindeer started three ~well-cduipped dog
teams ~et out. The route lay through
a country without rad or trail, and the
conditions We're ~ had A. heavy snow
falls could make them
Fairly ON tho hnh day out thu reindeer
team caught w with ia" -lowest of IA"
dog outfits. in a stretch Of soft. drifted
snow Ia thi- th" dogs had h,-'n stalled.
and heir desperate houudetings had ~
wearird them tina they wep making little
progress Tie reindeer ploughcd through
the drifts with little difficulty That after
noon they passed the second dog team
tn" IApp brought his mail to its dc-tina-
ton. rested hIs deer thirty hour, started on
the return trip and ATTY milr- out met
the foremost Of his competitors. Even more
remarkable wa> a mail trip - i.2i0 miles
through "a tracklr-s wilderness mad" hv
rrinde-.r. the teams making a. much - 10
miles a day under Favorable conditions
Nov that the value # ih,--,. animals haS
been fully established the United States
have b'rom. an importer and hr-~i"r
81 stock and will bring In the next few years
thousand uf reindeer into their northern
ward Possession. There asv now In Alaska
eight herds comprising at-.ut $500 head
Bv January thi- number will h. increased,
through importation. to more than 5.0h.
At first the wlites in Alaska were not
successful In handling the animals They
arr ~carCeIv compr"hrnsillr bv M" Tau
caSian The reindeer j. easily frightened
and easily onendsd. aud IL l. impu-~ihl"
To tell how hr will behave In either cas-"
Sometimes D." wilt rush NJ th" offending
person and .'ukr him down with his sharp.
powerful furohuof- OF cud"ayor to rp him
oI-'il With n quick dc~g"rt Il his i"ruiGnll"
antler- Again hc vii ralN. -nlk and even
pin" away
R.fwe.n the siberian and M" r"iuds'
there exist. a sort ~ affinity. the animal
will obey his aCcii .tuntsi master when a
whii"-skinnci man can d" nothing WIN
him - n uuinl,"t 81 ncrd"rs Nrr" brought
nNFf rom NlhfNh hll N'NtiIA hHfnN"N 80
mauA put under them t1 i'au 'lr hu-i-
ncS- IN" Alaskan nativ,e hay" taken th"
greatest Interest "a IN" Introduction If I'm"
Teind-'I AVID on many usrt-iuns d"l'Ea-
tinns have travelled from hh 10 fb uil'"-
To- iu-i-st 4 hspi. which = luuN'si uts'u a.
ot.pinp "A new avenue - wealth fuf iu'u |
Fot u tim. n wa feared that 'lH Ald-kan
dogs. unl.-~- ch'ckoi voult manifest =
10 ~Catiei aud destroy 30" r'ln-
dear herds. hui the hcrt"r~ were armel
- ~ 80. .UN.v- .. NF.H tffa.n any dos .
interfering with a herd. ard after n number
Of meidl,-omr dog had been shot this
rour,e uf ANNOYANCE disappeared almost
altogether. few reindeer are kill~i each
year by wolves.
the carr and training 81 reindeer an IA"
nat ives Of lapland Accordingly a -corc D
81 full bloodcd lappS have lT-'n induc'"i
bv liberal uNerr =" "inigrnt" 10 Alaska,
wherr thew form u it'll. cnluuy With them
ha We come q number 81 their dog, ~
markablv Intelligent animal-, that not only
herd and guard The vird'-'r, hu' al-n assist
in training and breaking them Ia haIn"~.
The dug~ at" very courageous ana VII
frht wolves. mountain lions. or any other
lsa-t 81 prey that may attack IN" herd.
ANY ~ the lapI~ may uIspn Application
Ia the GoVarnm"ni, have IA" loan 81 lN
head Of reindeer Tor a period 81 from thn"'
IT, five war. a. the end nt when 'lln" 'h'
borrower returns the lr hshd Of d'-'r Il"
~, Government. retaining the inCr,aS''
Ms hi. priyate property Nrarly every one
of The Iautr has FASTENED Ia take atNantag"
81 thu offcT. The Government has gwen,
lent or -old h"rt~ ut rtnd'rr '" MISSION
stations all over Alaska \
me reindeer Inc Also te-n introduced A.
n rack animal one Of ia. pion'-ar- In this
movement wH- Hank summer, VII" i'I
nearly n rcora Of Year. hu- i--'n a INNER
and pru-IeCtor IN Alaska I'M N"'"''u
snme months ago proCur~d a r'uhd'-t
FINN nne Of the mission stations ana upon
,hi. de-.r h. packed hs tent. blankets pro
VISION and tools Tor ia" summer > pros
t-cting After "a brief c~NI"'n"ncs, WIN ne
new assistant he d~'clan'i ma, I'VE """"'
never again bother with dog teams.
Tn. breaking II "a reindeer " only slightly
l.Ss exciting than the same operation ~ ~"
c,se ~ a bronco On IN" western if'll-
When the derr l. las-psSi, tho l"nl 'H'hE
thrown over th" auil"r-, hc often i"|'nih'~
irfiria,@i. aud. rising upon ht- hind leg
sttik,.- ant vicipt!~ly with his t%pfri"Tl
II 4. then in order Tor IL" man Ia h'al a
hasty r-tr rat Watching hi opportunity
he runs in. -.'iz'~ the horns, ON" : ! "llW't
hand. aud destcrulsly throws me u'T'l
uusnn his lack when once down ~" ant
ma! ~ once glNe~ up IA" struggh.
halter j. fastened on his head and WITH
a long ruIr. ur strip 81 untanu'~i l.ath"r
made fact 10 q moss hummuck "" T. allnw"i
10 run ai-uu' for several dny~ untl 10" hnh>
an, what II j. Ia H. fastened. Now Cniues
the most difficult task uf an. TINT uf harness
ing him GENERALLY II j. necessary y" Throw
the animal heforr the harue~s can To- pui
in place. When the deer finds that he -
fnsi.n.-i IN n new way. i-'l- th" Tug ruhiing
against hi icgs amt the pr'~su" upon
his shoulder, hc makes hi~ greatest Sirug-
sles for hlerty. lhiS Performance" " con
tinu,-d Tor DAYS and finally the dc-.r - driven
for miles az u tune until hr t-spinc- thor
ouphIy accustomed To- his driver. harn'--
and -l~i once broken to harness b" ~
dpcil-. intelligent aud Possessed OF lnd"in-
table pluck and endurance.