Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-01-29

earth and thick, heavy grass and ex.
tends for hundreds Of miles, chiefly
near the seaeoast In summer the In
tervals between these hummocks,
which are usually only a foot or two
apart, are filed with water caused by
the melted snow and ice on the sur
face Of the ground, which does not dis
appear by the action OF the sun. A
few feet below the surface one, will
find In midsummer that the ground is
frozen so solidly that a pick can
scarcely enter it. 1t has remained In
this condition, 1t is believed, from time
immemorial, for the frost never leaves
the ground from one years end to the
other.
elm winter, however, the tundra L.
frozen over and covered with ice and
snow, which makes travel very much
easier than In summer, and there auto
mobiles would find the opportunity OF
making Roadway.
"Just how feasible 1t would be for
automobiles to travel from Unalaklik
to Cape Prince OF Wales cannot say,
but the trip is made at frequent inter
walls during the winter with dog teams
from Nome to Cape Prince Of Wales,
In summer travel is chiefly by water
between these points, Unalaklik, as
looking at the map win show, is not a
great distance from Nome, the distance
from Nome to St Michaels being only
40 miles. I'd
Taken all In all, while the journey
would be a trying. hazardous one, 1t is
altogether likely that with plenty Of
pluck and determination several Of the
contesting machines that left the Office
Of the New York Times would eventu-
, ally draw up in front of the office Of
the Matin in Paris
1.-THE successful accomplishment OF
such marvellous Journey ought to and
undoubtedly would be glory enough for
any automobile enthusiast"
Ex-Representative Jefferson M. Levy,
who has important interests In the
northwest, when asked for his views
upon the forthcoming automobile race
from New York to Paris. said In part:
II am an optimist, and, while have
originality displayed in arranging such
spectacular contest yet must con-
TESS that'I am not altogether hopeful
about the probability Of its being car
ried to a successful ending.
I'm the first place, man can over
come nature up to certain point. Be
yond that he iS hopeless. The Diff
culties which nature has erected In the
face Of the proposed race are 40 great
that doubt If human beings can sur
mount them. For one thing. / believe
that the intense cold of the arctic,
where the thermometer often goes to
so degrees below zero, will make It
! practically impossible for steel and
iron to Withstand It,
I'VE often hear Of various parts Of
railroad cars and Of steel rails break
ing during severe winters as a result
OF extreme cold-this in the moderate
zone Of the United States, where the
thermometer seldom goes more than a
few degrees below zero! What then.
Is to be expected In climate where
the thermometer reaches 90 below
and more? Granted that competing
autos will carry limited supply of
extra parts to replace breaks, the ex-
treme cold would break various parts
faster than an automobile factory at
home could produce them.
This, to say nothing of oil freezing
stin when used as lubricant why,
In some parts of Alaska gun cannot
be fred in extreme cold weather unless
every particle of grease has been either
wiped out or boiled out with hot wa
ter and the gun left outdoors, for the
grease would jam the different parts of
the gun to such an extent that 1t could
not be used! What show would an
automobile in the arctic region have
under such conditioner None at all.
Putting aside the question Of the
availability of supplies for men and
machines in the zone where human
beings and habitations are not to be
found for hundreds of miles, the to.
Biography Of the Alaskan Siberian coun-
try is such that l think it doubtful If
an automobile could even reach Bering
strait While dog teams can travel In
almost any section of Alaska, yet it is
very ulHerent matter for automO-
biles, which cannot travel down steep
and rough mountain sides for a dis
lance OF a mile or more where the
trail, but two or three feet wide, twists
and turns sometimes every few feet
/ note that some person In discussing
this feature of the trip suggested that
In such cases the machines could be
lowered with block and tackle. 1t is
ridiculous to assume that automobiles
engaged In such a race could be load.
ed down with heavy machinery and
such impedimenta in addition to the
men and the supplies.
81 do not lNlieve the Peace river
plan is possible. 1t is my opinion the
most feasible route is that which was
recently suggested and contemplates
going by Ashcroft, on the Canadian
Pacific railway; thence to Caribou, At
IL L.