Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-02-27
BIC POLAR AUTO RACE
Advice For Contestants From
Experienced Arctic Travellers.
USE OF SLEDS SUGGESTED.
Vancouver Man Tells How Contest
ants In New York to Paris Race Can
Relieve Weight on Autos-ExpIorer
Says Use Horses to Haul Supplies.

Relieve Weight on Autos-ExpIorer
Says Use Horses to Haul Supplies.
Harry G. Mclean of Vancouver, B.
c., who was interviewed at New York
on the overland automobile race from
New York to Paris, which has been
arranged by the New York Times and
the Matin of Paris, says there are sew
eral things necessary for the comfort
of the men on the trip to which atten-
ton might we'll be called.
Mr.. Mclean has spent q great deal
of time in British Columbia and has
also been in the arctic sections of Alas
ka. having made several trips to Point
Barlow, the extreme northern point
where many of the whaling fleets make
their headquarters during the whaling
season. He has travelled quite exten-
sively by sled and knows many of the
most obscure paths and trails of the
country that is never without its Gov
ering of snow, and therefore his views
may be considered as helping the solu
ton of the problem that faces the men
who will undertake to drive4the ma
chimes across ice and snow, says the
New York Times.
1.-The more / think of the trip, of
which have been reading in one sec
ton of the country and another since
its inception, the more am convinced
that 1t can be made, but it will be
made under conditions never before
met by men. In the first place, the
trip cannot be made unless accompa
MED by guides and sleds, so that every
possible bit of weight can be taken
from the cars-that is to say, that all
camping material, all food and extra
clothing should be hauled ON sleds.
"These sled trains can then serve two
purposes-first, to take weight from
the cars and then rs scouts and trail
breakers, SO to speak, going ahead Of
the cars and, to certain extent pick
ing out the best way for the machines
to go and in very small way break
ing the trail of the snow.
"The sleds more commonly in use in
the arctic regions are from nine to ten
feet long and twenty-five inches wide,
the runners about twelve inches deep
and the sides about eighteen inches
high. The sled proper is an open
framework of oak or hickory, no more
wood being used than is absolutely
necessary. All the parts are lashed to-
gether with strips of sealskin or walrus
hide. Few or no nails are used; so
flexible and able to withstand the
rough usage to which it is constantly
subjected in travelling. In passing
might interject that the automobile
construction should receive thought
in this direction of elasticity. for there
are some terrible wrenches TO be under
gone. The sled cover, of light drilling,
is made large enough to spread all over
the whole length of the sled on the bot
tom.
Incidentally harnessing the dogs to
the sleds. which 1t is well to know
about for the natives cannot be en-
tirely depended to stick to the job, is
quite an interesting undertaking. The
harness is made of strips of heavy
ticking, canvas, sennit or seal hide and
is all in one piece for each dog. A
strip goes around the dogs neck and
crosses in front of the chest, where the
two parts are fastened together to
form collar. The ends then 60 under
meath the fore legs and lead up, one on
each side, to the dogs back. Another
strip is fastened to the top of the col
lar at the back of the neck and leads
along the back to meet the other two
nd
cured together and made fast to
small piece of rope about two feet long.
I'm harnessing dog the collar is put
on over the head, each of his fore feet
put through one of the loops formed
by the ends coming together, and he is
ready to be made fast to the sled. A
larger rope, the length of which de
pends upon the number of dogs to be
used, is made fast to the front of the
sled, and to this is secured the small
rope of the dogs harness, the dogs be-
Ing yoked in pairs, one on each side of
the central rope. The team generally
consists of an odd number of dogs, the
odd dog being hitched to the central
line in front of the other dogs and acts
as a leader. This plan is used by the
white people in the lower Yukon and
Is considered better than the plan of
the natives of hitching the dogs one
ahead of the other.
Another thing of importance next
to the food is the camp gear to be
used when stops are made for the
night where there are no native huts
or other shelter; of course, tents to
accommodate each party-that is, the
party In each machine. But this is
added weight to the equipment to be
carried on the sleds and can easily be
done away with. The favorite way of
the Eskimos for camping in that part
of the country is to build snow houses
at night when they get ready to stop.
"The wind packs the snow so hard |
that 1t can easily be cut into blocks |
with long knife. From these blocks |
In short time can be constructed a |
small strong house, the cracks being |
stopped up with loose snow, which |
freezes quickly, and for the door a |
10 roo block nf snnu oaJp ha usa1 u~
rnIs way une mouse is made practically |
air tight. Soon the warmth of the |
bodies of three or four people will |
raise the temperature of the place so |
that 1t is fairly comfortable. and some |
of the clothing can be removed. On |