Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-01-29
auto ARCTIC CONTEST
Difficulties of the Race Between
New York and Paris.
ROUGH PLACES IN ALASKA.

Traveller In That Country Tells OF
Hardships to Be Encountered-Travei
Easier In Winter - intense Cold .
Serious Menace to the Machines.
John G. Klein, who spent some time
In Alaska several years ago. In speak
ing of the proposed New York to Paris
automobile contest arranged by the
Paris Matin and the New York Times
said to a representative Of the latter
paper:
Certainly the suggestion Of an au.
tomobile race from New York to Paris
Is a novel one. The contest would en-
gage the attention not only Of automo-
bilists throughout the world, but
would create great interest among the
general public as well. 1t would be
Ear and away the most important and
Interesting automobile contest held
since the invention of the machine,
particularly from the standpoint of en-
durance.
Those who enter for the contest
might as well make up their minds
that the trip through Alaska and ST.
IBERIA will be no such jaunt as many Of
them. may have been accustomed to
making over the excellent roads Of
Long Island or New Jersey. The long
stretches Of uninhabited country, the
difficulty Of obtaining supplies and the
rigorous weather would all have to be
taken into consideration, for supply
stations for machines and accommoda-
lions where the chauffeurs could OBJ
tain shelter and food are not plentiful
In the wilds Of Alaska. t
THE winter season alone would
make It possible to undertake such a
contest the frozen snow and Ice Great
ing thoroughfares. so to speak, which
dO~hot exist In warm weather. Thou
sands Of men travel In Alaska In the
winter by dog teams or on foot who
could not make such trips in the
spring or In summer. They suffer but
little hardship, comparatively speaking.
Indeed, thousands Of men and a few
women have walked from Dawson to
Nome or between other points over
me Ice which means that the frozen
sakea and rivers afford chance to
travel that does not exist when the
weather Is warm. OF course individ-
mails on foot can 90 where automobiles
cannot, but whether machines could
successfully make such a long and
Arduous journey can only be proved
after the experiment is attempted.
tsTNhflo the s.oid Is fv,4ov,-o a.. AI..N..
and snowstorms numerous in winter,
yet many thousand persons live there
in that season and enjoy life. There
would not b. much question about the
chauffeurs being able to make the trip
II healthy and provided with plenty
OF food, but there is always the dan
ser OF serious breakdowns of the ma.
chimes. The establishment of supply
stations and repair depots is altogeth-
or feasible, at least in certain parts OF
Alaska. but 1t would seem that In any
event machines would require to be
conveyed by others carrying food and
supplies for men and necessary parts
for repairs to the machines.
Il see that In recent cablegram
from Paris to the Times the statement
1E made by the Paris Matin that the
only part OF the route which at pres
ent is causing worry Is the rough
country between Vancouver, B. c.,
and Skaguay. Alaska II the journey
40 attempted by the route suggested,
there win indeed be cause for worry.
and plenty Of 1t. The rugged, noun
tainous country which intervenes be-
tween those points makes 1t almost
physically impossible for the trip to
be made by the route suggested.
The more feasible route would be
from Vancouver, B. O., to Ashcroft by
the Yale road, which, by the way, is a
very good one; thence to Telegraph
Greek, to Atlin, to Caribou, to White
horse, to Selkirk. to Ogilvie, to Daw-
son and to Circle City, a distance Of
perhaps 2,100 miles. Beeves are often
driven from Ashcroft to Atlin up the
Yukon river
"From Circle City a United States
military telegraph line extends to Fort
Yukon, to Rampant; thence along the
Yukon river to Fairbanks, to Tanana,
to Nulata, to Unalaklik and to st. Mi
Gnaels, where the 1ukon empIleS INTO
the Boring sea. I do not know If It
would be possible for an automobile
to make its way down the Yukon to
Unalaklik after leaving, say. Circle
4 City. While the river, of course, is
frozen solid in the winter, there is a
good deal Of rough hummock ice,
which In many places might make It
difficult for an automobile to get past
and into better going.
at would seem that Unalaklik would
y be Neurological point at which to leave
the huron river and strike out north.
east for. Cape Prince of Wales. To fol.
low the Yukon TO st. MichaeIs from
,Unalaklik would be to bear of in an op.
posite direction to that desired. AT
Il Cape Prince of Wales, Boring sea, as
the map will show. narrows very con-
siderahlY and at this point enters the
Arctic oceaYl The distance across Rer-