The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-04-29
AFTER BIG MONEY
Alaskan Mail Carrier TrekS for
Ten Thousand Dollars
-FOUR YEARS. JOURNEY
Eli A. Smith With His Team of
Esquimdu Dogs Spends Two
Days in Sduk Ceutre

Eli A. Smith, an Alaskan mail car
rier, arrived in Sank Centre Monday
en- route to Seattle and Nome, with
outfit consisting of a regular Alaskan
sledge mounted on wheels and drawn
by Esquimau wolf dogs. Mr.. Smith
is on the next to the last leg of a
round trip from Nome to Washington
and back on a wager of $4,000. He
has until Nov. 14th. of this year to
make Nome and as he is ahead of his
schedule there is every reason to be-
lieye that he will win the big purse.
He remained in Sauk Centre until
Wednesday morning, when he left for
the west. He expects to follow the
Great Northern to Fargo, thence along
the Northern Pacific to Spokane,
thence by the shortest route to Seat
tie, where he will take a steamer di-
rect for Nome.
The trip is the outcome of bet be-
tween Mr.. Smith and a miner named
Pierce who lived in Nome. Mr.. Smith
went to Alaska fourteen years ago
and carried mail most of the time
with a sledge and dog team. One day
crowd of men in the Hub saloon at
Nome were talking of the exploits of
a certain mail carrier when Smith
spoke up and said he could easily beat
it. Pierce demurred and went out.
Later in the day he returned and told
Smith he had a route laid out for him
to Washington and return and offered
to bet 81 900 that Smith could not
cover it in the time required. Smith
said 81, 900 was no object and offered
to bet $40, 900 that he could do the job.
Pierce called the bluff by depositing
$40, 900 in a bank. Smith, who had
only $500, rustled around among the
mail carriers and got the balance and
also deposited $4,000 in the same
bank. Smith then began to prepare
for the journey. He had no money
and through the influence of Pierce,
who was miner, every one in Nome
boycotted Smith. But the latter was
not to be bluffed and speedily devised
a scheme whereby he raised $500,
and was soon ready to start. He had
ten Esquimau dogs and his sledge,
which carried complete camping
outfit. He left Nome Nov. 14th, 1905
and drove 1883 miles to Valdez where
he took steamer to Seattle, breaking
all existing records for the distance
by making the trip in 36 days and
winning a wager of $500. At Valdez
he took steamer to Seattle. Smith
arrived in Washington Feb. 20, 1907.
BY the terms of the wager he was to
spend two summers on the Atlantic
coast. The summer of 1907 he spent
at the jamestown exposition; that of
1908 at Atlantic City. Mr.. Smith left
Atlantic City Sept. Is, 1908. He ex-
,ects to reach Seattle July Is next.
Under the terms of the wager
Smith was not to replace any of his
dogs on the outward trip, but on the
return he might if necessary. He
now has six of the ten dogs with
which he started from Nome. Three
were poisoned in Wisconsin, and a
fourth died later. He has replaced
these dogs on the return trip with
mongrels picked up at different points.
They work well after. little training.
One of the dogs Smith has with
him is, Smith says, a pure blood wolf.
The dog has pulled mail sledge for
may miles and is now thirteen years
old. Smith does not work him any
but takes him along as an advertise
ment. This dog is very docile and
closely resembles a timber wolf.
When Smith was in Washington
Quentin Roosevelt rode around the