Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-05-02
THE ALL-ALAskA SWEEPSTAKES
Big Race Of Picked Dogs 10 the Event
of Prime Importance Every April.

of Prime Importance Every April.
The Inauguration Of president, the
coronation of a monarch, the rise and
fall of empires, the winning Of the
worlds baseball championship-none Of
these epoch making events deeply con-
Germs the citizens Of far-off Nome, in
Alaska. They are trivial affairs COM
pared to the greatest Of all happenings
the annual All-Alaska sweepstake
race.
When late in October, the last boat Of
the season draws in its gangplank and
shuff1es out Of Nome for Seattle, from
eight to twelve picked dog teams are
groomed and trained for the April
races Isolated from the rest Of the
world, Nome and her sister Alaskan
settlements prepare for the gala show
Of the universe. From Fairbanks, $500
miles north, one Of the entrants starts
for the field of conquest. Other teams
face the perils Of uncertain Arctic bliz-
yards and journey to Nome from Idita-
rod, Topcock, Solomon and Candle, and
from other parts of the Yukon valley.
Some of the dogs entered in these
races pack mail for 1000 miles over the
ice fields Of Alaska. They do not know
what fatigue Is, and they look forward
to the speed tests as eagerly as do the
men who drive them. For in these runs
they demonstrate their superiority over
their fellow CANNES not only in their
ability to do" Is miles an hour, but in
the battle Of teeth and agility that in
evitably accompanies this yearly orgy.
The feetest dogs bring their masters
purses ranging from $4,000 to 10000.
Each team is composed of from IL to
20 dogs. For 80 days before the sweep
stakes they are trained with the care
and perseverance devoted to human
athletes. They are fed with the best
foods procurable. Each dog receives
about one pound Of ground beef and
four eggs a day. In Alaska this pre-
paratory training is costly. Second
grade eggs cost approximately so cents
a dozen, ground beef 75 cents pound.
This means that, in order to put his
dogs in fettle for the 40S-mile grind
from Nome to Candle and return the
man who enters a twenty-dog team
spends something like $500 in the month
preceding the contest or an average of
81 day for each dog. Added to this is
his entry fee of 800.
A year or so ago the New York Hu :
name society endeavored to put stop
to the All-Alaska Sweepstakes on the
ground that the PAGES through which
the dogs were put was cruelty to dumb
animals. They were not, however, sue
cessful, as 1t was shown that the ca
nine participants in the races received
perfect care and the most humane
treatment. The best people in Nome,
including the church workers, are a
unit in declaring that the possibility of
harming the dogs Is far remote.
Naturally, the big race Is en- endur-
ance contest pure and simple. One of
the rules of the contest provides that
each driver must bring back with him,
dead or alive, the dogs with which he
starts. There Is no record of the death
Of a dog as a result Of participating in
these races. In fact, according to those
who have followed the races since their
Inception, five years ago. the dogs come
in on the home stretch with all the vi
gor and freshness Of noncombatants.
Their cooperative powers are wonder
full and half an hours rest will condi-
ton them for many more miles Of hard
travel.
Each team carries a driver, a sleep
ing bag, a thermos bottle, and sled
weighing from 80 to IS pounds. Two
or three extra dogs sometimes ride on
the sled. When a dog shows signs OF
fatigue he is replaced by one of the
fresh dogs and permitted to rest until
his exhaustion disappears. Kolma, a 81
berian dog named after the river CT
that name, has travelled the entire four
hundred -and-e eight mile course without
being taken out Of the harness.
The principal dogs entered in these
events are Siberian, called outputs or
Siberian rats. They are small but fast
and possess wonderful endurance quail
| ties. Then there are the Alaskan or
malamute dogs. Blue bird dogs also
have run in these races. They are not
ed for their courage. The malamute and
Siberian dogs will follow the lead OF
any other dog. In one of these races q
driver ran into q raging blizzard on
Topcock hill between Topcock and SOL
omon. In vain did he coax his mala-
mutes and Siberians to forge ahead
They stood still in their harness and re-
fused to go on. Their driver took two
blue birds from the rear ranks and put
them in leading harness. Without q
moments hesitation they plunged into
the blind blizzard, the other dogs trail
ling.
John Johnson, one Of the noted dog
drivers, went to Siberia early in the
winter to procure dogs for the follow
ing April race While there the north.
ern winds drove the Arctic ice pacl
down against the Siberian coasts ant
Johnson was marooned in Siberia al
winter, unable to get back to Nome un'
| til the following June.
In another race Johnson, who seem.
to be the hard-luck driver Of Alaske
was snowbound. In the spring the sur
is powerful and one cannot drive ovel
the binding trails without smoked
glasses. Johnson broke his glasses ant
was totally blind. His dogs, unable t.
follow the trail, wandered out to the
foothills. Johnson tied his sweater ovel
his head to shield his eyes from the
glare Of the sun on the white surface
but still he remained blind.
The man at Topcock telephoned tt
Solomon station that Johnson had lef
Topcock. He did not put in an appear
ance at Solomon, 80 a relief expedition
followed his trail in the snow ant
found him stranded a few miles from