The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-05-01
ALASKAN DOGS.
Single Teams Sometimes Brings as
Much as $4,000.

| Miss Emma LeOnldaS Kelly, the
first white woman to 60 down the Yu-
kon, has qualified by many strenuous
experiences in Alaska to be consider
ed as an authority on the dog teams.
The native animals are malimute, the
huskie and the SiWash.
! The first comes from the coast of
| Bering Sea, and is a cross between
the Russian terrier and the SiWash.
He is small, weighing 60 to Is pounds
ard has shaggy, hair, which makes
him look twice his real size. Un-
der this is a coat of short, warm fur
that protects him in the most severe
weather.
The huskie comes from the Nc
Kenzie river, is a large gray dog,
weighing from 1875 to 160 pounds,
and is covered with short, stubby fur,
with an undercoat of thick fur. They
can stand more hardships and go
without food longer than any other
dog in the north.
The Siwash dogs which are in the
majority, are a cross between wolf
and a dog, and usually gray or white
in color, but occasionally black. Their
weight is from so to 80 pounds They
rarely sleep under shelter, preferr-
| ing to curl up in the snow even with
the mercury 60 degrees below zero.
In this respect the native animals
are better fitted for their work than
the immigrant dogs. In severe wealth
er the latter wear little moccaslns
made of heavy moose skin, while ma
ture has provided the native dogs
with heavy fur covering the whole
foot, even between the toes.
The sleds in general use are feet
long, II inches wide and Z inches
high, and an immense load of freight
can be packed and lashed on them.
The sled is guided in the trail by
pole, known as &c" pole.
The dogs are hitched about six feet
ahead of the sled, and the driver
walks back of them, holding on to the
&c" pole to keep the heavily loaded
sled straight in the narrow trail so
that it will not tip over on the rough,
siding places.
In case the sled is not heavily load
ed the dogs are hooked up close to
the sled and the driver rides a great
er part of the time that is, If the
weather is not too cold, in which case
he prefers running to keep warm.
On the creek beds there are often
from one to five inches of water, and
lit is always a difficult matter to make
the dogs go through this. They dis
like getting their feet wet, but they
must keep the trail and pull through
lit.
Immediately after getting out of
the water it begins to form in little
ice balls between their toes, and the
whole team of dogs will lie down on
the trail in their harness and go to
picking and cleaning their feet, which
are rarely ever sore or frozen, unless
they have been in water several hours.
From the last snow, in the spring
until the first in the fall the dogs have
but little to do. At the trading posts
dawson, Circle City, Fairbanks,
Eagle, Minock-and a number of
other camps where they have fair
streets or roads, the dogs are used to
draw light freight about in little two
wheeled carts, and they are used in
the mines and on the trails for pack
| ing. The pack saddles are made of
heavy canvas, and the average dog
will pack thirty or forty pounds.
Some dogs will lie down in the mud
or water with their packs on, while
others seem to feel the responsibility
of protecting their packs, and are ex-
ceedingly careful in picking their way
through thick brush or over fallen
trees that obstruct the trail, leaping
over pools of mud and picking their
footing with great care on the small
rocks in fording the streams. They
| rarely bark.
The dogs are fed once day when
working; the best feed is the Yukon
dried salmon, but failing this, bacon
has proved the best substitute. 1t is
cut in small pieces and boiled in
quantity of water an hour or more,
and then flour, corn, meal, rice or
lboiled oats is added and cooked well
in the greasy water until the whole
becomes a thin, smooth mush. Each
dog has his own pan, and it is filled
with the food and carefully guarded
/ by its owner until cool, and then
eagerly devoured.
The native dogs will steal ANYTHING