River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-02-04
start for Dawson with his dogs

uIIuuI2UI
Friday night was the claim open for
relocati and not until the stroke of
midnight could a man plant a stake.
This was the ruling of the gold com
missioner at Dawson. and Captain
Consadine had sent UP a squad of
mounted police to enforce it,
The Mono trail ran along the level
creek bed and. less than two feet in
with. was like groove. walled on eli
Their slice By the snowfall of months.
'.Ia problem Of how forty odd sletIs
;Ai $50 dogs were to starr in 50
narrow Il course WAS ID everybody
MAD
iInh!" said shorty Its goin' to he
liz gosh d@uGdest niiNup that ever
y.3s ! cam see no way ont. Smoke.
* ent a2in strength an sweat al, to
loy thIol2A. got I h#nch r.@hl now
ties goin e. be / h.up Or Serappin'
before they set strung ont All II any
of It comes our way YOU got to lei me
O. the punrhin. You cant handle dogs
undred miles with Il busted knlcx-
le. III that's Whatll happen if YOU
lard Oh somebody's jaw
An just remember" Shorty went
on, that got to do all tile SHOWN for
the n first ten miles, an you got to
taxi it easy rs You can III sure Jerk
yon through 10 the Yukon SAY. what
G'ye think Schroeder's scheme is! Hes
got his first team quarter Of mile
down the creek. an hell know it by
green lantern. Hut we got nm skin
neG. Me for the red flare every time
Tie day had been clear and cold but
the night came on warm and dark.
with the hint of snow impending The
thermometer registered II below zero.
and in The Klondike winter II mellow is
este emed very warm.
4 a foW minutes before midnioht.
leaving Shorty with the dogs 800 yards
down the creek Smoke Joined the
racers On No 3 There were forty five
Of tlem
Each racer carried SIX stakes and
heavy wooden mallet.
Lieutenant Pollock. in big bearskin
coat. looked at bis watch by the light
Of q fire. 1t lacked minute of mid
night. Make ready" be said as he
raised a revolver in his right hand
Forty-five pairs Of hands were unmit-
tened, and forty-fve pairs of moccasfnS
pressed tensely into tile packed snow
Also forty five stakes were thrust into
the snow, and the same number OF
mallets lifted in the air.
The shot rang out. ana the mallets
TnE 81. -
lion had expired.
smoke drove in his stake and was
away with the leading dozen Fires
had been lighted 1T the corners. ana
by each fire stood policeman. list III
hand checking off the names of the
runners
A contestant was supposed to call
out his name and show his face There
was to be no stalking by proxy while
the real racer was off and away down
the creek.
A, the first corner beside Smokes
stake Won Schroeder placed his. AS
they hammered more arrived from be
hind and with such impetuosity as to
get in one anOther's way and cause
j0stlin@ and showing Squirming
through the press and calling his name
to the policeman, SmoAe saw the
baron. struck in collision by one of the
rushers, hurled clean off his feet into
the snow But Smoke did not wait
Others were still ahead Of him ny
the light Of the vanishing fire be was
certain that he saw the back. hugely
looming. Of Big OLAF ana at the south
western corner Big Olaf and he drove
their stakes side by side.
1t was no light work. this prelimi-
nary obstacle race. The boundaries of
the claim totaled nearly a mile. and
most of it was over the uneven sur
face of a snow covered, Niger head
fiat. All about Smoke men tripped
and fell. and several times he pitched
forward himself jarringly on hands
1nd knees
The upper center stake was driven
by the edge OF the bank, and down
the bank the racers plunged, across
the frozen creek bed and up the other
side Here, as Smoke clambered, a
hand gripped his ankle and jerked him
back. Arizona Bill, who had been
treated similarly, rose to his feet and
drove his fist with Il crunch into the
Offenders face.
Smoke saw and heard as he was
scrambling TO his feet, but before he
could make another lunge for the bank
a fist dropped him half stunned into
the snow He staggered up located
the man half swung a hook for his
jaw. then remembered Shortys warn
ing and refrained
1t was a foretaste of what would
happen when the men reached their
sleds Men were pouring over the 9th
er bank and piling into the jam They
sWarmed up the bank in bunches and
in punches were dragged back by their
impatient fellows. More blows were
struck. curses rose from the painting