Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-12-24

ginning. | have pulled 1900 pounds up
grade on this track with nine dogs and that
for 3o-mile journey
The most of the racing of Alaska is under
the direction of the Nome Kennel club.
which was founded by Albert Fink, for the
purpose OF improving the dogs used to trans
port miners and supplies from one part OF
the country to another This club was or
gained before racing was thought of, but
the sport is doing much to improve the clla--
acter of the animal. OF late years many
Russian staghounds, Great Danes and Mis-
sour blrdhounds have been brought in
These are crossed with the native dogs and
the result tends to produce animals of ell
durance and speed. There are large num-
Der OF Siberian dogs here, they are smaller
than the malamutes, and look like wolf dogs
IN miniature. They are noted for their en-
durance and are able to make the a-Alasksa
sweepstakes race with only two or three
hours of rest
Most OF the races so far held have been
noted Tor their fairness and freedom from
trickery Of any kind. The contestants have
been real sports and the best of feeling has
attended the several events. The only case
III which al attempt was made to beat the
1aVorite team by fraud was that in the
Candle race Of 1914, when a blanket filled
with upright porcupne quilts and tackled 10
rubberod roofing was laid on the track 50
that the quilts stood upright The blanket
was spread out over the road and lightly
covered with snow. 1t was so arranged that
the dogs OF any team that ran over it would
have had their feet pierced by the quilts OF
the porcuplne and been famed. The plot
tiers had directed their teams to 90 out of
the course to avoid the blanket and they
would have been sure OF winning had not
the blanket been found just in advance of the
race. The fraud is supposed to have been
perpetrated by some of the natives at the
instigation of white men who had bet large
sums Of money on the event. The blanket
with the quilts III it was brought into Nome
and shown around the newspaper offices.
The people here felt very bitter that fraud
Of any kind should have arisen in connection
with the race.
part OF the traffic Of Alaska They are to be
found Ill and about every mining camp and
there are hundreds OF them in every town
They are used III carrying the mails Dur
ing the long winter every postal card and ev-
cry letter, newspaper and magazine that
comes TO Nome has to be brought over 500
miles OF ice and snow by dog teams The
mail is taken from Fairbanks to Ruby Idit-
arod and Fort Gibbon by dogs, and in facr,
the whole OF the interior of this great terri
tory IS dependent upon dogs for its winter
transportation.. In the summer the dogs are
sometimes used by the prospectors as pack
animals and at the time Of gold stampede
they rapidly rise in value. This is especially
self a stampede occurs during the winter
In the summer time you can get good dog
Tor SIS. In the winter YOU may have to pay
Slo0 for the same animal. \ man told me
how he had bought two dogs one October,
and paid $40 each for them. The following
spring he sold one for SIS and later on, when
the Chisana gold mines we're discovered he
tried to buy back the same dog for 800. but
was refused. There is regular business in
many Of the towns of boarding dogs during
the summer Each place has its dog pound,
and the owners get from s. to S. per month
per dog.
visited such dog boarding house at ST.
Michael. 1t was not far from the hotel, and
it consisted OF score or more OF kennels
out in the open. The men in charge Of it
were Eskimos, clad half in four, half in cloth.
Their copper-colored faces shone out OF fur
hoods, and they looked like the Mongolians
one sees north OF the Great Wall Of China.
| watched the Eskimos feeding the dogs.