El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-12-23

M Just returned from ride on the
= pup-mobile over the DOG Car
railroad that carries one from Nome
across the gold bearing plains into the
mountains OF the interior The track is
a narrow gauge. built for steam en-
gInes by Charles L. Lane in 1900.
The government taS on Alaskan rail-
roads was too heavy to keep the cars
running, and the road has now been
given over 10 little cars drawn by dogs.
The only cars now remaining on Seward
peninsula. These cars are known as
DOp-mobiles. Each consists of a plat
form on wheels with one or two rough
seats fastened TO il. The motor Is
team Of from seven 10 fifteen dogs
who are harnessed 10 the front OF the
car by means Of long rope. and dl-
rected by the voice OF the driver. who
calls out Gee to turn them to the
right. -HaW" to turn them 10 the LETT.
and -Mush" to make them go faster: At
the front OF the team is leader. whose
traces are fastened to the end Of the
rope. and behind him two abreast come
the rest Of the team. their traces tied
to the rope at intervals. the last two
being perhaps eight or ten feet from
the car
Each dog has a harness much like
that used for a horse, except that II
Just fits the dog. The collars are Of
soft leather. beautifully padded. and
the tough leather traces are fastened 10
the collars ana up4elQ DE Straps " lAANl
run across the back o. Ene DOG There
are no brides nor halters. and the sole
direction is by thc voice OF the motor
man. The dogs obey quickly. they are
eager 10 60 and seem to enjoy pulling
Out Over the Tundra
Our ride USs out over the tundra
which lies between the foothills of the
mountains and Bering sea The per
sOnal conductor was Fred n Aver, OF
the Wild Goose Mining company,
mining engineer. ana also dog ian
Cier. having the distinction OF owning
some Of the best racing and freight
dogs Of this part Of the world The
tundra consists OF the decOmposed vege-
tation under which is two or three feet
OF ice mixed with muck and blue clay
The blue clay makes il impossible TO
thav out the ground, as is done at
Dawson
There are many soft spots in the
tundra filled with water. and many
nizgerheads. or round masses of vege-
ta1on that turn as you step on them
The railway is drained but IN many
Races the roadbed has sunk and water
covers the track AT such places the
dogs ran out on the banks TO keep out
of the water. and sometimes they made
their way through the shallOwer pools,
dragging the car. Now and then they
broke into a gallop and we fairly flew
over the rails ! am told they 90
twice as fast on the snow dragging a
sled. The names OF the dogs were
Rover. Blizzard. Leo. Bubbles. Ginger.
Arrow ana KING All were picked AMI
mails and all have taken part IN the
great races that are annually run 10
solomon and Candle.
Dog Rnces Great Sporting Events.
The dog races of Nome are the great
sporting events OF the far northwest.
They are TO Alaska what the Derby is
10 England They are talked of from
one years end 10 the other. and. a. the
time approaches. the dogs which are
TO compete are the subjects Of never
ending discussion Thousands Of dol
lars are put up on the races in the
shape OF bets. and nearly every one,
man and woman, has a wager Of some
kind or other.
The whole country turns out to see
the start and finish, and the winners
are the heroes Of the time The great
race is the all-Alaska sweepstakes,
which IS run from Nome. on Bering sea,
70 Candle City. on the Arctic ocean. and
100000 has been put up on that race.
ana that the prizes have ranged all
the way from $500 10 $4,000 At one
time, when the prize was $4,000 IN
gold, the money was presented in a
massive silver loving cup. and the
tradition is that the owner Of the win
ming team poured the coin into the lap
OF the driver keeping the cup only as
3 souvenir OF the event
That was eight years ago. and since
then there have been races every April
from Nome to Candle City and return.
The distance is 40S miles and the usual
winning time is between three and four
days. In 1910, it was made by Col.
RamSey's team in - hours, Il minutes
and A seconds. and in 1918. by the
Bowen-DeleZene team in IS hours, AZ
minutes and q seconds
In addition to the all-Alaska sweep
stakes there are annual races every
March from Nome TO the Solomon river
and back. This is known as the Solo
mon derby. II is for a distance Of 81
miles. Last year that race was won by
Mr.. Aver. whose dogs made the trip
in six hours. making an average Of
about ten miles per hour. Said Mr..
Aver We made the trip OF % miles
and It took two men to hold the team
when they we're turned around at Solo
mon They wanted 10 start right back.
notvithStan dlng they had been running
steadily at the rate Of almost eleven
miles an hour The prize for that race
was $50"
Women Ride in Burden Race.
Among other features Of the Solomon
derby was the Burden race. in which
the dogs ran - miles. carrying one
passenger and 80 pounds of baggage.
The passenger in such races is usually
p woman the wife, daughter OF sweet
heart Of the owner or driver Last
year the 20 miles was made in S hours
and minutes. The year previous II
was made in less than eight hours.
Another burden race is run TO Council
City. IS miles. This ends in q ball, the
ladies being carried On the sleds by
their best beauX 10 the dance.
Racing Intended to Improve Dogs.
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 transport miners and sup
plies from one part u the country to
another. This club was organized be-
fore racing was thought Of. but the
sport is doing much to improve the
character Of the animals OF late years
many Russian staGhOunds. Great Danes
and Missouri birdhOunds have been
brought in. These are crossed with the
native dogs and the result tends to
produce animals Of endurance and
speed
There are large number OF ST
berian dogs here. They are smaller
than fher malmamutes, and look ike
wolf dogs in miniature They are noted
for their endurance, and are able -
make the all-Alaska sweepstakes race
with only two or three hours Of rest
Most OF the races so far held have
been noted for their fairness and free
dom from trickery Of any kind - The
contestants have been real sports and
the best OF feeling has attended the
several events.
Fraud Attempt Frustrated.
In p 7s1a n 81 tenn 81