Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1917-01-06
ALASKAN DOGS THE
LATEST WAR MA
TER|AL" NOW USED
NOW BEING PUT TO USE EFFEc-
lively BY FRENCH ARMIES
IN THE voSoEs.
RACE AUTOMOBILES TO SEE
WHICH BRING IN THE MOST
SOLDIERS.
FRANCE NOW HAS 1000 DOGS AT
HER DISPOSAL IMPORTED
FROM, THIS COUNTRY.
By HENRY WOOD.

BY HENRY WOOD.
UNITED Press Staff Correspondent
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES IN
THE VOSGES, Dec Is, (by mail -
With the return of heavy snow in the
yosgess Alaskan dog teams today are
vieing with the automobile drivers of
the American Ambulance and the
members of the Norwegian Red Cross
Skill Corps for the honor Of bringing
In the greatest number of wounded
The Alaskan sled dogs, gathered
in the United States most northwest
territory, constitute the latest war
material being supplied from Amer
lea to France. Although the Allies,
through their supreme mastery of the
seas, are able to gather war supplies
in any and all parts of the world.
the Alaskan dogs are conceded the
honor of coming from the most dis
| tant point, and ever the greatest dis
lance, on which the Allies have yet
been obliged to draw
The original number of sled dogs
brought to the Vosges from Alaska
numbered about 500. These have bred
and multiplied so rapidly that France
now has at her disposal over 1000
| dogs with all of the sleds and ma
terial necessary for performing an
| incredible amount of transport serv-
ice in the snow clad attitudes of the
Vosges.
Il is principally in the Vosges that
the members of the American Anrbu-
lance have been assigned to duty
Their light, speedy cars not only en-
able them to scale all the peaks on
which roads have been built, but even
to leave the roads themselves in the
direction of the first line trenches for
the purpose of picking up the wound
ed.
In these Alpine regions, however,
there are hundred of places which
ss,ssr tho liaht American cars with
tner absolutely fearless coIIesIaI strfs
ets cannot reach, and it IS in these
districts that the Alaskan dog teams
and the Norwegian Red Cross Skill
corps come in for the bulk of the
work. The Norwegian ski Corps.
fully equipped for field Ambulance
work, volunteered its service to
France, the same as the American
Ambulance and has already done
valiant service.
The Alaskan dog service, however,
was thought out and organized by
the French army itself, which sent
experts to Alaska, Laborador and Can
ada to purchase the dogs. Owing to
the fact that the Alaska dogs are
nearly white they are practically in
visible against the snow and can
therefore approach within compare
lively short distance of the German
lines for the purpose of picking up
the wounded without being fired on.
Seven dogs with one of the long Alas
kan sleds and a single driver can
pick upa wounded may, lay him at
length on the sled, and bring him
back to dressing station with re-
markable speed
Ambulance work, however, is only
small portion of the duties assign
ed the dogs, and they are consider
able portion of the transport service
OF the French army in the Vosges.
They carry munitions, food and water
to all parts of the line with the ut
most ease.
The usefulness of the dogs does
not cease with the snow in the spring.
The French engineers are famous for
their construction of tiny, narrow
gauge railways and all the mountain
peaks and ridges of the Vosges, now
occupied by the French are lined with
these. Over them a car runs with
the greatest ease. and eleven dogs
hitched to one of the narrow-gauge |
trucks carrying a ton Of material dash |
along with all the same rollicking !
boisterousness with which they draw
sleds.
On the sheltered sides Of the Eos-
ges immense kennels have been built
for the dogs. each capable of hous-
ing 100 Fifty stalls line each side
OF the kennel and fifty on the other
side with a food and water trough
running in front of each side and a
narrow passage down the center.
Walking down this narrow aisle
visitor can see In the faces of the
dogs almost every type OF human char
acter Only a few are surly or Grossly;
the majority are uproarously happy: H
some are modest and retiring: some
little sad few niggardIy and mis-
PrIy with fha{f ffan. uarna maud !, i