Omaha daily bee., 1917-01-21


St. Paul, Mimi, Jan. N.-Louis w
Hill, railway magnate, has openee
another chapter in his diversified &C
tivities. AS president OF the St. Pau
Outdoor Sports carnival this mos
versatile son of the late James ]
Hill will stage the greatest endurance
dog run undertaken by man and beast
He has sent into the Hudson bay
and Lake Winnipeg districts and Sc.
cured dog teams OF the Husky ano
St. Bernard and Hound Husky eros:
breeds to take part in the first annua
Red River international derby, which
promises to become classic. Mr.
Hills chief object is to show to the
world the great utility of these dog
trains which furnish such neces.
sary means of transportation to the
trapper and fishermen in the frozen
north. Besides there is touch OIL
sentiment in his undertaking since the
course over which. these dogs will
travel from Winnipeg to St. Paul, a
distance of 500 miles, is the old Penn
bina trail over which his father, the
late James J. Hill, travelled on dog
sledges many times in the early days
before he built his Great Northern
railway.
January "a, shortly after noon, ten
of these Canadian dog trains hitch bed
to "carry-alls" (toboggan-like sleds)
will start from the Winnipeg Free
Press Office, near the site of Old Fort
Gary, to the St. Paul Outdoor Sports
carnival, which will be in full swing
that week.
Icelanders and Cree Indians will
pit their own endurance and that OF
their dogs against each other in this
event. The dogs entered in the COM
petition will be those regularly used
in the midwintef fishing and trapping
industries of Lake Winnipeg and the
Hudson bay districts.
Longest of ALI.
There are two other annual dog en-
durance races run on the North
American continent, and both of these
will be eclipsed in one respect by the
Red River derby, which will be over
longer course. The Alaska race is
"a stop event, the same as the Red
River international derby is to be.
The course of the Alaska sweep
stakes, from Nome to Candle and
back again, is Az miles. The record
for that race is seventy-two hours OF
actual travelling. The Hudson Bay
sweepstakes. a ls0-mile nonstop race,
was run this year in twenty-five
hours. The course is from The Pas
to Beaver Landing and back again.
The Pembina Trail, Winnipeg to St.
Paul, over which the Red River Dog
derby is to be run. is a straightaway
course close to 500 miles. Dog train
runners figure this race will be run
in about eighty-six hours.
Six to Team.
Each OF the dog trains entered in
the endurance run will consist OF
at least six animals, one man going
with each team. They will go-as-
they-please, stopping to rest and feed
their dogs and themselves wherever
they choose. Starting out with at
least two days food for themselves,
their supplies Of provender will be
shipped on to them to be picked up
at various points along the route.
These picturesque lcelander and In
dian dog runners each carry a kettle.
They stop by the trailside at inter
walls of about three hours to make
tea for themselves and rest their dogs
during these twenty minute stops.
The dogs are fed frozen fish. The
whitehsh, being oiliest, is their best
morsel. Bread, tea and fried fish
furnishes an energizing diet for the
sturdy dog runner He is a durable
running machine, the best American
college athlete can readily admire,
for it is not unusual for these Ice
lander and Indian dog train men to
run thirty or forty miles OF their
days journey behind their sledges.
For example, Captain Baldwin Ander-
son, who has one OF his dog teams
entered in the Red River derby, al
though so years old, finds it no hard
TASK 10 step forty miles IN a day
behind his team when bringing load
Of fish from the middle of frozen
Lake Winnipeg to the fishing station,
whence the product is carried the rest
of the journey to the railway by
horse freighters.
The dogs selected for the Red River
derby are the hardest of the entire
population of 1000 now registered
in the Canadian northwest. They are
all brothers, sisters and cousins to
the 100 dogs taken from the Lake
Winnipeg and Hudson bay districts
by Sir Ernest Shakelton, noted Eng
fish explorer, on his trip to the south
pole two years ago. They are of the
Husky breed. The Husky dog is bred
from timber wolf and Scotch Col
lie. A few of the entries are cross
bred with St Bernard and hounds.