New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Alaska Sweepstakes Big
Sporting Event, Where
Mercury Flirts with Zero
By Betty Thornley,


Dogs are versatile breed. The blood
hound will never live down his record
as a policeman; the Pekingese always
suggests his career as Sunday sup
plement favorite the mere mention Of
a gun serves to evoke memories Of the
dogs of sport; the trained mongrel
waves his tail on every vaudeville
stage; the thought of Red Cross dogs
and their work these last four years
brings lump into every throat But
after all, save and except the role Of
all dogs are born, there is no trade
in dogdom SO useful as that Of the
Northland canine who thinks he's q
horse.
We cannot go to the open ice of
Greenland or Labrador to see the fan
shaped teams whirling their sleighs
along under the aurora. Most of us
can't go anywhere north of steam heat
in the bitter weather. But all of us
Alaska in the summer, and when we
think of midnight suns and totem poles,
Yukon nuggets and Jack London yarns,
let's not forget that Skagway is the
entry port to the land of Alaska
Sweep pstakes, the greatest event Of it's
kind in the world, and the one surs
road to Immortality for "the dog who
works."
Nome to Candle and return is the
$4,000. The time is April. The weather
disdains to rise to zero. Teams are
entered by owners living from Cali
fornia clear to the Pole. And every
dog who runs in collar Is eligible to
compete-husky, maamute, Sibe rian
wolfhound or plain, wonderful, allen
during mongrel.
Hard Worker In Winter
Your sleigh dog ia n hard worker In
the winter. In the sumner he loafs.
That sound easier than IL is, for unless
the dog Is part Of valuable outfit, he
isn't fed until needed The consequence
is that a sleigh dog town like White
horse, Y. r. Is full Of big prowlng
bofs' cats, chickens and ash barrels.
In Alaska and the Yukon hotels afs
taken In sido-atreet cnf6s with
Chlneae cooks In attendance, Inst
summer travelled the thousand mIlos
from Vancouver to Skngwhy in the
Canadian Pacific steamer Princess
Charlotte, then by train IA hundred and
ten m les over the 'old trnll Of '0a to
,Whitohorse, and was preparing myself
ny an excellent dinner to catch the
Yukon boat for Dawson City. was
sitting with my back to tho screen
door OF the little restaurant when
felt that odd sensation Of "being
watched" that comes to every one who
has eyes in the nape Of tho neck.
turned, expecting to encounter an
American stare. But my gaze WAS car
ricd right past tho tables to the door
itself. There stood the starer lie had
his nose pressed mournfully against
m IL hA
silver-graycst, softest-furrcd, melting
est-cycd thing you ever saw in your
dogday dreams. He was 80 wonderful,
IN fact, that dropped my knife and
fork and boltcd for tho door. He had
q tail like an oycrgrown ostrich plume
and he waved 1t dclightedly
have collie at homo that I'm very
proud of, but this dog Of the Midnight
Sun would make two OF my Mack.
Even rank outsider like myself
could tell at once that he was a mala-
mute-half husky and half timber
wolf-~but 30 far as straight appear
ancc went he was the wolfiest wolf
you ever saw. II you want to get a
brain photo Of him take n look at tho
stuffed specimen at the Banff Springs
Hotel ncxt time you are crossing the
Rockies. called my friend Gray
Brother, but unless you've been fortu-
nate enough TO read the MOWgli stories
you will not know why.
The smiling waitress came out with
n plate of fish refuse. "Nevcr seen a
malamute before?" she asked "Some
dogs. amt they? and they do say they
can live on air. l don't see how the
ones in this town always look 80 fat
in summer unless they FISH in the
rapids. Why yes, you could buy
him IL you liked. Guess you could just
run away with him and nobody'd
bother you. But, Of course, you know
he'd cat up your own dog whom you
got him down homo. Then hod jump
the tallcst fence you could find and 20
clean up the neighborhood."
A Laughing Dog
Gray Brother had finished his Ash
course. His eyes were as yellow as
topazcs. The fur on the top Of his
head stood up In a silver fuff an inch