The Nenana daily news., 1919-04-14
WEATHER FOOLS
 |CE DOPES1tRS;;
 ALTERS BETTING


 wind began to blow and the nights turned quite cold and frosty. Over coats which had been discarded with the coming of the warm sunshine, were in evidence again and those who had figured on an early break up seem to have been disappointed TheNvarious ice pools have profited to some extent by the change in the betting, due to the weather, and for the past few days many changes have been registered in the time and date when the ice will g out. This is now the all absorbing topic
 At midnight tonorrow night, the big ice pool will De closed and every enc who wants to are invited to register their be.s on the breakup before htat time
 As the one topic of interest thru out Alaska wherever the great rivers of the country flow is at the pres ent time the breaking up of the ice in the rivers, it will be recalled what a prominent part in the history of the country this event has al ways played. For spectacular dis play. for sheer novelty and varied beauty of the unusual, the breakup ranks perhaps closer to the hearts of the Alaskans than any similar natural event to the people of any land. The peculiar existing con- ditions of the North whereby the simple going out of the river ice heralds once again, after long months of isolation, the renewal of trade relations with the Outside world, the assurance of better mall service, the importation of long absent delicacies. fresher sources of amusement in the shape of books, magazines and moving picture films, and freer travel. all these things have yearly added a significance to the occurrence outside of its spec tacular appeal. And in true pro- portion to it's benefits To the in- habitants has the idea of somehow fitungly celebrating the breakup become a habit This perhaps ex- plains the extent to which it has become a sporting event
 The people of more favored regions indulge after their own fashion in greater variety of sports. All over the States the opening of the baseball season ex- erts an irresistible appeal to the . followers of that game Other sports have their classics: the Ken lucky Derby, the Futurity, the liar vardYale football game, the tennis and golf championships Sport for its own sake is an inherent attribute of all English speaking people The evidences of this have consistently followed the. white man even up into the Arctic Circle As re- suit the Alaskans have had the run ming of the Nome dog races. .he Alaska Sweepstakes. But even that event has not gained the following as has the custom originated ln the palmy days of Dawson, of D tiIng your judgement against the other fellows in guessing the moment of the spring breakup. To men not in ] he country and who never will be 1t has been this and such like events; that have cast an enduring glamour around the name of Alaska and have built for this county unmis- takable atmosphere of its own.
 Rex Beach, in his novel, "The Iron Trail", used the breakup on the Copper River as the setting for the climax of that gripping story. In that instance the reputation, likewise the life happiness, of his chief character, an engineer and bridge builder depended on the Ability of his bridge to stand the terrific stress and battering of the huge ice cakes. How we'll they builded the bridge is evidenced to.