Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-24
Animal Goes Away on
Twelfth Birthday and
Fails to Return.
WALK OFF TO DIE
OR FALL SUSPECTED
Grandson of Husky Peary
Used on North Pole
Trip.
BY RUSSELL OWENS.

BY Wireless to The Star and New York Times.
BAY OF WHALES, January ID
Somewhere out in the great fields of
snow which stretch interminably across
this continent there is a big brown
dog lying, sleeping his last sleep, after
having given everything that was in
MN to his masters work He is Chi
nook, Walden's famous leader, who
after life of races and the admiration
OF those who love dogs came down here
to the bleakest country in the world
He went off on his twelfth birthday,
walked into the white wilderness and
has not returned. We may never know
whether he went off to die, as dogs
sometimes will. or whether he fell down
crevasSe. Chinook was probably the
most intelligent of the lead dogs, being
driven 80 miles day over the trail.
He led eight of his sons and grand
sons powerful brown dogs like himself
all half-breed Eskimo huskies. There
are other dogs here just as strong. but
they are of different breeds, and Wal
oenS team is distinctive because of the
color and form of the dogs. Chinook
dld not lead them all the time, because
walden wished to save him as much
fatigue as possible because of his age
put when there was some difficult lead
ing 70 do or when little extra weight
packed by intelligence was needed. Old
Chlnook was put into the team.
Aged Dog Is Spared.
Comdr. Byrd had also given Walden
PERMISSION 10 spare Chinook as much
as he desired. Every one sympathizas
with Walden because the bond betwecn
MIN and Chinook was so close that
ooth were lonesome if the other was
not around. He slept in Walden's tent
DeIore the houses were erected at the
paSe. kept watch of his master as
walden cared for him. If the old-time
dog driver walked along a dangerous
creVasse near the camp Chinook would
WaIcn MIN silently and anxiously until
ne returned. On the trail he trotted
anead or behind, keeping an eve on
ms children, until his master called
70 MIN to get into harness. There is
a pace near the seal holes on the
down another so that the sIedges slide
dangerously near the water and loads
are continually tipped over there.
WIN CHINOOK in the lead Walden
could depend on his team moving oft
on the tran so as to hold the Sled
steady and then swinging back at the
proper time. Chinook seemed tn know
lnstlnctively what to do. And when
the load turned over Sometimes as
happens to all the drivers, Walden could
hltch up Chinook, attach the team to a
Sloe OF the heavy sled and right it
again. -'
There are many tales told of Chi
nooks intelligence, such as the time in
a dog race when a man pointed out the
route to Walden as he came along and
Chinook turned without waiting for
word from his driver, or the time in
Portland when Walden was driving
through street in the Winter time
ana traffic policeman held up his
hand, a signal which Chinook instantly
obeyed.
Scion of Peary Dog.
He is said to be a grandson of the
Lead dog used by Peary on his trip to
the North Pole and he was lead dog of
the team which won the first interna-
tional race in New Hampshire in 1922.
He also led team up Mount Washing
ton IN a blizzard. Muskeag and Quinn
90, two leaders of teams here, are sons
OF Chinook. Walden had been breaking
IN new leader just before Chinook dis
appeared and had planned in a few
days to let his old dog rest for the re-
mainder of the time here.
January II was Chinook's birthday
and he followed Walden and the team
out OF camp toward the ship. He was
behind, and somewhere soon after leav-
ing camp he dropped behind, and when
Walden looked around he was nowhere
to be Seen.- This was an odd thing for
Chinook to do, for he was so well
trained that when another dog of the
team would wander off Walden would
send Chinook out to find him and bring
him back. Was it possible that the old
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