New Britain herald., 1930-01-24
PLAN GREAT RACE
 FOR 'MUSH' TITLE
20O-MiIe Contest Over Canadian
 Shows Is in Prospect

The Pas, Manitoba, Jan. 24.-A 900-mile race over the frozen slopes of Manitoba for the dog -mushipg championship Of the world
 This is the event that is in pros pect for Manitoba sportsmcn in March, with Emil St. Goddard chal- longing LoonhIrd Scppala to an en- Gurance test that will determine which Of the TWO IS the better.
 St. Godard, youthful French-Caul- dan who makes m annual custom or winning the great dog derby hc"., issues his challenge to Scppala, Vo.- oran ot the Alaskan SnoHs.
 The championship Of the world, by common consent, lies between these two men.
 $. Goddard, youthful and sllillllI, has won the sreuling Pas DerDy five times and has established him self as the greatest dog driver n northwest Canada.
 Scppala, veteran at the business, gained worldwide fame in AIasEa tt few years ego by carrying dlph- e miles of frozen wastes He wins the New Hampshire and Quebec dog derbics about as regularly as St. Goddard wins The Pas event.
 Scppala has never raced at Tho Pas. St. Goddard often goes east I O race. but does not quite have the Good fortune there that he has here. He won the Quebec championship two years ago, but last year finisI- ed second in 1t to Seppala. Now he wants to race SeppalI over the frozen Manitoba course.
 The derby here runs from The Pas to the great Fin I'lon mine -0o miles of pulling, with q silver pulling and $500 in cash prizes up tor competition. IL is Il harder grind than either the New Hamp- snlre or Quebec races, and conditiors here are usually more like Alaskan conditions than they arc in the cast.
 This would hardly bother Seppar. He gained his great faute in Alaska, where he is remembered for win ming the All-Alaska sweepstakes !n 1915 as well as for his famous das1 10 Nome.
 The Nome episode. however. was probably the most spectacular in his career
 Nome was swept by q diphtherJa epidemic, and lacked the serum 70 combat it. Scppa!a was the final driver on a long relay team that undertook to get the serum I'D therc. He had $40 miles to cover. and had 10 cross the treachcrOus ice of NO~ ion Sound twice cn rOutc. The tenn peratlrc ranGel from %o 10 5u bclo" zero while he was on the trail, an1 for more than half the distance 'c had 10 buck q strong head Winl. Yet he drove his team at an aver age speed of letter than nine milas an hour and got to Nome with his serum safely.
 Seppala, however. docs not lool back on this trip as one of his eN- citing experiences. He says he has made at least 50 other trips th1t were more cvrntful.
 There was, for instance, the time flat he was travelling with his team from Nome to Ncnnana, distance Of roo miles. He started out to cross Norton Sound. and was fairiV out on the ice when the Hoe bro&c up and q strong wind carried him out to sea.
 For more than 94 hours Seppa.l and his dogs were marooned on q floating ice cake. Scppala had giv4n mp hope, when q change in the Winl drove the cake back toward shore and finally brought it up against Il point of land, by which man anI animals were able to make their "S- cape.
 Scppala lea"aod his trade from the iauons shorty Allyn. who WAS considerel-up 10 Seppala's time Alaska's greatest dog nusher After beating St. Goddard three years ago in the New England dog derby, Sep pala called St. Goddard the best young dog mushei l have ever seen, and said that he had won solely b2- cause his dogs were in better shape than St. Godard's.
 St. Goddard has been training h.s dogs for endurance rather than speed, and hcliercs that in the 9O0-mile race here they would staul better chance than they do in .'e shorter races in the cast.
 St Godard grew mp with dog" and had the ambition to bc Il d0.; mushcr from his chilnood. His jdri vas Waiter Goyuc, most famous d"- driver NIHjtoha ever bad. who ga -: him his cartN training.
 Goyu@ came 10 The rae from Alaa- ka doz,n years @-o, and met bis ilugic death in l2-3. The story ni his passing l+ a- Spectacular %s any thing in all tho loro ot the norta- land.
 With q tam Of II dogs bo sot oJi on an S5-mllc training trip for Moo,s lake and failed To return. \ search was made for him but no trace of man or team could be found. Tb"n q month later, fur trader strutE the shore Of Moose laha and noticed A group of ~IlI dogs on the Ic.. bowling wildly. He went out to ju- vcstigatc, and found them scraten- ing on ice. al IL point several hun drrd wards off shorc. and whining.
 The fur trader lay flat and Iookrl down. The ice vas crystal clea, and he could see far down. Thee he saw q sight that put his hair au end.
 Underneath him. frozen in the ice. were Goyne and his eleven dogs. All were standing upright in th- most natural poses imaginable.
 Evidently the ice lad given way while Goyne was driving his team across the lake. The bitterly co.I n-.trr nnnnrnmlIN md nnmh.l M E:l