LEONARD SERF ALA, FAMED
DOG RACER, WILL MAKE HIS J
FUTURE HOME IN FAIRBANKS
(Fairbanks News-Miner.)
With thi« city becoming better
known each year a,s a dog-racing
center, it will now have the added
honoor of Jxhng the home .of Leonard
, Seppala. „ generally considered the
world’s .greatest, dog racer. Mr. Sep
pa’a arrived here last week with his
\ wife, and .daughter, having accepted
the position of superintendent of the
. Davidson ditch, from the Fairbanks
Exploration Company.
Although. Mr. Seppala will call
Fairbanks his home from now on, it
is probable that .he will go back East
for another winter or two t race. He
maintains kennels at ’Pland Springs,
„ Maine, in partnership with Mrs. E.
R. Ricker, Jr. have GO full-bred Si
berians there.
Mrs. Ricker and the famous Alas
kan have run against each other in
, some of the Eastern derbies. They
‘ 3id not do so this winter, due to the
fact that some of their dogs were in
jured by a speeding automobile. They i
were exercising two strings contain
ing fifteen dogs when the car came
around a curve and ran oyer -welve
, of the . animals. None was seriously
injured, but it was impossible to get \
. more than half of them in shape to
race. Seppala’s leader became auto-1
shy after this, making it necessary I
for him to use another dog.
When he first started to race in the j
East during the winter of lDli<>-lD27 j
.followers of the sport inthat section j
, of the country didn’t believe that the
small animals would have much of a
chance against the more powerful
, appearing dogs of other racers. They
soon had to change their minds, how
. ever, and the worth of the Siberian is
now generally recognized.
At that, Seppa.a said, the driver of
, the Siberian faces a tremendous han
, dicap in the East. . Custom limits the
number f do^s in a team, and the
man racing Siberians must compete
against teams of much greater
weight. The custom of limiting the
size of a team originated in the first
Eastern international derby, where a
Frenchman with only seven dogs said
he would ente rif the others were re
stricted to that number.
As the sponsors of the race were
badly in need of entrants they con
.sented to this agreement, which has
heen followed ever since. The rule
has also been extended to races in the
States. It was protested by Seppala
when he first went out on the ground
that when his dogs averaged 45
pounds in weight .pach as against 75
pounds for the average dog of the
other teams he was badly handi
capped. It was his , idea that the
teams should compete ,on a pound
for-pour.d basis, but when he won his
first race the officials refused to make
any change.
This season Seppala won the East
ern international derky at Quebec
where he had been defeated by Erai
St. Goddard in the twf previous
years. He covered. the 123-mil«
course in 11 hours a^d 6 minutes, £
new record for the race. he race is
run in three days, 41 miles being cov
ered at each heat, 'lilt fo. mer recori
was about eight mi mites longer that
the time made by Seppala.
The rac*sr said he was badly handi
, capped by a series of s all incline
- going out of Quebec. T he heavier
stronger teams of his ov-.ionents gen
erally get a lead in th.‘ first eigh'
miles, which Seppala nnr-t eliminati
on the plateau which icceeds thi
hills. Most of those co petir.g wer<
’ “young Canadians, fast on their fee
(.and able to follow a sled all day.
Seppala’s victory in 1 :,e Eastern in
ternational came after he had twic<
fe - won second plate in the race. Las
year he won the New England point
to-Point race and the ! .ake Placid an<
H Poland Springs races, losing only b
; St. Goddard at Quebec. The Cana
, ^ . dian racer he describes as “a gooi
sport and a gentleman.” He is 3'
; years younger tl)an .the Alaskan am
consequently is abb tx run more dur
ing a race.
A belief in the other man’s honesty,
found perhaps more among Alaskans
than any other people, was responsi
ble for a friendship Which sprang up
between Seppala and Emil St. God
dard’s father, who trains bis son’s
dogs. The twn were fin a hotel about
three miles from the kennels. Sep
pala was tired after a hard day’s
work and did not look forward with
any pleasure to making the trip ,to
the kennels to water his dogs, so
when the elder St. Goddard an
nounced he was going down to water
his son’s animals Seppala asked him
if he would water Id and save him
the trouble of making the trip. St.
Goddaid was astonished that a rarer
on the eve of an important derby
would ask anyone connected with an
opposing team to perform such a ser
vice for him. He watered the dogs,
however, and incidentally became a
firm friend of Sepppla.,
It is not a generally known fact
that at Laconia, New Hampshire, and
at Quebec the condition prizes for
both races were won by Seppala.
These prizes are bas£d on speed, con
dition of fur and feet and general
condition at the end of a race. At
Quebec and in Ne ^England it was
considered a remarkable fact that the
team winning first prize in the race
should also win the condition prize,
the experience of those connected;
with the sport having been that the:
prize winners were pretty well all in
by the time the race was over.
Seppala is able to keep his dogs in j
good shape throughout a race by re
moving from the team any that are
stiff or lame. In one three-day New
England race, fsr instance, he started
out with seven dogs and removed one
from the string the first day and one
the second. The five dogs that fin
ished, however, were in the best of
shape.
The Alaskan has the distinction if
having won the last three all-Alaska
sweepstakes without the use of the
whip, and Outside he is known as the
“whipless driver.” He often carries
a whip, hut never uses it on his dogs.
Seppala lias no patience with those
who criticise dog racing by saying
the animals are treated cruelly. “Dog
racing has done more to humanize
the treatment o fdogs, especially in
Alaska, than any humane society
i could do,” he added.
In illustration the racer described
! conditions at Nome in the early days,
j when natives commonly and white
| men often paid little attention to
their dogs and did nothin to add to
their comfort, even in the most severe
weather.
The growth of racing changed all
this, Seppala continued. The natives
soon realized they had no chance
against white men if their dogs were
not trai • and well cared for, and as
a result a real effort was made to
better the condition of the animals,
i Alaska has better all-around sled
dogs than the -Outside, in the opinion
of Seppala. The mixed breeds com
| monly found there -won’t stahd up
: against the Alaskan dog, he said.
Past experience in Nome, he confin
ued, has shown that a malamute is
not as fast as a mongrel, but his feet
and fur are better, and after years
of experiments with all kinds of dogs
Seppala has become an absolute 1 c
• liever in the thoroughbred, especially
i the Siberian, i nthe Siberian he finds
,! more speed, greater endurance, bet
•! ter feet, and just as good and perhaps
better fur than the husky. Besides
■ i this type is not inclined to fight to
■ i such an extent as are other breed.
■ A dozen veterans from Seppala’s
. J Nome team, including the famed
leader Toga ,are Kept in the Poland
■ Springs kennels. Toga is now on a
1 pension and hasr raced fot the last
time, although he is? sometimes used
- for training work.
I Seppala believes it may be said
, without fear of contradiction that
- Toga has traveled a greater distance
1 than any other sled dog in the world
) and has beeen in more races in which
1 the etam he led placed, first than any
other dog. Togo’s total mileage on
the trail is estimated by his owner atj
around 50,000. Here are some of the ;
record drives in which Togo and hisi
master participated:
The ydrove frond Nome to Fair
banks, about 700 miles by trail, with j
a 100-pound passenger and 200
pounds of baggage, in 13 1-2 days, a
record that stood until it Was broken
by airplane.
They hold the fastest time for the
330 miles between .Nulat.o and Nome,
which they covered in four davs.
They hold the record for the Bor
den speed race of 20 miles and 385
yards, a distance which they covered
in 1 hour 50 minutes and 25 seconds.
They hold the record for the Solo
mon burden handicap, carrying a pas
senger over the .32 1-2-mile course, -in
2 hours and 40 minutes.
With Togo leading,uSepjiala’s teanj
covered the 340 miles coming and
going in the serum drive .at the avf
erage speed of 0 miles an hour. Iij
this drive they covered 85 miles in
one day while crossing and recrossing
Norton Sound.
Are you a Kusko Times subscriber ?.,
Why not?
NOTICE OF HEARING OF FINAL
ACCOUNT.
Notice is hereby given that the un-l
dersigned has filed his final report and
account as administrator de bonis non ^
of the estate of Joe Kermond, de-'
ceased, and that such report will bej
heal'd and considered by the-Probate;
Judge of Otter Precinct, Fourth I)ivi-j
sion of Alaska, at his office at Flat, j
Alaska, on the 10th day of June A. D.;
1929, at the hour of two o’clock in the I
afternoon of said day.
All persons having objections to
such report may be heard at said time
and place.
CHARLES E. TAYLOR, !
Administrator de bonis non Es- •:
tate of Joe Kermend, deceased, j
tate of Joe Kermond, deceased, j
First pub., March 30, 1929.
—— - - • j
NOTICE OF FORFEITURE
To
Peter Davey, his heirs and as-'
and assigns:
You, and each of you, are hereby
notified that I, the undersigned, your
co-owner, have expended in labor and j
improvements the sum of not less!
than onp hundred dollars for the
years 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925,
1926, 1927, 1928 and 1929 upon placer
mining claim No. 3 Above Discovery
on Esperanto creek, a tributary of
Madison, creek, in the Innoko Mining,
and Recording Precinct, Fourth divi
sion, Territory of Alaska, in order to
bold ..said ..claim .under the provisions
of Section 2324 of the Revised Stat
utes of the United Staes and the
amendments thereto concerning an
nual labor upon.mining claims, being
the amount required to hold said min
ing claim for the period June 30j
1930.
And if, within ninety days after the
publication of this notice, you fail or
refuse to contribute your proportion
of said expenditure, as well as the
cost of recording the same, and the
costs of this advertisement, your in
terest in said claim will become the
property of the (undersigned, your co
owner, who has made the required
expenditures utiler the terms of said
Section 2324 ofj the Revised Statutes
of the United States.
JfOHN KRIEGER,
Co-Owner.
TAliLE OF DISTANCES BE
TWEEN HEN AN A AND FLAT
Miles
Nenana .i. 00
I Tavern Roadhouse . 17 %
Knight’s Roadhouse . 23 %
Nineteen-Mile Roadhouse . 58 _
Diamond Roadhouse . 7G
Roosevelt . 89
! Lake Minchumipa.115
| Trappers’ Cabin .-. 132
Lone Star Roadhouse . 158
1 Telida Roadhouse.169%
j Slow Fork Roadhouse . 187
I East Fork Roadhouse .) 206
I Berry’s Landing Roadhouse . 227%
Big River Roadhouse.241
McGrath . 268
Takotim .. . 280
Bill Goss’ Roadhouse .. 291
Ophir .. 300
McCaffcrty . . 306
j Brown Creek shelter cabin . 318
I Fritz shelter cabin . . 333
First Chance shelter cabin . 346
i Schermeyer R. H. 360
i Iditarod . ■ 376
; Flat ....
Bonanzza sheler cabin, 12 miles
from Flat.
Crooked Creek shelter cabin, 19
miles front Bonanza „
Babeesch Mooseh'de Mitts and Bodts
Furs Bought and Sold Clothing
All Kinds of Nice Fresh Groceries and Fruits
Canned Goods of All Kinds Beds and Bed drug
A. R. Eldridge - McGrath
fAKOTN/t ROADHOUSE
Best of Meals and Rooms
Where Everything Is Homelike end
Where You Are'Cordially Waloomed
OOOD DOG HOUSES BATHE.
Ivar Chilstrom « Prop.
Rough and Dressed Lum
ber of All Kinds
I
r- :■
l
How About
1:
y
i
j
Printing
?
-T—!
M
11
M
f
Try
Kusko
Times
!
1