BYRD'S TEAM OF DOGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20114, 27 November 1928, Page 11

BYRD'S TEAM OF DOGS.

A SHAGGY, ACTIVE PACK.

CHINOOK AND HIS SONS.

"THE INSURANCE OF SAFETY."

Some details and impressions of the dog team that Commander Bryd is taking with him on his Antarctic expedition are published bv the Dunedin Star.

King of the dogs is Chinook, one of the world-famous animals. regal right as leader of them all demands a place of serenity for him, and Chinook basks in sunshine outside the main buildings on Quarantine Island. And Chinook, father of 15 of tho leaders in the tennis, claims no unadulterated bluo blood. His mother was Mingo, tho leader of Peary's team to tho North Pole, but his father wjs Kirn, a dog of nondescript breed, who was bought out of a pound in Massachusetts for £l, a dog whom Mr. Walden, who is in charge of tho team, has described as being the most intelligent he has ever come across. And from those strains has come the noble Chinook, a dog of magnificent proportions., with a wonderfully intelligent head and a benevolent face.

Truly Chinook is a leader of his kind. But if any of tho dogs should annoy him his big bushy tail will cease to wag, and ho asserts his superiority by force. Ifis sons all carry his shaggy brown-coloured coat and his characteristic appearance. Three-quarter Chinook is tho highly-inbred Karlukm, who, though only 12 months old, weighs 951b., and is destined to bo one cf tho most reliable leaders in " the home of tho blizjard," as Sir Douglas Mawson described the Antarctic. Then tliero is Balhrat, a dog of the best type. His legs aie long, a most desirable featura for a sledge dog. Some ol the Other Dogs. Noatak pnswers to his narno with a loud bark. Ho is another Chinook, from a cross with an Alsatian wolf hound. Noatak has many of tho features of an Alsatian. Tarnigan does not show any inclination to move from tho shelter of his kennel. He was named after the arm of a> river in Alaska, tho Indian title being substituted by the Cheechakos, or gold-seekers, for Turn-again. And another* of Chinook's sons, Kewalik, merely turns his head and falls again into a slumber when he is addressed "Hullo, puppy!" by Mr. F. Crockett, one of the dog punchers. Chinook is half-Eskimo, and his progeny's legs are short, but Skagwa has longer legs, although his colour is undisputably that of the Chinook family. Another of his sons, Scaramouche, shows tho resemblance to his Alsatian mother. A longer-legged fellow is Kuskoquim.Atlin, too, has already established claims as a dog worthy of a leading place in any team. Kayote, Nova, and Terra are crossed from Siberians. On the trip Chinook will bo accompanied by two of his grandsons, Omaick and Kvack, the small and tho big, who cannot' be distinguished other than by the slight difference in Size. Sons of Muskag, tlieir whito markings on their black coats vary not a hair. Full-Blooded Eskimo. A full-blooded Eskimo is Bouncer, a black dog with a shorter back and legs. Tho typo is excellent, but tho only objection, declared Mr. Crockett, was that the Eskimos were a little slow. The history of the Eskimo breed has been lost, but tho dog punchers aro certain that if their descendants could be traced they would be found to have come from tho 'Arctic or timber wolves. AN though domesticated, the wolf dog has to be watched. He is a treacherous fellow, and tho visitors always dodge Oolik, who is three-quarter timber wolf. Many of tho dogs are Labrador huskies, 78 of them coming from that far-off country. Their distinguishing featuro is a longer back than the Eskimos or wolf crosses. Rowdy comes from Manitoba, and he is noticeable for his short legs. Although the dogs are of various breeds they have an individual feature—long bushy tails. At the end of the day's trek the dogs will sleep out in tha open. They roll themselves into a ball, and lie in the snow, with their tails covering their noses. Through the bushy hair they are able to breathe without exposing tlieir noses, which are susceptible to the cold. Establishment of Sub-bases. "The only possible insurance we can have for safety," was Commander Byrd's statement on the setting up of the sub-bases, 100 miles apart, extending from tho main base toward the South PoleOn the rugged dogs and their drivers will depend tho safety of the expedition. With the dogs searches will bo made fop aeroplane landing fields, and light planes will then carry stores of food, fuel, BJid repairs for sledges. Should the plane making ttie flight to the Pole bo forced down bv one of the blizzards which start so quickly in the Antarctic the flier would have the chance of landing near one of the bases and surviving the storm. Without the bases there would be no hope of the aviators reaching the main base, for animals for food do not exist in the Antarctic, as Scott and Amundsen have already proved. The sub-bases wilt also h* used as depots for the scientific aerial explorations. And, realising the need for dependable dogs and an expert trainer, Com- rf mander Byrd selected Arthur Walden. who has gathered about him the greatest team ot Polar dogs yet assembled, and three punchers who are bubbling over with enthusiasm, at'd who, with si* mouths' training in the hills about Won*, lancet, where the snow lay deep throughout the winter, have developed into expert drivers). Leaders o! the Teams. Each man will have his team of nine dogs. Norman Yaughan's loader is Dinny, Fred Crockett's is Quimbo, a three-year-old sou of Chinook, and Arnold Yaughan's is Muskag. Mr. Walden would not go past Chinook as his leader. The young men selected their own teams, but they have also to caro for twenty other dogs each. Tho others are being reserved to take the place of those who drop out through exhaustion oti tho trail, and also to form the light teams which will be carried in the aeroplanes, and tho packs which will pull the sledges driven by the scientists oil their expeditions of ex* plorat ion. The clogs are lazy in tho New Zealand heat, but they will regain all their enthusiasm when they are harnessed to tho sledges when tho expedition reaches tho Bay of Whales. Their work is strenuous, but their only food is l£lb. of biscuits a day. Tha biscuits are a balanced food, composed of oatmeal, cornmeal, and fish. It is -supplied dry, and moisture is obtainbd from the snow. Experiments are being made with, the feeding of the dogs, and last week Mr. WjI'* 1 '* den was in Dunedin arranging for tJi« biscuits to ho coated with tallow to gne warmth.