| Summary: | Seppala's Feats Saga Of North: Announcement Of Plans For Dog Derby Recall Exploits Which Made Him Famous. ISEPPALA'S FEATS SAGA OF NORTH Announcement of Plans for Dog Derby Recall Exploits Which Made Him Famous. FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Jan. 4. (/P)— Leonard Seppala's announcement of plans for the annual Fairbanks dog derby in March recalled the snow trail exploits which have made him famous for a quarter of a century. His best known feat was the thrilling dash across the broken ice of Norton sound and the hard-crusted snow of western Alaska in the winter of 1924-25 as part of a dog-drivers relay carrying 300,000 units of antitoxin to Nome during a diphtheria outbreak. In fact most of his best-known deeds of daring were in similar errands of mercy where there were no cheering thousands, no prize money, no cups, no trophies. Braved a Blizzard. There was the time, in the winter of 1910-11, when Seppala braved one of the worst blizzards in years, to carry Sergeant Bowers of the United States army, from Golden Gate to Nome for medical attention. There was that other life-saving deed in 1915 that caused some Nome rhymster to indite an epic in Seppala's honor after the musher had hitched up his lead dog, "Russky" and the rest of his Siberian sled pullers to take Bobby Brown 160 miles from Dime creek to Nome through another raging blizzard. Bobby, a youngster, had cut his foot with a saw. Seppala got him to a surgeon in time to save his life. Retires Two Trophies. Seppala is the only man ever to win the old all-Alaska sweepstakes dog race, a gruelling 64-mile round trip between Nome and Solomon, three years running, and to win permanent possession, of the Borden marathon trophy by three later wins at Nome. "Scotty" Allen, another veteran musher, won the all-Alaska three times, but not consecutively, say records here. Seppala won the all-Alaska In 1915, 1916 and 1917 and finished his three Borden trophy wins in 1926. He won the New England derby in New Hampshire in 1926 (the year he finished second in the international at Quebec), won the second annual dog derby at Poland Springs, Maine, in 1927; the New England again in 1927 and 1928, beating the f-mous Emil St. Goddard of The Pas, Man., who won the Quebec classic six times and who won the New England event in 1933 and 1934. Gives Togo to Woman. Seppala lost to Mrs. E. P. Ricker Jr. at Pocono Manor in 1927, but won from her at Poland Springs in 1928 and gave her his famous Togo, the dog which led his team during the historic diphtheria run in 1924. Togo held many Alaska trail records—taking but 13% days for a run with a passenger the 668 miles from Nome to Nenana; making the Cobi- iNenana 25-mile relay in record time and setting a 26-mile record of 1 hour 50 minutes in the Nome marathon. Mrs. Ricker had Togo killed in 1929 because of old age. Mounted by a taxidermist, he is preserved at Yale university as a hero L. his own right.
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