I: rntf
r S — In 1925,children in a remote Alaskan town were being I F struck down bya deadly disease. Thecure was hundreds of miLes rorn his apartment window, Dr. Curtis Welch watched away,across a as the Alamt4a, the last ship of the fall season of 1924, frozen wilderness. pulled away from the dock in Nome, Alaska. In a few
There was only -‘ weeks, the freezing winter weather would almost one hope: dogs. completely cut off Nome from the world until spring. The town’s only link with the rest of Alaska would be one frozen 7. and windswept dogsled trail. 4 SCHOLASTICSCOPE• MARCH11, 2013 I 1.
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The Alameda had broght Dr. Welch his winter supplies: cotton balls, ether, tongue depressors, thermometers, and nwdines. Only one item had been either misplaced or lost: his ordei ol fresh diphtheria (dif-THEER-ee-uh) medicine. Today, most American children are vaccinated against diphtheria, a deadly disease of the nose and throat. But in 1924,the diphtheria vaccine had only been around for a few years.
WWW.SCN*ST1C.COM/SCOPE . MARCH.ll,2013 5 The hadn’t
hadn’t
he’d confirmed knew diphtheria
suddenly contagious. population medicine, helpless
would Dr. winter.
A
people
had that
town. family doctor was suffering
Tuesday, children Welch weeks boy been
and a l.)r. only
6 m:-tter
Fortunately,
Deadly thick,
Unfortunately,
By Welch Within majority
been
steamed
lucky. Welch
dead.
named
that SCHOLASTIC fever.
one been
seen
morning, admitted The
stay
with
guessed of earlier checked
in
ot
gray
and
had
in from the
Nome Nome’s January prayed case
in
thing:
weeks,
youngest an
hours,
Soon away would
The a
Without knev immunized.
four
Nome.
Outbreak
Billy of
the
single
is disease coating off,
died. outbreak.
with
Dr.
Americans
of
a
highly
boy
SCOPE
the to
however,
in
wouldn’t
children diphtheria. after for 18
mild
this a
Barnett,
diphtheria
the two
be
the Welch
20, the
on
Native
Then, Yet years
a
child
had
another
was
sore
strikes
coating in could
• the infection.
a 1925,
hospital more
he
3-year-old
MARCH
his
developed
ill,
was
Alameda
arrived
throat on the
Alaskan who
be
throat.
Dr. and mean
In
11.
could child
had two
a
This
diphtheria
began 2013 different by the Line).
7IVtt
in
train
-
map
Seppala’s
in
to
block
touch Anchorage, can desperate. shows body needed By fresh
located mushers
hoped for the 1,000
to
trucks, airplanes, located
ito
medicine
Nenana,
The
Nome? January26,
But
the
move
disease
the to
medicine the
Billy’s route
miles
or
town’s
it how whole
to
or in the 1
on
sneeze,
frigid would the route
to
miffion
Alaska’s
from
the
Anchorage,
snowmobiles. In Through
is ice-cutting
next. a
from away.
Nome. windpipe could
medicine
marked
1925, peninsula
town
town,
situation
the
Bning medicine
to one
be
diphtheria
Dr.
units Largest spreading.
mushers
The treat
It the
of
there enough
warm
a in
but wasn’t
Welch
Nulato was
single
medicine’s
Sea. medicine
yeLlow. ships,
and a
of
the
was
city.
that
Dr. major
were then had
Nome
took
The
kill
town. to
enough (see
Welch
Transported
juts
rugged
been
relayed
keep
to
no
him.
city
sea
journey
orange
is
by
get
about
get
out
jet this
What
you
looking
the
by
map?
Name
tell
can
drivers experienced
musher the reached the village
would skilled travel pick
back
would the
at
Under
trail
next
journey
was
making
up would
the villages wait Nenana.
major ships
away
to They came
medicine From from
medicine one
to of
Super
find
alone dogs
set are of musher,
take
would
Nome.
the and So
miles
musher Nome: the
railroad
Town
already
Nulato.
with
normal
reliable
out
called.
the
Anchorage would in to
Nome’s
up
and
railroad Nenana, pick 25 medicine
mushers,
trail’s
from 300 pass
it
along
the
travel.
Twelve from
very of
with
Mushers days impossible travel
their
leaders
sent
by Leonhard the across
miles up
until partially frozen
station town
the One One
Nenana
circumstances, have
way
midpoint,
dogsled.
fastest
the
most town
Nome a the
or
was
dog
by The
there
a
medication
bold
others
as and the
musher particularly
more. to to
portion hundreds to
hoped
of trail.
the
railroad
medicine
wilderness
teams 674
dogsled in closest
Nulato Nenana. brave
officials get
Nenana.
frozen,
medicine
teams to Seppala, for bring and plan.
was
Each
would Nome miles
Town
the
the
to
of
but in
ant,
it
to
o
to
at leaders
the plan the guarantee “super survive
at choice:
Nome against 47-year-old seven have mile
hazardous shortcut Sound. warning, littered fragments
open
stake.
But
The
trip
dogs.
for
journey
to
a
dogs
hundreds mushers’ on
journey
hoped
the
in
It
death.
dog’s The
both
with travel
There
And
across
was
the January
10.
the
of freezing
trails
and
Seppala shortcut
ice
the
to
It
ice paws.
ice there
to medicine
their
one
was
was
began
Nulato.
set the
rubble—sharp be
and could of drivers
that might
27,
of
team
no lives was out
journey.
a
a
With
frozen
rigged
Alaska’s
take race
would risky
could when
in
other
make
on
break
no
would He
and were
of
little
a
the
Norton
would
up 42-mile
slice
be
most
up
300-
even
his
that
IpIIeI
neutralizing
the
The
antitoxin
was
works disease.
4
serum
an
G.
A
carrying
medicine colored contained
container quilts for the another frozen Normally,
by
Single
the
crate
could
musher
and because
team
“Wild other Nenana,
and
village terrain
serum
Seppala
As
musher
the
onto
weighed
carry
and
canvas. make glass
the
Push Seppala of
end
Bill”
medicine.
in
nine
of
he 52-mile his wrapped took
meeting
packed
them
vials
of
Alaska.
Tolovana,
it,
Shannon was had
was
sled
Shannon the
20
dogs
it
two
raced
of
waiting. was
been
out pounds.
the
trail
and
trip
The
in
amber-
days.
the
in If
were
to a Seppala.
fastest
east,
anyone
and heavy
over in chosen set
where padded crate
train
loaded the
at
off
It
his
the
of
WWW.SCIIOLASTJC.CL
Shannon in the temperatures avoided
below hours record journey and warm of continue, he traveled was They
rushed
into another blizzard done. western of by crisis
panicked
telegram D.C.
cases America of
epidemic. radios
a
his
That
Still,
miles
The
arrived
Nome’s
night. the
“The By
single
warm
black
the
“The loaded
dogs
in
near zero.
up
But
increases now,
time,
hour.
first
night, Shannon reported
out
traveling
with
Nome
Alaska. warmth. to
sled situation was the
was
As
at
prayed
to
push,
so
mayor
with
there
his
in
number
were cover,
the
People plight. from
part
the the
a leaders final
pausing
Shannon
making the
Tolovana,
and told
only
lower
it
rule,
frozen
end
was
frostbite.
was trail
entire
traveling were
Meanwhile,
of
hourly.”
too
news
medicine
the
in made
that
announced
four
and
helped to
is
six
Newspapers
the
across
dogsled
becoming to
than of
the
50
make
bad,” in
outpost.
exhausted
roadhouse.
AR11, its body.
stifi for
dogs.
the
an
rest
diphtheria
country hours
relay
left
of
Washington,
below.
dark
the
way
his
just 40
enormous
the
through
Shannon
hundreds
Men
the
Nome’s his
them
onto
drivers
trip Three When face
degrees
was
toward
the and
of
a
in
He
dogs 2013 trip
graver
few knew
the
to
in and
a
to
in
7 medicine reach was
FinaL mushers
Seppala the
without Norton
Meanwhile, medicine
earlier Noine’s mushers
now race
medicine
immediately head Norton
miles of Seppala another village Olson was At
final just
But had powerful
snow, of Five Kaasen’s blocked
too drifts. dangerous choice In
8 the Golovin,
first, Nome
The
minus to 20
loaded Nulato, the 53
back Musher closed
late.
musher, than from trail
Sound SCHOLASTIC miles
save made
traveled mishap. mushers
were would leaders
of
and Sound.
miles lifesaving
Kaasen to
the
handed had musher, monster
but
to
Bluff,
by before
and
across winds, 70 the
path expected, the
Nome,
Nome.
the
a his into
in, onto
lucky.
Seppala it to turned reached huge
windchfll degrees. east
relay. go Gunnar
over
had
bringing exhausted Seventy-eight leave 25 sled
where had was
involved
his
the
SCOPE it
the
blizzard the Charlie blinding
cargo
of
miles snow in
added
run, and no around
There Nome. cargo
treacherous because the sled strapped
Nulato
the
Kaasen.
•
was
to MAI
village
in Olson.
of
more
crate
to
the were
the
to
the
days
the
around lead
find sniff
and trail.
as the raced.
the
snow.
it try dog,
through
The
again.
dog
His
the
to
Balto,
minutes
pickup
Kaasen’s
searched body drifts,
It
several
was
would
ached
hoping
the
crawled
up
heart
through
feet
scent
to be
with
Balto
of that
able
by
snow of
his
to the
to
and
at Balto’s is In
preserved
Cleveland, a Today,
on
Ohio.
museum
display
body
The mercilessly
Several trail,
was
At the
Within
musher
dragging
in
last,
next February team Street off Balto, muttering,
times Dr.
even
the at
patients telegraph minutes,
out Welch’s at cold. would day, for
Kaasen
lifted
team broke track. was wasn’t pulled
5:30 miles,
in
ADAPTED BY and PERMISSION BY NORTON the saved. the
Kaasen News sled,
victory the
Suddenly,
Nome
over
For GAY GAY Kaasen Norne.
2, it
Nome losing dogs If
a.m. most sled his was collapsed, country,
was dogs AND AND mean into But “Fine Kaasen
Balto
AND
that stumbled heroes wind The onto the FROM throw
over too. would
hands. the dispatches
• the
OF head LANEY LANE? announcing
and and COMPANY, of
flew
over on back
clear the
THE THE seriously a He next his
and with had nature dogs radio
men medicine yet. dog.” Front failed, run. disaster beat
Monday, Balto
SAS6LR,’. SALISBURY.
PUBLISHER, CRUELEST
at his for
and danger around recover. staggered
off and strength. as the And
on
Seppala. been that 20
them. INC. it.
became
up The and did dogs.
and
the
worst his could
it
went
by
MILES
to ill
AITH
.%.W
20C3
the
the 0 4 0 4 0 4
Anything”
about A
“He
T Language
and pain.. matter
the and, farthest stomach keen, nutriment; EXCERPT heard
whether such He his and his water
to and
classic
His
Sight
His
scent
learned
teeth toughest toes;
he
there
striking
once
he excerpt, is acuteness
while
muscles
a
the
hole, most .
how
grew
a
to
Call
and
sled . reaches
the extracted
It
famous
and
when author
He
eaten,
evoke
faintest
was
heralded
and
to
of
his he loathsome
conspicuous
scent
wind Could
callous
and London
It
could
dog when
the bite
became
a
would with
it
that his
hearing
Buck book
the
of
thick
stoutest
writes
Wild
collected
and
became
named
the
sound
the
eat blood
his he
uses
to peace
stiff in juices
and
about
break
(1903)
Ice
forecast
last was hard
scum or
anything, all his
body,
developed
powerful
his
trait
fore a and
carried
Indigestible;
of
out
ordinary
remarkably
sLed
or Buck
between
sleep
of
least
gripping
thirsty
world.
it as
tissues.
of
by
building
peru.
knew
his was
with
legs.
by
dogs.
Iron,
it
Ice
3ack
Eat
he particle
descriptive
it
no
rearing a
an
over
to
night
In
London
story
ability
the
It
this
Race
What
sled
provide?
the
Into
of
fiction
it
Against
deepen
dogs
insights
I
/
excerpt
JACx
How
does
In
was at on nose
centuries your
Death”?
about
does
this
advance.
a
the
his
star
at
stifi
air star became ineitably sheltered or
experience,
ancestors,
and
and
And
bank, WWW.SCHOLASTIC.COM/SCOPE
cold
when
No
and
howled
through
not
matter
nights, alive
howling
the
he
and
found
dead
only
but
dug
wind
long
again....
snug.
him.
how
he
instincts
did
and
him
his
down
and
that
pointed
breathless
he
nest dust,
to
wolf-like,
learn
through
later
leeward,
long
And
by
pointing
his
MARCH
blew
by tree
dead
when,
nose
the
the
11,
It
2013
9