This story reminds me of Jack London's adventures, at least the feel of the time and the interaction between the men and the dogs. The details of the environment are also very good.
A few minutes later a rope was dangling over the edge and down far enough for Rudolph to reach. He could hardly use his arm, but he managed to climb with the one hand and his feet. Andrews was a muscular man. He reached his large, callous hands over the edge of the hole and pulled Rudolph out
A great historical tale.
I love history, so researching that era was fun. I even researched conditions in Germany at the time, the specific area from which my ancestor emigrated. There was a drought over there, and economic instability. An increase in emigration to the U. S. as a result. While this wasn't used in my story, it helped to give me a feel for the character.
Thanks for the reference to London😇--one of the authors I introduced my children and grandchild to early. The whole family loves that author.
This is what is striking about the story that it has the 'atmosphere' of the times without being too overt about it. :)